SAK for bushcraft ?

B

bearthedog

Joined
May 17, 2006
Messages
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Anyone use their SAK for bushcraft task such as trap triggers, notches, whittling wood for fire, sawing wood for shelter poles or drilling holes in wood with the reamer/awl?
 
i don't personally but i do keep an SAK in my pack for a backup knife, and before that i carried it for my EDC for a long time.

i have used mine for all sorts of whittling and carving, and liked it a fair amount. then i discovered opinels, much more comfortable handles.

also i know that ALOT of people on this forum carry an SAK in addition to their chopper/midsize fixed blade, as part of a nessmuk trio type setup. the saws are very highly regarded around here.
 
I've several SAKs, and the Ranger, Huntsman and Camper have all been used for hikings.

It's my "can do all" knife when hiking and making camp. Yes, it's no chopper, but with enough knowledge, you don't need an axe to get firewood or build a shelter. In a moderate Northern/Central Europe environment, a SAK is sufficient for a lot of tasks.
It does take make time when making a shelter with a SAK, but when I'm hiking I've got time enough. It's not a survival situation....

The saw has been used for larger/thicker branches that could not be broken by hand. The larger knifeblade is used for food prep and woods working. The small blade is used for smaller task. The file on the Ranger has been used for squaring off my firesteel scraper that got dull after extensive use in the field. The corkscrew was used for.....unbottling a botle of wine.....:D
The scissors were used for small repairs on my clothing gear...

Overall SAK have seen some good use. They are great, if you use them within their limits, and intended use.

CZ
 
Sounds fun. Makes me want to get out and use mine more. Sure would be nice to see some pictures of you using them. Thanks for the descriptive post.
 
Never had any problem using my Outrider for bushcrafty stuff. Up until I joined this forum, it was the only knife I carried in the woods (back then, it was an explorer, however). I still pull out my SAK 90% of the time when I need a knife while backpacking, as I keep a bigger FB stashed in my pack for the heavier stuff.
 
Totally, my Farmer feels built for that stuff. Very stout blade compared to the other SAKs, and the awl and saw are very practical for those purposes. I'd say it covers the vast majority of my cutting/knife tasks in general.
 
Not to start a flame war on the Farmer, Spooky, but I prefer the Outrider for 3 reasons:
1) longer blade, can be more handy to have that for certain things
2) locking blade, makes me feel a little better when I have to bear down for heavier tasks
3) larger, more ergo handle. Just feels more secure in my hand.

Downside is, it's heavier. But it does have scissors!
 
Flame war on!!!! ;) Just kidding...

But I actually need the compactness of the Farmer because it can still ride comfortably in my pocket, whereas the larger locking blade vics have to sit in a pack or in a pouch. If it's in a pouch, a fixed blade might as well be (and usually is) there instead.

I also like the awl that comes straight out with the handle, rather than on the back coming perpendicular. That way I can do more controlled drilling, leather work, and firesteel striking.

Also I don't open many wine bottles in the woods. :p

Again, just kidding, but it's awesome there are so many good Vic setups to allow everyone to have their own preferences met. (Except for the bizarre exclusion of a plain edge OHT....)
 
A PE OHT would move right to the top of my list if it ever became commercially available. I have been known to open a bottle or 2 of wine in the woods:D. And I do agree with you about the awl, but I've managed to make do with my current awl, even though like you said, it's not ideal. And I do carry my Outrider in a pouch, right on my packstrap, so it's easy to get to. I hate carrying anything in my pants pockets when hiking, it just bugs me for some reason. But like you said, to each their own...
 
I'm sorry raindog,

30patriots.xlarge5.jpg
 
My favorite SAK for bushcraft is a OHF with the serrations ground off. I used only that to build a real working navajo Bow and arrow and the saw was a life saver. Actually I prefer the awl on the back because you can apply more force for drilling and your hand won't keep sliding down the handle. Also the tweezers are indispensible for wood workers. :thumbup:
 
For Bushcraft, this is the one, has just thr right tools you will need. Outrider!

RickJ
 
Completely forget to mention the Farmer. Probably because I'm so used to it, and don't even notice it when I'm carrying it......even now.....:D

CZ
 
I agree with 3wolves:
"Actually I prefer the awl on the back because you can apply more force for drilling and your hand won't keep sliding down the handle.
 
I have both the farmer and OHT. I sharpened the serrations out of my OHT. Both would be good for bushcraft. I like the OHT better, but the Farmer gets carried more because of its small size.
 
The OHT has a narrow blade but the thumb ramp (above the opener) helps to position the knife perfectly for making notches for triggers on the sweet part of the knife. Seems a little harder to make notches doing push cuts with two thumbs on the back of the blade. Again much easier for me with the OHT.
 
Used my Hunter and Mauser a lot for this kind of stuff.
 
A SAK, a Mora/Opinel, and a hatchet are all I need.

Without that SAK I am not prepared. Without any one of the other two I can still get lots done.

So yeah, an SAK is great to have along!:D
 
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