Recommendation? Custom campy/bushy/hunty knife - input please

[bikerector]

Good day all, I'm working with a knife maker on the forum to make me a D2 knife. Initially I was thinking a field/camp knife, which I incorrectly called a bushcraft knife, and during the research of deciding what I wanted the knife to look like I think I like the idea of a bushcrafter more than the camp knife.

Some backstory, I have a rat 5 that I thought would be nice for a nice all-around outdoors use but the blade steel is pretty dang thick for doing finer tasks. I feel like it's more for bludgeoning through a pine tree than shaving up some wood. Still a fine knife but I thought I wanted something similar but thinner.

After reading pros and cons of different shapes, grinds, weights, steels etc (slow at work this week) and mostly oogling over some bushcrafters I'm thinking something with that blade depth, and maybe even length, are unnecessary.

I feel like this can go several ways for me,

1. I get a tradition bushcraft knife with about 3.5-4" blade, not tall blade, basically every knife that is called a (brand name) bushcrafter.
2. I could go with my original thought of a 5-6" blade that is like a rat 5 or Bk2 but much thinner blade stock (3.5mm) and give that go.
3. I could get something more like a Fiddleback bushfinger that seems to be a blend of the bushy and my original plan of a bigger camp knife.
4. Last option I'm considering is get a bigger camp knife like originally planned and then slip in a second smaller knife of about 3-3.5", probably like a puukko, to get a big and little knife in there. I came across the Knives of Alaska website during my search which lead me to the bush camp/cub combo and thought, "why not just get the big and the little?" I also thought I could do this by simply adding in an opinel.

Other considerations, I already have the rat 5 with a nice scout carry leather sheath so I kind of already have a brute knife. I have a tomahawk blank from a forum knifemaker on the way that could be tied into any of the above combos for added versatility. It's unlikely I would only have one knife on me so I'll likely have an EDC folder with any of these knives, possibly a SAK since I know I'm heading for the woods/roads. My most likely scenario of using this would be for bike-packing/bike-camping utilizing some state and city parks or stealth camping.

Apologize for the long windedness, I wanted to get you a complete picture of the mess in the melon as I often don't have a blank slate to work with when obtaining a knife. At least I know the relative purpose.

And because the thread is already long enough to necessitate some eye candy:

 

[KingMC]

Not sure what input you're looking for since you never actually asked a question, but you could combine your 2, 3, and 4 options by just getting a Fiddleback Forge Duke; looks like a bushfinger and has a 5.5" blade with not-too-thick stock.

 

[bikerector]

KingMC, I'm curious what other people have used to good effect I suppose. I've looked at a bunch of different knives and I guess I'm getting lazy in searching out options and hoping some of the wisdom here can bring some more ideas my way instead. Thanks for the Fiddleback Duke suggestion, that's basically what I'm looking for. There are so many options I'm trying to find what is liked, blend it and personalize it, and have something made by the knifemaker (with his input as well).

Obviously, I'm looking for opinions as what works for one may not work for the other. I'm in brainstorming mode for the custom and looking to start sketching something up so it's not just a bunch of ideas on paper.

Edit: if you're going to mention a mora, I know. I'm pulling the knife snob card on this one and looking for something nicer to think about.

 

[bikerector]

Current pictures I'm using for inspiration:

Fiddleback Bushfinger:

BRK Bushcrafter II

Hyken Bushcrafter

LT Wright Hunter Pro Elite

And then the Knives of Alaska (not a paid dealer I think so I'll leave their link out).

 

[KingMC]

KingMC, I'm curious what other people have used to good effect I suppose. I've looked at a bunch of different knives and I guess I'm getting lazy in searching out options and hoping some of the wisdom here can bring some more ideas my way instead. Thanks for the Fiddleback Duke suggestion, that's basically what I'm looking for. There are so many options I'm trying to find what is liked, blend it and personalize it, and have something made by the knifemaker (with his input as well).

Obviously, I'm looking for opinions as what works for one may not work for the other. I'm in brainstorming mode for the custom and looking to start sketching something up so it's not just a bunch of ideas on paper.

I like the pointier blade designs that Fiddleback comes out with, I find the smaller the belly on a blade (the straighter the edge) the easier it is to use for outdoorsy tasks like slicing food and wood. my current ~4" blades are aBushfinger and a Becker BK16, I can imagine a wharncliffe blade of around 4" would be an ideal bushcraft design.

Size-wise, the weight differences between a 4" blade and a 6" blade are noticeable, but overall I do find the 6" blade size a little more useful even if I don't have any knives currently in that size range. 4" can be a little short for some of the wood prep involving when splitting already-split wood into smaller pieces for kindling, having a bit more length would be beneficial. If you're willing to carry the weight and bear the quicker fatigue from using a bigger blade for smaller-blade tasks, a 6" blade would probably be a better overall choice if you're looking for a single-knife setup.

