Confession - I hardly use my knife while camping

[LukeTheSpook]

I'm with you, OP. I went camping and backpacking for years before I found blade forums and realized I need a $325 bushcrafter, a large camp knife and a smaller knife for "fine work".

I think for years I'd bring a small SAK and never use the knife part. Sometimes the scissors. Haha.

 

[22-rimfire]

Yeah Luke. I went for years hunting and doing all the necessary cutting and could never understand why someone needs a fixed blade knife for this. But I understand the cleanup part that people mention. It is just not that big a deal for me and there is usually water around that I can clean my knife well enough.

I do carry two knives in the woods now. But I generally don't carry some big chopper unless I know I have to chop and for more than a minute.... Hatchets.... no. But I can see the utility of hatchets over a knife as you are less apt to worry about abusing the hatchet relative to knife abuse.

That said about knives, I'm in the camp that carrying a slightly larger knife in the woods is better than carrying a small one unless you never use it. I tend to agree with Creek Stewart on the knife size thing which boils down to a 5"-6" bladed knife for general use afield. Still carry a folder regardless. Go smaller for hunting.

 

[jackknife]

Anyone else in this same boat? I know, this is a sacrilegous post on BF

The ugly truth is, since this is Bladeforums, the people here are all members of the afflicted 1% of society at large that are knife knuts. We are the obsessed minority of the people who think they need a 300 dollar whiz bang wonder knife of the month to go do anything. And the knife manufacturers love to indulge us and get all that money out of our pockets and into theirs.

I've spent a great deal of my life backpacking, canoe camping, hiking, and motorcycle touring and camping. At one time my go-to woods knife was a Randall 14. Then for a while it was a 12 inch Ontario machete. By the time I had reached middle age, I had sold off the Randall and most of my large knives including the customs I had bought in my young and dumb days when I was single and had large disposable income and little sense of reality.

By the time I was done, my go-to backpacking knife was a lightweight Buck 102 woodsman and the keyring SAK classic on my keys. These days it's still the same. By the very nature of backpacking, you have shelter and food with you, so any emergency, and you have already stuff with you. Heck, a roll of jute twine and a 2 dollar disposable plastic drop cloth from the paint department at Walmart will make you 100% better shelter in 10 minutes than anything you can built in an hour with some big bush chopper. Toss in a lightweight Silky or other quality folding saw and you can do almost anything including splitting wood. Splitting wood with a small folding saw is way way easier than battening with some large 300 dollar bush/survival knife. Faster and uses way less energy and calories. The only use I have for a fixed blade is, it's way easier to keep clean for food work. I don't like food poisoning on a camping trip.

Growing up when I did, back when cars had tail fins and Harry and Ike were the presidents, all the men I knew carried a pocket knife. ALL. It was a given that if a man had pants on, he had a pocket knife. And those knives all fit a general outline. That of a small 3 inch close folder, (Give or take a fraction of an inch) with two blades about 2 inches for the main blade and inch and a half for the second pen blade. And these men I knew d=growing up just used that pocket knife for everything. If they went fishing, they just used their pocket knife. If they went camping, they just used their pocket knife. If they went hunting, okay, they had a huntin knife for the occasion. usually just a little 3 or 4 inch leather handle Case or Western little Finn model.

Many backpackers carry only a Vic classic and ge by fine. Only we, the obsessed, think of all the things we may need some mighty blade for. The rest of humanity gets by fine with just a small pocket knife. Cody gets by fine with a mora hanging around his neck. It's just us knife nuts that fantasize and go out of our way to think of using our knives that we elevate to a cult worship item.

 

[LostViking]

BR,

The knife in question is a collaborative effort between First People's Tools and Sargent Edged Tools. Cool knife, not many out there,

For using your fero rod.
Go buy yourself a roll of Jute Twine. It runs about $2.88 for a roll. Hundreds of feet in there.

For ferro striking, cut into pieces roughly 3" long. Untwist the three strands, and fluff them up. I usually use two or three of these. Depending on the next phase of tinder. I keep a bunch of it pre-fluffed in an Aspirin jar in my pack. It usually goes first strike.

Hold your striker still and draw your ferro rod back. So you hit where you want. It takes a bit of practice. But once you're there, it's like riding a bicycle.

Once you master the jute. Move up to natural tinders. Here is some inner Poplar Bark and Colt's Foot. Colt's Foot looks like a Dandelion only with spurs on the stem instead of smooth. Colt's Foot is a flash tinder. It explodes into flames. But it doesn't last long. It's only job is to catch the next tinder on fire.

Here are things taking off nicely,

This is what the inner Poplar bark looks like. Shred it and allow it to dry a bit. It can take a spark directly or use twine or other flash tinder for fast and easy results.

Here is a demo teaching session I did for some young Bushcrafters. Colt's Foot, Poplar Bark, Featherstick,

Seriously, this stuff explodes to life.

