Define "Bushcraft" knife for me please

macgregor22 said:
big blades can skin
I skinned a deer this season with a kershaw outcast
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I once skinned a deer with a chainsaw..I was in a hurry, the Gamewarden was closing in...it worked, but it was really messy.
No one would say that you couldn't skin a deer with a big knife, ofcourse you can. There is a guy in some jungle somewhere giving his grandfather a haircut with a Machete...but if he had a pair of scissors, he'd use them.
This is just getting silly, so forgive my joking, but I say carry what makes you happy...I just try to carry better knives than my friends, that way they think I am the S*#T!!! Gene
 
I guess the definition of "bushcraft" knife depends on how you intend to go about it.
If you follow the "I'm only taking one knife" philosophy, I'd personally go with a large tool. I say tool because I'd rather have a kukri or a hatchet than even a large knife. And no, it's not that hard to prep small game or fish with a hatchet or kuk. Want to build shelter fast? A 4" knife isn't going to do it. Note the operative word was fast.

But. . .unless it is a military situation, or a downed pilot, or something where your primary duties preclude having more than one knife, why do you only have one? Even in those situations, I'd bet most guys will have a pocket knife in addition to whatever other "survival" or "bushcraft" knife they carry.

I'm sure I'm prejudiced based on my personal experiences and time in scouts. First thing we learned to use was the small knife, a folder, most of the time it was the BSA knife made by Case, and you were one of "the boys" if you had a Buck 110. Next thing they taught us to use was the hatchet. We were taught to split (including, but not limited to batoning), notch and made fuzz sticks with the hatchet, not the knife. Only then did we go to the medium sized fixed blade "bushcraft" knife (Often a Buck Vanguard, which is still a good choice). For most uses it DID become the "go to" knife, but the hatchet was still the "go to" tool for splitting, notching and most other heavy use.

No, we would not be without it because it was on your belt, not in your pack. An axe got lashed to the pack, the hatchet and fixed blade rode on your belt, the folder in your pocket, or on the belt in the case of the Buck 110.

So really, I guess you'd say I think the "Nessmuk trio" is more the way I lean.

In short, both sides of the argument are valid, depending on which way you're approaching the problem.
 
macgregor22 said:
big blades can skin
I skinned a deer this season with a kershaw outcast
Click to expand...

and I have skinned, quartered and butchered a deer complete with a 2 1/16" Schrade Minuteman peanut pocketknife. And again with a broken coke bottle. And yet again with a sharp piece of flint found on the ground. It sure is easiier for me with an appropriately shaped and sized knife though.

Codger

EDIT: None of this yow-yowing has anything to do with the definition of "BUSHCRAFT KNIFE".
 
I responded here because many folks were taking jabs at an article I wrote on my site:
http://www.m4040.com/Knifemaking/REVIEWS/FieldBladeReview-BushKnives.htm

It pointed out that while "bush" blades may be good for whittling bushes, they aren't up to par as a "survival" knife as many have tried to claim. I also will stand by my opinion that as this style has become a fad, the prices have skyrocketed to well beyond the true worth of these blades.

I don't put myself in the category of "guru" because most of these guys are absolutely unpractical. While I admire the skillset that it takes to walk into the woods naked and survive, these skills are not what I'd teach for the average person. My site focuses on practical usable skills, not far-fetched and specialized information.
 
macgregor22 said:
I am one of his readers, and I think his opinion matters the most because they are the same as mine, even before I found his site
its what works
maybe your a doug ritter(:barf:) or les stroud(:jerkit:) "survivalist"
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I said I wasn't try to stir the Coals BUB..but before you give the jerkoff symbol to someone, you might want to know what they are all about...I can assure you...I am not someone that would jerk you around, jusst talk to my many friends here. I had never heard of your friend, but he seems to have his outdoor survival priorities in order..flames and a bottle opener..boy, I guess I've been walking through the woods my whole life just asking to die with my little pocket knife.
 
for the people saying this thread was about "bushcraft" knives
well geuss what, its in the wilderness survival section
thus implying its a survival knife
 
its ok to not like what other peopel liek you know..I don't really think there is a sctrict defanition of whats a good knife for everyone...if some have a better time with biger blades, great, if you like smaller oens, thats cool too, why argue over which is better? They both have their advantages and dissatvantages don't they? to each his own...
 
