Best Camp Knife

H

Hoodoo

Joined
Aug 18, 1999
Messages
2,355
In the Jan 2000 issue of Tactical Knives, Cliff Jacobson had a letter in which he discussed the pros and cons of camp knives. This was in response to an article in the November TK about camp knives.

The concensus was the thinner is better and Mr Jacobson extolled the virtues of the Gerber Shorty (evidently they don't make 'em anymore), the "Cliff" knife (whatever that is), and the Grohman line.

To add fuel to the fire (and please don't take this as a troll), Mr. Jacobson states that "Big, heavy knives have no place in the bush. Period. They remain toys of drugstore cowboys, not working ones." Yeehah.

Anyway, I know this issue has been discussed before, (http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum32/HTML/001033.html), but I'd like to hear more views and suggestions for a camp knife. BTW, if anyone has a copy of that Nov TK they want to pitch, I would be glad to buy if from them. Please send me an email.

Also, there is a drop-dead good looking camp knife on p. 84 of the Jan. TK, from the Pack River Line by Steve Mullin. Does anyone know if this line is available on the web?


------------------
Hoodoo

Doubt grows with knowledge.
--Goethe


[This message has been edited by Hoodoo (edited 21 November 1999).]
 
http://www.nidlink.com/~packriver/index.html

nice looking stuff
Everybody has a different opinion re camp knives.
Here's mine:
How much knife can you comfortably use without overworking the wrists?
I'm no limp wristed wimp, but mine is a 4.5" semi-skinner (actually 1/2 of the 2 knife camp set by the late "Madpoet"- Mel Sorg). If I can't do it with 4.5 inches, then I've got an axe and/or small saw.
Carry a big heavy blade if you want to, but I'll bet the more you use a knife around camp- the smaller your first choice gets.
 
Check out the work of John Fitch. I feel one would be hard pressed to find a better one.
 
I like to read Cliff Jacobsen's stuff, but I don't always agree with him.
He puts down big knives and the people who carry them (which I don't agree with) but he carries a hatchet with him to do the big work his "camp" knife can't do. Some of us carry a big knife instead of a hatchet.He also thinks the old boy scout folder is better than a swiss army knife and I can't say I agree with that either.He does wright some excellent camping and canoeing books and articles though.
I say try different things and use what works best for you, regardless of what your favorite "expert" says.
And it might be a good idea to take more than one blade.
m
 
O.k. my turn to recite the concluding opinion on every one of these threads.

"It all depends on what you intend to do with the knife."

If I select every other piece of hiking/camping gear based on what I feel is optimal for a particular trip, why shouldn't I do the same with my knife(s)?

My usual starting point is some sort of SAK(or multitool). These are versatile and light weight problem solvers that are always comforting to have and usually prove useful on every trip. Then I usually add a primary knife which often takes the form of a sturdy lockback folder. The primary knife is the cutting edge I intend to have readily at hand (within reach) at all times, and it will be used to perform most of the cutting chores on the trip.

Then, depending on the situation and on what other members of the party are carrying with them, I often like to add a large fixed bladed knife (to be carried in the backpack and straped on after the camp is set and the backpack shed and left behind). The large fixed blade is useful because it is at hand whereas the heavier camp ax most often is left in camp near the campfire wood stack.

But, the bottom line is this - there is nothing more fustrated than a bunch of guys in the woods with a bunch of heavy knives etc. after they discover that left behind some small but critical bit of equipment (o.k. stop kidding around who has the matches .....). Everyone in the party does not need to carry a heavy camp knife, but someone should.
 
I always carry 2 knives in the woods a SAK camper and a puma white hunter.They have been able to take care of all my needs in the past 20years.From cooking to cuttting up branches for extra tent spikes.
 
the big knife versus small knife discussion usually fails to mention that at one time it was assumed that you also were packing a hatchet or small axe. I have a small cheap camp ax(chinese) that is a wonder. You can do a lot of work with it that you could do with a knife as well. Your hatchet needs to be ground thin and sharpened as well as your knife, slightly convex. I would always want to have the small axe PLUS a medium big knife. ***Part of the problem is that we have become accustomed to big knives having rediculously thick blades; the result of not so good "custom" knives influencing production knives and vice versa; kinda the 1950's Iron Maiden influence. UGH!
 
