Define "Camp Knife"

I would go with Stompers knife. OH Wait!! I Did.:D

When I go camping I have a Ax and a Hatchet with me so food prep is all I am concerned with knife wise. I like the Mora SS Clipper a lot for carry around camp.

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I often have this Condor in the Jeep when I head out. This thing will chop.
 
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pict said:
#1. In your opinion what is a camp Knife? (no wrong answers here)
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From what I've seen I think that the standard convention ascribes the properties of a relatively large blade (6-10") and a thickness of 3/16-1/4", although I have seen leukus described as "camp-knives" even though they usually have "thin" blades. They (whatever “they” are, lol) seem to favor a guard, and choils seem to be a popular feature, although many people have described knives as a “camp knife” while lacking both of these features.

#2. What jobs does your Camp Knife do?
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I think that the current trend of ascribed "camp knives" are oriented/favorable towards chopping and battoning.

However, what I have described above isn’t necessarily describing an objective definition of a “camp knife”, IMO it’s just describing what I’ve seen most often describe as a camp knife, but I think the underlining thing that bonds all them together is that they are intended to be used in a bush camp of some sort and adequately meet the particular requirements of the user.

What I would probably call my "camp knife" (I don’t really use the term) would be a fixed blade between 9 and 11 centimeters with a thickness between 3/32" and 1/8". A knife of these guideline proves satisfactory in all of the tasks that I would require of a camp knife.

~ Wabajack
 
I associate the term with two seemingly contradictory chores - food prep and splitting/chopping wood. Both are routinely done at the campsite.

I usually consider a campknife to be a comprimise knife that will do both. For batoning, something larger than 4" helps with splitting. Something very large - 10" and above are often too thick for food prep, even though they are optimized for chopping. The machete violates this - but I'm not sure how well a machete is suited to food prep (other than coconuts). I'm sure pict uses his to butter his toast :)

So in my world, I think a 5-6" knife that is 1/8" to 3/16" in thickness and somewhere around 1" or wider blade satisfies this criteria. Of my knives, my 5" Breeden pathfinder fills this role as well as the RC-6 which I have ordered. Yet in many other respects these two knives are very different beasts. The RC-6 probably better fits my definition of camp knife between the two - yet the pathfinder is a bit better suited to bushcraft. I guess I'll just have to wait and see which in the end gets more belt time.

I don't agree with that little dig by Allenc that people who use a large knife don't know what they are doing. There are plenty of geographic areas and situations where people are not doing 'zero-trace' camping. At one of the outposts (fly-in fishing) I frequent, the owner will sometimes for ask me - 'by the way if you are portaging x and x trail, it hasn't been used in a year or two, would you mind giving it a bit of a clear if you have a chance'. Now, since this happens (we know each other enough that he feels this isn't an imposition on my time) I'd like to have a suitable knife up to the task. Perhaps some folks do all their caming in state or federal parks - but that doesn't mean everyone does!
 
I think of a camp knife as a fairly large (6" to 10" blade)broad-blade knife capable of light chopping. But it could also mean a Boy Scout type knife like a SAK. Or even a 4" fixed blade for food preparation, like the Ritter. Heck. It could be most any knife, I guess.
 
Pict,
I have seen the term tossed around enough now that I generally understand what other knife knuts are talking about when they mention "camp knife". However I haven't focused on such knives for quite some time, so I haven't really got any definition of my own. If anything I'd broadly generalize and just figure it's a knife used to accomplish the gross motor functions, whatever they may be. "Cuttin' stuff".

allenC said:
It seems that down here, in the southeastern US, the only folks who carry a large fixed-blade as their "camp knife" are the ones that don't really know much about camping.
...I also think the notion of the large camp knife is mostly just a "security blanket" for those who are afraid.
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I'm beginning to wonder if those who only carry small knives do so because they're also afraid- Afraid other snobs (such as yourself) will laugh at them for their choices. (as you've talked about in the past)
 
A camp knife to me is a small knife with a blade in the 3 inch range used for camp chores; skinning, kitchen work and other utitility uses. A Bush knife is a knife with a 7 to 9 inch blade used for chopping, clearing and other heavy uses.
 
In my family , we have , my Mum , who calls a commercial meatworers knife her camp knife but she usually takes over the cooking duty , so her knife uses are primarily ktchen related , with some general duty cutting , and very little if any woodcraft ( Mums kinda crippled up mostly )
She has either an Excalibur Judge or a little Boker ( both folders ) she carries clipped to her bra strap that do most of the general duty cutting stuff she does .

My wife carries a tiny Rough Rider folder that has 3 or 4 blades , all scalpel sharp and she has a small fixed blade I made her and now a llittle fixed blade that siguy made she has taken a liking to . She does some cooking , and is my offsider when we are fishing , hunting setting up camp ,breaking camp etc , her cutting tasks are mainly opening packets or handcraft stuff if we are having a couple lazy days , I suppose the fixed blade would count as her camp knife since her folder is with her always but the fixed blade she carries only when we are camping .