Another easy, get it done, while I'm figuring all this crap out spark taker, is a cotton ball soaked in some hand sanitizer. Both usually sourced from your wife's bathroom cabinet. Pour a little sanitizer onto the cotton ball, rub it around, and set it where you want it. Srike away. But be careful. In daylight, the flame from the alcohol can be hard to see. I have burned myself more than once, thinking it wasn't burning.

Twine is your friend. Way cheaper than Paracord, biodegradable, and you can burn it when you're done. So many uses, it ain't funny. Not as strong as para. But you don't need that strength all the time. Probably the best $2.88 you'll ever spend on woods gear. I even use it as a makeshift candle wick at times.

This is some wrapping and frapping for a tripod. Finished with a clove hitch.

Hope all this helps ya a bit!

Seriously man, leave right now and go get the twine,

 

[jackknife]

BR,


Seriously man, leave right now and go get the twine,

Don't have to convince me, I've been using the stuff long before the modern silly paracord worship. Jute twine will do 99% of what you need in the field, and if it isn't strong enough, make a large loop and twist it up for a braid. Gets many times stronger that way. Way cheaper than paracord, bio degradable, burns well, holds knots extremely well, takes up less room as paracord. It also makes outstanding cord wrap handles on hiking staffs and soaks up epoxy like a sponge.

Always have a roll of it in all my kits.


Small machete I use for yard work. Cord wrap handle is jute twine then brushed with epoxy.
Very non slip grip.

 

[22-rimfire]

The jute cording is strong enough for many temporary applications and it is very environmentally friendly as compared to nylon rope/cord.

 

[Halfneck]

My camping/hiking knives are usually 3 - chopper, SAK, and a small fixed blade. If making a fire is not an option the chopper may get left at home. The SAK sees more non-knife use - saw, tweezers, etc. My small fixed blade mostly gets used for camp improvement & enjoyment purposes. Building cooking tools, pot hangers, ground stakes, whittling, and so forth. I could probably get by on 99.9% of my woods trips with just the SAK, BUT my small fixed blade goes a long way in my enjoyment of it and helping me to "smooth it" instead of rough it.

 

[Mikel_24]

I must say that 90% of the time I have to look for excuses to use a knife. But I enjoy carrying them anyways. And using them!

 

[Eagle Scout]

I must say that 90% of the time I have to look for excuses to use a knife. But I enjoy carrying them anyways. And using them!

This is where I am as well. Would say other than food prep, eating, and the occasional first aid issue, most of the time I have to "create" reasons to spend quality time with the knife I'm carrying.

Then again, it's always better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

[jackknife]

The jute cording is strong enough for many temporary applications and it is very environmentally friendly as compared to nylon rope/cord.

Not to mention it's ton's cheaper. You can get a ball of th stuff for a penny a foot.

It's funny, but when I was growing u there was no 'paracord'. All the outdoorsmen carried a ball of twine to lash things together and did just fine. This silly obsession with paranoid almost rates a separate thread why folks feel they need 550 pound breaking strength to hang a coffee pot over the fire or lash a lean-to frame together.

 

[22-rimfire]

I carry a SAK most of the time.... woods, working, whatever.... I carry a fixed blade in the woods mostly because I want to. I almost never use it for anything that the SAK can't handle. Never built a temporary shelter that a tarp can't handle. But if I need to, I'm perfectly capable of making one. I'm more concerned that I have fire making stuff.

I normally carry a small tarp. (I need to get a lighter one however.) The fixed blade knife is barely required. Jute cording works just fine as does a SAK that's sharp.

 

[Lapedog]

So I have a confession to make....On most of our camping trips, my knife use is pretty limited and restricted. Mind you, I do like to carve something once in awhile, like that time I lost my spork on day 2 and got teased from my camp mates the rest of the week about the spoon-ish thingabob I hacked out of striped maple. I also love practicing bow drill, but I'm far more apt to that kind of thing on day hikes and walks more so than while I'm actually tripping.

What about feathersticks? They sure are pretty and fun to make, but I almost never use them to make a functional fire. You know the type you make without thinking about (or trying to make a shmancy fancy video for) to keep you warm, cook food and sit by. More often, its just foraging for nearby birch bark and and a plenitude of twigs afforded by white, red or jack pines. I rarely if ever bring an axe either so the knife is used to baton eek when I need to split wood. Except, truth be told, its a real rarity that I actually have to do that...even in heavy rain, dry twigs are so easy to find in a protected pine forest. (I know, I'm blessed in the places I go).

My most used knife, when tripping, is a fillet knife (if I'm lucky...blessed is the fact that I usually am). So often, that fancy bushcrafter, ready to take on nature herself, if need be, sits in the barrel stowed in a large ziplock bag along with the tent repair kit and other miscellaneous do dads. I had my wife sew on belt loops to my Patagonia alpine pants so I could wear my belt and knife (why the hell did that company make $170 pants and forget to put belt loops on them??). But half the time I forget and the belt plus knife stays in the barrel. Fortunately, my middle age muffin top keeps the pants around my waste rather than falling to my ankles.

