Survival/bushcraft knives.

[Hawkeye]

So, I guess up front I need to admit, I am a closet knife junkie. I would have dozens if I could, for no other reason than I like them. So, that said, what's your favorite bushcraft/camping/survival knife/knives? Not a knife for fighting, but one for truly surviving in the wild...

I currently have an ESEE 4 and a ESEE 5. I really like them, and yet, I still feel not completely satisfied. I would like to get an ESEE Junglas as I think it would pair well with either the 4 or 5 that I already have, for a good general purpose bushcraft pair. However, I find myself also looking at some of the Ka-Bar Becker offerings. I used to have the complete set of Becker knives, back before Ka-Bar started making them, but got rid of them for various reasons. I like their simplicity and also, the price point. I'm a broke gear maker and while I would LOVE, let me repeat, LOVE some of the more expensive custom made knives, I just cant afford a $250+ knife right now. TOPS makes some nice ones that I really like. One that I really, REALLY, have an affinity for is the new Megalodon from Wanderer Tactical. Again though.....$250. I truly think its worth the price, I just don't have the money right now. There are also some small knife makers in the UK that just do some crazy awesome work.
So what are your choices and why?

[otis]

esee 3 and junglas are a great pair. throw in a latin style machete, from tramontina or condor/imacasa, and you're done.

the Beckers are nice, but once you upgrade the sheath and handles(if you choose to) you're at or above the cost of the junglas, which comes with canvas micarta, kydex, and a molle back. i usually carry mine on a sling, kind of baldric style, but its occasionally hanging from a web belt.

[winter]

The older I get the thinner I like the blade steel. They do everything better, well, every thing that a knife is supposed to do.

Here is mine that's about 3 yrs old and has gone on every overnighter. I've been on 5 remote camps and one cabin trip this yr already.



The blade is @ as thick as a quarter.


I own this $400 Guy Stainthorpe "Bushcrafter" bit I don't carry it any more.


A large chopper, hatchet, or small axe to do heavier work and viola. There's also a wyoming saw in my ruck.

[panzer0170]

Did I read $400 knife, there?

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

ESEE-3-mil, ESEE Laser Strike, ESEE-6, ESEE-Izula II, ESEE-Candiru

If I can't get it done with those....well I'm doomed

I do have others, but if the SHTF tomorrow, I will grab these first with my Spyderco Sharpener and my strop.

But I do like what Otis said...Junglas is needed in my line up

[otis]

my 6 will have a spot on my beltline, if i ever get my belt setup going, it's a great woods knife, i even like the serrations. candiru is the best neck knife i've ever used.

[winter]

May 18, 2015 15:59:05 GMT -5 panzer0170 said:

Did I read $400 knife, there?

www.stainthorpknives.co.uk/news

[protus]

May 18, 2015 11:42:24 GMT -5 otis said:

esee 3 and junglas are a great pair. throw in a latin style machete, from tramontina or condor/imacasa, and you're done.

the Beckers are nice, but once you upgrade the sheath and handles(if you choose to) you're at or above the cost of the junglas, which comes with canvas micarta, kydex, and a molle back. i usually carry mine on a sling, kind of baldric style, but its occasionally hanging from a web belt.

I used a rat tail on my handles to shave them to shape I hated the grips on my bk7. But ..honestly the last few years my "woods "knives have been the carbon steel morass and a Germany military Swiss army knife.
I carry a bow saw...and camp axe...but my favorite is an old school cane cutter /heavy machete. Think big meat cleaver.

[eddiewouldclearhot]

I've been eyeing a Battlehorse knives Scout Platoon for a while and finally decided to pull the trigger. I'll follow up with photos.

I was looking for a camp/utility knife that would could double as a defensive knife in a pinch. I think defensive knives are wishful thinking for 99% of guys out there. Unless youre CAG hitting a target in syria and things go sideways enough to fight hand to hand in a small room, you arent putting your knife into people

99.9% of use most knives will see are fire prep and food prep. So thats what my line of thinking was.

Im excited about this new bushcraft board, something i could definitely learn more about.

[wolffpack]

For strictly camping and woodcraft, my knife of choice is a Tommi Puukko.


Has the classic rhomboid cross-section Tommis are noted for.

[waffenmacht]

The few blades I prefer to carry. You can find at least two of these on my kit at any time, depending on mission requirements. I do love a good Mora, carbon steel with 90 degree spine at a total cost of under $15. Mora's make great camp/skinning knives without the weight and cost of a heavier, more durable blade. These will last forever if taken care of. This blade usually resides in my ruck. I also carry a Gerber "crucial". The crucial is a small multi-tool with a decent blade, pliers, flat tip and phillips head screwdrivers and a little cord cutter. There is always someone in the field needing this for camp tasks or weapons maintenance. The crucial tends to stay on my chest rig so I can get to it quickly. My big blade is made by Blind Horse Knives (now LT Wright Knives) and is called the Forest Trail. It features a flat grind, A2 carbon tool steel blade with a rockwell hardness of 57-59, 5" long and 5/32 thick, 90 degree spine, and G2 handle. This knife stays on my belt. Lastly, I often carry a Bahco Laplander folding saw. This saw is light, and typically resides in my ruck. I often prefer it over a heavier axe for camp chores. It is also quieter for situations where you may not want the sound of chopping with an axe to alert the enemy to your position.

[wolffpack]

I find "bushcrafting" doesn't really require much knife. If I wasn't such a knoife whore, I'd probably have a Mora instead of a $300+ Tommi, but....

Just don't expect them (or the Tommi for that matter) to be heavy use knives. Thing is, if you use them for their intended purposes, they are fine. They never were for prying open crates, using them as steps hammered into trees and all the other stupid shit people do with them and then cry when they fail. Really can't complain about what you get with the Moras, and they basically weigh nothing, so you might as well have one in your pack.

Though not strictly a knife, I can't agree more on the Lapplander saw. Most of what people do in the field does not require large pieces or a large amount of wood, and the Lapplander is more than capable. For the time when you need a lot of wood, you need an axe, and a big axe at that.

[panzer0170]

I am not a knife guy at all, but I have to second, third and fourth the bahco.

I use that thing on a regular basis just in the back garden trimming stuff up to 3 inches or so, where an axe would be overkill and nothing else will quite work. Fits nicely in a belt pouch or the top of a bergan/daysack. Cracking bit of kit. My only current complaint is that in the UK the replacement blades are the same price as a new bloody saw

[panzer0170]

Also, oddly enough, it seems that the MoD is doing something right; Other than the fancy knife, the Mora, Laplander and the Gerber Crucial are all issued!

[eddiewouldclearhot]

as promised, new BHK pics. So far i like it, need to get out and do some fire starting, wood and meat processing. the blade is thick enough so im not afraid to use it, but thin enough to slice well. cut up some chicken and vegetables for dinner one night, and worked pretty well.