POHL FORCE Compact ONE SW Hot off the press Review

 POHL FORCE Compact ONE (Stone washed) SW

 Hot off the press! for March 2022! Review

Pohl Force is a familiar name in the world of tactical knife design; So I'm not going to rehash all the history of this German designer Mr Dietmar Pohl.Youcan read about him here.

Needless to say his designs are made to a standard because they (his company) actively encourages the use of their products in law enforcement and the military worldwide. So to that end, products are serial numbered and a small certificate of authenticity is issued with his products. (Of course this certificate can be easily forged : let the buyer beware as there are plenty of fake Pohl Force knives around).

On that note products are either produced in Taiwan, notable for the high tech knife making industry and or made in Italy by renown knife makers such as Lion Steel, say no more!

Remembering D2 IS NOT metallurgically considered a true stainless steel so we are reminded of this aspect on the care instructions card (which is also the reverse side of the authenticity card.

Now the Compact One is hot off the press, being only released this march on the 18/3/2022 to be exact.

Pohl's rationale for such a design was (briefly summarised here): A robust and compact EDC knife. Made with 6mm D2 and carrying the rounded spine synonymous with the designs of Lion Steel (this model is made though in Taiwan-actual manufacturer is unknown-at least to me). There is no mention either of the HRC on the company website, although my guess and I hate guessing because I'm one of those scientists who hate guessing LOL; is that it will be around the HRC value of 60 as it's relatively easy to heat treat D2 via air hardening.

The massive blade is clearly a small version of a classic modern Bowie design and is massively thick at 6mm, so  you can really feel you have this small 88mm knife in your hand. There is no need to introduce D2 as a tough tool steel of semi-corrosion resistance. This model is also offered up in TiN coating (black).

Designed with a minimalist grippy handle with machined G10 scales and as I've already said, a rounded spine.

Sorry for the poor images here I was in a hurry! The Kydex scabbard is actually FDE (Flat Dark Earth) in other words just like Coyote, which is like a mixture of Desert and  LOL! It has a sort of "Tek Lock" Style adjustable belt lock.

Ok so just quickly I will summarise my "Out of the box findings". The construction looks good (otherwise I wouldn't have parted with my goulash (that Hungarian for money LOL!). It fits my size 8.5 hand (remember such knives u really need to try before you buy. I can use in in several grips and it did not appear uncomfortable.

So in my case I bought mine from a real store and could handle it as many times as I liked (I've  known the owner for years); so if you like this knife and intend to use it (as i do) and not just look at it then you will need to check how it fits your hand.

So without further a do what is the usefulness of such a knife?

I'd say everything from hunting to day hiking in familiar areas, where one want to go light weight but to also be carrying something very sturdy. It's short overall length (ie knife inside of the scabbard) of 7 and 2/10 of an inch, ie 180mm is quite compact for those who want a short knife.  No, it's to for hacking down trees of course and yes, the blades is no bigger than your average folder but it isn't a folder and has the beefiness of a fixed blade because it is. One could argue one could take a longer fixed blade of say 4mm or max 5mm and have a longer blade; for sure! This kind of knife will not appeal to everyone I have no doubts about this.

You can also see this product here:

Anyway stay tuned for a full BCT style field review of this new acquisition.

BCT

 The Extrema Ratio Caimano Nero automatic knife is now available in a civilian version, the Caimano Nero N.A.

Check it out!

It's looking sexy, because it is!

The Caimano Nero was originally designed for a division in the Italian Navy. Now it is available in a non-automatic version for civilian deployment and or other end users where auto knives are not legal. Some simply modifications: Upper swedge is no longer sharpened; no auto assisted opening however, the same 4mm spear point semi serrated blade is present.

Heavy Duty Extrema Ratio MK2.1 and the Fulcrum

 Heavy Duty Extrema Ratio MK2.1 and the Fulcrum

The MK2.1 is almost 400grams about 80 grams heavier than the Fulcrum.

Either of these two beasts can "hack the pace"

Dry bags? Which brands and why do I recommend you to use them?

 Dry bags? Which brands? Why do I recommend you to use them?

