Interesting stuff. I dont quite get much of the bushcraft stuff but there are lots of good tips in there. I've been looking for a way to split small chunks of wood for kindling and found a few option in this thread, thanks!

I found a fire to be too much work and mess but nice if going out for a night or two when you want to roast marshmallows. If practice for the zombie apocalypse thats another thing I guess.

Not a fan of Mora knives because they don't have a full tang. Probably not relevant if they are only used for finer work. Another thing i don't like about them is the righthanded only sheaths... I am a leftypaw.
They are razor sharp though!
And they have a very good rep.

The boooshcraft thread
 

I get it. But honestly I cannot imagine any knife work where my hands can fail the 2/3rd tang. Butchering the deer, I put the blade into the rectum and tried to lift. I hoped to pop thru the pelvic bone to remove the entrails easily. I was not strong enough. Next time I will add leverage and try to pry thru. I watched a rancher kid do it to a hog with a buck knife. It blew me away. I'm willing to try with such a cheap knife.

The sheath is goofy. But it washed easy. I jammed a rag in with a chopstick to clean out blood. I am cutting off the belt hook to save weight :).

The Mora knives are awesome. Probably one of the best all round knives for hunters. Great for cleaning animals and for work around the camp kitchen. If you really value your Mora and hate the dinky sheath that comes with it, there are several folks out there who will make you a custom kydex or leather sheath for them on eBay etc... even for lefties :)

There was someone making a copy of a Mora knife. Can't remember who it was, I know that I was all set to purchase one but never did. It was about 3 times larger than a normal Mora. I will have to try and remember who it was...


I found it, it is a Buck Nighthawk. Here is one similar to the one I was going to purchase except the one I was going to get had an olive drab handle insert.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-1994-Buck-650-Nighthawk-NAVY-SEAL-Black-Oxide-Finish-Orig-Sheath-MINT-/151402113998?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item234044 ebce

Seems like the newer models of the Nighthawk have changed a little over the years.

I am still looking for a smaller knife to use next to my bulky bk2...
I know mora makes really good (and cheap) knives so maybe i should consider buying one.

Does the buck nighthawk use the same steel as the moras?

Woodbesr.knives makes a great amped up mora

I dig my Mora. Cheap. Sharp. Done.

I like my pack. A Northface 60 liter I think that I got 2nd hand on Craigslist for $50 or so. Last time I backpacked (It was Summer) - I slept under a tarp. My sleeping bag is poor but that is easy to fix. Some other stuff I like? Water filter - MSR. Camp Stove - Some $6 cheapo from Amazon. Amazing. Also LifeStraw is cool. Shoes? Keen makes very comfy, strong, waterproof shoes. They look odd but my whole family wears them. (No affiliation)

To Geronimo, have fun! I strongly recommend the Tom Brown books. That breathes Bushcraft.

Larry

Don't forget the video game console.

Good point. Smartphone with Skytracker app. Essential!

wood bear knives.

amped up "mora" IMHO...just dont know if it is $143 better than a Mora. :) the sheath is better for sure!!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412745436.jpg

Thats a nice blade but the cheaper Mora is only about 7 USD over here, so for that price it'll have to be a lot better....
(the handles are very nice!)


good tip on the skyracker app! but it feels counter intuitive. For me bushcraft is all about going back to basics. But I agree some electronica or battery operated stuff like a flaslight would make bushcrafting even more comfortable.
(I see bushcraft as the more comfy brother of survival, so some level of comfort may be maintained)


EDIT:
I just checked out the Wood Bear Knives site. :eek: Some really knives there!!!

sorry...my wife catches me there always..at some point, she would be happier finding me surfing porn. hahaha.

for skills in the woods..i need to get one of those flint stick things for starting fires. a nice carbon steel knife with a angular spine would be great for using with it. the Mora is kinda rough on the spine side.

My "skytracker" comment. That was sarcasm in response to JYL. It is a cool app however.

Larry

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Looks like this has turned into a knife thread. I'm going back to the OP's original title, (but include a knife haha).
I took a survival class this past May. It wasn't a military type school but a native american style school and was a week long. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Something that stuck out, among many was the rule that says everything you carry should have a duel purpose... A poncho that doubles as a tarp, a compass that doubles as a reflector to signal and so on.
Another thing learned is cordage can save your life. You can make traps with it, shelter with it, on & on. 50' is good 100' better.
And yes a good knife is all encompassing. Mine has at least five purposes. I can carve with it, like making traps, I can baton with it and I can also lash it to a limb to make a spear, and maybe most importantly it's made of carbon steel so I can use it to start a fire in an emergency. and of course defend myself with it.
And Geronimo, we were asked the first day to list our top five items to carry. None of us had an axe on our list but it was the instructor's #1 item to have. So good choice.
Here is my booshcraft knife...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412815569.jpg

And if I may be so bold as to give the place a plug. It is called the Midwest Native Skills Institute

http://www.survivalschool.com/

I too have moved away from an axe. I now use an Ontario Knife Company SP8 machete.

It's a very useful piece of kit...and is pretty much indestructible. Blade itself is 1/4" thick!

FWIW, I also considered the Becker BK3

http://advancedsurvivalguide.com/wp-...1/04/sp803.jpg

Mark, great that you had such a great time. That is what I am aiming for.
I did quite a bit of reading already and I knew a good knife an axe are essential, or at least very useful things to have.

Hydroket, I'm digging the machete. Looks like a good replacement for an axe.
The BK 3 is one tool in the becker line up that I have lixed feelings about. (It is a chisel grind, which I think is weird.)

And the microwave... how do you guys pack a microwave into the backwoods?

