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Bushcraft vs. Camp Knife

The two terms are tossed about pretty freely and are applied to a variety of knives. Too me both are general utility knives that are used in the wilderness.

For some people the difference between the two is:

Bushcraft Knife: A general purpose utility knife that you bet your life on in survival situations.

Camp Knife: A general purpose utility knife that can make or break your week-end adventure.

But is that really the case or is Bushcraft just a new term for a camp knife. After all some of the old camp knives were built especially for surviving in the wilderness not just spending a week-end drinking beer around the camp fire.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Squier on May 17, 2015 at 9:00

Ok, not a bushcrafter myself but I googled it and went to the bushcraft store and there it was in he middle of all the new styles of blade a genuine KaBar USMC knife, isnt that all you really need.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on May 17, 2015 at 9:03

Shlomo, I agree with you almost 100% The only bone of contention is the opening line of your last paragraph. "You don't need a big knife unless you're in a military special forces unit and are expecting knife combat (and that is different altogether from civilian fighting)"

Even the military fighting knives tend to have blade between 5 and 7 inches long, with anything longer being considered unwieldy and unnecessary. There is a reason why the Marine Corps Fighting Knife and the Air Force Survival Knife have been around for 50 years. It is isn't nostalgia but functionality or design. Yes they are now consider "old school" but the more popular new wave fighting knives are typically have a five to seven inch blade with a 5 inch handle. (Big enough to fight with yet not so big as to be unwieldy and cumbersome.)

Today when I think Bushcraft, I think of knives like the Becker BK2, the Esee 5, the Ontario RAT 5 and the Camillus Bushcrafter. Single plain edge, full tang, 1095 Carbon Steel (or Better). and micarta or other mildew/slip resistant indestructible handle.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on May 17, 2015 at 9:19

Michael said:

/p>

Ok, not a bushcrafter myself but I googled it and went to the bushcraft store and there it was in he middle of all the new styles of blade a genuine KaBar USMC knife, isnt that all you really need.

As much as I love my Mk2 Fighting knife, I always found it a good idea to have a pocket knife with me along with the big knife. A big knife might be able to do the same thing as a little knife but I dont want to try and dig a splinter out of my thumb with a big knife! As much as I like my Camillus Fighting Knife, my 108 mm CCM - (west) German Army Knife was used more often and was carried daily. The Camillus was only carried in the field! Even in the field, the pocket knife got more use!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Squier on May 17, 2015 at 10:06

Tobias, like I said Im no bushcrafter, but I agree with you 100 % on that. Swiss army, or some other varient should be in every pocket along with fixed blade.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on May 17, 2015 at 11:53

Hi Michael,

I too am no bushmaster and would probably starve if I needed to rely on bush crafting abilities! Going back to my earlier premise, these days all I need is a knife that I can rely on for the occasional week-end excursion! I also think many of my old camp/military knives would do just fine in the bushcraft role - but I'm no expert! Heck, I'm not even a novice.

These days, the most important thing I'm going to need in a survival situation is a fishing pole, my tackle box and a craving for pan fish! And I'd hate to try and fillet a fish with a Buck Hoodlum! So much for a big knife can do anything a small knife can do!

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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on May 17, 2015 at 12:18

Michael, a perfect example. I was riding my 4 wheeler yesterday. A few small branches had grown out into the trail I was riding. They weren't hazardess, just irritating. So I pulled out my EDC pocket knife, a little Rough Rider RR718 Work Knife and cut off the last couple of feet of each one.

Michael Squier said:

Tobias, like I said Im no bushcrafter, but I agree with you 100 % on that. Swiss army, or some other varient should be in every pocket along with fixed blade.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Squier on May 17, 2015 at 12:28

So, Charles and Tobias, Im thinking one of Tobias old colonial fish knives with my double sheath and a folder of your choice. Bush set. Maybe make the fixed blade a little thicker, but the size is good.

Maye that helps answer th original question, are camp knives the same as bush knives.

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FeaturedPermalink Reply by dead_left_knife_guy on May 17, 2015 at 18:43

Shlomo provided a much better answer than I could have, with far more experience. But I can't help but chime in on this topic.

Knives can often cross over & perform functions in situations one might consider "survival" & "bushcraft" (shelter building & trap setting, for example).

From my understanding, bushcraft knives are for performing primarily woodcraft in the wilderness. In other words, it's a knife better suited for fine carving than taking down a tree. Which is why you have your axe & your saw. The knives tend to be smaller, with flat, saber, or scandi grinds -- these are stronger, for handling the tougher work of cutting wood. Hollow grinds are better suited for cutting meat -- better as hunting knives or fighting knives than as wood working knives.

