Any bushcrafters among us?

Paradiggum

Paradiggum

Joined
Jul 4, 2001
Messages
1,662
I know there are plenty of users here. I know a lot of you chop, cut and so on in the woods. I was going through some of my collection looking to see what would work well for bushcrafting. I'm talking making feather sticks, notching, carving, processing kindling for a fire, and so on.
I was just curious as to what you use for such things.

Here are some of the Busse knives I'll grab when heading into the woods. Not all at once mind you. :)
I'll grab an original CG Satin Jack for general purpose chores.
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Sometimes I'll grab one of these. A little smaller and a thinner edge for notching and trap making.
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If I'm carrying a hatchet/ax, I'll grab my Badger Attack 3. Which I don't have a pic of, unfortunately.

If I don't want to be weighed down by something like a Mistress, I'll snag this NO-E which was modded by the shop for me.
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If I want small and beefy then this guy is grabbed.
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Seem that no matter what, I always seem to have a Heavy Duty in my pack or on my belt. It will do feather sticks quite well.
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So what do you use? I do use a variety of other knives but since we're talking INFI here, I left them out.
Just curious to see what others use and how they use them for camp chores and basic bushcraft work.
 
I'm an axe/hatchet guy and only have one busse (ams). For me, that combo works quite well! This is a cool thread!
 
Just about every knife purchase I make has the knife's value in the woods in mind.

Of all of the bussekin I've tried for bushcraft, the CABS fits the bill the best for me. Have a couple CABS LE's these days... one that I got when they were available, another that I found unused on the market that I keep as a spare.

Currently using that paired with a SYCKO 1311 (which has the best combination of chopping ability and weight savings of any of the bussekin I've handled). I am getting on a bit of a Survive! Knives kick lately, though, so my GSO 4.1 might replace the CABS on some days.
 
Was carrying the Esee 3 for camp chores and The Esee Junglas for processing wood, building shelter,etc. It's a helluva chopper. Replacing the 3 with a Survive GSO 4.1. It's on the way. Can't wait to get in the field with that bad boy. Wanted stainless for small chores. Less maintenance and it doesn't see hard use like the Junglas. The 1095 of the Junglas is easy to sharpen but the M390 on the 4.1 should hold an edge for a long time around camp. I think it may be a great combo.
 
The Survive 4.1 is one of the "other" knives I use in the field. I've been really happy with it. The majority of my Busse knives are from the late 90s-early 2000s, long before any of the thinner INFI offerings. Except the Active Duty at least.
My first Busse was a Satin Jack back in the 90s. That was before I was into the whole woods bumming thing. I used it mostly at work where I basically gutted houses for remodeling. After I found the love of "dirt time" I used a Steel Heart E. As the years have gone on my taste in using knives has gotten smaller. So I don't use the big choppers unless I just want to have some fun and blow off some steam. Not that the SH-e is really a "big chopper" compared so some of the Busse knives offered, but it represents that sweet spot for me. With it's weight and length, it bridges the gap between something I'm willing to carry all day and something that performs those jobs well. It's not unusual for me to hit the woods with something that's only 4-5 inches in blade length. If I have a saw and a smaller blade like that, there's not a lot I can't get done. I may have to baton through something instead of chop it, but with the woods around here there isn't a lot of chopping necessary for camp chores unless you want to fell a tree or you demand large firewood. And then if you have a saw you're pretty much covered.

Hale Storm, the 4.1 in M390 will hold an edge for a very long time. I've had it for months with quite a bit of use and haven't done anything but strop it.
When I'm out, it has the same use and job description as my BA3, Howling Rat, Groove Master, and ESEE 4, I can use them and just don't have to worry about them. I prefer the handles on the 4.1, BA3 and GM. All three are very comfortable for long use. The HR is very good in most grips but it's not as comfortable when doing chest lever cuts. At least not for me. The ESEE is good in all grips, but I find that if I have to use it all day my hand starts to fatigue faster than it does with the Busse or Survive knives. Maybe because the handles are smaller and thinner on the ESEE4. With the thinner blade stock at 5/32 the 4.1 is better at finer detail carving. But that's just a few percentage points better. I don't notice a difference in use really. It's only if going head to head with the other knives that there's any perceived difference. That's why I say the 4.1 is just a couple of percentage points better at things like notches and feather sticks. While I don't have any, I'm sure some of the thinner Busse offerings would excel at finer detailed woodcraft. Having used an Active Duty for feather sticks, I can pretty much guarantee th-INFI would be a great choice.
 
Mike, haven't seen you here in a while. Thanks for sharing some old school goodness. That line up of short blade straight handled knives is very cool, which model is that?
 
