So What’s The Best Survival/Bushcraft Knife: to Own, and to Use?

"Your key ring compass is trained on north; north is where you know a highway stretches across the horizon; the highway is where you know you'll finally have the chance to be saved. It's been days since the accident that sent you sliding into the rapids and tumbling over a waterfall. Body bruised, arm broken, head concussed, it was hours before you woke up dazed and vomiting on the bank of the river.

You lost your main pack in the fall, phone, tent, sleeping bag, spare clothes, hiking boots, food, gone. All you have left is your personal,disaster, emergency, survival kit; and your survival knife-- thank goodness for that. Without it, you'd be dead. And over the past several days, one item in particular has endeared itself to you time and time again: the survival knife.

You figure you're still a day or two away from civilization, and as evening approaches, the temperature is falling fast. You start making camp, using your survival knife to cut the large amount of wood you'll need to fuel your fire throughout the frigid night. But suddenly, the blade snaps off at the handle and flies back over your shoulder. Shaking over the thought that you could have just lost an eye, you think back to when you stood in the camping supplies store to stock up on equipment and surveyed the vast array of knife choices. Did you buy a dud? Will your “Survival Knife” increase or decrease your chances of actual survival."

So What’s The Best Survival/Bushcraft Knife and tool: to Own, and to Use?

There are many who will immediately answer, without any hesitation what so ever; a hatchet or at least a knife heavy and rugged enough to be used to chop, dig, build fires, serve as a hunting weapon, split wood, build shelters; be used as a sledge hammer, make-shift screwdriver, a crow-bar or prying tool, and for signalling.
There in lies the major problem when it comes to selecting a "Survival Knife". Knives should not be used for chopping, digging,  or splitting wood; cleavers, hatchets,and shovels are designed for such purposes. if you do not have such items; digging sticks, and/or fairly sharply edged rocks may be improvised. 

A survival knife is: any knife you actually have with you  in a real life-not an adventure or game-survival situation. 
Likewise, the "BEST"SURVIVAL KNIFE is the one you are carrying-ON YOUR PERSON

Therefore, you do not want it too big .

 DO NOT ABUSE IT BY HAMMERING ON IT; OR USING IT IN CONJUNCTION WITH A BATON. TREAT ALL YOUR AVAILABLE SURVIVAL TOOLS WITH RESPECT, YOU JUST COULD NEED THEM FOR A CONSIDERABLE PERIOD OF TIME.

Back in the days when most everyone actually had to rely on their hand tools for every day survival; prior to the late 19th century, outdoors men and even military personnel did not use knives that were notably different from the knives used by cooks or butchers. Blades were always relatively thin and in order to resist slipping and facilitate replacement in event of breakage; the handles were often no more than two bone or wooden slabs riveted to the full tang.

 So What’s The Best Knife to Own and Use in the Field?

Before deciding, be  sure to watch all of the linked videos; all are done by a master who not only really knows what he is doing but he shows enough that after fifteen; to twenty years, of diligent practice; you may be able to do it half so well. I think he will convince you that not only are big, heavy, cumbersome, knifes not necessary in a survival situation; they can be a major detriment. 

How to muscle bone a side of beef or any big game animal: video 1 -video 2-video 3-video 4-video 5. 

Perhaps, just perhaps, a pocket knife, a  second world war type commando knife, OR SOMETHING LIKE THE BONING KNIFE PICTURED BELOW ARE ALL YOU REALLY NEED. The blade of a boning knife is somewhat stiffer than a filleting knife meaning that slightly better technique is required when it is used for filleting; but, it will serve the purpose and it will better serve the purposes of aiding in repairing gear, cutting slits, thongs, etch, even in cutting tinder to start a fire.

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