American and British knife size difference

[santaman2000]

I think it is based on the myth that you must carry a large knife. Like Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone...
Personally, it is my opinion that most people that like large knives feel a military connection and utilization, whether or not they ever experienced the military...

Combine these 2 statements and I'm tempted to agree with you. Even when I was on active duty I felt more of an attraction/connection with the pioneers than any other connection. That's likely the reason I've always liked them; the pioneer conection, not the military one. That and Daddy's time in the tropics carrying machetes (Construction work in South and Central America) Again a pioneering/exploring sort of thing.

And like I said earlier, I was carrying a big (relative term) knife 20 years prior to Rambo.

 

[Arizroughrider]

The older I get the smaller the knives I carry. The last custom fixed blade I had made for me has a 3 1/2" blade. There was an article I once read that stated "the better the hunter, the smaller the blade". For general bushcraft I do not want anything bigger than 4 5/8" blade.

 

[santaman2000]

So it would seem that Americans don't particularly carry larger knives then?

 

[wizard]

Some of us have given them up it would seem. My dayhike knife is a Mora 510 because it is 3.5 ounces. Not using it much on most day hikes but it is there in case. For me a smaller knife is for practical reasons, easier to use for the majority of knife work and lighter. My Woodlore clone is about 10 ounces with sheath, blade is about 4.25 inches.
I still own a Randall Model 1, 7 in and a Blackjack copy of the Model 1 in 7 in, Just have no use for them other than collectability.

 

[Martyn]

So it would seem that Americans don't particularly carry larger knives then?

The biggest issue I have with them is weight (though I do agree they are sometimes fantasy weapons for some people). I have loads of small bladed knives and I like them, but I also like a big blade too. My latest purchase was a Falkniven A1 a couple of months ago and it has a 6 1/2" blade. I love it, it splits small logs brilliantly. The only problem is the weight. I wouldn't want to carry it in a backpack.

 

[Doc]

Concur.

Calvin Rutstrum of the US advocated the Marbles 'Expert' which has a 5 inch blade.

The Canadian Grohmann knives are typically 4" blades.

I do think there is a slight different on emphasis between skinning/carcasse preparation, and cutting/carving wood - American knives seem to favour the former, and the modern British bushcraft knife the latter. For my part, I don't think it makes a huge difference when actually outdoors. The Grohmann, the Expert and the Woodlore all do all of the jobs perfectly well, despite the different designs.

+1



At least three of these guys suggest a smaller knife for day to day use, Horace Kephart too, I don't know what (Cliff?) Jacobson or (Ernest?) Seton recommend(ed) but would be curious to know. Two other US bushcraft personalities whose media star has recently risen Cody Lundin and Dave Canterbury also recommend a smaller knife. In fact the only well known bushcraft personality I can think of living today who recommends a larger knife is Tom Brown (although he has a smaller knife too).

Daniel Boone however, he had a big un.

 

[FGYT]

nice practical Neck knife for me

Tho based on an old US design (Nessmuk) Modernized for bushcraft and in a Combat style should cover it all really


ATB

Duncan

 

[santaman2000]

The biggest issue I have with them is weight (though I do agree they are sometimes fantasy weapons for some people). I have loads of small bladed knives and I like them, but I also like a big blade too. My latest purchase was a Falkniven A1 a couple of months ago and it has a 6 1/2" blade. I love it, it splits small logs brilliantly. The only problem is the weight. I wouldn't want to carry it in a backpack.

Yeah, weight can be a problem but I usually don't mind that much. Might be different if I carried a monster (like a 12 inch Bowie or a kukhuri) regularly though. SIze itself can be a problem; bigger knives are usually bumping something or generally getting in the way more. But again, unless it were a real monster, it wouldn't usually bother me very much. At any rate, I cain't imagine carrying a knife in my backpack. Perhaps the machete mounted to the outside.

 

[wizard]

I guess since I do not kill Bison to survive I can be comfortable with my 3.5 to 5 inch knives. I carried a machete in Central America for obvious reasons but for normal outings in the desert or the forest I cannot find a need for a larger knife. Many people I have travelled with would think I was crazy of I whipped out a Ka-bar. While large knives are acceptable or perhaps common in some groups, that is not the case with the average hiker/backpacker in the USA. It really is not a geographical thing or a particular country, it is more of what interests a person, wherever they reside. A hunter may prefer a larger knife for larger cutting tasks. I fisherman may want a long thin knife for fileting their fish (although I prefer my SAK for trout and salmon), it really depends on your interests. My interests sort of lean toward camp tasks and never need a large knife to get them done.

I think as far as the term "survival knife" being applied to a knife, it is a really abused term. There has to be a good reason that by far the majority of survival schools recommend and sell knives like the Mora Clipper or equal. Even the Tom Brown school uses Mora clippers and not the riduclous Tracker, which had to be designed while heavily drinking on a bar napkin. Probably as a joke. I think if the caveman would have had the Tracker, we could all be back in the trees, having stopped evolution.

