Bushcraft Knives

A decent bushcraft knife is an indispensable tool for outdoor activities, whether it’s for cutting a clean tip on a stick of ice or scoring the ideal tip on a young, ripe piece of wood. These top-notch camping and survival knives can be used in the home, the workplace, or when hiking.

Bushcraft knives typically have fixed-blade long blades with a flat edge. Bushcraft knives frequently also have a gripping handle, which means that today most of them are made of synthetic material, however some are still made of wood. Discover why the following knives are some of the best for both outdoor enthusiasts and women by reading on to learn about the features to take into account when looking for the best bushcraft knife.

What To Consider When Choosing The Best Bushcraft Knives

There are numerous aspects to take into account when selecting a new bushcraft knife. Your best choice will depend on a variety of factors, including the type of wood you’ll be cutting, the terrain you’ll be working in, and your level of knife proficiency.

Knife Construction

Choose a knife with a full-tang construction. This indicates that the steel used to create the blade also extends through the handle to the knife’s butt. This results in a heavier knife with a far more durable design that can withstand hammering and leverage.

Handle

The handles made of wood may have a vintage appearance, but they are frequently heavier and less gripping than those made of contemporary synthetic materials. Keep in mind that a bushcraft knife is basically a tool, and you must be able to use it as such, sometimes for extended periods of time, without it slipping out of your hand. Also, don’t ignore comfort.

Style

When looking for a specific kind of knife, every person has a different preference. Some people prefer single-edge knives, while others prefer double-edged models..

• Double-Edged Knife – This kind of knife has two cutting edges that you can use for various tasks.
• Single-Edge Knife: Knives with a single edge have just one blade. These knives are more popular among cooks since they are easier to handle.

Wood Type

The kind of wood you want to pick mostly relies on where you live and whether you have access to a wooded area or not. You’ll be in a better position to choose a heavy-duty blade that can cut through hardwoods if you have the ability to go out into the woods and chop your own firewood. Cutting down trees in your backyard could be a bit much for a blade if you live in a city. A pole saw or an axe would be the preferable option in this situation.

Blade Material

Bushcraft knives come in a variety of materials, like most other tools. High carbon steel is the most common type of blade used for hunting and bushcraft. It has been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, when because of its prowess at slicing through meat, it was called a falahatch (Egyptian for “sharp spear”).

Modern steel is still primarily made of carbon and iron, despite being highly alloyed to make it harder and more durable. It becomes tougher due to the carbon concentration, while softer due to the iron content. The hardness or toughness can be increased by manufacturers by modifying the carbon content during production. Laminated steel, which is made of numerous layers of steel that have been rolled and joined together, is another common material for blades. This increases its durability and strength.

Blade Locking

Some bushcraft knives have a mechanism for locking the blade. These mechanisms either use a sliding latch or a screw onto a fulcrum. The latter is typically recommended because it will last longer. A blade locking device eliminates the user’s concern over a loose blade. However, they do increase the workload a little bit.

Handle Design

There are two primary types of handles: fiberglass and wood.

• Fiberglass handles are less durable, more expensive, and lighter than wood, but they are also easier to clean and disinfect.
• Wood handles are well-liked for a variety of reasons. They are hardy, trustworthy, and easy to maintain. In addition, many individuals value the wooden handle’s aesthetic appeal.

There are handles that are ergonomically made to accommodate the hand and lessen muscular ache over time. There are certain bushcraft knives that have one of these handles.

Sheath Design

There are two materials available for sheaths: leather and plastic.

• Leather sheaths are robust, long-lasting, and easy to maintain. Keep in mind, though, that leather requires more work to disinfect than plastic.
• Sheaths made of plastic are lightweight, affordable, and easy to sterilize. They are neither as dependable or as simple to maintain as leather, though.

A common choice among users is to combine leather and plastic, utilizing a leather sheath for comfort and beauty and a plastic sheath for strength and cleaning convenience.

Weight and Balance

When it comes to a bushcraft knife, weight and balance are equally important components. A knife that isn’t properly balanced may feel unnatural in the hand and put additional stress on the wrist. A knife that is overly heavy in the handle, on the other hand, will feel like it wants to break your grasp, which could potentially result in damage.

Most bushcraft knives have a weight range of 5 to 7 ounces. For the best balance, choose a knife with weight distributed more towards the front of the handle. Be aware that certain bushcraft knives have full tangs, which imply the blade and handle are one unit. In comparison to half tang blades, these knives are typically heavier and thicker.

Durability

How effectively a knife maintains its edge after frequent usage and abuse is referred to as its durability. High carbon steel (HC) is often a strong material for knives, but it wears out quickly, requiring periodic replacement.

Types Of Bushcraft Knives

Online, there is a lot of misinformation regarding the best type of bushcraft knife, how many blades you should bring, the ideal blade length, etc. These are common inquiries. We can all agree that there are many different kinds of bushcraft knives available, some of which have uses while others do not.

