Survival Vs. Bushcraft

S

SteelScout

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Feb 27, 2015
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Looking for some insight; what are the main differences and functions between a survival knife and a bushcraft knife?
 
In my very limited opinion I have always thought of a survival knife being thicker and more heavy duty. It also seems to be more of a one knife does it all type knife. A bush craft knife is usually a little smaller, maybe thinner. I think they assume that the person carrying the knife would have other tools like an axe or machete to do the heavy work. Just my .02 cents.

And yes marketing, lots of marketing! Bear Grylls would never carry a "bushcraft" knife! Lol
 
Survival is the knife you hope to have with you, bushcraft if the knife you choose to bring with you.
 
I'll add that a survival knife is what you have on your person when trekking into any situations that could leave you stranded (hence the term "survival"), NOT in your pack or with other gear. ON your person. It goes where you go. Packs get lost, float away from over turned boats, etc. Bushcraft blades are when you take more than one and plan on being in the woods for a period of time, hunting, camping, etc. They tend to be for more specific tasks. If I'm going into the woods off the beaten path, I'll carry a formidably sized blade like the Esee 6 on my hip. I might have a smaller and larger blade in my pack, maybe even a small axe or hatchet but always the 6 on the hip. When just camping out and practicing primitive skills, or hunting, I'll take the Esee Junglas for batoning wood and the Chris Reeve Nyala (and a Vic Farmer) for camp chores, meal prep, fire starting, skinning, etc.
 
A survival situation is not just limited to when you have a pack on you. Bushcrafting is a choice and survival is a condition. So a survival knife is the one in your pocket most of the time and most likely folds on half.
If you go into the wilderness planning on surviving you are still more prepared than anybody who has actually had to survive in the wilderness.
 
I suppose you don't have to survive in the wilderness, but it is nice. Therefore, even the most prepared "has to" survive or die.

A survival knife is whatever knife you have when you need it to survive. There are better choices, such as a knife that is not already in several pieces. Having expressed that opinion, the U.S. military has called all manner of knives "survival" knives, including cheap Scout pattern slip-joints. If it's all you have, you are likely happy to have it.

I like this: "Varies from model to model, but the primary purpose of any knife is to cut stuff."

Then there is: http://www.survivalknifeband.com/
 
Last edited:
Thomas Linton said:
I suppose you don't have to survive in the wilderness, but it is nice. Therefore, even the most prepared "has to" survive or die.

A survival knife is whatever knife you have when you need it to survive. There are better choices, such as a knife that is not already in several pieces. Having expressed that opinion, the U.S. military has called all manner of knives "survival" knives, including cheap Scout pattern slip-joints. If it's all you have, you are likely happy to have it.

I like this: "Varies from model to model, but the primary purpose of any knife is to cut stuff."

Then there is: http://www.survivalknifeband.com/
Click to expand...
To say that someone who is prepared to go into the wilderness has to survive is a bit of a streach. Not many people actually know hunger or thurst, however, they should.
And for the suggested band I barely survived the intro to one of their songs. :)
 
I agree with all the replies above.

I'll try to narrow the scope of my answer to the GSO line. Usually a bushcraft knife does relativity small knife work like cutting and whittling. Making a bow drill set or parts for a trap. When someone plans to be out bushcrafting he or she will take bigger tools for bigger jobs. I think the 4.1 would be perfect for this situation.

A survival knife needs to take serious abuse and do more than light cutting such as digging, prying, batoning and chopping. Something like the 5.1, 6 or 7/7 would be better here. Some may say it is too big, but Guy did say that the 10 was his idea of a one tool option.
 
For the most part, they're one in the same...just with different marketing.
Now, the Woodlore/Puukko/Mora are the quintessential "bushcraft" blade. The one thing that they all excel is woodworking.
Survival blades tend to be thicker, heavier, and often longer. More functional as a "one tool option" think of the ESEE 5
 
I'd add that a survival knife also has to have some sort of self defense capability as well. I love bushcraft knives, but I don't want to be stuck in a situation where I have to defend myself with a Bushlore as opposed to a Junglas. Just my two cents.
 
"Survival" is vague and mostly marketing, but it generally applies to a general all-purpose blade that you'd bet your life on. Like a GSO 5.1 :)

"Bushcraft" is specifically for working with wood while you're out there. Dedicated "bushcrafters" are going to have a thicker tip and offer less options or "range of use" overall, but should excel at splitting and carving and making fire-starting tools.
 
Rasco said:
"Survival" is vague and mostly marketing, but it generally applies to a general all-purpose blade that you'd bet your life on. Like a GSO 5.1 :)

"Bushcraft" is specifically for working with wood while you're out there. Dedicated "bushcrafters" are going to have a thicker tip and offer less options or "range of use" overall, but should excel at splitting and carving and making fire-starting tools.
Click to expand...

If you look at mors kochanski definition of a "survival" knife, its essentially a bushcraft knife/full-tang puukko
 
If you're lucky enough to have it on you when you find yourself in a survival situation, any knife would be a survival knife. You can have 50 at home, but the one you have on you....
 
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