 

[santaman2000]

...I carried a machete in Central America for obvious reasons...

And ironicly a shorter machete is usually preferred over a longer one.

 

[santaman2000]

... While large knives are acceptable or perhaps common in some groups, that is not the case with the average hiker/backpacker in the USA...

Possibly. But I'm not sure the "average" "hiker" "backpacker" is necessarily representative of the "average" "bushcrafter."

I think part of the point of the thread is the difference in what we all expect from our outdoor experience. For me "bushcrafting" itself is only secondary to my real reasons for being outdoors: hunting, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding, exploring, and possibly one day homesteading.

I think there are probably far more Americans who fall into one (or a combination of two or more) of the above listed pursuits than those who bushcraft for its own sake.

 

[Stew]

I think that in the UK 'bushcraft' knife use is very influenced by scandinavian knives (particularly Moras), which tend to be 4" or shorter. A longer blade is really of no use when doing small whittling, it just gets in the way.

Personally I think the biggest influence to uk bushcraft knives is Ray Mears.

If you go on a basic green woodworking course, they don't hand around saexes or luekus. I can't buy any of those in the hardware.

What gets handed round is a Mora, same as stocked by the hardware in town.

Fair point but you need to expand this a bit and tell us what knife would be handed to you on a green woodworking course in the US.

 

[sandbender]

"...Sears, Mason, Jacobson, Kochanski, Seton..."

At least three of these guys suggest a smaller knife for day to day use, Horace Kephart too, I don't know what (Cliff?) Jacobson or (Ernest?) Seton recommend(ed) but would be curious to know. Two other US bushcraft personalities whose media star has recently risen Cody Lundin and Dave Canterbury also recommend a smaller knife. In fact the only well known bushcraft personality I can think of living today who recommends a larger knife is Tom Brown (although he has a smaller knife too).

Daniel Boone however, he had a big un.

Cliff Jacobson and Ernest Seton, small knives.

 

[Whit Spurzon]

Here's an a few pages about knives from an old (1929) American Book that is packed full of good bushcraft lore, though it wasn't called that back then.

Being a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, now in my fifth decade, I've always carried a knife - even in gradeschool, probably started carrying everyday in second grade. Started out with a Barlow Pattern folder, then carried a Boy Scout knife for a few years, then a Swiss Army knife for a few more years before deciding I prefer knives to be knives, not can openers, saws, toothpicks or screwdrivers. From that point I began carrying Muskrat Pattern until I was into my twenties and then a single locking bladed knife in one form or another since. While hunting I would typically carry a fixed blade, usually a Western W83 and then later the larger W84. Never had much difficulty quartering an Elk with a folder but a fixed blade was superior and easier to clean afterwards. I did carry a Ka-Bar back when I was a Boy Scout - back then they were very inexpensive at surplus stores and it was the only fixed blade I could afford. Still have it, worked great as a chopper and could handle all the abuse I put it through.

Most recently I've been inspired by many on the Bushcraft forums to try and make my own knives. At the moment I've only just begun having modded a few Old Hickory (a fairly common and inexpensive American Kitchen Knife Brand) Outside of the Kitchen I haven't tested them on any big game yet but I have every confidence they will perform well. The steel is very good and takes and holds a keen edge.

Eventually I'd like to make my own knife from scratch but being on the steep part of the learning curve I'm hoping to make my mistakes without paying too much "dumb tax."

Last month I carried one on a five day Bear scouting trip. I used it every way I could think of and was very impressed by its performance and abilities. It is a bigger knife than I typically carry but didn't find it to be awkward or burdensome at all. Here's a picture of me walking up to my game camera wearing it in.

My own ideal is somewhere in the 3-1/2" to 5-1/2" depending on what I need it to do. My guess is that would work well in Europe too.

 

[Whit Spurzon]

I meant to include another picture regarding the Old Hickory modded knives.

The Mark 1 and 2 versions.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

Those Old Hickory knives look great. How thick is the steel? When I was in Texas (where everyone hunts pretty much all year round) most of my amigos either carried small locking folders or small fixed blades, but nothing as elegant or as simple as this.
I can empathise with not wanting to pay too much "dumb tax". I'm working on a forge design myself, and hope to make some of my own knives through the stock removal method (I'm armed with Bob Loveless's book!). But I'm slowly working up the courage to face the sheer amount of failure I know I'm going to encounter.

When you do get round to making some, let us know, I'd love to know how you went about it.

P.S. What's the title of the book you got those pages from? It looks like a cracking read. Anything that uses the phrase "man-sized work" is alright by me!

 

[Whit Spurzon]

P.S. What's the title of the book you got those pages from? It looks like a cracking read. Anything that uses the phrase "man-sized work" is alright by me!