I have a 4"folder , Okapi or Opinel , a fixed blade I made , and a mercator on my keychain , always , when we go camping , I grab my Valiantco Survival Golock or one of the bigger chopping blades I make from leaf spring ( should be used to make , fractured a thorasic vertabrae , and hammering away at the anvil is looking like a thing of the past for me )

the bigger blade does meat cleaver duty if I go hunting , it does wood chopping and splitting tasks ( I do use public cooking facilities at times and they are easier used if the wood more or less fits the fire ring / fire place ) and is generally worshiped by the kids for just being my knife .. IOW , its big , sharp , will cut anything .

My eldest boy ( 11 yr old ) has a 4" folder and a 2 1/2" folder that are his regular carry , the little one for eating duty the bigger one for everything else .

this trip , he gets a marttiini fixed blade to use , only a 4"job , but tougher than his folder , I guess that will be his camp knife , since its the one he'll carry while we are camping .

I have been ebaying machetes and knives for a few years now , and I noticed that I get comments from buyers about the bigger folders and the smaller machetes ( 14 - 16 inch ) all being good camp knives .

I think that there are a lot of differing opinions on what a camp knife is , depending on who you are , and what you do .

For my money , a camp knife is the knife you take when you go camping , an extra to the knives you carry everyday .
 
j williams said:
nice setup man. I am likin these chopweilers. Neat compass on the kydex too, who does these?
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I made that one up myself... I figured I'd make some pants for her since I stripped her all nekkid like that. ;)

It was the least I could do... :D
 
Hey Myal,

I'll never get to Oz, but if I did, I would sure like to meet you and your family.
They all seem like really interesting people.

BTW, what kind of things does your wife handcraft?

Doc
 
Doc
We are nothing special , just very ordinary people .
My wife does lots of things , making "peg dolls" from sticks , stuff to decorate the camp site and make it kind of homey .

We had some kids here who had some serious , serious issues , they have spent all their lives in really abusive homes even in fostercare , and this was their first normal home , they werent here long , but they are products of their upbringing , no real fault of their own ,and were cruel and destructive enough that my wife hasnt felt like making anything since .
We are leaving tomorrow on a trans continintet trip , camping allt he way across the nation and back , Im really hoping that she gets back to her old self again on the way .

Its worth giving it a shot anyway .
 
That butch kitchen knife could look like an old hickory butcher, but be thicker, 3/16" tops.
Self guard or single guard.
Duties would include all camp kitchen work.
Including meat/game processing.
The only firewood work it would do is take pieces from the kindling pile and splitting them into thin, thin splinters that would catch a match.
My camp knife don't chop no trees.
When I look at these three, I think camp knife.
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But hey, that's me ;) :D
 
Cpl Punishment said:
IMO, a knife that can do all the required chores in camp without a second blade needed. I usually say "camp blade" because I'd rather use a hatchet or kukri than a typical knife.



It would have to cut and possibly split wood (i.e. run a fire), be useful for food prep and consumption, and be able to do various chores for pitching a tarp/tent, etc.
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That's pretty much it for me too:thumbup:
 
Others have said it- A "camp knife" is: A knife used at camp. That's the strictest definition.

I think most of us would broaden the definition to: A knife whose design and construction make it suitable for use in a variety of tasks which may be required in a rustic environment or outdoor-living situation.

Nearly all of my camping has been of the backpacking variety, with a little canoe-camping thrown in. I have used as my "camp knife" in the past:

A G.I. Ka-Bar
Smaller (< 16") Khukris
Shorter (< 20") Machetes

All were more than adequate for the firewood and pole-cutting tasks I needed them to perform.

Food prep will always remain the domain of my SAK or a smaller fixed blade.
 
Myal,
"We are nothing special , just very ordinary people." A resounding WRONG to that!! You are good people and extraordinary to open yourself up to the heartache of trying to help troubled kids. God Bless and good walk-about to you both.

Funny, when I think "camp knife" I am not thinking so much length and thickness of blade but height from edge to spine and largish handle. Koyotes drop edge Nessmuk looks very close to ideal. Maybe 1/8" thick and 1 3/4 high.

2Door
 
the possum said:
I'm beginning to wonder if those who only carry small knives do so because they're also afraid- Afraid other snobs (such as yourself) will laugh at them for their choices. (as you've talked about in the past)
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I never laugh at a man because of his choice in cutlery.
If a fellow camper wants to carry an ax, a 12" bowie knife, and a chainsaw too, that's fine with me....after all, he's the one that has to carry it.
And if you disagree with my opinion that's okay too, but I'm just sharing what I've learned over the years.
And I've seen it way too often while camping....the guy with the least camping experience will usually either have no knife at all, or a very large knife.
 
ZombaiO said:
Right now i'm watching the European football cup - semi final - Turkey - Germany - 2:2 ,86 minute - great game :)
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Lets threadjack, if Spain beats Russia tonight then I'll have a hard time on Sunday. I'm half German, half Spanish, for who should I cheer.

And I agree, the game yesterday was probably the most thrilling one so far, both teams leading for a while and then having their lead destroyed in a matter of minutes.
 
When I think of Camp Knife I think of some big Hudson Bayey thing, just because I usually hear people refer to such a knife by such a thing.
 
allenC said:
I also think the notion of the large camp knife is mostly just a "security blanket" for those who are afraid.
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Damn right ! If you were sleeping at the side of my wife you would be clutching a large knife as well !!!!:D

As for those that don't know what they are doing having large blades, you may be right, I never know what I'm doing but always have fun doing it !!!;)
 
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