It obviously depends on your needs and usage, as not2sharp said. However, for myself, I am very solidly in the same camp as Cliff Jacobson. Carry a high-performance small knife, and the most appropriate big knife depending on terrain (machete, axe, kukhri, BIG bowie, etc.).

For small knives, the Cliff knife is a great design. The Grohman line that Jacobson recommends is also a good design, especially the hard-to-find fully-flat-ground camp knife. I'm a big fan of the A.G. Russell Deerhunter. I'd also recommend looking at puukkos in general, and the Sissipuukko. And of course the TTKK
smile.gif
The Buck Vanguard gets a lot of praise as well.

All these small camp knives have something in common. 4" blade, give or take an inch. Excellent blade geometry. Comfortable handle. Clip- or drop-point blade.

I can get you the name of the maker of the Cliff knife, if you want. I have it at home. I think it's Mann or something like that, I have his contact info somewhere.

Joe
 
Joe, would love to see a picture of the Cliff knife. Is there one on the net that you know of?

I have always wanted a Grohman but when I went to look at one about a year ago, I got the funny feeling that the knife could too easily damage the sheath during insertion so I didn't buy it.

I'm over that phobia now and once again I have the Grohman fever (had it for 20 years since seeing them (or similar knife) in the Herter's catalog, so I'm definitely gonna get one (or two). My two picks are the camper and the survival knife. Best prices I've found on the Grohman's is Blowout knives but they don't have the Camper so I guess I'll shop around a little. The number 1 looks pretty good though. Oh yeah, the Trout & Bird is cute and so does...oh s**t here I go again.

Anyway...I love the simplicity and styling of these knives and I think they are quite unique. I think the Camper and my Fallkniven A1 would be a nice combo for car and cabin camping (along with a hudson's bay cruising axe) and the Camper would be a good backpacking knife. For hunting, the #1 would probably be a bit better but I'm only guessing here. I'm assuming it would have more spine to it for cutting through heavy joints during quartering.

------------------
Hoodoo

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

[This message has been edited by Hoodoo (edited 23 November 1999).]
 
If price is a factor in determining "best"I would have to give the nod to my barteaux mini-machete.L6 steel 8" blade.This thing is a tough chopper.I have chopped all kinds of wood, cut rope,split kindling and even hacked through a 2 1/2" copper pipe with it and havent hurt the edge.I had to modify the handle to reduce hot spots and it didnt come with a sheath so I had to make my own.But this knife only cost me $3.99 at Farm and Fleet.For a cash strapped guy like me,the barteaux wins hands down.
 
Ben,

Would you gut a deer, clean a grouse, trim fat from deer steaks or spread jelly on bread with your machete?
smile.gif
Those tanto tips would not be much good for slicing around the bowel of a deer.

I don't do a lot of defoliation when I'm camping. I rarely chop anything but kindling (a good axe) or occasionally I'll make a walking stick or marshmallow sticks or a stick to prop open the gut cavity of a deer or slip through its tendons on the hindlegs to use for dragging. But in general, chopping is usually minimal in the kind of camping I do. If I have to cut through someting 1" thick or greater, I use a small saw or my SAK saw.

Even when I was a kid in the boy scouts, we rarely took an axe or hatchet with us hiking and camping. Too heavy. The rule of thumb was that for quick cooking fires, if you can't break it with your hands, don't use it. For campfires we usually did it the Indian way, by making a star fire of dead limbs.

For primitive camping, though, or where we were building structures by lashing, a small axe was idispensable. We would use the axe to make small logs for a deadfall or trim logs to make tables or benches or leantos. That kind of woodcraft doesn't go on much anymore, though. And there are ways to survival camp without doing a lot of chopping. You can make a heck of a bark shelter to keep yourself warm without chopping a lot of big logs.

I think if you travel and camp in a tropical environment, you might do a lot more chopping during camping. Never tried it myself but I think I would want a good machete or something similar if I was working with a lot of green vegetation.

