That of course,
depends on just what field we're talking about. Are we talking about “REAL WORLD- DISASTER
SURVIVAL”, or are we talking about the “FIELD” on which we are playing out the
latest episode of our “REALITY” survival/adventure excursion? Perhaps you just
wish to "TIP-TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS?
OR, ARE YOU DRESSED
IN A CAMOUFLAGE, MEXICAN BANDITO, PIRATES OF
THE CARIBBEAN, OR NINJA SUIT;
PLANNING ON DASHING OFF THROUGH THE BACKWOODS, ON A BASH, SLASH, SHOOT, AND
SMASH ADVENTURE? DO YOU PLAN ON SHOOTING OR KILLING ANYTHING
AND EVERYTHING THAT DARES TO MOVE—CHOPPING DOWN EVERYTHING THAT LOOKS
GREEN?
I F YOU ARE,
GO BIG—GET SOMETHING THAT WILL REALLY DRIVE HOME, TOO ALL YOUR SPECTATORS, JUST HOW MUCH OF A BIG, TOUGH, MACHO SURVIVOR
TYPE YOU REALLY ARE,—AND DON’T STOP AT JUST ONE. YOU WILL NEED SEVERAL—START
WITH THREE OR FOUR CROCODILE DUNDEE/RAMBO TYPE BOWIE KNIVES, AND THEN ADD A FEW OTHER
“REAL KNIVES”. THE TYPE THAT ARE PART BATTLE AXE, LUMBERMAN’S PIKE—AND A FEW
THAT ARE COMBINATION KNIFE/THROWING STAR, LASER GUN SIGHT. ADD A FEW MORE FROM
PAST EPISODES OF STAR TREK OR STAR WARS; DON’T FORGET A FEW MACHETES YOU WILL WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE ENOUGH SCRAP IRON TO
REALLY WEIGH YOUR PANTS DOWN AND MAKE AN IMPRESSION.
Or maybe, you just
want to do a few “crafts”; build some model cars, build SOME SHIPS IN A
BOTTLE—OR SOME SURVIVAL TOOLS THAT YOU CAN DISPLAY PROUDLY--IN YOUR TROPHY
CASE. In this case, you will need at least one “Swiss Army Knife (more awkward
and bigger the better—with all the gadgets), a “Leather- Man” knife, and a
Victorinox Swiss Tool—you might need a “Cork Screw” to open up your bottles of
wine.
Heading out, on an
excursion, into the "Boonies" is not participating in CANADA'S national game of SURVIVAL it is; just playing.
Or, if you’re just
planning to survive (live) in a remote inhospitable area, say, after a plane
crash, earthquake, flood, hurricane mud/rock slide, tornado, or just getting off the beaten
trail and losing your way; perhaps all you need is a good pocket knife and a
“British Army”(strange how British or Canadian keeps popping up, do you suppose
there is a "good" reason?),
double edged, Commando Knife (first or second world war vintage; or even
simpler and, perhaps, more obtainable
and practical; a commercial quality “Muscle Boning/Filleting Knife (such as
the one shown above).
Think, How Will You
Be Most Using Your Knife/Knives—In What Manner?
· Will you be using it
to scrape the sap layer (a soft tissue lying between the wood and outer bark of
aspen, birch, pine, spruce, willow and most other woods), that is very
nourishing when eaten raw, cut into strips and cooked like noodles, or in soups
or stew?
· Will you be using it
to butcher, dress, muscle bone, and prepare fish, game, or meat for cooking,
drying, preserving, or transportation?
Might you use it to cut lacing from animal
hides?
Might you on
occasion use your knife as an awl; to puncture or cut
slits in materials to facilitate using such lacing?
· Might you be using
it to carve out cooking and eating utensils?
· Will you be using it
to carve out "digging sticks?
· Perhaps, you will be
constructing snares and/or other traps and will need to cut precision triggers?
· Will you be using it
to clean, peel, dice, cube, chunk, slice vegetables?
· Might you use it to
cut kindling, shave tinder?
· Might you have to
use it in first aid?
· The list goes on and
on; but few-- if any-- of these uses call for an awkwardly large, heavy, or
even exceptionally rugged knife (a knife best designed for use in a survival
situation is NOT intended to be used as a weapon--survival of this type is NOT
A MILITARY OPERATION--it is about LIFE). They do—all call for a knife that is
sharp (is easily sharpened and maintained), has a narrow, possibly
somewhat flexible blade, a
handle that fits the hand (slip resistant), and that is: CONVENIENT TO CARRY AND CONVNIENT TO USE.
· It would be very,
very difficult indeed to do muscle boning or filleting with a big, heavy, or
awkward knife.
Bushcraft
Knifes vs. Camping/Survival Game Knifes
Choosing
a bushcraft knife is highly personal for most of us. In a way, isn’t the knife
we carry an ultimate extension of who we are, as much as what car we drive or
what brand of tools we own? However it’s important to carefully consider what
jobs you’ll need your knife for, and for this all knives are not created equal.
