What is the right knife for camping/bear attacks/wild mountain folk kind of knife?

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don't bring a knife to a bearfight.

Made me laugh! I suggest a gun, a big gun! If you're going to trim his (bear) claws, something with high carbon should do.:)
 
martin j said:
as they say, the best knife for a bear attacks is a dull one, it hurts less when the bear shoves it up your @$$
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ok, this is the best Bear knife fight advice so far.:thumbup:

Cliff, yes Ontario has had some inconsistency with their steel, not atypical of knives priced in that range, but I have not seen any Marine Raider Bowies with issues. Due to their design they are tough and still better than anything made in China. Just ask the guy on the home shopping network who stabbed himself when his sword snapped in half. Bet he was wishing it was simple carbon steel stock and not cheap stainless crap made in (you pick it) China, India, Pakistan.
 
When I'm in the bush, I carry a hatchet for most campcraft.Only black bears around my parts, but most people I know whom are in brown bear country feel alot safer with a firearm for protection.IMO, a decent hatchet will outperform a better knife in the bush. My folder of the day goes with me as well.
 
Cobalt said:
... but I have not seen any Marine Raider Bowies with issues.
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In one of the first times I mentioned the problems I had and noted the Raider bowie was one of the ones that I had which was solid, someone noted theirs had the tip break easily.

Due to their design they are tough ...
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The design is solid, but if the steel is way off it will still be horrible. I have seen Ontario's be so soft that if you lean into the blade the actual handle even takes a bend.

-Cliff
 
well the best knife is one with the longest blade capable or handle.. assaugi where you fit the shovel handle in end for the spear mode.. doubles as machette .. and if ya loose it up at yur elbo one doesnt feel he lost more n an arm... of course then the legs next so one can start kicken or runnin'. never knew a bear attack that ever turned out worth less than 200 stitches defending with a knife. seen what a bear can do to an axe..bear 10 claws camper 200 stitches score , that was in the endzone..plan B the best camper knife I know is a 12 ga.it cuts to the bone and beyond. A 28 inch eastman axe so one doesnt bust the handle . Handles fast and W/ enough weight to cleaver a bear head( usually a one shot swing( I mean one strike yur out) .. and a pocket knife.. well if all fails come back to this thread. Oh 1 point of interest the end knose section of a bear is most effective.. meaning a hard shot to there chest isnt enough, while a tap in the knose is quite a deterant.if ya dont belive me test yur neighbors dog with a broom handle.. it puts em down!
 
Cliff Stamp said:
In one of the first times I mentioned the problems I had and noted the Raider bowie was one of the ones that I had which was solid, someone noted theirs had the tip break easily.

The design is solid, but if the steel is way off it will still be horrible. I have seen Ontario's be so soft that if you lean into the blade the actual handle even takes a bend.

-Cliff
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Of the three marine raider bowies I have had, all of them were excellent and solid.

My quartermaster blade is also very good as is my frontiersman. I got them all at the same time (about 8-9 years ago) and maybe they were from a good batch, I don't know.

I did get a Survival Bowie that was a major POS. Snapped it with little pressure. My Frontiersman has taken very serious abuse and held it's own. I have hacked anything and everything with it and it took it all. I still have it. It looks like crap but works.
 
Well, as to the bears, I am in blackbear country and would probably fight or more likely make myself as threatning as possible. Grizzlys aren't a problem as I have no plans to get to their parts of the world. As for a gun, I just don't care for them. But trees Sal, I almost lost an eye to one of those things!! It was aroung 1:00 in the A.M. I was hiking around Adams Knob when suddenly Whap! Right in the Eye. Spent that whole week with a watery swolen shut punctured eye. I don't trust em! Actually, I would use the knife to hack up branches, vines, etc for shelter purposes. I'm one of those people who secretly pray for nasty weather on a camping trip but regret it once it does. I took a hatchet on a hike with an elevation gain of about a thousand feet, with a fifty pound pack, and never needed it but i hacked up a downed log just to say that I used it. I'm definitely not interested in that much weight in my pack, and they are a bitch to spread PB with.
 
Black or brown, a knife for bear defense is a poor thing. Having stated the obvious, and taking the question seriously for the smaller varieties of black bear only, there is one thing that will help you the most: a long reach. A Bushman-type pre-fitted to a 5' minumum hickory or ash hiking staff is a good start imo, and a lot better than nothing. A spear can be a formidable weapon in cool hands, but a big aggressive bear is likely going to punch your ticket even if you do manage to hurt him some, unless you are really lucky.
 