BTW, I've got the 6", 10", and 12" Barteaux minis and I have to agree, they can be pretty handy and a good bargain for the price. But I wouldn't use mine to clean a woodcock.
smile.gif


------------------
Hoodoo

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
Hey HooDoo,I guess I forgot to mention that my SAK camper and the Mini are a team.In fact I try never to leave home without it(SAK).I got the camper for $5.00 on sale. $8.99 for the combo is still a pretty great deal for a set that covers most of my needs.
troy
 
If anyone is interested, Cliff's article on the "Cliff Knife" by Mike Mann was in the March 97 Tactical Knives.
 
Marion, I don't have a problem with the tanto points. My point (which is not tanto) is that a machete no matter how short or long it is, is not what I would consider a camp knife. But I certainly think it could complement other knives depending on what you plan to use it for. For instance, I like to use mine during archery hunts to clear shooting lanes or to cut the leaves off cornstalks to make a path through a cornfield.

I've also used it to cut brush to force deer down one path as opposed to another and to cut material to camoflage groundstands. But I don't think that would qualify it as a camp knife.

In addition to the 3 Barteaux mini machetes, I also have the 16" Barteaux sawbuck and the 12" Barteaux heavy duty (+ my old aluminum handled Barteau 18 incher). I like them all but still wouldn't call them camp knives.

I suppose maybe campknife is a vague term and maybe that's the problem. But the things I described in my last post are what I would expect a campknife to do. Mostly cutting, not chopping. If we are talking jungle camping, well that might be a different story (and beyond the realm of my experience).

Anyway, I just got back from Gander Mountain and now have a Grohman Camper strapped to my hip! Cost was $55.

The stainless blade is very thin but rigid; must be around 1/8". The handle material, I dunno. The code for the handle is GCK but the brochure doesn't list what that means. Fit and finish are excellent and the knife is wonderful to handle. Very comfortable. The blade was shaving sharp but only barely.

It comes with a beautiful sheath that hangs at a slight cant and almost covers the full length of the knife. There is a lanyard hole with lanyard. It's heavier than a puukko of similar length and has a very solid feel. The #1 is identical in overall shape but the spine is thicker and the blade is not full taper flat grind like the camper. (I also want a #1 - looks like a really fine hunting knife for about anything).

I'm going to touch the blade up on the sharpmaker and chop up some veges tomorrow for dressing. I'll let you know how it performs in the kitchen. I have no idea how well it will hold an edge or how easily it sharpens.


------------------
Hoodoo

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
The code GCK probably stands for Grohman Camper Knive (duh) but it's located just before the number code on the blade, which is where the brochure that came with the knife says the handle code should be. I'm guessing the handle is Dymondwood 'cause it sure isn't bone or rosewood, the other two choices.

I honed the knife on the sharpmaker, stropped it (took about 2 minutes for razor sharp) and just used it to cut up some celery, carrots and onions on a cutting board. It did a nice job and still shaving sharp although it lost a little of its edge.


------------------
Hoodoo

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
After I posted about the SAK,I began to wonder why the 8"Barteaux wouldn't work for Gutting a deer,cleaning a grouse,trimming fat from deer steaks,or spreading jelly on bread.I had the afternoon off and decided an experiment was in order.I used the knife(i really dont consider it a machete as I have kitchen knives almost as big)to make lunch for me and the wife.There was a roast in the fridge that I trimmed the fat off of and thin sliced (no problem).Then I used the knife to spread butter on the bread.I did'nt have a grouse,but a farmer 2 miles up the road sells free range chickens so I bought a young fryer wrung its neck,plucked it and began the cleaning.To do this properly you hold the blade edge up, index finger under the tip for control just like cleaning a fish.A smaller pointy knife would work better,the surgery would have been neater but it went quickly and quartering was easy.I haven't taken my deer this season yet,but I feel confident that I could perform the task(gutting) with this blade with ease.The key to using a blade like this for slicing as opposed to chopping is choking up on the blade for control.This might not be the safest thing for a cub scout,but I've had a lot of experience processing game and feel comfortable using a knife this way.BTW my friend knapps(sp) flint tools and I watched him open up a deer with a stone easier and neater than I could with a knife.I still dont know what you mean by a camp knife if the Barteaux doesnt qualify.For me it stands on its own as my best camp knife even without the price factor.Add in the chopping power and bright orange handle to keep me from losing it if I set it on the ground.Even Without the SAK I think this knife will hold its own at the campsite.The SAK has a good saw though and the tweezers are good for removing splinters.
troy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top