Photos Kepharts...They just Work

That is some tough steel! The Humphrey 3V Kephart is growing on me. The point and steel thickness matters but honestly for MY uses, it will do just fine and I always have some kind of folder with me as well. I'm comfortable with the knife regardless of how Lon Humphrey's got to the finished knife. To me, it's certainly a looker even with basic micarta handles.
 
Yeah , she's a beauty workhorse for sure. I just did some checking ( and I'm good at measurements) and it comes in about 1/32" less in thickness than a standard Bravo , for comparison.
DLT specs show .18" , but of course the final grind matters the most. The scandi version is probably a great wood processor. I dig the forged look finish also.
To be honest , the price is holding me back , but the knife itself I would definately like to get my hands on.
 
This knife will easily handle basic camp fire wood processing in terms of strength. I got mine at KSF and bought in person. I'm still pretty enamored with my larger BRKT Wildness Explorer model in cruwear with it's 5.75" blade that I bought last spring. My Humphrey Kephart measures just a hair shorter than 4.6" (call it 4.55").

The exchange rate between US and Canadian dollar really beats you up a bit. It is running about 30% difference when it used to always be in the 10% area.
 
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The Ex. rate is pretty rough.
I now understand that you actually own one . Lucky you !
I'm assuming it's the 3V version?
I'd be all over the Kabar one, but as I mentioned before , I just don't like wooden handles.
I haven't seen it up here for sale yet. I think the 4 1/2" blade length is a good size on either knife.
 
cbach8tw said:
The article was very good in the magazine.
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Fantastic! But I'm not surprised, look who and what it's about. :):thumbsup::thumbsup:
I've got to get that magazine, but the outside temp where I'm at is 1 degree above. One. :eek: Wind chill is -20. I think it might have to wait a few days.
 
I may wander into Books A Million that sells a lot of periodicals (magazines) and see if they have this issue. It sounds like the kind of issue I'll keep for years. Since I started getting books to read via Kindle, I haven't bought any bound novels or magazines. But I do subscribe to a state nature magazine that I enjoy. I think the last bound book I purchased was the Horace Kephart Camping and Woodcraft.
 
Don't know at the moment. I like both of them. I lean toward the Becker because it is closer to the original design and lighter. But in terms of using, not sure if that makes any difference. Neither have seen any action yet. That will change the first time I'm in the woods even if it's just playing around. They both feel very comfortable in my hands.

This has been a good thread Uncle Timbo. The other Kephart thread of merit is in the Becker forum.
 
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22-rimfire said:
Don't know at the moment. I like both of them. I lean toward the Becker because it is closer to the original design and lighter. But in terms of using, not sure if that makes any difference. Neither have seen any action yet. That will change the first time I'm in the woods even if it's just playing around. They both feel very comfortable in my hands.
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It'll be interesting to see which one you like best after putting them both thru their paces. Tough call.
 
My "paces" aren't real strenuous. As I have said before, I seldom use a fixed blade at all in the woods. But I started carrying a small tinker instead of the larger 111mm one. That may make a difference. Well see. I do know that I will not be buying another Kephart design for a good while.
 
You know, call me weird (The good Lord knows plenty have :)) but I enjoy using a knife for any reason. If I'm camping, I'll either practice making a Figure 4 dead fall setup or maybe a bow drill setup. Maybe some tent pegs. If nothing else, I love to whittle by the fire.
I'm just a hillbilly who loves knives. Always have, always will.
 
I got the White River Backpacker Pro to be the fixed blade last year to carry woods bumming and short hikes when I don't expect to even need a fixed blade. May have to modify this a bit. Honestly, I have a lot of knives to choose from..... No, I'm not going to sell any.

I really like the Kephart design for general woodsy purposes. I would not choose it if I were hunting unless I was going to depend on a folder for hunting chores. That actually was a very common thing for me in the past even if I had a fixed blade with me. I always gravitate toward a folder. Need knife.... reach for folder.... Oh, have a fixed blade.... maybe use that this time....

I am going to honestly rethink my woods knife needs again. For the last couple of years, I generally just grabbed a fixed blade and headed for the woods for whatever adventure was in store. Usually it was a photography oriented hike and frequently had me following a trail or logging road and branching off to things that caught my interest. The folder was whatever was in my pocket. If I am carrying a pack of some kind, I may just slip the Vic One Handed Trekker in there for the off chance I might need the saw to cut something nice and flat like a walking stick. But I have been carrying man made trekking poles lately. Camping has mostly been car camping of late and I'm comfortable with that. I just take too much stuff with me.
 
22Rimfire - I think in a lot of ways, we were cut from the same cloth. I got a BR Gunny, years ago just so I'd have some kind of a knife on me. I also have an older 4.1 Survive in 3V. I've always been in search of that one knife. A guy can own 50 of the very best knives there are, but if you don't have it on you when you need it...what good is it?
Whatever you go with has got to be comfortable to carry. If it nabs you in the side everytime you sit down or get in the truck, chances are you might say, oh, I've got my pocketknife, that'll be ok.
Well, I carry a pocketknife even if I'm going to church. Might be my small Camillus penknife, but it's a knife and I always have a decent one on me when heading out to God's wild blue yonder.
I guess the moral to my story is to be prepared. Yea, I was a Boy Scout and we went camping one weekend and it rained almost the whole time. I didn't have any rain wear at all and I got soaked. Taught me to Be Prepared the hard way. The way you don't forget.
Plus, I just love to have one strapped on and one in the pocket.
 
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