Camp knife

[Edreed20]

Hello From across the pond!

New to the forum! I live north of Toronto, ON, Canada in the good 'ol boreal forest. I'm 25 and have spent most of my life outdoors. I've always spent weeks in the bush with minimal tools, working on my fire craft and shelter building. It wasnt until a few years ago when my grandfather gave me a copy of Mors Kochanski's Book Bushcraft that I could put a name to what I was doing!

Anyway enough of the boring details, I have a question regarding knives: I use a puukko knife (still looking for a good bushcraft knife I can afford!) my uncle made for my all purpose knife however I wanted to invest and try out a camping style knife. I'm trying to get ahold of a Dan Koster MUCK but until then I was wondering what your suggestions might be for a cheaper camping knife I can beat the hell out of and practice some batoning with??

I love the posts and disscussions on here, you all seem like such good lads!

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[HillBill]

Alright mate, welcome to the forum.

Fallkniven make bombproof, good quality knives. I use one as a camp knife. You won't go far wrong.

Saying that, i also make knives and must design a camp knife at some point.

 

[Hugo]

Welcome to the forum Ed.

 

[hermitical]

I had a friend from Bracebridge, saw some amazing pictures of the house her father had built in the wood - you live in a beautiful part of the world!

 

[Edreed20]

Thanks HillBill. I was actually looking at the F1 maybe as a starter. I doubt I could get one that could stand up to batoning/abuse for under $100 dollars right? The other thing ive found difficult is finding somewhere in Canada that sells even quality production blades. I was thinking about a Grohmann (figured I should have a Canadian made blade) but dont know how much Id want to relly abuse it.

Thanks for the welcome!

Yeah I'm about 30 minutes from Bracebridge. The beautiful thing about Canada is once your about 250 km from the USA border you can walk into the bush and never be found again if you wanted too!

 

[Shewie]

Hi Ed - welcome to the forum

Can't help you with the knife but there's loads of folk on here who will

 

[HillBill]

Thanks HillBill. I was actually looking at the F1 maybe as a starter. I doubt I could get one that could stand up to batoning/abuse for under $100 dollars right? The other thing ive found difficult is finding somewhere in Canada that sells even quality production blades. I was thinking about a Grohmann (figured I should have a Canadian made blade) but dont know how much Id want to relly abuse it.

Thanks for the welcome!

Yeah I'm about 30 minutes from Bracebridge. The beautiful thing about Canada is once your about 250 km from the USA border you can walk into the bush and never be found again if you wanted too!

How much do Fallknivens retail for over your way? A fallkniven will stand up to a comet impact, probably slicing it in 2 along the way You wont break one thats for sure. You would struggle if you tried.

I've had 2 F1's, Got the second because i regretted selling the first.

 

[CRAZY FROG]

hi ed & welcome to the forum.small world I have relatives in Toronto/Hamilton area of Canada so I know how great that part of the world is.

there's a good bunch poeple on here someone will come along with the right help that you needs.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I have seen the F1 in on a US internet site for $122, but on the same site they sell Ontario and RAT Cutlery stuff, at the $100 mark, or near that, but what could be a real bargain is the Becker Campanion for $65.99. It is a lot heavier than the F1, but the handle is chunkier and there is a lot more blade mass available. The BK9 is a pretty good camp knife in the US sense of the word.
http://www.osograndeknives.com/Ka-Bar/ka-bar_-_bk2_becker_champion_fixed_blade_hunting_knife.htm
http://www.osograndeknives.com/Ka-Bar/Ka-Bar-BK9-Becker-Combat-Bowie-Knife.htm
http://www.osograndeknives.com/Ontario/ontario_-_rat-7,_plainedge.htm

http://www.osograndeknives.com/Fall...l_knife,_thermorun_handle,_leather_sheath.htm

I have never ordered from the above store, it just happened to be one that I found lurking in my favorite folder.

It really depends on what you are after. In the UK a "camp knife" doesn't mean the same thing that it does in the US, and I really don't know what the Canadian interpretation would be, whether its closer to the chopping, prying, digging and splitting tool of the US, or the handy food prep and whittling knife of the UK. Since we batton most things here, that alone isn't enough of a description to go on. I batton my 1/8th thick, 4 inch long flat ground bushcraft/camping utility knives, either to split small firewood, or to truncate green branches and saplings. I know folk who do the same with Moras.

 

[C_Claycomb]

If you like the Puuko format, have you thought of a Leuku, maybe from http://www.ragweedforge.com?

Oh, and welcome to the forum

 

[malente]

hello and welcome!

I also suggest fallkniven, though you might want to look at the A1 as well, which is a lot more blade, better for rough abuse, and particular battoning. The F1 is to beautiful (and really, a bit small) for it.

