Defining a survival knife !

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Messages
12,294
Neat little video from a living legend !


[youtube]uvlmsH0IFT4&feature=plcp[/youtube]
 
Thanks, pit, appreciate that video.

One question though, where did he get the time limits needed to do certain tasks? They seem somewhat arbitrary. Mans got skills though, no doubt about that.

Oh yeah, gotta love that hat lol. :p
 
Part of a great series of vids I reckon. I have been enjoying watching them.

I find now that when I read anything by Mors I say it in his voice in my head.
 
His latest video posted in youtube regarding signal mirrors is great, try to watch him as much as I can. I love his videos even tough I have to do magic to find pine tree forests around here.
 
How thick of a blade are these. I watched 2 of the "survival" knives vids and I get the whole as wide as your palm for blade length and he goes on to say the real thin old school blades are not his choice but the thicker ones are. But never says how thick and its hard to tell by just looking at the video.
 
The knife he uses most of the time, his "prybar that works wood really well" is his skookum bush tool, which is a mere 1/8th. Certainly not a BK2, or Esee-5. I think by "thin oldschool blades" he means something like an Opnel, or Mora, or the old 1/16th roachbellys frontiersmen used.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BXKHRzn_yE&feature=plcp
 
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RangerR47 said:
How thick of a blade are these. I watched 2 of the "survival" knives vids and I get the whole as wide as your palm for blade length and he goes on to say the real thin old school blades are not his choice but the thicker ones are. But never says how thick and its hard to tell by just looking at the video.
Click to expand...

In his Bushcraft book, he draws a Mora Classic for just about all the knife illustrations.

Thanks for the vid, OP! I didn't know he made vids!

EDIT: More details given about a survival knife: [video=youtube;Lll-4jDAVzA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Lll-4jDAVzA&feature=endscreen[/video]
 
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calvinw said:
In his Bushcraft book, he draws a Mora Classic for just about all the knife illustrations.

Thanks for the vid, OP! I didn't know he made vids!

EDIT: More details given about a survival knife: [video=youtube;Lll-4jDAVzA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Lll-4jDAVzA&feature=endscreen[/video]
Click to expand...

I love the look of original one he made, a version of that using some decent 1/8" steel and Micarta handle slabs would be awesome. I'd rather have that than the Skookum !!!
 
I have been looking for a good knife so I will have to check out that website for more info.
 
Interesting. I have some of his books also. He feels that it's important to have a knife that will withstand batoning and abuse. He mentions this several times, stating a preference of full tang over partial/hidden tangs. Very interesting. Evidently his likes and dislikes have evolved over time, doesn't feel the mora is strong enough, prefers the skookum.
 
There was a picure taken of him at an event last year in which he had a red Mora around his neck... I can't remember what the event was, but it was recent.
 
machine26 said:
One question though, where did he get the time limits needed to do certain tasks?
Click to expand...

I have a few of his videos that I bought from an on-line retailer. He addresses that question specifically. He says "What is the rush, and what is race?" And answers with that the race is usually against the cold. He teaches many classes in extreme cold temperatures. While making a of his Roycroft snow shoe/ski's you have to cut, limb and peel 10 saplings just for the straight parts. If you can do that in 2 minutes each, versus 15 minutes each (going slow and deliberate), well then it is a race against the cold.

In his video "Sticks as Tools and implements" it is really impressive to see how fast he works at doing those things.

For what it is worth, I have not met or seen Mors personally. I have had 3 trusted friends take training from him within the past year, and at each event he was using a mora. In the videos I have, he was using a mora as well.

Sometime I am a bit confused by the things he says, versus the things he does. For example, in the video I mentioned earlier, he was using the Mora 511 (red handled with a guard). At one point, the guard gets in his way, and he goes off on a sidebard talking about how the guard is not favored by outdoorsman, gets in the way, and is not necessary. All stuff, I agree with.....but leaves me wonder why he is using a knife with a guard then??? :) After all, the 510 is the same knife without a guard.

Either way, awesome stuff.
 
machine26 said:
One question though, where did he get the time limits needed to do certain tasks?
Click to expand...

I have a few of his videos that I bought from an on-line retailer. He addresses that question specifically. He says "What is the rush, and what is race?" And answers with that the race is usually against the cold. He teaches many classes in extreme cold temperatures. While making a of his Roycroft snow shoe/ski's you have to cut, limb and peel 10 saplings just for the straight parts. If you can do that in 2 minutes each, versus 15 minutes each (going slow and deliberate), well then it is a race against the cold.

In his video "Sticks as Tools and implements" it is really impressive to see how fast he works at doing those things.

For what it is worth, I have not met or seen Mors personally. I have had 3 trusted friends take training from him within the past year, and at each event he was using a mora. In the videos I have, he was using a mora as well.

Sometime I am a bit confused by the things he says, versus the things he does. For example, in the video I mentioned earlier, he was using the Mora 511 (red handled with a guard). At one point, the guard gets in his way, and he goes off on a sidebard talking about how the guard is not favored by outdoorsman, gets in the way, and is not necessary. All stuff, I agree with.....but leaves me wonder why he is using a knife with a guard then??? :) After all, the 510 is the same knife without a guard.

Either way, awesome stuff.
 
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