Skill and knowledge are everything. If you posess wilderness skill and knowledge, you probably will not find yourself in a survival experience. Primitive man lived with nature and thrived will little gear like stone tools. They carried the wisdom of their elders. If they survived with stone tools, we can with a steel blade, large or small.

As for me Bushcraft and Survival are not the same.
 
I DO carry more than one blade. I carry a large bowie or khukri for trailblazing and chopping, and I carry a Gerber tool for everything else.

I carry the Gerber everyday, and the larger blade is in my car's trunk with a basic survival kit: http://www.m4040.com/Survival/Survival Kit.htm

By the way, I agree that a hatchet is handy for campsite chopping tasks, but it's relatively useless for trailblazing and fast limbing.

I still think that in a survival situation, you'd get a lot more use out of a $15 Ontario machete than you would from a $300 skinner.
 
m40 said:
I responded here because many folks were taking jabs at an article I wrote on my site:
http://www.m4040.com/Knifemaking/REVIEWS/FieldBladeReview-BushKnives.htm

It pointed out that while "bush" blades may be good for whittling bushes, they aren't up to par as a "survival" knife as many have tried to claim. I also will stand by my opinion that as this style has become a fad, the prices have skyrocketed to well beyond the true worth of these blades.

I don't put myself in the category of "guru" because most of these guys are absolutely unpractical. While I admire the skillset that it takes to walk into the woods naked and survive, these skills are not what I'd teach for the average person. My site focuses on practical usable skills, not far-fetched and specialized information.
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Thanks, I honestly didn't know who you were...I might not agree with you on all points, but your super fan is being slightly rude, while you havn't been, so thanks for answering my question. By the way,(to the whole gang) I love chopping stuff, and no one should appologise for chopping...its fun.
 
If I was preparing for a rough wilderness experience with minimal equipment, I'd have my Becker with a multitool riding in the sheath pocket.

However, the knife I'm far more likely to have with me on an ordinary outing though is a small, "bushcrafty" knife, so that is the one I'm trying to become proficient with.
 
m40 said:
I responded here because many folks were taking jabs at an article I wrote on my site:
http://www.m4040.com/Knifemaking/REVIEWS/FieldBladeReview-BushKnives.htm

It pointed out that while "bush" blades may be good for whittling bushes, they aren't up to par as a "survival" knife as many have tried to claim. I also will stand by my opinion that as this style has become a fad, the prices have skyrocketed to well beyond the true worth of these blades.

I don't put myself in the category of "guru" because most of these guys are absolutely unpractical. While I admire the skillset that it takes to walk into the woods naked and survive, these skills are not what I'd teach for the average person. My site focuses on practical usable skills, not far-fetched and specialized information.
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m40 would you consider modifying your position to reflect the reality of the wide range of camp/survival chores that a bushknife can do well?

I think your comment that it is good for whittling bushes is the problem that people have with your stance. You seem to negate all of the utility that a bushcraft knife has. And people cant reconcile that with their experiences.
I think you would be alot better off talking about the advantages of the big blade rather than trying to convince people who know better that the bushcraft knife has no merit.

What do you say? can we reach a compromise?:thumbup:
 
lol
he just called me a super fan
hey man I just used his article, I share many opinions about knives with him though
 
macgregor22 said:
well its better than calling them a puke and a jerkoff
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Again, that would only happen via keyboard BUB....Now I am getting outta this guys, this is awaste of time.
 
macgregor22 said:
well its better than calling them a puke and a jerkoff
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No its not. Dont do either. You have some good points to make. Stick with presenting your opinions in a rational manner without resorting to junior high school insults or name calling. Even if you are in junior high.
 
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