what makes classifies a knife as a buschcraft or survival knife??

tknife said:
When I think of a "bushcraft" knife, I think more of a puuko, or other Scandi type knife. One that will perform intricate carving, fire starting, food prep, small animal processing etc. A "survival" knife should also perform the above, though maybe not as well because I'd want it to be more rugged and able to take batoning, prying, digging, hammering etc. I like to poke and prod stuff, scrape stuff, maybe stuff that's kinda gross even. So I don't want to pretty of a knife either.
For a one knife only scenario, I'd want something that incorporated both. Something light with a nice high grind, but one that can also take some abuse.
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I couldn't have said it better so I'll just re-quote it !!!
Basically a survival knife has to go above and beyond what it was designed for,it may have to chop,batton,dig,pry and even be used as a piton if required so to me strength is the defining trait !!!
 
I'm with ya pitdog and tknife. Like a Mora with a little extra guts. OK, a BUNCH of extra guts, but only if it still cuts very well. And I honestly believe that's not so far-fetched.
 
Here's my thoughts on the subject...

A bushcraft knife is for living in the wilderness, and not just any wilderness, but a wilderness with plantlife and animals.
It should excell at woodwork and animal processing.
It is basically a specialist of sorts...it does some things very well, but it does not even try to do everything within human imagination.

But a SURVIVAL KNIFE is a different creature altogether:
Survival situations occur in every setting known to man...
You might be deep in an Alaskan forest, or stranded in the Mojave desert, or on a barren rock of an island, or in the Amazon jungle, or adrift in a life-raft, or trapped in a NY subway...the senarios are endless.

I think the best survival knife is the one that gives you the most tools, and the most options, in a compact size that can be carried everyday, everywhere.
Basically, a survival knife is a MULTI-TOOL.
You might need it to skin a rabbit, or you might need it to repair a radio.
You might need it to fillet a fish, or you might need it to repair a bilge-pump.
You might need it to carve a crutch, or you might need it to pull a decayed tooth (think of Castaway)....the possibilities are endless.
The multi-tool is the jack of all trades, master of none.
 
Ray Mears made the woodlore design of knife famous, but a certain Canadian bushcraft & survival expert named Mors Kochanski, actually coined the term *bushcraft* and his recommendation of a knife, is the Mora.

Ray Mears started selling the Frost Clipper on his site, as a training knife. When in fact, it's a danged good woodsmans knife, as are most Mora knives.
 
I agree about the multi-tool being the best survival knife, or at the very least, the foundation of what a survivalist should have in the form of edged tools.
 
GibsonFan said:
got a link Fonly?
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better yet a pic ;)

smbushcraftknife.JPG
 
Buck Vanguard... Like pitdog said, the guard is a bit big... and I'm really getting away from long ricassos like that. But it's good steel and a classic design. I believe it's also available in Buck's standard steel, 420HC (which is still pretty good the way they have it heat-treated)for less $. Of course neither is a "carbon" steel :D
 
I think my MOD4 Survival Knife here is everything a ' Survival ' knife should be.....:thumbup:
knife003.jpg

I have no fear at all of it breaking which has to be one of the main criteria in a survival blade...
knife004.jpg

To give you a spine thickness comparison this is the MOD4 next to my Blackjack Grunt which is no waif of a knife itself !!!
knife001.jpg
:eek:

Ps The grey seen in the handle nuts is just wax, I dripped some in to stop any rusting but it all just cracked and dropped back out....daft idea anyway !!!
 
If the fit and finish were better you wouldn't have had to do that. I'm just sayin'! ;)

That knife (Brit MOD4) seems to be wildly unpopular... I don't really know why. It's the wrong size for me (I'm sure you're all sick of hearing me explain why) but it's sure stout enough and looks to me to be a reasonable design.

Cheese an' rice, I just looked those up... they're going for $100 with F&F like that?!? Now I know why they're unpopular. Looks like a good project though if you pick one up cheap.
 
Yeah i know what your sayin Gibsonfan. I only use it at home for Battoning my wood etc as I like to edc a smaller blade 4-5".
If I were to carry a larger blade though then I would have no reservations about this one.I have actually chopped into nails that I didn't see and all the blade had to show was a tiny roll that you could just feel with your finger nail and as rough as the handle looks it is really comfy even with prolonged use !!!
I don't know what the steel is but it's damned good stuff, I never see any rust spots either although that may be down to giving it regular use and the odd squirt of WD40 !!!
 
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