As the name suggests they (if made properly) will keep your gear dry. End of story. it doesn't matter if you are caving, canyoning, hiking etc. Dry bags are an essential piece of kit for the serious outdoor person.

Brands are a personal choice but I have had much success with the following brands which i have personally taken from 5000m to sea level globally.

SealLine (I've used serious canyoning) and trekking in the Himalayas and bicycle touring cross Indonesia and caving during one expedition plus numerous non expedition trips underground in Tasmania, Australia.

 Ferrino dry bags, caving in many wet caves in Europe. I use ones which have a 0.5mm PVC coated canvas structure.

Hypergear Dry bags, caving in Europe and hiking in Australia as well. These bags have a thicker PVC canvas.

I'm sure there are many other brands but these ones are just fine. The Seal line ones i have had for over 20 years and they re still going strong!

 Track notes:

Preparing a Snow Cave from scratch!

An Essential item is a snow shovel. 

This is my Ortovox Kodiak Snow Shovel. If you want to see  review on it, I did one ages ago, here it is here:

It's not practical to try and build a snow shelter with  just with gloved hands. If you are finding yourself in a situation where you need to build a shelter made with snow and you don't have a snow shovel then, seriously you could be screwed!

Firstly, no matter how good your gloves are your hands after a while will get too cold and or wet. You can not pack the snow quick enough with just the area of your hands and this will quickly lead to fatigue, assuming you are in a desperate situation to build such a shelter. Also unless your arms of of non-human length you will not be able to reach to the centre of the construction in oder to tap down the snow properly. You could use a branch if no shovel.

Venturing into the snow many kilometres without a suitable tent is crazy if you do not carry a reliable snow shovel. Obviously if you are on skis, things can still go wrong if the ski trip is remote.

Do not build the entrance/exit facing in the direction for which descending cold air from a mountain side can fill your shelter. Make sure the shelter has floor with enough slope in order for CO2 not to build up within the shelter. In other words ventilation is key if you are not to fall asleep permanently. 

Unless the snow is hard and one can cut blocks easily and unless you are well-practiced with building an igloo from snow blocks, my advice is to forget about building such a shelter.

Now for the hardest part!

Try and find a area to build your shelter which will not be in danger of getting so much snow on top of it you can not get out of it. In this video I constructed my shelter against a steeply sloping snow covered earthen bank near a small river. If you can do this it will be "one less side" to think about when building it and of course you will need to shovel less snow too!

Mark out, or approximate a rough circular base. Mark it out with some icy snow blocks if you can, then depending upon how many people you have with you, start to build a big big conical mound of snow. You MUST pack it down, especially if the snow is soft and not very adherent (on other words if you try to make a snow ball and it just falls apart). This is very important the packing because this will help tp prevent the shelter from collapsing and burying you alive!

  If you are fit and have a snow shovel, one adult should be able to make a snow shelter in less than one hour MAX! Once the conical structure is built, start to carve a low ground level tunnel into it. Do this at first by NOT entering it but use your shovel at it's maximum extension. The reason is you have to make sure the tunnel walls are tapped down thoroughly to cause some slight melting and proper bonding of the snow/ice.

Make it big enough to just enter it and gradually start to carve out the ceiling area being carful to keep the roof in a DOME shape for maximum strength. You can use your hands to carve out the interior although practice using you shovel is better; OR use a wide piece of wood or even a small trowel if you carry one (like the ones used to dig a hole to take a dump in the wilds-make sure it is clean of course!).

You can further bank up the entrance BUT do not completely cover it! The idea is to protect yourself from freezing winds! To cover the entrance a bit use branches from evergreen pines (if available OR just build up walls made of snow obviously.

My advice if you are inside one of these things is to assume a position that you are never on your knees because if it caves in you will find it difficult to get up to create a space to start digging yourself out.

Finally, practice building these things not far from help and make sure you can reliably build one that will not collapse. The thickness will depend upon the type of snow you use and how hard you an pack it within a given time you have to build a shelter. remember wild animals could walk upon your shelter so it must be thick enough to handle them (if this could be an issue).

