-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Do you guys have any strategies for utilizing a small(er) blade for "bushcraft?"
- Thread starter TheDandyLion
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2007
- Messages
- 12,294
You are in the same climate as myself. There is so much dead wood lying around or that can be snapped off by hand that there is really no need to be battoning wood. Larger segments can always be snapped between two trees.
This is the case over here too. I very seldom use a knife when gathering firewood or making fire.
On my last canoe trip I needed a knife to get a fire going ... not one single time. Including the day it rained all day long.
I'd suggest that the desire to carry a big knife goes before the need. Then we invent justifications. And so batoning is transformed from something you can do with a knife into something you must do with a knife, else you meet certain death by hypothermia.
I'd suggest that the desire to carry a big knife goes before the need. Then we invent justifications. And so batoning is transformed from something you can do with a knife into something you must do with a knife, else you meet certain death by hypothermia.
My primary bushcraft or woods knife for over 5 years now has been a Mora Classic # 1. It is a decent bit smaller and lighter than the robust you are trying to downsize to.
It weighs around 3 oz in its modified sheath. I find batoning to be overplayed. To get a fire going with just a smaller knife you can find a dead standing tree of smaller diameter. Break it down using your knee or the crotch of a live tree for larger sections. For kindling find medium-small sized wood around an inch or less in diameter. Stick the point in the center of one end about and inch from the top and holding the stick in one hand at the bottom and the knife handle in the other stab downward on a stump or piece of wood to force the tip through the wood. If you have selected wood with relatively straight grain and of reasonable length and diameter a simple twisting of the knife should all but complete the split. Repeat again until you have the desired sized kindleing. You should only need to prepare one or two sticks like this if you have found decent dry wood. This will be enough to get your fire going and that is really all that is needed. Most other tasks outside of clearing brush are easily completed with a smaller knife.
It weighs around 3 oz in its modified sheath. I find batoning to be overplayed. To get a fire going with just a smaller knife you can find a dead standing tree of smaller diameter. Break it down using your knee or the crotch of a live tree for larger sections. For kindling find medium-small sized wood around an inch or less in diameter. Stick the point in the center of one end about and inch from the top and holding the stick in one hand at the bottom and the knife handle in the other stab downward on a stump or piece of wood to force the tip through the wood. If you have selected wood with relatively straight grain and of reasonable length and diameter a simple twisting of the knife should all but complete the split. Repeat again until you have the desired sized kindleing. You should only need to prepare one or two sticks like this if you have found decent dry wood. This will be enough to get your fire going and that is really all that is needed. Most other tasks outside of clearing brush are easily completed with a smaller knife.