Hey all. This is my first post on the forums so bare with me. I've been wanting to get into bushcraft and wilderness survival so I've been looking around for a good "bushcraft" knife..which brings me to my question..What makes a bushcraft knife a bushcraft knife? Is it any different from a fixed blade hunting knife? If so, how?
"Bushcraft" is simply a British term for wilderness-living skills - in America, the terms "scout" and "woodcraft" used to be more popular. A knife associated with wilderness living needs to be able to handle, with relative ease, a variety of tasks involving everything from carving wood to cleaning game and preparing food. It is a
general utility knife. Differences between this and a dedicated hunting knife might be that many hunting knives have a thinner grind and wider belly or sweep that is ideal for processing game but is less than ideal for working with hard materials and carving wood - a thin grind can result in a more fragile edge that will fail under pressures from carving. This does not mean that ALL hunting knives are so designed. Indeed, most knives designed for hunting would work well as a general outdoor utility knife (woodcraft), and vice versa.
Regarding fixed vs folding: the invention of a folding knife was a technological advancement that allowed users to carry their utility tool in a more compact form. Further advancement has allowed for single-hand opening/closing which is far easier/faster/safer than use of a sheath. Most uses of a knife, even in the American wilderness, do not require a fixed blade, especially if the folding blade has a locking mechanism of some sort. Run a Google search on "peasant knife".
Despite the technological advancement, most people still carry a fixed blade for outdoor utility, even if a folder would serve them better. Why? Fixed blades are easier to make, easier to maintain (no pivots to gum-up or slots in the handle), easier to use, and inherently stronger allowing for heavier or unskilled use/abuse beyond mere cutting/carving, e.g. chopping and prying.
For outdoor transitory living in wooded areas, a set of three tools is recommended for easy handling of nearly all tasks: a folding saw, a large fixed-blade or small axe for heavy use, and a small blade for general utility. In a less wooded area, the saw and axe might be replaced with a machete.