It's better to carry a snow tent obviously. But like all things better to be prepared eh?

Do this at your own risk!

BCT

Addendum:

What made me think about doing this?

Well I guess looking at the number of people one day on a metro, all going to a stupid shopping mall and everyone of them looking like they would be hard pressed to light a fire even if you gave them a box of matches in order to save themselves. I was the only one out of approximately 450 passengers who was destined for the mountains (transport from the last metro station (which also happens to be at a giant mall). I also must have been the oldest person there too. yes there were  couple of snow boarders and one skier waiting to catch the bus but that was it. Clearly young people are more interested in shopping, and to be honest not one of the few hundred I eye balled as I left the station looked like they even knew where milk came from LOL.. Ok now you can call me a pensioner LOL!

 

 Check my latest video: Solo winter hiking and preparing a stir fry meal like a boss in the wilderness!

See it here

BCT

Casio watches, what are they made out of?

 Casio Mudmaster Resin Case

So what the heck is the "RESIN" stuff they talk about?

Casio patents show it is in fact PEEK, that is Polyether ether ketone, a structural Synthetic thermoplastic which in this case has been reinforced with carbon fibre in a non-woven way (latest Mudmasters) . PEEK is very strong and resists many chemicals except strong alkalis. 

It is as Casio says injection molded at high temperature and is a thermoplastic which can resist very high temperatures before deformation.

The new Casio Mudmasters can be built slightly smaller because of this composite formulation.

The older Cases from say models like the GWG 1000 etc are made from different grades of PUR, which is Poly Urethane Resin

See here:

Track notes:

As an addition to the following video

Track notes regarding hiking in the snow away from any main trails.

The Plan is to have a BBQ in the snow! plus be prepared** if that can not happen.

**We have also taken lots of biscuits, dark (70% cocoa) chocolate (2 packets), water bottles 3L, A small billy to melt snow, white spirit (for a Zippo catalytic hand warmer) and one orange. We are no more than 7km from a road at our furthest point in our journey. Vehicle access limited to experienced 4WDers only and or a 6 wheel drive truck (the latter service a distant mountain hut). We also have a charging bank and two reliable head lamps, plus the usual clothing to enable us to stay overnight if we had to.

Plan only to take one knife, no saw, no hatchet, a few matches and 2 cigarette lighters. matches were carried in a totally waterproof container; cigarette lighters were carried in my pants pocket under waterproof over pants.

The only totally dry wood in all of that snow was to be found on wild plums and apple trees growing in the area, plus of course dead pine stubs up the trunks of old pine trees in the forest you can see in some background shots. I knew this of course before setting out there and know where those trees are to be found. Even in deep snow I would still be able to find them.

The dead pine stubs may be some metres off the ground and if one has to climb trees then this increases the risks of an injury (no matter how good one is at climbing). For example, that day, we saw only one other person the entire day and they were heading off the mountain around 10am. In other words, no good thinking you can rely upon the help of someone else if there isn't a "someone else" around. Dead pine stubs however can in fact be fat wood and thus will burn very well. In order to extract these one must have a saw at hand or only be limited to taking smaller stubs and or side-splitting bigger ones with a big knife or hatchet, a difficult task if they are not at ground level.

Hiking in the snow you must know where to find dry wood before setting out. Of course, you can take a multi-fuel stove but it isn't a challenge, is it? You will never "just find" dry wood under all of that snow, unless already stashed there. You will not find dry wood on any living birch trees as they generally do not grow like that. They will rot as an entire tree once infected with a parasitic fungus such as the Sheep foot fungus (a polypore fungus). 

Young pines there will be no substantial dead wood present, only the dry stubs remaining on older pine trees. Sure, the green pine needles are flammable but you need a decent fire to get them going.

Conifer wood, if present will be under the snow but can be burnt if enough heat due to the presence of flammable resins. obviously to find where the conifer wood is, the snow can't be deeper than say 6ft, otherwise these low bushes will stay safely buried during winter snowfall.

