The Ultamate Bush Knife

The Ultimate Bush knife

 

Ok, right out of the gate I am going to tell you this; there is no one-size-fits-all ultimate bush knife, it doesn’t exist.  But I can describe one the most useful knives for bushcrafting in the south. First you must have a full tang. A Mora type knife would be great for carving, but not batoning and chopping. You want enough stability to know that that handle is not going any where. Second, you need a good grind and shape. I like a little lower grinds, where they maybe come halfway op the blade. My preferred handle material is micarta; it is pretty much indestructible, and is also water resistant. As long as it is good carbon steel, most any steel will work. 1095 is mostly what I work with; it provides good hardness and you can strike sparks off the blade in an emergency. And the last of these specs is size. I prefer larger handles, like 4 ½ inches. The blade length should be in between 4 and 6 inches. Now I am going to build the knife we just described, and then show you how well it works.

Ok, two days later here is what I have:

So, the above is a great example, and I would, without a second’s hesitation, trust my life to this knife. But, going back to my previous point, there is no perfect knife. In my opinion an old hickory butcher knife from Amazon or a flea market is a fantastic bush tool, although it is not as sturdy as a thicker knife. Any knife that fits in the categories listed at the top of this article is a good bush knife.

Well, I hope this little tidbit helped you,

and keep on bushcrafting,

-Caleb