Bushcraft and folder: it's possible? How much long blade?

[Alfredo]

Hi all,
I would like to know if you could consider a folder as a knife for bushcraft? and, if adfirmative, how long the blade?

Thanks, ciao
Alfredo

 

[slammer187]

A three inch folder, Yes I would consider it a knife for Bushcraft. Generally used as a backup knife or for smaller tasks than my main fixed blade!
I carry an Opinel no8.

 

[JonathanD]

The larger Vic lockers are perfect bush knives. Obviously you can't abuse them as much, but they'll do most jobs and more with that saw option. Here is my compact bush kit when a large knife isn't practical...

 

[Hoodoo]

The larger Vic lockers are perfect bush knives. Obviously you can't abuse them as much, but they'll do most jobs and more with that saw option. Here is my compact bush kit when a large knife isn't practical...

Could not agree more. Personally I like the Trekker.

If a scandi is what you are looking for, I find the EKA with the wooden handle (bottom knife) easiest on the hands. This is a very robust folder that will do fixed blade work.

 

[JonathanD]

I actually upgraded to the Trekker a couple of years back, it's an old pic The Trekker was a nightmare to get in the UK back then and it fits in the Leatherman pouch pefectly. I suppose the new Soldier is exactly the same except for those damned serrations.

 

[Alfredo]

So you guess it's not possible a folder in alternative to a fixed blade for bushcraft, just in addiction. I guess the same, but I'm sure enough that a Spyderco Manix (the older one) could be a good alternative.

 

[JonathanD]

I'd say it's easily possible to use a folder as an alternative, yes.

 

[Siberianfury]

any folder that cuts well, i EDC a Garland folder most of the time, but to be honest im not picky about folders, as long as tey are functional, quick opening and have a good blade im happy, im quite liking semi tactical folders at the moment.

 

[JonathanD]

any folder that cuts well, i EDC a Garland folder most of the time, but to be honest im not picky about folders, as long as tey are functional, quick opening and have a good blade im happy, im quite liking semi tactical folders at the moment.

Have you tried the Spydie Tenacious. It's like a £100 knife for a third of the price. If we could carry locked folders over 3 inches, that would be my EDC hands down.

 

[Dirk_McStabbins]

I like my old case stockman, it's great for most tasks.

 

[ged]

So you guess it's not possible a folder in alternative to a fixed blade for bushcraft

I'm really more a camper than a bushcrafter. I suspect that many of us are. The vast majority of the time all I use is a Scandi ground folder very like the EKA shown above (mine is a Normark "Super Swede") and a Victorinox Swiss Tool. They'll do just about everything I need. Last weekend I prepared a fire drill and board with just the Victorinox and found it was perfectly adequate. The saw is good even if it is a little on the small side. I only pull out something larger if I need to do some harder work like chopping. My favourite for that kind of work at the moment is a Tramontina machete:

http://www.tramontina.com.br/products/4040-machete

which is only a cheap tool but it's great for chopping and especially for splitting wood. You can get a good swing because a fair fraction of its large mass is near the far end. When I go camping I would take a machete and my folding tools rather than anything like the bushcraft style knives which seem to be so popular. I'd be the first to admit that the heavy machete wouldn't be much good for clearing brush or fighting through dense undergrowth, for that you'd need something like a more traditional machete:

http://www.tramontina.com.br/products/4025-machete

I can't remember the last time I fought through any serious undergrowth, I don't think there are many places in Britain where there are patches so big that you can't just go around them, and that's a lot easier than carving a path through.

If I need to go bigger than the Tramontinas, then for me it's a felling axe and a chain saw -- but I don't take them on camping tips.

If I were going to add to the three tools it would be a flat ground knife which I would use for food preparation in preference to the Scandi. I might replace the Tramontina with a parang, but that's another story.

addiction.

You probably got that right.

PS: For my money the scales on the Spydies seem to be all a bit too flat.

 

[R.Lewis]

Personally I really dig my Svord Peasant knife, 3 inch slipjoint legal carry. Sharp enough to shave hairs of ya arm, simple and sturdy. Carves, cuts and feels good. Combine with a small hatchet and all bases are covered. Good minimalist kit..

 

[Tye Possum]

I guess it depends on what you do with your bushcraft knives. If you were going to batton wood for your fire then obviously a folder isn't going to be great for the job, I know there are ways of doing it but a fixed blade would be far better for that.

I'm guessing most folks on here would rather bring a hatchet for any wood splitting they might do so if you take battoning out of the picture then a folder can probably function fine as a bushcraft knife. I used a slip joint Swiss army knife as a sort of bushcraft knife for quite a while and it did well.

There are some problems with using folders as bushcraft knives though. One is comfort, fixed blade knives tend to have more comfortable handles because they don't need an opening for the blade or springs and locking machanisms on the back of the handle. They also don't need to fit in a pocket so they can be thicker and fill your hand better, folders from Spyderco for instance tend to have a thin handle profile so you can carry them comfortably in your pocket without them interfering with taking your wallet out and stuff like that. Although they can be used in the woods they really weren't designed for that so using one for hours on end cutting wood can be hard on your hands.

If it's a slip joint knife and you use it hard (maybe push it hard enough to buckle the spring back) then the springs may wear out a bit and stop holding the blade open securely, unless you use it really hard this shouldn't happen and if it does it probably won't be for a number of years.