 I purposefully didn't take a saw or a hatchet because firstly with the saw you still need to bust up the branches you cut but the earth under the snow is really wet and soggy, so you need to find a rock on which to place your wood so it doesn't sink into the wet ground when struck. Ok, plenty of rocks but I didn't want to spend ages digging around under the snow for rocks. 

There are these big depressions with lots of scree under the snow but a good place to twist an ankle too lol because you can't see those holes anymore under the snow of course. What I like to do is to find old dead branches and just use a knife to lever off small bits of that hardwood, it's too strong to bust with your finger plus the splinters are a killer if you get unlucky LOL! I use this for my kindling, because it's bone dry and burns well once caught, same for the apple really. The branches I know about are all a bit high to swing a hatchet safety I think (but that's just me)- a taller person no problem I guess). For this, I need to take with me a very strong tough blade that I can really beat on. Also, where you see me uncover the timber by the fire place, it's all icy and wet just below the ice so all of that had to come off and it's covered in dirt, moss, lichen etc. I want to be able to quickly hack all of that off the wood to get it to burn. 

Some tough but not very big juniper, I also cut out of the snow, a little damp but burns ok due to the flammable sap. A thinner blade but bigger knife (to keep up the weight) would have done better job at making that little carving and cutting board as it would have bit into the wood better at a shallower angle due to less thickness but I didn't take such a knife (eg. I could have taken my WTG Lanzeta) but it is too flexible (that's a good thing though in most situations) to bust the hard wood out of the tree branches. I also should say that I like this method because the tree itself is the one "holding onto the branch" and is basically immovable and thus allows one to apply a lot of force. However, if I had I cut these branches off, then nothing to hold them or as I said earlier on, just soggy ground when trying to reduce them to tinder. I also went out after lunch and tried to get some birch sap but it was still too early and a bit bitter, that tip of this knife is perfect to ram into the trunk of a tree just due to its shape without having to bash it with anything. I might show that video "fail" later on.

Note:

I use a technique with my knife to sharpen sticks, not by striking the branches with a moving blade nor by holding the knife static to my body and dragging the branch but rather by planting firmly the knife tip into a tree log, blade facing away from me and then bracing the knife in my left hand, carefully drawing the branches across the blade. I do it like this because I want to reduce my body motion in order to reduce the risk of slipping in the snow and having a possible accident with the knife. This technique works best with knives with very pointed tips such as the one i decided to take with me. if done correctly, the tip will stay planted in the wooden base.

Here is the actual video

 

 About:

 Staying calm

2 stories come to mind.

The first: Being held at gun point on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa by mercenaries armed to the teeth for about 30 minutes, one of two tourists on a minibus of approximately 30 locals. Resisting the urge to stick my camera out the window. Absolutely nothing we could do about it.

Lesson learned: there are places which are said to be safe for travel but one should always be ready for the opposite. 

The second story, 37,000ft off the coast of Lebanon in a rented McDonald Douglas MD80 and one engine is shut down because of a catastrophic engine failure due to a serious engine surge. The plane is brought under control by the auto pilot and our Greek nameless pilot (he did give his name but to be honest it was the last thing on my mind to remember it) made an emergency landing (like a boss) at a different airport to which we had taken off from.  

Again nothing I could do about it.

Lesson learned: don't partake in hired planes which have been sitting on the tarmac for 6 months without any activity (we found this out later by running the tail number. Make sure you thank the Captain next time when safely back on the ground!

What's the Point?

 

Six randomly grabbed knives, they all sport different tip designs and if I grab another 6 from the bag, then these will also be different!

WHAT'S THE POINT????

by BCT

Recently a subscriber asked me to make a video on the different knife tips out there and discuss their usefulness.

So in order to make that video I first thought I'd write something about it here:

There are so many knife designs now they have basically come full circle, in that designs are copying designs and those copied designs can usually all be found with some ancestors sitting behind glass in museums around the globe!

 Certainly this is my experience. However, for a knife to of any practical purpose it foremost must be able to cut well and have a point in order to penetrate. Anything after this is just a bonus (if correctly designed!).