A buck saw and pocket boy, now that is something I really use daily. Pocket boy and plain old hands for the twig stove. Buck saw for the nights fire. When you select the right size and piece there is rarely need to split it. Just get the fire stoked and with smaller to medium twigs until the coals are primed for the bigger wood.

Of course, I have my OH trekker, with its handy screwdriver...Not that a screwdriver is really useful in the woods, but I always feel a bit better when I have a tool design specifically to unscrew things that have been screwed up. Finally, my trusty ESEE-3, Ratpack #118, stays fixed to my life jacket ready to loosen my hypothetically line tangled body in the rapids should I find myself there. But mostly its pulled to trim the knot on my fishing lure.

Still, I'm glad I have the tools with me and I'm not writing this thread to suggest leaving them behind. Its just a reality of life in camp. Where you do what needs doing but rarely think about it. Almost, like a good first aid kit, a smooth trip rarely sees the blades actually come into play.

Anyone else in this same boat? I know, this is a sacrilegous post on BF

Confession. In today’s world I practically have to make up a reason to use my knife. Nearly everything is designed to not need a knife to open it.

 

[stabman]

The love of knives is mainly what draws me out to venture in the outdoors.
Also, since I spend (almost) all my money on knives, I don't have all that fancy modern gear which lessens the need for a knife.
It works out well that way.

 

[Pomsbz]

What kind of jute cord are you guys talking about? The stuff sold here as string pulls apart with a good tug. It's not strong enough for any real applications from my experience. I tried it with a tarp once, doubling it, it snapped almost immediately.

 

[22-rimfire]

I bought some jute cording (twine) for a couple bucks that is rated at 4 lb breaking strength. Double it and that's 8 lb breaking strength. That's strong enough for temporary things. You can always carry a little 550 cord (like 20 ft) with you as well which might not be an bad idea. As with most things, it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Hey Ken, I rarely use my knife when out in the bush, as well. When I do need it, I REALLY need it. Not using it is the best way to keep it safe.... funny how that works... lol.

 

[JJ_Colt45]

I guess I'm odd man out I use my knives quite regularly when in the woods but I do primative camping and plan on using them ...

and yes I have field dressed a deer with a SAK but better tools make it easier ... just as a small axe or hatchet along instead of batoning wood is my preference ...

I have found bank line a great less bulky alternative to 550 cord but always have a bit of 550 along ... you can get the bank line in varying strengths but it will serve any cordage need you have ... is great for a bow drill ... great to make a trot line or improvised fishing pole ... and less bulk than even twine with far more strength ...

a bit of fatwood or a cottonball or two with a bit of vasoline on them will catch anytime ... or pine pitch on the cottonball is a good start too ...

 

[gadgetgeek]

I've mentioned it before, but will again if anyone new is following. I can't stand how stretchy 550 is, so I carry 3mm and 2mm climbing cord, mostly mammut cord, but other makers as well. If I wanted 550 style strength level I'd go all the way to 4mm and get 780lbs of tensile, because doubled it would do as a lifeline in a pinch. I don't know how strong the two-strand jute is that I just picked up, but I found that once I waxed it, it held even a single knot really well, so that would be an option. My tarp is pre-rigged with lawson high-vis, and I have a few chunks of 1.5mm zing-it that have spliced eyes. I'm not planning on making improvised shelters, but might need some high strength cord and while the zing-it is expensive, its pretty adaptable, and dutchware makes some cool little tensioners for it, which could make a one-handed setup much more possible.

 

[SharpieB]

I use a few knives every time I am camping out in the woods. Mostly in a tent or 5th wheel, so weight isn’t an issue.

This weekend I used an Estwing camp axe, a Bahco folding saw, a Kershaw 18” machete, a ZT 0620 and a Buck 119.

I rarely spend any time in the woods without using at least a knife or two. If I backpack I generally bring the Bahco saw and a smaller folder (Spyderco, Benchmade or Cold Steel).

 

[JJ_Colt45]

I use a few knives every time I am camping out in the woods. Mostly in a tent or 5th wheel, so weight isn’t an issue.

This weekend I used an Estwing camp axe, a Bahco folding saw, a Kershaw 18” machete, a ZT 0620 and a Buck 119.

I rarely spend any time in the woods without using at least a knife or two. If I backpack I generally bring the Bahco saw and a smaller folder (Spyderco, Benchmade or Cold Steel).

I usually use a small tent but on occasion in the right weather I like to just take a hammock and make a small shelter ...

but your set up is very similiar to mine for camping ... I take an Estwing or Gransfor Bruks axe a Bacho or Silky saw and a belt knife a SAK and a Leatherman ... and a BK9 or Esee Jungla to clear an area ...

for hiking I cut down to a good fixed blade belt knife the SAK and Leatherman ... and a folding saw and the Gransfor Bruks Wildlife Hatchet in case I decide to stay if time gets away from me.