If any of you guys are looking for a classy knife that holds a good edge, I would like to recommend the Rite Edge Wilderness Hunter. For the price, you will not find a better knife. I guarantee that if you purchase one, that you will be so impressed that you will purchase more of them.

8 3 4" Wilderness Hunter Knife Rite Edge 210500 | eBay

If back country camping is your thing, no doubt you already know the only way to go is minimalistic and light as possible. If on an outing with others and they whine about the gear and weight, I tell them to leave it behind or suffer, nor will carry it for them.

I do enjoy touring/ camping by bike, backpack, canoe and maybe this coming Winter will try ski touring. Tempting to buy the latest and greatest camp gadgets but most of it is best forgotten. Although, I can understand the hunters needs for effective tools in game clean and hauling out, would go for it.

I still use a vintage 70's MSR stove with multi jets for burning all fuels, a Stilleto dry-wall ax made of Ti (1990's), a screen tent w/ separate fly from the 1980's that when stashed is the size of a loaf of bread, magnesium fire starter, knife. I did score this circa 1950's honey and will be with me on the next adventure-



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412884878.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412884900.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412884913.jpg

Thanks Geronimo. Such a sense of accomplishment. Your first fire without matches or lighter, learning to make a debris shelter, finding water, eatable plants. navigation. Seriously I would not be afraid to get lost in the woods now as I could survive. Come to the states and I'll go with you!

Since this is a booscraft thread here are a couple pics also. Barney the dog', as I named him was a stray that we adopted. The instructors right hand man took him home.

With all due respect to the machete I would not replace an axe with it. An axe can chop down large trees if necessary & used for serious hammering along with doing things a knife can do. That is why the instructor had an axe as an essential.





http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412938833.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412938886.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412938942.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1412939477.jpg

New goodies arrived.
A large tek lok to modify the bk2 sheath and 100 ft of 550 cord.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1413018332.jpg
My knife has been cleared by belgian customs and should be here soon.

Bumping my own thread to show off my new knife. Thanks Dave, for sending it to me!SmileWavy

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1413308949.jpg

I instantly removed the flimsy nylon webbing belt loop and replaced it with a tek lok.
I also added 5 ft of 550 cord.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1413309035.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1413309052.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1413309112.jpg

How is it? Super sharp?

Well, no.
It is sharp, but not shaving sharp.
Next modifications will be:
Deepening the laser etched logo with pcb etchant. Removing the black coating with paint stripper.
I know the stripped knife will show a lot of grind and tooling marks that I will have to sand out.
Give it a satin polish.
Maybe give it a convex edge.
With or without a convex edge it will need to be sharpened to hair shaving sharp.
Put some basic survival kit in the removable handles.
Replace the allen bolts with stainless steel ones. Put a bicycle tube over the handle for extra grip. Or replace the handles with micarta ones.
Thus knkfe has quite a long list of mods you can do to it if you want to really make it your own.

Check the Swedish army field guide... Wait, do they have an army ?

Well, at least I don't have to worry about Interpol crashing down my door at 3am anymore. :D I'm glad everything arrived. :) You are very welcome.

You need one of these.
Amazon.com : Genuine Issue Magnesium Survival Firestarter : Camping Stove Fire Starters : Sports & Outdoors

Here is some light reading:
http://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-05-70.pdf

You should also learn how to use a compass and topo map to figure out where you are, and how to do basic land navigation using them.

i just ordered this..which may rival the most money i've ever spent on a knife i really didnt need. i blame this thread..and Red's.

Helle Temagami CA. carbon blade version.
kinda embarrassing because that Les guy from Survivor Man supposedly designed it...
i just liked the knife. hope mine is as nice as the one they handpicked for the photo :)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414513187.jpg

Boom!
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...d9cbf9c5fc.jpg

Sweet knife! Is it a scandi grind like the mora?


I removed the coating on the bk2.
Looks like the coating is for rust protection AND covering up the tool marks!
It's not winning any beautycontests, let me tell you...
Next step, sanding!
Goal is a satin shine.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1416051546.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1416051567.jpg

Can't say I'm surprised.

Me neither. But I don't really mind. It's only an 80$ knife. And I didn't buy it for it's out of the box appearance.
It'll be a goodlooking piece of badass cutlery when I'm done with it. ��

Only? :eek: You can buy 20 Mora's for that money!

A becker has 20 times the steel and 20 times the strength of a Mora too. ;)

Meat craft!

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05...24854575cc.jpg

Why did you cut of the breast of a wild Turk??

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1431442432.jpg

:D

My collection so far:
1 Kabar Becker BK2
2 Kabar Becker BK5
2 Kabar Becker BK15
2 Kabar Becker BK13
1 Kabar Becker BK16

Still want:
another BK2
another BK16

That should cover it knife-wise...

Maybe I should try and actually go outside and do some bushcrafting... :D

hahhaha..

btw, i official suck at bushcraft. got a ferro rod as a gift. decided to try to spark a fire..wadded up some jute rope. got the knife out, set it on the ferro..1.2.3..SWIPE!

took an hour to get the bleeding to stop. it sucked. i forgot and left my thumb out there in harms way. my thumbprint is now redone..fresh. still stings a tad when i press on it. idiot. i'm a city guy for sure.

Bic lighter..? check!! maybe get a spare.

Lol city slicker..
I bought my fatwood from the store... I'm a real jungleboy too.. (NOT)
But I did manage to set in on fire with one of my three ferro rods... (No fingers were harmed during this adventure though)
I have got to sign up for some bushcraft weekend soon, I feel I'm ready for it. :D