Thecarotidpulse
10-07-2008, 11:08 PM
OK well, after debates on many forums I want to hear what you guys have to say about it.
Millions of people around the world go camping each year. This increased enjoyment of our original habitats is driven by sport, hunting, and a host of recreationnal motivations rendered feasible by advances in equipment that cut the cost of an expedition to something negligeable. A much lesser percentage of the population are placed in a survival type situation - by accident or professionnal haphzards.
What place does the knife hold in the camping tool arsenal? Optimal survival situation, or camping.
In this (essay) we will try to consider what geographical, political and social constraints have driven the typical knife choice across the globe.
In Europe it seems that the main bushcraft knife is a shorter blade.
The UK necessarily using folding blades (as per legal constraints prohibiting certain types of lengths of knife) or 3-4 in fixed blades advertised by 3 out of 4 survival experts. It seems that for this corner of Europe, knife use is dictated more by the experiences abroad of the local survival experts. We don't have much information on the knife use for camping within Britain and would enjoin our UK members to supplement this.
Scandinavians using Mora knives, they are not used to folders as much. The Mora knife suits their needs, and who has ever seen a 10 in Mora? Luxury models include Helle and other Puukkos. Notice "scandinavian grind" = a thin bevel leading directly to the edge. making a much better cutting tool than one with a secondary edge bevel. However the thinness of these grinds result in less edge retention, calling for ever harder carbon and now super stainless steels to back them up.
And as always, with hardness comes fragility.
It is strange that the original Nessmuk philosophy, from the United states, should find it's most ardent partisans in Northern Europe and Scandinavia: it seems that as with Nessy the mainbushcraft blade is one used to design and manufacture tools to supplement the fragility and preciousness of the edge.
And by this I mean carving wedges for splitting, sharp sticks for defence as well as any sort of digging, and whittling finer tools.
Chopping however is where the need comes in for the known Nessmuk trio- as this population is seen to produce very fine axes and hatchets, which are carried onto the field for shelter preparation in wooded areas.
And finally a very fine folding blade is carried, for meal consumption and preparation as well as ultra fine work/admiration.
So far we've looked at the Scandinavian tendancy toward finer edges, this is also ratified by their wood flora: softer woods or very thin hardwoods. The tools simply chew them up.
In France - no data except to notice the ancient culture of knives either evolved from a Farming need or very fine combat oriented stylettos.
I suppose, why go camping when there is good food and wine to be had at home with a good chair to sit on, to better enjoy them? (and I am allowed to say this as I am French myself)
Now let us temporarily skip across the Atlantic Ocean to establish the main dichotomy that this post tries to establish.
North America. Or as this is too diverse let us say: northern United States and southern to low northern Canada.
The woods are varied from coast to coast, but there are always softwoods and always hardwoods. Of course the proportion of these vary, however the size and might tend to be always greater than their European counterparts.
Here you see a different sort of knife use, where knives are often used in a weaponized society (points finger at USA) as defensive or offensive implements.
If we concentrate on the field use of the knives we see an interesting development. Bigger and heavier blades, steeper grinds and tougher steels. Sometimes less hard steels...
The large knife is used almost exclusively, replacing even the axe at times which is deemed too heavy to carry. Are North Americans less fit than Northern Europeans? Why do they carry axes and we don't? Well my answer to this is: first off some of us do, this essay reflecting on conjectures, speculations and wanton generalizations. Secondly, our trees are just too freaking big! Hand axes won't do much and aren't versatile enough to be worth the bother of bringing...
The large heavy knife when used in conjunction with the saw fills all the needs of the North American user - from felling trees to preparation of fagots for burning.
It is often used as a machete on steroids.
****************************
Here I interrupt my post to allow for discussion: I have raised a couple of issues I would absolutely love to hear back on.
For instance:
The applications of knives in camping on UK soil. (in such a seemingly controlled society, what would you need to go camping?)
Same for France, and any other European country that contrasts from the argument of the first paragraph.
To all our users: what do you take with you when camping? what do you use it for? what tools do you find yourself needing and do you bring them or make them onsite?
What reactions to what I have presented?
I await responses with baited breath, after we get some results I'll repost this with some added paragraphs that will reflect the opinion/information of the group.
