How would you define a camp knife?

schmittie

schmittie

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Nov 28, 2009
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Gentleman, I've read a lot about camp knives. Comments have often centered on what would be a good camp knife. It is not uncommon to hear how well a knife does in the area of food prep, slicing, etc while in a camp setting.

My question is what do you feel is a "camp knife"? Is it just your typical knife that you count on because it's your only knife when camping? Or are there specific chores you depend on and expect a specific knife to preform those chores? Would this be in a car camp setting? Or more of a remote backpacker setting? Do you only pack one knife, dedicated to all cutting responsibilities?

Please share your thoughts....
 
To me it's a jack of all trades master of none type blade.

It might be used for splitting wood or whittling fuzz sticks for the camp fire. It might be used to craft basic camp gear like spoon type items for stirring the camp chili, making pot racks or boot racks etc.
It might be used for food prep ( highly likely ) slicing veggies or meats.
It might even be used for self defense should some hungry critters come too close !!!!

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a knife i use when camping?

mind you, i don't classify a Camping Knife exactly the same as i classify a Survival Knife.
 
For me, a camp knife is a fixed blade belt knife that is able to excel at the tasks that I usually encounter when setting up and maintaining my camp site.

This includes firewood processing (limbing small fallen trees, light chopping, fuzz-stick making, etc), food prep, and perhaps some fishing duty.

In terms of design, I think that the key factor for me is to strike a balance between length, thickness, and utility. I have a few choppers that are really useful around the camp, but too large for food prep work. A 5-6" blade seems optimum for me from a 'jack of all trades' perspective.

All the best,

- Mike
 
I think i agree most with the 1 reply..... that being said " i don't classify a Camping Knife exactly the same as i classify a Survival Knife." this may be true but i'm knida thinkin the knife you have on your person, may it be your camp knife, may turn into your survival knife. I go camping...I dont go survival-ing so maybe I would think of my survival knife as my number one with me all the time, camping knife. to better answer your question when i think of camping i'm in the middle of no where with only what i have on my person to live. great post everybody hope this helps OP:thumbup:
 
A Buck 119 is a great camp knife - good for light choping,very good for whittling and excellent for food prep and hunting/fishing duty :)
 
same here that camping does not = survival. So for me a camping knife is one that is useful and FUN!

I always take several blades, and big knives are my favorite. I like to chop down smallish trees to whittle and make fancy walking sticks and cooking utensils out of, and I like to be able to clear thorny vines, and branches out of my way when trailblazing. So one of my most used blades actually turns out to be more of a waki style sword/machete than a knife. :thumbup:
 
I think what makes for a good camp knife varies a lot depending on the camp, but the core theme is that of a general 'camp beater' rather than an always on you knife - that includes that functions as a small machete or hatchet and also a butcher knife. The particular aspects of the trip, camp type, location, transportation, kitchen requirements will determine what particular slant on 'camp knife' needs to be weighted the most.

I think the Hudson Bay pattern is a good example of an all round camp knife if I'm thinking classical. Personally, I think something of that type is the kind of thing I thing a horse carries, and seems to fit in well with camps of the period it was devised.

That's no good for me because so much is different about my camps. Unlike a settler or whatever from times of yore with wagons, dutch ovens, communal feeding and all that, which in many ways has a similarity to supported car camping, my camps are usually off trail. Accordingly for my camp knife I load up on the machete component and my #2 golok is my main camp knife. As such I forfeit some of the kitchen utility and that doesn't matter to me because other tools take care of that. I'm unlikely to me cracking a moose down into edible potions and distributing it amongst a camp so I don't really care if the golok is a long way from what one would ideally pick for that. But I do know that if a flying pig came through the #2 to take it to bits quite merrily if not optimally.

Somewhere very different again and perhaps the BRKT Canadian Camp Knife might be my first choice. If I were to be processing a big bunch of meat and fish in addition to splitting twigs and cutting ropes and whatnot at lodge / camp in the snow somewhere the machete[ness] of the golok would be a lot less useful. In a couple of weeks I'll be on a trip where there are few if any tees, a bunch of scrubby plants, punctuated by some fresh eats, on foot. My camp knife for that trip will be a simple foot of butcher knife. Any extra weight would be totally unnecessary and very unwelcome. I'm very parsimonious about this. A simpler knife ideal for the tasks is always to be preferred. Extra useless camp knife weight is something I find frivolous and wasteful, particularly if it's in my pack.
 
baldtaco-II said:
I think what makes for a good camp knife varies a lot depending on the camp...
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That says it all right there. :thumbup:


It really depends on the camp and/or style of camping.


In general, a Camp Knife is a tool used in the support of a camp,

...be it a transient camp (as in when backpacking or canoeing),

...or a static camp (as in a hunting of fishing camp).


In my experience food prep and fire duty are tasks for a camp knife.


But chores as varied as site prep, fish cleaning, or butchering may be part of the job.



In general, I like a 7" to 8" knife with a fairly heavy blade that's also good slicer,

...but when backpacking in well travelled areas a 6" camp knife (or smaller) might do just fine,

...on a fishing trip a sturdy filet knife might the right tool to handle the camp knife role,

...though when cutting a camp out of the brush a machete or golok might be more appropriate,

...of course a big game camp might be better served by a skinning blade and/or a big slicer.


A Camp Knife needs to be matched to the type of camping you're doing. :cool:






Big Mike
 
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Depends on the location. I would like the knife to be able to baton, light chopping, food prep, and other camp-associated tasks. The knife will very. I like a knife to do everything at least well, but it will likely do nothing outstanding.
 
I think camp knife has become another generic term like bushcraft knife and tactical knife. It is usually used to describe a large blade used to make camp where a shelter would need to be built and firewood gathered and split.
Scott
 
A camp knife is a really butch kitchen knife that is left in the camp and not carried thru out the day's activities.
:D
 
By design they all seem to be pretty fat-but maybe that's just me. I think a thick, wide blade with a fine edge seems to be the general consensus, good for short hacking and slicing performance-IE game processing, wood processing, and meal prep.
 
To me a camp knife is something useful and fun that I get to carry lots because I'm camping. As much as I want to wear my BK-2 to the office, I'm not sure that would be super well received. Out in God's woods, though - that's what's on my belt doing whatever chores I need done.
 
I used a Buck 110 for years, but changed to a fixed blade when I didn't need one knife to do it all. I use this old Ka-Bar most of the time now.

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It's large enough to do most of the stuff I need for cooking, fishing, cutting rope or twine, making points on sticks but small and light enough to not get in my way or cause panic in public.

I know a lot of guys here use their knife for fire making but I rarely need a knife to make a fire, most of the small stuff can be gathered, most everything else I can stomp on to break down, the big stuff can just be feed into the fire inch by inch. For serious wood I use a saw, hatchet or axe.

I've started using the Enzo I picked up on a trade and it is finding itself hanging on my belt more often.

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I bought this BRKT for camping but it hasn't worked into the rotation yet, in part bcause I haven't made a sheath for it and it's so new I just don't think of it when I'm tossing stuff in my bag. It is however a very worthy blade.

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