Woods Journal

I am often asked by people what kind of knife I prefer. When using a knife for bushcraft and survival, I have found that really, anything sharp will do. Most of my experience has come from clip point knives, but there are several styles that work great. Though that is often the case, there are numerous defining features that transform a decent knife into a great one.

The first and foremost feature is that a great survival knife is made of carbon steel rather than stainless. There is a myth that the prior can be used to create sparks against flint, but sadly this is only half true. The molecular properties of a heat-treated carbon steel knife that could create sparks would mean that it would be too brittle to make a good survival knife. Carbon steel is preferable, however, because it is far easier to sharpen, and the steel is lighter, holds an edge better, has flex and bend, can be sharpened to a better edge, and if the surface is treated properly, it can be nearly as resistant as stainless.

That treatment brings up the next important feature, which is a good coating. There are many ways to treat or coat the external surface of a carbon steel knife to make it weather and rust resistant. Paints are common, but the best is a natural coating because it can easily be reapplied in the field. A dark patina can make a knife look rustic and protect it from the elements. If the knife is kept covered with a very light layer of fat, wax, oil and other such substances, it will never rust, and the patina will only antique and give the knife a more desired look and resistance.

The next survival-important feature is in the construction of the knife. The tang is the part of the knife that is integrated into the handle. Obviously, the more material in the tang that connects it to the blade, the more resilient the knife will be. Full tangs are the kings of durability, but there have been many a frontiersman whose trusty Arkansas toothpick or bowie had only a partial or stick tang. However, for a bush knife whose reliability must be without question, little beats a beefy full tang.

A good survival knife should also be comfortable in the hand, with an even grip so that it can be held in many positions. A curved handle may work only one way well (blade forward as God intended), but often a survival knife must become many other tools. This means being comfortable holding a knife backwards, upside down, upside down and backwards, on the end or in any other ungodly position is just as important as the material from which it is made, and the shape of the blade.

In shape, many will do. Survival knives are as unique as the people using them, so there is no cut and dry one-size-fits-all style. However, there are some things that are important in the composition of the blade. Apologies to Rambo, but serrations are often counter intuitive to survival. An edge should run the full length of the blade to maximize its effective range of motion and workable cutting surface. Sharpened serrations excel only at cutting a lot of rope.

If serrations are put on the spine, or the back of the knife, then they will interfere with thumb placement and the next important feature. Having a 90-degree spine, meaning semi-sharp 90-degree corner edges along the back of the knife, creates another pseudo edge that can be used for many tasks, and will lengthen the lifespan of a knife’s edge. These two edges can be used for shaving fine curls from wood for fire, sparking off a ferrocerium rod, smoothing out a wood handle on a tool, and much more.

The size of a good survival knife is up for a lot of debate, but the real question that determines the answer is what the knife will be used for. Larger knives chop better, and smaller knives skin and whittle better. A good all-around size for “traditional” knife tasks (such as anything but chopping) is about five to seven inches. Four can be too short for things like batoning, chopping, whittling large flakes, and using as a spear, but anything over seven becomes unwieldy and awkward to skin small animals with, whittle small flakes, create fine cuts or drill holes.

Thickness is important in that if a knife is too thin, it is more likely to snap. Thicker knives do not bend as well around bones when skinning an animal but are less susceptible to snapping. I have found a good thickness depends on the use. For general use 1/8 is a good sturdy thickness.

As always, the proper tool befits the proper job. With as many outdoorsmen as there are in Sanders County, there are apt to be at least as many opinions on the best kind of knife. But for my money, I’ll take the knife that is carbon steel, full tang, straight handled, plain, 90-degree edged, five inches long and 1/8 inch thick any day of the week.

Reach John Dowd at [email protected].