Please look forward to my next Sticky in this forum for pictures =)
Millions of people around the world go camping each year. This increased enjoyment of our original habitats is driven by sport, hunting, and a host of recreationnal motivations rendered feasible by advances in equipment that cut the cost of an expedition to something negligeable. A much lesser percentage of the population are placed in a survival type situation - by accident or professionnal haphzards.
What place does the knife hold in the camping tool arsenal? Optimal survival situation, or camping.
In this (essay) we will try to consider what geographical, political and social constraints have driven the typical knife choice across the globe.
In Europe it seems that the main bushcraft knife is a shorter blade.
The UK necessarily using folding blades (as per legal constraints prohibiting certain types of lengths of knife) or 3-4 in fixed blades advertised by 3 out of 4 survival experts. It seems that for this corner of Europe, knife use is dictated more by the experiences abroad of the local survival experts. We don't have much information on the knife use for camping within Britain and would enjoin our UK members to supplement this.
Scandinavians using Mora knives, they are not used to folders as much. The Mora knife suits their needs, and who has ever seen a 10 in Mora? Luxury models include Helle and other Puukkos. Notice "scandinavian grind" = a thin bevel leading directly to the edge. making a much better cutting tool than one with a secondary edge bevel. However the thinness of these grinds result in less edge retention, calling for ever harder carbon and now super stainless steels to back them up.
And as always, with hardness comes fragility.
It is strange that the original Nessmuk philosophy, from the United states, should find it's most ardent partisans in Northern Europe and Scandinavia: it seems that as with Nessy the mainbushcraft blade is one used to design and manufacture tools to supplement the fragility and preciousness of the edge.
And by this I mean carving wedges for splitting, sharp sticks for defence as well as any sort of digging, and whittling finer tools.
Chopping however is where the need comes in for the known Nessmuk trio- as this population is seen to produce very fine axes and hatchets, which are carried onto the field for shelter preparation in wooded areas.
And finally a very fine folding blade is carried, for meal consumption and preparation as well as ultra fine work/admiration.
So far we've looked at the Scandinavian tendancy toward finer edges, this is also ratified by their wood flora: softer woods or very thin hardwoods. The tools simply chew them up.
In France - no data except to notice the ancient culture of knives either evolved from a Farming need or very fine combat oriented stylettos.
I suppose, why go camping when there is good food and wine to be had at home with a good chair to sit on, to better enjoy them? (and I am allowed to say this as I am French myself)
Now let us temporarily skip across the Atlantic Ocean to establish the main dichotomy that this post tries to establish.
North America. Or as this is too diverse let us say: northern United States and southern to low northern Canada.
The woods are varied from coast to coast, but there are always softwoods and always hardwoods. Of course the proportion of these vary, however the size and might tend to be always greater than their European counterparts.
Here you see a different sort of knife use, where knives are often used in a weaponized society (points finger at USA) as defensive or offensive implements.
If we concentrate on the field use of the knives we see an interesting development. Bigger and heavier blades, steeper grinds and tougher steels. Sometimes less hard steels...
The large knife is used almost exclusively, replacing even the axe at times which is deemed too heavy to carry. Are North Americans less fit than Northern Europeans? Why do they carry axes and we don't? Well my answer to this is: first off some of us do, this essay reflecting on conjectures, speculations and wanton generalizations. Secondly, our trees are just too freaking big! Hand axes won't do much and aren't versatile enough to be worth the bother of bringing...
The large heavy knife when used in conjunction with the saw fills all the needs of the North American user - from felling trees to preparation of fagots for burning.
It is often used as a machete on steroids.
****************************
Here I interrupt my post to allow for discussion: I have raised a couple of issues I would absolutely love to hear back on.
For instance:
The applications of knives in camping on UK soil. (in such a seemingly controlled society, what would you need to go camping?)
Same for France, and any other European country that contrasts from the argument of the first paragraph.
To all our users: what do you take with you when camping? what do you use it for? what tools do you find yourself needing and do you bring them or make them onsite?
What reactions to what I have presented?
I await responses with baited breath, after we get some results I'll repost this with some added paragraphs that will reflect the opinion/information of the group.
Please look forward to my next Sticky in this forum for pictures =)