- Joined
- Feb 23, 2001
- Messages
- 2,101
Far too many knives are overbuilt. Thicknesses in excess of .25, rough handles with deep checkered handle slabs, skull crusher pommels, these are all features not necessary for a woods-going knife. While these features look great in movies, in the hands of camouflaged models in knife magazines or when drooled over in showcases, they serve no real purpose or function in the field. The BRKT Hudson Bay Camp on the other hand, is the perfect blend of function, style and craftsmanship. From the high polished brass to the period-correct sheath (mine was treated with the proprietary E Sharpshooter Sheath System extreme weather conditioning), the Hudson Bay Camp is a work of art and historically true to form.
Measuring in at .215 thick and 8.25 long, the BRKT Hudson Bay Camp blade is thick enough for heavy duty use yet ground the full height grind aides in slicing. Combined with a convex edge, the blade is an amazingly sharp and virtually friction free design. The high finish (not quite mirror) is not something many knife makers provide in their products since it takes more time and skill to apply. The brass bolsters are held on by pins which are almost impossible to see since they are blended in flush. The handle on my test knife is Dark Curly Maple and it is large enough for use with gloved hands and smooth for use with bare hands. At 13 overall, the Hudson Bay Camp is not a fixed blade you carry with you all the time. You should already have a small 4 sized blade for that purpose already. It is a knife that can be hung in the camp kitchen and used by whoever whenever.
The knife was used by me and the rest of my group. Those who handled it said it cut nicely and had a good feel to it. Perhaps the best use of the knife came with an impromptu lesson on battoning the adults gave a couple of the younger kids in our group. Id venture so far to say a little kid using a knife incorrectly can put as much strain on a blade as an experienced user with good form. In good form and in bad, the Hudson Bay Camp made its way through beech, maple and birch with no damage to the blade at all. In setting up my camp, I carefully used the side of the blade to pound makeshift tent pegs into the semi frozen ground. The wide body of the blade worked great as a spoon and as a quick way to get roasted sausages from the fire to my mouth.
As a general purpose camp knife, the Hudson Bay Camp passes every test. There are no cinder blocks to chop through, no car hoods to pierce and no free hanging hemp rope to sever. These fantasy tests are for those who dont use a knife in reality. Wood to be split, meats to be sliced and fuzz sticks to be shaved are the true measure of a camp knife and something the average user can expect to do in reality. As previously mentioned, this knife was a joy to test in a region where it could have been used years ago, the Adirondacks. Could I have used a sharpened prybar, yes, would it have worked, yes, but was it more than I needed, yes again. With the BRKT Hudson Bay Camp, I had more knife than I needed but well within reason.
It is easy to want knives that are overbuilt or designed to look a certain way. It is also difficult to accept the knife you actually need. I think the needs of the average knife user could be met with a $20 pocketknife. However, these users are compelled to take out a second mortgage on their houses to afford an aesthetically pleasing and overpriced big blade. Now, a dedicated camp knife exists which combines practicality, value and style, the BRKT Hudson By Camp knife. As an outdoorsman youll have all the knife you need and if you are interested in historical pieces and quality, youll have all the knife you want.
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i love the pic of it next to the dutch oven...
