Ideal blade length for a main fixed blade for camping/surival/all-purpose?
- Thread starter maximus83
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6 inch blade is perfect. Long enough to baton with if needed, but small enough to use for most other tasks like food prep, fire building, shelter building, etc. It also allows you to "flick" the blade through some materials when limbing which saves arm fatigue.
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I like bigger blades, so I'm gonna break from the pack a little and say 6" to 7", though objectively smaller will do just fine when paired with other tools.
Actually, if it's your only knife? 12". If I only get to pick one knife, I want my kukri!
Actually, if it's your only knife? 12". If I only get to pick one knife, I want my kukri!
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I like my big choppers (BK4, BK9, Ontario SP8, etc...), they're very fun, but it's not the most practical thing out there. A decent 4-6" blade is enough, doesn't even need to be full-tang. No point in trying to baton with it, I would just whittle some wedges and use those, it's much easier on the knife and safer. For serious outdoors excursions, pair it up with a saw (folding saw, buck saw, or even a chainsaw, whatever the situation calls for) and a proper axe.
The biggest knife that you can carve the kind of things that you know how (or are willing to learn) to make. The reason 4-5" is so popular because many of us have tried making delicate stuff with a big bowie, and it is a pain in the butt. Same thing with overly thick knives that interfere with slicing and carving.
Small knives can do big knife jobs. The reason batoning interests people is that it essentially converts a light knife into a "chopper" by using the mass of a piece of deadfall. There is way to make a big knife lighter or smaller, short of wrapping the blade with leather so you can hold it closer to the tip.
All that said, this is the North America/Europe answer. If you are going to a jungle, knives are traditionally larger to suit the kinds of materials and tasks the environment encourages.
Small knives can do big knife jobs. The reason batoning interests people is that it essentially converts a light knife into a "chopper" by using the mass of a piece of deadfall. There is way to make a big knife lighter or smaller, short of wrapping the blade with leather so you can hold it closer to the tip.
All that said, this is the North America/Europe answer. If you are going to a jungle, knives are traditionally larger to suit the kinds of materials and tasks the environment encourages.