I have used many different knives and cutting tools over the years I have been camping and hiking. Growing up, as many know, I favored the Estwing Sportsman Hatchet for all my cutting chores and it worked very well.
However, as my skills have improved I started looking at other tools. One knife you will see a lot of on knife and wilderness forums is a Mora. I own the Mora Classic 1 and think it is the best of the line. The handle being shorter allows for a good grip but also for you to wrap your pinky finger behind it so you can safely do stabbing tasks since there is no guard. If you're just getting into bushcraft or woodcraft there is no better knife to start with -- the quality can't be beat at the $15 price point.
If you're looking for something more robust -- full tang construction and a larger blade -- check out the Old Hickory Butcher Knife for about $11 or the Condor Bushlore which comes in around $32 and is based off the pricey Alan Wood Woodlore. Both, while not as sharp or quite as good of cutters as a Mora, are great budget blades for woods use to get you started. I'll get more into those in later blogs.
I, like Dave Canterbury, like "bulletproof gear on a budget" as he says. Not that there's no value in an expensive piece of kit, but you don't HAVE TO buy a $300 knife to get a good quality blade. In fact, there is a knife that is pretty good for some smaller woodcraft/bushcraft tasks that most probably already own -- a utility knife.
These knives are not bad for backup blades for very precise cutting. Now you'll want to have some spare blades on hand as they aren't really re-sharpenable. I personally carry the Milwaukee Fastback II at work -- a great cutter with quick deployment and extra blade storage. Granted its flip mechanism probably isn't the greatest for outdoor use, nor is the large blade housing (as you'll see it can get in the way a bit for finer tasks like feather sticks) but it works pretty well I must say. A standard Stanley might be a better choice (and more likely to already be in your home). The main plus to the Fastback is its tool-less blade switching, whereas for the Stanley you need a screwdriver.
Here's a short video of my utility knife in action for some basic woodcraft/bushcraft tasks:
However, as my skills have improved I started looking at other tools. One knife you will see a lot of on knife and wilderness forums is a Mora. I own the Mora Classic 1 and think it is the best of the line. The handle being shorter allows for a good grip but also for you to wrap your pinky finger behind it so you can safely do stabbing tasks since there is no guard. If you're just getting into bushcraft or woodcraft there is no better knife to start with -- the quality can't be beat at the $15 price point.
If you're looking for something more robust -- full tang construction and a larger blade -- check out the Old Hickory Butcher Knife for about $11 or the Condor Bushlore which comes in around $32 and is based off the pricey Alan Wood Woodlore. Both, while not as sharp or quite as good of cutters as a Mora, are great budget blades for woods use to get you started. I'll get more into those in later blogs.
I, like Dave Canterbury, like "bulletproof gear on a budget" as he says. Not that there's no value in an expensive piece of kit, but you don't HAVE TO buy a $300 knife to get a good quality blade. In fact, there is a knife that is pretty good for some smaller woodcraft/bushcraft tasks that most probably already own -- a utility knife.
These knives are not bad for backup blades for very precise cutting. Now you'll want to have some spare blades on hand as they aren't really re-sharpenable. I personally carry the Milwaukee Fastback II at work -- a great cutter with quick deployment and extra blade storage. Granted its flip mechanism probably isn't the greatest for outdoor use, nor is the large blade housing (as you'll see it can get in the way a bit for finer tasks like feather sticks) but it works pretty well I must say. A standard Stanley might be a better choice (and more likely to already be in your home). The main plus to the Fastback is its tool-less blade switching, whereas for the Stanley you need a screwdriver.
Here's a short video of my utility knife in action for some basic woodcraft/bushcraft tasks:
Post by Erik S. Hanley.
It was really a joy to cut with. You could see in the video as I shaped the point I was just slicing little pieces off with no effort. More precise work takes a bit more practice, however. Here is a close-up image of some more feather stick work I did after I'd practiced for a few minutes using the utility knife for these sorts of tasks.
So, as you can see, a utility knife is great for some fine carving tasks. Most people have at least one of these knives in their home. Why not grab it and head out to a trail and try your hand at a feather stick, a tent peg, a trap/snare (just don't leave it up). Crafting in the woods is a joyful and stress-relieving activity -- yes, even in winter on a nice day. If you find you like it, then you can step up to more expensive blades, if you want to. Most of those I listed will last a long time even at their modest prices. The important thing is to get out in the woods and have some fun whether you use a utility knife, a $300 custom knife, or a sharpened rock, go out and craft, hike through the woods, enjoy God's nature.