Greetings all. I do not mean to be obnoxious but I do not know of anyone who has ever been in the situation of confronting a bear with a knife. I have spent my share of time in the backcountry and this is just not a realistic scenario. When I was in Bridger wilderness in Wyoming I saw plenty of folks with firearms and if you are THAT concerned, thats your best bet. I also went through Arctic survival training at Eilsen Air Force Base in Alaska and no one ever mentioned bear/knife issues. Up there, they require a big firearm for expeditions into the Arctic circle but don't hold out any confidence that this would be effective. On the other extreme, black bears are more like giant coons. It is incredibly rare for them to attack people and when they approach a camp you can scare them off by banging pots and pans. Hey, I like big knives as much as the next guy but I am more worried about lightning strikes above treeline than I am about bear attacks.
 
Alan,

Something you may want to look at is getting two knives- a decent belt knife and a machete or something similar. When I lived in Alaska I would do a lot of day hikes by myself and really didn't want to pack a gun, so I bought an Ontario Blackwind Katana. They run about $100, but it works for me as a machete and light-duty axe, is easy to carry, and so far has been pretty durable. Not something I'd carry w/ a large group of people, but if you are out by yourself in bear country, something w/ a 20" blade is a lot more reassuring than any belt knife. Just my .02.

Walter
 
Just what is the bleed-down time for your average bear? Anybody.....don't everyone speak at once.

Carve your initials into the bear, stab to the hilt 6 times and I bet the bear still has time to make a submarine sandwich, after removing your innards, before it deanimates.

Lewis and Clark's expedition ran into one Grizzly and tried to kill it, with three professional hunters and their rifles, and failed. Lewis would not allow Grizzly hunting after this one encounter. Thereafter, the hunters shot mostly geese.

The standard advise for bear country is to be noisy while traveling and to mark around your camp with water of your own making. This way only bears with intent will want to meet you and exclude those just passing bye.

Best,

oregon
 
I just need the confidence to go into the woods alone. A knife won't really do anything for me physically with a bear, I'll be grabbing a log or something nearby. I haven't ever seen a bear in the woods, and that's honestly the least of my worries with a knife purchase. Mostly it is the most usefulness, and durability in the smallest yet substatinal package that i can comfortably carry. A pocket knife is all I have needed on a camping trip, but I just feel a bit safer with something that is a bit more. I did come across a pair of wild dogs on that trip with my eye injury whilst I was lost trying to find my way back to the car for the hot chocolate i had forgotten. I didn't even touch my knife, just grabbed a stick and started whacking the trees around be to make alot of noise. They ran off into the woods and that was that. It's more than bears really, that just seemed like a good attention getter. I also don't expect to ever run across a band of secluded wild toothless mountain folk hell bent on making me squeal like a pig either, LOL. The big knife just comforts me in my Sleeping bag at night, and could serve as the machete/hatchet that my four inch folder couldn't be.
 
Blue Sky said:
Black or brown, a knife for bear defense is a poor thing. Having stated the obvious, and taking the question seriously for the smaller varieties of black bear only, there is one thing that will help you the most: a long reach. A Bushman-type pre-fitted to a 5' minumum hickory or ash hiking staff is a good start imo, and a lot better than nothing. A spear can be a formidable weapon in cool hands, but a big aggressive bear is likely going to punch your ticket even if you do manage to hurt him some, unless you are really lucky.
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I love the Bushman, but it is more likely to bend and then break than penetrate a bear hide, bones, etc. Unless you get lucky, but don't expect the bear to stand still waiting for you to hit your target. :D
 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/

Grizzly Man, the documentary. Getting good reviews. Chilling story. Probably has nothing to do with knives. It is on my list to see.

Note: Out on DVD last Tuesday. Saw it twice. One of a kind flick. I saw no knives on the either of the two "actors" before they were eaten. The movie had nothing to do with weapons.

All the best,

oregon
 
I think that bear-strength pepper-spray, and a whistle is a better plan than a knife...Especially if you plan on spending only $50.

If I HAD TO go up against a bear with just a knife, I'd want it to be either my Cold Steel Trailmaster Bowie, or a Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri.
 
This whole bear fear is way overrated. Yeah there are bears out there, brown ones do get obnoxious sometimes and try to get too close, because of trained reflexes - humans = food. Gotta love those campers:D
I met my share of these animals on trail- two this year, both ran away before I could zoom in my camera, well I actually took two very bad pictures of one. Last year I ran away from one, but it was a little cub. I heard noise in shrubbery nearby and surmised that sticking around to “meet the parents" was not in my best interest. I fully agree with opinion of other respectable forum members – do not think that knife, however good it is, will protect you. Instead you carry bells, that’ll scare bears away, also you can learn how far you food and everything that may smell edible should be and last but not least – learn how to outran your hiking partner. That is all that you will ever need. Good luck.
 
The Greco Capers are kind of cool, but a little short, and the price is OK but I never had a thing for bowie knife styles. They just always remind me of all those shop at home cheapies that sell for $3.00 a piece Although I know that there are guys out there who make them with quality. That's just a stigma I have with that style. I think that The BK 10 and the Mini Bushman from Cold Steel will be where I start. I found the Mini @ 9" for $11. I can probably get that and the BK10 for close enough to $50.
 
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