Handle-wise I doubt you can go wrong with most non-chopping knives, at least not the ones you've chosen as your inspirations. Most knifemakers know how to make a good handle for non-chopping tasks, although I usually stay away from the more pronounced finger-groove designs like that Hyken you posted because most don't fit my hand as well as the simpler, straighter designs like the BK&T, BRKT, and Fiddleback handles.

 

[19-3ben]

You know, as lon as you're using knives for inspiration, what about the handle from the Mora Companion.
Yes, it's a much less expensive knife than the ones you are otherwise looking at, but the handle ergos are universally admired. For a knife you could really use for a long time without hand fatigue, it's probably about as ergonomic as it gets.

 

[bikerector]

I like the pointier blade designs that Fiddleback comes out with, I find the smaller the belly on a blade (the straighter the edge) the easier it is to use for outdoorsy tasks like slicing food and wood. my current ~4" blades are aBushfinger and a Becker BK16, I can imagine a wharncliffe blade of around 4" would be an ideal bushcraft design.

I find the idea of a wharncliffe interesting as one of my favorite blade shapes but it seemed to be frowned upon for Bushcraft, I imagine due to the tendency for a weak tip. Spearpoint and drop point seemed to be the universally "accepted" bushcraft blade shapes. I feel like at least a little belly makes a knife nicer to use for cutting against a hard surface like for food prep so maybe something like a modified wharncliffe, similar to BM's modified sheepsfoot, would be very intriguing. I do favor a low tip for most tasks.

I will admit, I've done far more reading on what makes a good bushcraft knife than using one as it's something newer to me as camping was always boring as a child but as I've aged that type of thing is like a nice escape from the hustle and BS of working in a big city.

My D2 utility knife from Hardedge Knives. It works decent on wood but the handle leaves a lot to be desired for prolonged harder use as it's small with plenty of hot spots but small carry is why I bought it.

 

[redman2006]

the issue with the wharnie for bush craft is, among other things, that the tip is not good for a lot of the drilling etc that knives get used for. It will also be a problem if you hunt and skin anything during your trips. I suppose a lot of this is going to depend on what you consider bushcraft too.

The Condor bushlore (I think that is the name) does a good job for me in a lot of areas including camp chores, processing out home raised rabbits, general tasks around the house. I did convex the blade and run the grind slightly higher on my own. It is not pretty, but the shape, especially with the higher grind, turned out to be very effective.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I find that a 4" is a good Max blade length, 1-1/2 is a good Max width ( I prefer narrower blades ), and 1/8"-3/16" thick with a Sabre grind carve really well.

 

[cbach8tw]

I say go with the Nessmuk trio, a good ax, 4 inch blade like a Kephart, and the SA or opinel. If you look for the one knife idea, with a SA, then get the ESEE 6, or look at some of the leukus.

ps. I really like the Keppie I got from Redsquid2 here on the forums, a 4 inch blade, wood handle that fits comfortably in the hand with a nice finish, plan To take camping with me to Myrtle Beach, if you call pop up camping or glamping, just use it in the kitchen and cutting up some stuff.

 

[theJman]

I feel like this can go several ways for me,

1. I get a tradition bushcraft knife with about 3.5-4" blade, not tall blade, basically every knife that is called a (brand name) bushcrafter.
2. I could go with my original thought of a 5-6" blade that is like a rat 5 or Bk2 but much thinner blade stock (3.5mm) and give that go.
3. I could get something more like a Fiddleback bushfinger that seems to be a blend of the bushy and my original plan of a bigger camp knife.
4. Last option I'm considering is get a bigger camp knife like originally planned and then slip in a second smaller knife of about 3-3.5", probably like a puukko, to get a big and little knife in there. I came across the Knives of Alaska website during my search which lead me to the bush camp/cub combo and thought, "why not just get the big and the little?" I also thought I could do this by simply adding in an opinel.

Realistically, you need to decide which way you want to go before anyone will be able to help much. There are too many possible options with such broad descriptions. If you can narrow it down I'm sure you'll get plenty of options suggested.

 

[bikerector]

I've narrowed it down to doing something like what KingMC mentioned with the Fiddleback Duke but more of the bushfinger looks, so more of a spearpoint than a drop point and a little shorter, so around 5" instead of 4" of the bushfinger or 5.5" of the duke. I think I'm still going to work with the thinner blade stock as I will pair the a lightweight hawk I purchased from Hunstman, I added the wrap.

I'm thinking the handle will be shaped a lot differently than the fiddlebacks though after making a cardboard prototype. I want thumb scallops and some type of contour around the pinch area of the handle and then a slight dropping curve towards the back of the handle to allow a better wrist ergo when driving the tip around.

For a small task knife I'm going to stick with something I already have, probably a folder.

 

[hhmoore]

 

[hhmoore]

Since I see (now) that you've decided to go with a longer blade, here are some other options.

From bottom to top:
"hunter", by Malanika
Guardian 4, Bradford Knives
Bravo 1.25-LT, BRKT
KS-7 Wilderness, Dozier (this one IS thicker blade stock than the others, and ground for edge holding; but it's designed as a do-it-all knife)