For bushcraft, you need a minimum of three knives:

• A 6-inch blade for cutting wood and building shelters.
• A 4.3-inch blade for carving activities such as creating feather sticks and bow drill kits.
• A folding knife for butchering.

The first thing you need to know is how many different types of knives there are. The following are a few of the most common knife types found in bushcraft applications.

Full-Tang Knives

Full-tang knives often have a long wooden handle and are made of solid steel or stainless steel. Since these knives lack a blade guard, improper handling could result in serious harm. When cutting into wood, you should always hold the knife firmly to prevent slipping. You can also use it as a screwdriver and to strike hard things like nails.

Dagger Knives

Knives with a short tang, commonly referred to as “skinning knives,” are shorter than knives with a complete tang by at least 3/4 of an inch. The majority of dagger knives were traditionally used for animal skinning, but today they are utilized for bushcraft tasks like hunting birds of prey, fish, edible plants, etc.

Spear Knives

The smallest category of all bushcraft knives is the spear knife, which is typically used for little jobs like digging holes or opening tin cans and boxes. These knives are practical and quite lightweight. They are therefore ideal for carrying during bushcrafting. Despite how useful they are, their lack of power and sharpness prevents them from being used for larger jobs.

They can’t be used for self-defense because they don’t have any additional features, including serrations on the blade’s edge. It should also be mentioned that the majority of spear knives have shoddy construction, and their blades will break quickly if they are dropped or trodden on.

Fixed-Blade Knives

Fixed-blades are the strongest bushcraft knives available. Due to the presence of a steel handle, they are heavier and larger than other varieties of knives. Leather gloves are strongly recommended when using fixed-blades to prevent injuries during training sessions.

Hunting Knife Sets

The main purpose of hunting knife sets is to take down large beasts like elk and deer. These knives have two distinct blades, one of which is longer than the other, allowing each user to have their own blade. The hunter can rapidly swap between the two blades thanks to this design.

Folding Knives

These knives can be folded up into a little package, which makes them perfect for trekking and camping vacations. Once you arrive to your destination, you must keep in mind to carry this kind of bushcraft knife carefully because they are simple to drop or lose when traversing unforgiving terrain.

How We Chose Our Top Picks

We greatly like to review new gear hands-on, but occasionally, a lack of finances may hinder our attempts to get our hands on some cool gear. In order to ensure that we don’t let you down, we take the time to listen to individuals who have first-hand knowledge, searching reviews on specialized papers and enthusiast blogs for the most up-to-date information.

All of it is sorted through, the gold kept, and the remainder dumped.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bushcraft Knives

How do you sharpen a bushcraft knife?

Manually, with a stone or file. Use a stone for steel knives; they are readily available from most reputable knife shops. Use a fine-grit diamond stone for knives made of carbon steel.

What do you use a bushcraft knife for?

A bushcraft knife can be used for the following four tasks:

• Wood work
• Survival
• Preparing food
• Building a fire

What makes a great bushcraft knife?

A bushcraft blade should have a long, flat cutting edge that bends up to reach a tip and be about centered between the breadth of the handle and your grip. The tip shouldn’t be excessively broad, blunt, or pointed and rounded. Cutting operations including chopping, batoning, and push cuts are made easier by the flat blade’s numerous applications.

What makes a bushcraft knife a bushcraft knife?

Because they are designed to handle a variety of outdoor chores including building shelters, starting fires, and batoning, bushcraft knives are frequently referred to more broadly as survival knives. What kind of grind should a bushcraft knife have? The Scandinavian or Scandi grind is the most common blade shape for bushcraft knives. A genuine Scandi Grind lacks a secondary bevel. The primary bevel continues to be the cutting edge without deviation or change in angle.

What thickness is ideal for a bushcraft knife?

In a perfect world, we would have specialized equipment for any task we might undertake, but in a survival crisis, you won’t always have fair warning, so you’ll need to make the most of the tools you have on hand. We advise choosing a survival knife that is 3/16 of an inch thick because of this. How do a survival knife and a bushcraft knife differ from one another? The size and tasks they carry out are the main differences. Bushcraft knives typically measure between three and five inches in length. On the other hand, survival knives are larger, typically measuring 6 to 12 inches. Bushcraft knives are typically used for complex operations like setting up traps and skinning prey.

What size knife is best for bushcraft?

Depending on your comfort level and intended responsibilities, a size between 3.5 (89mm) and 6″ (152mm) would be ideal. Bushcraft knives should have a blade with a shape that is about centered to the width of the handle and your grip and has a long, flat cutting edge that rises to meet a tip.

What is the price of a bushcraft knife?

Knives for bushcrafting have a specific use in mind. The suggested retail price of each knife on this list is in the neighborhood of $200, and several are even less than $100.