I owned an A1 and swapped it for an F1. But for what you describe, the A1 might be more suitable

Just my 2c

ATB

Mike

 

[dasy2k1]

I have a frosts mora , cost me £6 which is about CN$18 i think,
its totally bomproof and while not good looking i have no worries about abusing it to the hilt, if i manage to break it (which i doubt) i can get a new one for penuts, i have even herd people on here say that you may as well buy a new one when it gets blunt, its that cheap

 

[Edreed20]

Its tough to even find a Fallkniven over here. The only Canadian site Ive found that does deal in some of the knives you lads are telling me about is workwearcanada.ccom. They have the F1 for $150 and the A1 for just over $200. I did order a Mora off them just the other day.

Claycomb thats a beauty looking Leuku. I think thats closer to what Canadians call a camp knife. Like you said we like to chop, pry, dig and split with a camp knife (might not be the best thing to do, but I love putting tools to the test). I really like that Ontario Rat 7 too! That American site has some great deals!

I think ideally Id love a 6 inch 'bushcraft' style (full tang, scandi grind, tool steel) and definately an organic handle (I really love the look of that spalted maple on the spyderco BCUK).

I JUST CANT FIND ANYONE IN CANADA TO MAKE ONE LIKE THAT!! haha
Thanks for all the suggestions!!

 

[silentpaddler]

I have a frosts mora , cost me £6 which is about CN$18 i think,
its totally bomproof and while not good looking i have no worries about abusing it to the hilt, if i manage to break it (which i doubt) i can get a new one for penuts, i have even herd people on here say that you may as well buy a new one when it gets blunt, its that cheap

Amen to that; well said...you can get them here in Ontario at Lee Valley
Tools for $17....I swear by mine...

 

[Chinkapin]

I'm not real sure about these supposed differences between what Brits vs Americans think a camp knife should be. If the meaning of it has changed here in the u.s., I'm unaware of it.

To me, and I can speak only for myself, a camp knife is, and has always been, a butcher knife. A knife that is suitable for use around the camp in performing the cooking chores.

My camp knife is an old L.L. Bean knife from the 1950s that I inherited from my mother. It is basically a small butcher knife with a very thin blade that is slightly flexible. It is carbon steel with hickory handles (marked L.L. Bean on the handle).

this knife sharpens up like a razor. I keep it in the kitchen, and anything that my wife wants cut up, this is my go-to knife. Interestingly, she won't use it as she says it is too sharp. I notice that she does the same thing that my mother used to do -- she holds the knife facing her and places the item to be cut on her thumb and cuts into her thumb. Works fine if you have a very dull knife. My L.L. Bean would split her thumb into two pieces. So its best she sticks with the dull knife.

While trying to find a pic. of the knife I am referring to, I discovered that L.L. Bean is now offering a 4 inch, folding knife with a blade that is rounded on the end like a butter knife, and calling it a "Camp Knife." Apparently nothing is sacred.

 

[Steven J]

I have a frosts mora , cost me £6 which is about CN$18 i think,
its totally bomproof and while not good looking i have no worries about abusing it to the hilt, if i manage to break it (which i doubt) i can get a new one for penuts, i have even herd people on here say that you may as well buy a new one when it gets blunt, its that cheap

I can't figure out what all the fuss is about. I agree that it is nice to have something beautiful to look at however why not just a cheap Mora? They are light so why not carry two or three. What do you need to do that you can't do with one of these?

How does a bushcraft knife differ from a knife used for bushcrafting. Why is the Woodlore style knife considered by some to be so much more knife than a Mora No.1?

Steve

Oh... And welcome to the site

 

[Hoodoo]

I can recommend Brian Breeden's KAT knife. 3/32" O1 with a 4 3/8" blade. I paid less than $100 for mine.

The knife puts me in mind of some old Gerbers.

 

[Grey Owl]

Welcome to the forum Easterner! Hopefully you continue to hang around the place and contribute to the discussions. We are always in need of a few more Canucks to keep things balanced.

In your search for a knife, consider a 2nd on the BCUK Bushcraft knife. I fell victim to its beauty and paid a total of $120.00CAD including shipping and importation. Check the Sharps forum on here for the link and information. Seems to be a great knife and I look forward to using it. On the same topic of 2nd's, consider a Grohmann 2nd. They have #2 Grohmann's in the clearance section right now for $35.00CAD.

 

[Edreed20]

I'm not real sure about these supposed differences between what Brits vs Americans think a camp knife should be. If the meaning of it has changed here in the u.s., I'm unaware of it.

To me, and I can speak only for myself, a camp knife is, and has always been, a butcher knife. A knife that is suitable for use around the camp in performing the cooking chores.


haha Yeah your right Chinkapin, my definition just came from learning from my uncles and grandfather growing up and its what I thought a camp knife was but I dont have very much knowledge on knives.

I was thinking about one of those BCUK 2nds however if it comes more then a little buggered I dont know how confident id feel in fixing it. I read the forum on it and it doesnt seem to difficult...Ill definately look at those Grohmanns, I do want a Canadian knife!

 

[Edreed20]

Still learning how to post it would seem! haha I'll get it right eventually!