- Joined
- Dec 14, 2015
- Messages
- 70
I have been wilderness canoe camping for over 40 years and I agree with most of what has been said on this thread. I do not need a large, heavy knife for 99 percent of my camping activities. I bring a small axe, small saw, and a small knife. I also bring a filet knife for cleaning fish because they are good at this chore. When I use a knife for other camp chores, most focus on food prep. Here, a smaller sharp knife cuts cheese, sausage, rope, can help create fuzz sticks and so forth. I never baton wood with a knife. I use a saw to cut small wood sections and spilt it with my axe. Most so called bush knives are too thick for filleting fish and enormous overkill for cutting cheese or sausage. I think some people simply like large knives for various reasons and like to bring them along to tinker with. I am OK with this, but just because some bring the large, fat, heavy knife along does not demonstrate a practical need for them that everyone else should adopt. In starting fires I usually use a simply fire starter and lighter (or match). No fire steel. I have never felt threatened by wild animals to a point where I would have to protect myself with my knife. I would use my axe or big piece of wood. Is bushcraft a cult? I would say yes, sort of. But I also think most who practice bushcraft do so as a hobby because they find the activities rewarding. They do not have any bad intent regarding how best to use knives. Most are open to a wide variety of knives. If you want to see this read the "edged tools" section from their website. They use everything from traditional folders, to SAKs to CRV's to a variety of fixed blades. So if it is a cult, its a loose one.
. He annoys me.