Combine a scandi grind on a relatively thin knife & you've got something that can do a lot of different kinds of work, from whittling to food prep. If you can find something like this in a very affordable price, you'll have a very popular knife. Yes, I'm talking about you, Mora.

Also I tend to think of camp knives as larger knives made more for general utility (as opposed to fighting). Cutting guy lines, batoning kindling, stripping bark, cutting brush, carving a digging stick, hammering a tent stake, opening packages, performing some food prep (cubing meat & chopping non-starchy fruits & veggies), & just whatever else. I like a bigger, thicker knife for working around a camp site, some people don't, & to a great degree here it's preference -- along with what you plan to actually do. Not to mention I don't usually hike 20 miles to get to my camp site, & there are some who do & will be far more weight-conscious than I.

Some may prefer smaller, thinner camp knives -- those can do more paring & finer work with potatoes (& I can easily carry or bring one of those too, since I'm willing to carry, or at least bring, a larger, heavier knife -- a knife for paring is easier to justify at that point). Some may prefer hollow grinds -- I prefer flat or at least saber. Again, a lot of it is preference. Some may prefer to only carry folders -- I prefer a fixed blade for something that's likely to get wet & gross & is likely to need cleaning, but again, it's a matter of preference.

A camp knife, then, to me at least, would likely be the better "survival" knife because it's suited to more general tasks & provides -- to me & my level of skill & knowledge -- more capability for quicker processing of larger logs.

Another way to think of it: a camp/survival knife is a better back-up to an axe than a bushcraft knife in a survival kit, whereas a bushcraft knife is a better supplement to an axe than a camp knife in a woods bumming kit.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on May 17, 2015 at 19:23

WOW! Thanks dead_left_knife_guy! Between DLKG and Shlomo, I think a lot of us are getting a new perspective on Bushcraft and Camp Knives! I know I'm looking at both of them differently. So much information to process! Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Ms Data on May 17, 2015 at 19:25

This is an interesting conversation. How about some sharing? This is a nice "bushcraft" knife I just bought for $34 on Amazon.

Schrade SCHF-37

Blade Length: 7.00 inch
Handle Length: 5.37 inch
Overall Length: 12.37 inch
Weight: 0.94 lb

Full Tang Fixed Blade Knife

Powder Coated 1095 High Carbon Steel Drop Point Blade with Finger Choil

Ring Textured TPE Handle with Spine and Grip Jimping

Black Nylon Belt Sheath with Ferro Rod and Sharpening Stone

It is a good knife. The powder coating doesn't last long but I know they put it there for rust resistance. The spine does a good job of striking the ferro rod. The handle is pretty comfy. Decent for the price.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on May 17, 2015 at 20:20

One of my go-to camp knives is my Rough Rider 844 Hunter. It has a 440A stainless steel blade but it has been very good to me over the past several years and keeps a decent edge. I consider it a middle-weight camp knife I have used it to cut down a 2 inch diameter sapling just to see if it could do it. It performed splendidly.

I have plenty of other knives to choose from but I seems to keep coming back to this one.

Name:Burlwood Hunter
Model number: RR844
Style: Hunter
Country of origin: China
Overall length: 9.75 inches
Overall blade length (guard to tip): 4.5 inches
Blade style: modified skinner
Blade steel: 440A Stainless
Handle material: Dark wood/Burl wood
Tang: Full tang
Handle Length (guard to pommel, inclusive): 5 inches
Guard: Darkwood 1/2 guard
Tang stamp:
Obverse - RR horseshoe
Reverse - RR844 China
pins: Brass rivets
Pommel: N/A
Bail or lanyard: brass lanyard hole
Sheath: Ballistic nylon w internal plastic sleeve.

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Permalink Reply by Ms Data on May 17, 2015 at 21:19

That's purty!!!

Tobias Gibson said:

One of my go-to camp knives is my Rough Rider 844 Hunter. It has a 440A stainless steel blade but it has been very good to me over the past several years and keeps a decent edge. I consider it a middle-weight camp knife I have used it to cut down a 2 inch diameter sapling just to see if it could do it. It performed splendidly.

I have plenty of other knives to choose from but I seems to keep coming back to this one.

Name:Burlwood Hunter

Model number: RR844

Style: Hunter

Country of origin: China

Overall length: 9.75 inches

Overall blade length (guard to tip): 4.5 inches

Blade style: modified skinner

Blade steel: 440A Stainless

Handle material: Dark wood/Burl wood

Tang: Full tang

Handle Length (guard to pommel, inclusive): 5 inches

Guard: Darkwood 1/2 guard

Tang stamp:
Obverse - RR horseshoe
Reverse - RR844 China

pins: Brass rivets

Pommel: N/A

Bail or lanyard: brass lanyard hole

Sheath: Ballistic nylon w internal plastic sleeve.