Knife Design Philosophy

If you have ever seen any of the fantastic Bear Grylls 'Born Survivor' TV series or the brilliant Ray Mears 'Extreme Survival' you will have seen how both Bear and Ray always carry a good quality knife.

Knives have been used since the stone age when man made remarkably effective and sharp cutting tools from flint and obsidian. The knife is both a practical tool and a frighteningly effective weapon. They've been getting a lot of bad press lately due to the number of violent knife crimes on our streets.

But knives are not bad, its the people who use them to commit nasty crimes. They are practical tools that, in the outdoors or a survival situation, you would be glad to have.

When camping out a knife can be used in any number of ways including:

  • Cutting branches for fire wood
  • Preparing kindling
  • Cutting rope or string
  • Making tent pegs
  • Skinning rabbits
  • Preparing food
  • Almost everything…

It's always a good idea to choose the most suitable knife for the job. The swiss-army knife is a good example of a practical, versatile knife that can have many tools suitable for anything from car repair to carpentry. But a good quality, strong, sharp knife blade is a fundamental requirement.

Knives that are ideal for camping don't really need to be very large. Ideally the knife should have a stainless steel blade that will not corrode and will hold and good sharp edge. Your chosen knife may have a fixed or folding blade. Knives with folding blades should ideally lock when the blade is exposed to prevent accidents which can happen when a blade closes on the fingers. Your chosen knife should have a good handle that is comfortable and the right size for your hand. The knife blade should have a good sharp point and the handle may have a strong rear bolster (the bit at the end of the handle) which can be used for hammering or cracking nuts.

If you choose a fixed blade knife it will need a suitable sheath that you can carry on your belt. To keep the blade sharp you will need a suitable whetstone. For some applications, such as fishing and hunting, you may like to equip yourself with a knife that has a partially serrated edge, ideal for cutting through bone.

Whatever you choose a knife is an essential part of your camping equipment. While you may be arrested for carrying one in the city streets you would be a fool to go camping without one.