You should carry whatever makes you happiest. There are a bunch of different ways to be "in the woods" and so the needs and decisions will vary considerably, one person to the next.
Ultra-light backpacking is not everybody's cup of tea. But, it's certainly a legitimate way to be in the woods. Food is prepackaged. Fire comes from a light stove. Shelter is carried in the pack. Emergencies generally mean equipment repair or first aid. The Leatherman PS4 Squirt is entirely sufficient for this style of backcountry travel.
Outdoor Carry by
Pinnah, on Flickr
If one can tolerate a bit more weight and if one wants more utility for more ambitious meal preparation and the starting of twig fires in a portable fire box type stove, then about any folding knife will work. I like the Opinel as it is far and away the best combination of utility, good with wood, tough, lightweight and inexpensive if lost. The combo of the PS4 and Opinel N9 are my standard in the woods carry.
If I'm on a trip where I think a larger fire might be possible without harming the land and if I'm willing to carry more weight, then I'll carry this combination.
Winter fire tools by
Pinnah, on Flickr
That's on old Schrade fixed blade reprofiled to a drop point and a Silky Boy saw, which flies through wrist sized wood with ease.
The only thing I feel strongly about is that I really, really, really dislike hollow ground blades when working with wood and vastly prefer the convex/sabre grinds on the Opinel and that old Schrade. YMMV, obviously.
Hunting and cleaning fish open up another set of concerns. So does carry. In the White Mountains of NH, carrying a fixed blade on your hip is sort of an "I'm a punk" advertisement. I carry my fixed blade in my pack on the rare trips I carry it and keep the Opinel in my pocket.
That Benchmade looks pretty sweet and seems to be right in the middle of that magic 4"-5" range that a lot of people like in general utility fixed blades. Lot of beautiful knives like that out there.
As for the term "bushcraft", it does make the air seem a bit stuffy, doesn't it? Sort of like the overused "tactical", only without all the velcro and buckles. In any event, your fellow Canadian Mors Kohanski is often credited for term and his book has a lot of cool information in it, even if it's been turned into something like the "one true way" by his disciples. Same thing applies to the ultra-light zealots who talk about the "Ray way", in honor of Ray Jardine. Whatever.... My approach is to read, learn, do and try to ignore the silly tribal displays. It's not like some sort of club or anything. Next thing you know, we all have secret decoder rings.