For outdoorsman who rely heavily on their knives as all-purpose tools, there
are two general, and very overlapping categories: bushcraft knives and camping
or survival knives.
The
distinction between these two categories is rather vague, but generally we can
say a bushcraft knife has a thinner blade than a camping knife, although again,
many people will use these terms interchangeably, and it’s not an industry
standard by any means. But in most bushcrafters minds, there is a difference so
we’ll go with that.
A
bushcraft knife is generally suited for light and medium duties, such as
skinning game, general food preparation, carving wood, making pointed sticks
for cooking over the fire, making feather sticks, shaving tinder and so on. You
can choose these in either fixed blade or a folder, and we’ll go over these choices
in more detail shortly.
To
weekend survivors or those claim to live the “survivor life style” a survival
or camping knife is usually considered to have a heavier, thicker blade than a
bushcraft knife.
This thick, strong blade will be less likely to break or get dull under severe
use, but
it also won’t be as sharp or as suitable for fine or more intricate work. It’ll
not be as suitable for carving, skinning game or other work that would require
a thinner, sharp more precise tool.
Camping/Survival
Game knives
are well suited for batoning wood, chopping through branches, prepping material to make a
shelter, splitting wood for the fire, prying, opening stubborn food packages you
know, all the jobs that are much better done using an axe or that may not be
necessary to do at all.
Really,
Important Features.
Blades
Bushcraft
knives are generally about 4 to 8 inches long, which is a good compromise
between size and dexterity. As we talked about, you’ll want one of these knives
for finer work so a small or medium sized blade allows you to do finer work
than a large blade. A survival or camp knife, on the other hand, ranges from 8
to up to 12 or more inches. These knives often are used for chopping, hacking, slashing,
as weapons for self-defence and as points for hunting weapons. The durability
and leverage provided by a larger blade is ideal. Having said that, I still
refrain from anything larger than 8 inches, but again this is a personal
preference and is partially determined by your environment.. I use a knife to
do the jobs a knife is intended to do.
Blade
materials are another consideration. There are many, many, types of alloys,
which would require a whole article in itself. Sticking with quality
manufacturers in most cases ensures you’ll get a quality alloy. Most often
you’ll have to choose between stainless steel for your blade, or carbon steel.
As a rule of thumb, carbon steel is harder than stainless steel and will stay
sharp longer. Most guys prefer carbon steel for this reason, as having to
resharpen your blades in the outdoors, or in the middle of cleaning your game,
is rather inconvenient to say the least. The downside is once carbon steel is
dull, it’s more difficult to resharpen. Stainless steel also tends to cost
more, because it’s more complicated to manufacture than other types of steel. One
warning, some people believe stainless steel is impervious to rust. This is not
true, so caring for your knife properly is important regardless of the
material.
One last
thing we need to know about blades is the grind. This is the shape of the sharp
edge. The two most common are the Scandinavian grind or scandi grind, and the
Flat grind. The scandi grind is used on thinner blades that require a very
sharp, keen edge, where the flat grind is usually found on thicker blades. The
flat grind will not dull quite as fast, but the tradeoff is it’s not as sharp,
but only mildly so. Neither are too difficult to resharpen.
Knife
Handles and Tang
The Tang
is the part of the blade that sticks into the handle. This is where the handle
attaches to the blade. This is one area where you should not compromise because
it greatly affects the strength and durability of your knife. Look for what is
called a Full Tang. The blade and tang are one solid piece of steel. A full tang
is the same size as the handles, and the handle is often (but not always)
visible around the edge of the handle, and the handle is two pieces sandwiched
around the tang. Some knives have a hidden full tang, so it’s not as apparent,
but always check the specs or ask if you’re not sure. TIP: Stay FAR away from
those “survival knives” with the hollow handle full of unneeded, useless tools(many manufacturers also make multi tools, Gerber
and Leatherman being two very popular brands-they usually have screw drivers,
pliers, knife blades, files, and just about anything else you can think of-they
really are amazingly versitle).
This greatly compromises strength and usability; while they may be handy in an
indoor workshop, they are not really suitable for any serious outdoor work.
As far
as handles go for your bushcraft knife, you’ll want one that fits comfortably
in your hand and offers a grip that will not be slippery, especially when wet.
There are many blades out there that get style points with a fancy, designer
handle. They look awesome, but in the back country, your outdoors knife needs
function over form first and foremost. Micarta is a popular choice, as is stag
bone, but they are not the only choices. Your knives will get greasy and wet,
and the last thing you want is you hand slipping down onto the cutting edge, or
that blade flying right out of your hands!
Other
Bushcraft Knife Considerations and Tips
Fixed blade or folder?
Fixed
blades will be more durable and easier to keep clean, than a folding knife, in
most cases, but a folder is more convenient to carry. My own personal choice is
to carry a folding knife. In fact, when in
the arctic, I always preferred to carry two knives, so I could better cover all
types of jobs. My opinion is that one knife won’t quite do it all.
© Al (Alex, Alexander) D Girvan-2012. All rights
reserved