Locks can fail. If your folder depends on a lock and that lock fails then you'll probably have a hard time using that knife without losing a finger or two, unless you're using it very hard then this shouldn't happen, it's never happened to me.

Breaking. Folders are already in two pieces so breaking a folder is easier than breaking a fixed blade, but again unless you're really abusing your knife this shouldn't happen.

So basically if you're depending on your knife in a survival situation then I wouldn't choose a folder, but for your average bushcraft outing a folder can be all that you need, just try to get one with a comfortable handle.

 

[robevs73]

Adapt your skills to the knife you carry (prefere).

 

[Siberianfury]

Have you tried the Spydie Tenacious. It's like a £100 knife for a third of the price. If we could carry locked folders over 3 inches, that would be my EDC hands down.

yeah ive seen a few youtube vids on it, its one of my favorite spydies, much more sturdy

 

[Alfredo]

Ok, the following step it's logical, I guess: what's the peculiarities that make a folder a "bushcraft" folder.
In my opinion:
- blade: lenght about 90 mm, thick 3,5 mm, spear or clip point, steel S30V or 154 CM or in alternative 440C, full flat or scandi
- pivot: large, tough, but easy to open and demounting for cleaning
- washers: PB (no teflon!), large diameter, easy to lubricate and substitute in case
- locking system: integral-lock, it's safe and allow you to clean easily your knife, in alternative back-lock, safe but don't allow you to clean knife so well and you need two hands to desengage it
- opening system: would say something like Spyderhole, but I definitely say thumb-stud, because of they will secure the knife engaging the handle on 2 different spots, more robust
- handle: not too thin, possibly titanium, large and confortable, no hot spots. In alternative, aluminium + steel for liners, or micarta + steel for liners
- lanyard hole: large, for paracord
- clip: though and large, but need to be easy removable if you want, it's unconfortable when you need to work for long time with the knife

What do you think? Alfredo

 

[FGYT]

Personally I really dig my Svord Peasant knife, 3 inch slipjoint legal carry. Sharp enough to shave hairs of ya arm, simple and sturdy. Carves, cuts and feels good. Combine with a small hatchet and all bases are covered. Good minimalist kit..

EDC if you grind the blade its only just over the 3" cutting edge but its enough


SAK locker as you get the Saw has to be the best have used one for nearly 20yrs did every thing outdoors if i needed bigger i used a Kukri

parently ive been doing it wrong for decades as you need a 4" fixed blade and a Laplander plus a GB axe

ive been trying tho but usually use my small necker for most stuff and rareley use an axe mostly just to justify carrying it

ATB

Duncan

 

[Hoodoo]

- blade: lenght about 90 mm, thick 3,5 mm, spear or clip point, steel S30V or 154 CM or in alternative 440C, full flat or scandi

What's wrong with carbon? Or VG10? Or AUS8? I like the steels you mention but I can't think of why they would be "bushcraft" steels?

- pivot: large, tough, but easy to open and demounting for cleaning
- washers: PB (no teflon!), large diameter, easy to lubricate and substitute in case

- locking system: integral-lock, it's safe and allow you to clean easily your knife, in alternative back-lock, safe but don't allow you to clean knife so well and you need two hands to desengage it

Not my favorite lock but it's fine. Nothing bushcraft about it. Back-locks can be disengaged with one hand. Does it matter for bushcraft or now are we having a discussion on survival folders?

- opening system: would say something like Spyderhole, but I definitely say thumb-stud, because of they will secure the knife engaging the handle on 2 different spots, more robust

Why does a bushcraft folder have to be a one-hand opening knife?

- handle: not too thin, possibly titanium, large and confortable, no hot spots. In alternative, aluminium + steel for liners, or micarta + steel for liners

No metal handles for me, thanks.

- lanyard hole: large, for paracord


- clip: though and large, but need to be easy removable if you want, it's unconfortable when you need to work for long time with the knife

Carrying a knife by clipping it to your trousers is a good way to lose it in the woods.

What do you think? Alfredo[/QUOTE]

 

[ged]

Why does a bushcraft folder have to be a one-hand opening knife?

I don't think it's a requirement but it's a useful feature. One day there might be a wild animal attached to the other hand intent on killing you. It happened to me. It was only a small one, and I could only detach it without killing it by tearing its teeth through the skin of my hand. Then I went to hospital for a tetanus booster. If it had been a rat I'd probably just have killed it, but it was a lovely albino ferret and I didn't want to hurt it. Although it obviously didn't feel the same way about me.

No metal handles for me, thanks.

Agreed.

Carrying a knife by clipping it to your trousers is a good way to lose it in the woods.

Agreed. That's why you need a lanyard hole.

There should be a belt pouch with a good fastener. I'm not keen on Velcro as it eats clothing and will eventually wear out anyway but it can work reasonably well. Just thinking out loud, a loop of shock cord which you pull down and slip under the pouch might be made to work. I've done that on my Victorinox Swiss Tool's pouch because the Velcro is so badly worn now that I'm scared of losing the tool. I ought to sketch something.

 

[Hoodoo]

I don't think it's a requirement but it's a useful feature.

Don't get me wrong, I like one handed openers. I just don't see it as a requirement for bushcraft.

Since we are dreaming up scenarios...

Ferret attached to right hand. Knife in pocket or pouch on right side....