Bark River Ultra Lite Bushcrafter or Similar Alternative?

J

Jmboz

Joined
Apr 14, 2011
Messages
246
I'm currently looking at the Bark River Ultralite Bushcrafter to introduce my kids to the joys of bushcrafting and wilderness survival.



Specifications:
Blade Type: Pointed Drop Point
Blade Thickness: .90"
Tang: Full Length
Total Length: 7.4"
Blade Length: 3.25"
Weight: 2.7 Ounces
Handle Material: Maroon Linen Micarta
Blade-Steel: CPM 3V Steel
Rockwell Hardness: 58-60 rc

Opinions, thoughts or even snarky comments appreciated. Are there any other similar knives available (mainly size and weight) I should be considering?

Thanks in advance.
 
It's a great choice!

Our kids got 3 knives each:
Mora for Children
Multitool
Fällkniven Custom 3" for the girls and 4" for the boys.

It has worked well through their childhood and into their now adult life.
They still have and use the knives.
The Mora's sees the toughest work.

That UL Bushcrafter looks like a very good choice for a finer knife, but get them a Mora too!:D

Regards
Mikael
 
Mikael W said:
It's a great choice!

Our kids got 3 knives each:
Mora for Children
Multitool
Fällkniven Custom 3" for the girls and 4" for the boys.

It has worked well through their childhood and into their now adult life.
They still have and use the knives.
The Mora's sees the toughest work.

That UL Bushcrafter looks like a very good choice for a finer knife, but get them a Mora too!:D

Regards
Mikael
Click to expand...

This^^

Moras are perfect knives for youngsters. Good quality, easy to maintain the edge, and if they lose a $20 Mora, it's not the end of the world.
 
for kids moras are better (not as devastating if they loose it)

but if you want to stick to Bark River
check out Liten Bror as well
 
Love mine..The North Star EDC is nice as well...Forget the mora :)
20130225_111425.jpg

20130306_115120.jpg
 
Mora 511. A finger guard would be helpful for a child just learning how to use a knife and 3V steel doesn't seem like the best choice to learn how sharpen knives.
 
I can't argue with the sound advice of using an inexpensive knife, especially when it's a decent one like the Mora. In my youth, I must have lost several cheap pocket knives my Dad gave me growing. However, when I was a bit older, he gave me a BUCK 110, and I was far more careful with it that it's still with me. I was sort of hoping that a quality fixed bladed knife would teach my children some care and responsibilty.
 
If these are bought with the purpose to teach about more then just knives, but about heritage and long term values;

...and are going to be used only under proper supervision, and stored safely between outings;

...there is no better long term investment. :thumbup::cool::thumbup:



Cheap belt knives might be a better choice in a situation where loss is an issue,

...and are not mutually exclusive to having better knives available for specific projects.



There's more to teach though knife handling/usage/ownership then just cutting things.




Big Mike
 
They sure won't be keeping that 3V sharp on their own. It's not easy and I imagine kids would make it a lot harder. I second Moras and I'm a HUGE Bark River fan.
 
How old of kids are we talking about? I'd be more concerned about safety and the absence of a guard or even a finger groove with inexperienced users than I would cost. I think it's great that you are doing this with your kids and willing to invest in quality knives for them, but I would tend to agree that a Mora makes sense although for a different reason. I have many Bark River's and enjoy using all of them, but most of the handle options aren't exactly grippy which could be an issue with kids. Some like the Bravo 1 and Canadian Special use contours or finger grooves but as I'm sure you are aware the bushcraft style models tend to not have those features. The Mora bushcraft has a prominent finger groove and the Classic and some in the 500 series have guards. It might be a great incentive for your kids to master knife safety and basic bushcraft/survival skills using something like a Mora and then graduate to a nice Barkie or other knife.
 
I think the key with 3V steel is stropping it before it fully loses its edge. This can easily be done in the field or back home after a weekend of use - 10 15 minutes tops. My BR 3V Aurora holds up to a lot of use between stroppings and I prefer to keep a working edge (not razor sharp) on all my user knives.

My kids (10 & 12) already know how to safely handle and use kitchen knives. They've used both my Aurora and Canadian Special, but say they're too big. The BR Liton Bor might be a good when they're a bit older. I like the idea of starting with a knife like the Mora and transitioning to a guardless knife like the Bark River as their skills improve.

Thanks again everyone so for the advice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top