Resinguy- I still lurk periodically. Just not that active anymore. I don't spend much time on any forum anymore. It's only now that the snow has fallen that I might check in a little more often. The motorcycle is put away and while I'll still hike, it won't be nearly as often. I'm just not a fan of snow.
As for the knives, the 2 tan and the green one were called the, "Tanker A" The recurve ones are some kind of variant. The cardboard on them says, "PD Variant" but that's no Public Defender so....
The black and camo ones were called "Euro Combat 4". But they're all really variations of the same knife.

Gravelface- Hehe, nah, I have better collection pics if I wanted to show off. :) Mostly stuff with birds beaks, straight handles and unusual "flying" serrations on the spines. You know, nothing anyone would want to see.
 
Paradiggum said:
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My heart just stopped. My lust meter is pegged.

I do a little bushcrafting. Not as much lately, but getting back to it. I use my AMS and BOSS Jack mostly. I like a hatchet or Tom, but need to break in my NMFSHLE a bit. Definitely a fire building season. I need to brush back up on shelter building though.
 
That second group posted beside the hat look like a great bushcraft blade :cool:..I'd love to try one of those out in the woods someday..what are they called?
I haven't had a lot to really form an opinion on which is best, but of those I have had, the Basic 5 was my favorite for all around bushcraftifunness :D; 2nd a SAR 5, 3rd an AD, but none of them had the handle ergos for my paws that lent to extended use in the woods like the B5.
 
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Barrabas said:
That second group posted beside the hat look like a great bushcraft blade :cool:..I'd love to try one of those out in the woods someday..what are they called?
I haven't had a lot to really form an opinion on which is best, but of those I have had, the Basic 5 was my favorite for all around bushcraftifunness :D; 2nd a SAR 5, 3rd an AD, but none of them had the handle ergos for my paws that lent to extended use in the woods like the B5.
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Those are called "Euro Combat 4/Tanker A". The Combat 4 does make a nice bushcraft blade. It's not the best slicer because it's actually a little thicker than 1/4 inch. They have it thin enough behind the edge for feather sticks but if you're doing any deep carving it tends to run out of space fast. Not to say it won't do the job. But compared to a knife build for bushcrafting, it's a bit thick. In general use they're very good. The Satin Jack has been my favorite for a long time. It was my first Busse sometime back in the mid 90s so when these were kind of a smaller version, I had to have one. (Or a few)
For smaller bushcraft tasks the 3/16 and thinner stock blades work best for me.
I do see a difference between a "bushcraft" knife and a "survival/tactical" knife. The latter is where I think Busse rules the roost. Virtually indestructible, takes and holds an edge and will do the job. I've always heard that you should use the right tool for the job and while I agree, I'm not going to carry 6 knives into the woods. If I'm going to have to survive with only one knife I'd grab the Busse over the Mora every time. Yeah, the Mora might run rings around my Satin Jack when carving or making feather sticks. But the Satin Jack can do those jobs and it can do a lot more that would at the very leas, tax the Mora if not out right break it.
But this is all just my opinion and experience. I use a lot of knives from a lot of different manufacturers but what's in my survival bag? A Steel Heart E. Whats in my bushcraft bag? Mora Bushcraft black. The knife on my belt is either one of the previously mentioned Busse knives the Survive GSO 4.1 or the ESEE 4.
 
Nice to see you back around Brother. Hope you hang around for awhile atleast while its snowing anyway.

Garth
 
I understand completely. Maybe when it stops snowing you can give me some bushcrafting tips.

Garth
 
Thanks for the info on the Tanker...I agree with the 3/16 or less for pure cutting aps, but very rarely do I need deep slicing on something in the woods I'm in..plenty of deadfall for fire prep, and all I generally need to get a fire are some tight curls.
To your point, and how I agree on how versatility is what I prefer as well in a single blade situation:

Once I ran across a downed pine, struck by lightning at a perfect spot where the base of the tree was full of fatwood; I had only one edged tool.
With a less capable knife I would have been limited to slicing/batoning small, thin pieces in an awkward fashion out of the trunk; thankfully, I had the B5 at the time..I could pound in a cross section, twist/pry more out than would have taken me 10 times the time to do with a less capable blade/knife design, at lengths/widths I prefer..long enough to hold with one hand, and thick enough to shave with the other.

In that scenario, I had a more versatile tool for the craft/work that presented itself.
 
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Garth Reckner said:
I understand completely. Maybe when it stops snowing you can give me some bushcrafting tips.

Garth
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We aren't that far from each other. I just got some new cook kit setups and this winter I'm going to work out some recipes. We should get together and bum around the woods, play with knives and then eat something good. LOL! (I used to be a chef, so I take cooking seriously) :)
 
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