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Looking for a Bushcraft knife

I am looking for a knife that I can take on camping trips and do some bush crafting. I would like to get some input from all of you, on what you think would be the perfect knife. I have had a few suggestions already, but I am not set on a specific knife yet. So far some of the better choices I have heard are, Kabar - Becker - BK2, BK7 and BK9. I have also heard that some of the Esee knives would make a good choice. Another part of this discussion would be, how many of you would consider using a knife for batoning? Give the reasons you would recommend the knife that you suggest. Some of the tasks I would like the knife to do for me would be: trimming small branches, carving, striking a ferrocerium rod to start a fire, possibly batoning and whatever else I might need it for.

So, lets hear your ideas!

4 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Jeremy B. Buchanan on June 29, 2015 at 18:44

Here is the BK9

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Anthony "Tank" Meeks on June 30, 2015 at 0:50

Sir there's no one correct answer to your question. Here is a great video by Adam to give you a head start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciNwjU498ZQ

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Carl Rechsteiner on June 30, 2015 at 5:30

How about a Himalayan Farm Knife? I find these to perform very well "bushcrafting" (we just called it going to the woods in my day). You can chop all day - used it for clearing fence line, baton the heck out of it, and still bust open a mellon or butcher a hog. Very tough knife, forged from a leaf spring and heattreated for impact work.

I actually sell a lot of these to BBQ Chefs for working down hogs for the smoker.

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on June 30, 2015 at 9:01

I have batonned with a knife. I've even used a my Camillus Mk II fighting knife as a hatchet. But at the end of the day, I try to leave hatchet type work to hatchets and knife work to to knives. I can't really recommend a bushcraft knife as I find the term to be as broad as the term "camp Knife". See the discussion: a href="http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/bushcraft-vs-camp-knife" target="_self">http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/bushcraft-vs-camp-knife >. It may also give you some more ideas of what you're looking for.

Permalink Reply by james a c smith on June 30, 2015 at 9:27

A bushcrafting knife in my opinion would be a 5" to 10" blade, 10 to 20 oz, and 4mm to 8mm thick on the spine.....so you could start out with a Ontario RAT 5 all the way up to a 10" kukri from nepal. some blades baton better than others, but that also depends on what you're batoning. if you want to split logs, get an axe or spliting wedge...not good for hiking, but if you want to shear off wood strips for a camp fire etc then any quality knife will work....I peronaly use 2 knives in the woods, one bigger heavier knife like the TBT1 or ontario SP10, and smaller knife like the RAT5 or cold steel Rajah2(folder) all of which can stand alone if need be. you have to ask yourself, "what do I like, what am I wanting my knife to do, can I tolerate heavier or do I need light weight, am I going to carry it or pack it?" who knows you might be a cantidate for a mid weight machete, like the condor barong, or a parang.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by dead_left_knife_guy on June 30, 2015 at 21:12

Glad you brought this discussion up, Tobias!

Tobias Gibson said:

I have batonned with a knife. I've even used a my Camillus Mk II fighting knife as a hatchet. But at the end of the day, I try to leave hatchet type work to hatchets and knife work to to knives. I can't really recommend a bushcraft knife as I find the term to be as broad as the term "camp Knife". See the discussion: a rel="nofollow" href="http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/bushcraft-vs-camp-knife" target="_self">http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/bushcraft-vs-camp-knife >. It may also give you some more ideas of what you're looking for.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by dead_left_knife_guy on June 30, 2015 at 21:25

Jeremy, there are so many versions of "bushcraft" knives, from small Moras to that BK-9. I've got a friend that swears by the BK-9, & millions of people swearing by the basic Mora.

Condor is starting to come out with an ever broader selection -- including the Bushlore, which is a clone of Ray Mears' Woodlore knife. The original version of the Bushlore was stout but unweildy -- a little clumsy, mostly due to the grind. They've reduced the thickness by about half to 1/8", & it feels & works fabulously now (though mine is fairly new so I can't comment on edge retention).

There's a huge camp that backs the BK-2 (including Adam from Equip2Endure on youtube) & another huge camp that finds them too bulky & awkward (including Chris from PreparedMinds101, also on youtube); many of the latter have had the BK-2 & gave it up. I don't have a BK-2, but I do have an Outpost Command by TOPS, which has been compared to the BK-2. That Outpost Command will take apart a small tree no problem, but the grind is too thick for a lot of finer work (oh, but my Leatherman Charge excels at feather-sticking, better than most I've tested actually).

If you can handle the knives before purchase, try this: shave a wooden matchstick into something that looks similar to a Christmas tree. The easier it is to do, the better that knife will handle other detail work, like whittling traps or anything else.

I've been coming around to the notion of having a bushcrafting set: knife, axe, saw, & multitool.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 30, 2015 at 21:33

I like your choice Leo!

l.lantz said:

I like the Battle Horse Knives.They make some wonderful bush crafting knives.All are made in the USA.OAL 7.5".5/32"O-1 Tool Steel.3" cutting surface.Brushed Micarta Handle.Leather Sheath.(customer choice of blade grind,handle etc).Mine is but 1 of several BHK models.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by dead_left_knife_guy on July 1, 2015 at 18:46

Here's the older version of the Condor Bushlore... Look how low that bevel is -- & this is easily 3/16" thick. The company got a lot of flack for this & fortunately chose to change it...

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