For example: In the latter case we may see the addition of serrations; a choil; gimping; swedge; saw; line cutter; wire breaker etc etc. Following this we may see some sort of what I call "funky blade design" almost always but not exclusively, in order to market the knife-usually (but not always) to the uninitiated. 

 

Saw back knives are an option although not "everyone's cup of tea"!

Nor are serrations although i would argue serrations are mandatory for any serious outdoor knife.

Is it possible to have a thick chunk of steel that cuts well? Yes this is possible but to to take this idea further we need to define what we mean by cutting and cutting exactly what? Because cutting ropes is one thing but cutting up your camp meal is another.

In general knives which are too thick close to the edge will make cutting up rigid foods a bit difficult. (eg hard tuberous vegetables.).

Clean cuts as in slicing is very difficult with such  blade design as above, which is great for chopping and cutting but not slicing through vegetables or fruits. Note the almost broken surfaces of the onions.

Can one knife do it all? Of course not.

Different surfboards for different waves.

Now just because it cuts well does not mean it is easy to sharpen. Anything other than totally straight edges will always require somewhat more skill to learn to sharpen than only straight edges, fact. Any blade which has a portion of it's design as a recurve, ie the blade curves inwards, will provide a more challenging surface to keep sharp. For example but again not limited to:

The mighty Cudeman, super thick spine 299B Biona Verde. Tactical as but hard to sharpen with just one type of abrasive due to the irregular blade edge. Since this picture was taken I have further modified the handle as I felt it was not really all that ergonomic for my hands. The ONLY reason this knife works is that it has a hollow grind otherwise putting a flat grind on it just wouldn't work. (N695).But do not think it is a chopper because it isn't. Why? Because of the hollow grind, it's a thin blade profile and only penetrates well but does nothing to force out the cut wood, unlike the thick profile of a hatchet or axe. This is a knife for cutting ability and bashing things with the thick spine.

The easiest edges to maintain are by far those which are basically straight. here we see the Fulcrum S from Extrema Ratio which has only 2 straight edges. (N690) or the Mighty Big Brother of the Fulcrum S, the Extrema Ratio FULCRUM (this model in Desert camouflage), a very capable knife which is definitely in the "survival class". More on this model a little later.

For a super easy way to keep the edge keen I use a black marker pen and 1500 grit/grade Silicon Carbide paper resting on a neoprene mouse mat. Dragging not pushing in this case.

Marking the edge with a black marker pen allows one to see how even their strokes are and that they are actually sharpening the blade and NOT BLUNTING IT!

The quintessential "DROP POINT" as seen in my LionSteel  M7 an iconic product from LionSteel in Italy. One curve and one straight edge. (Sleipner tool steel). This is a big knife but in reality a small cutting edge. The point is good enough for hunting but the knife in reality is to heavy and big for long arduous tasks, such as skinning. However, it excels at processing big fish!

Another iconic blade, the AITOR OSSO BLACO (OLIVIO-this just means it has a Olive wood handle), featuring a generalist Bowie design with pronounced recurvature of the blade in a semi hollow grind. Time consuming to sharpen but thanks to the quality steel, it stays sharp for a long time even with hard use. (Aitor proprietary stainless). If one sharpen the upper swedge then it is great for gutting fish. As one can see it has a very pronounced tip.

Let's discuss what "Multipurpose" could mean?

When I hear this terminology, I think of the following (but not limited to):

Prying

Stabbing

Cutting

chopping

Hacking

Drilling (with the point)

Diving (if you have to-therefore to satisfy this criterion it must               be made from stainless steel)

Used as a foothold to gain height

etc.

I do not think of fishing or hunting when I read "multipurpose". 

However, a true multipurpose knife MUST feature a sharp point tip: here is a good example, sharp pointy tip, robust design and also featuring serrations.

However, can such a knife which satisfies the above be ok for some outdoor pursuits? (if you had to?)- it's a bit like taking a mountain bike cycle touring when one might be better off with actually taking a hybrid bike with panniers (been there done his many times with both types of bikes-in a later blog for sure!).

The answer, could be yes (dependent upon circumstances).

Let's say one was going to hike some rugged coastline, supplement their dietary needs with some fishing and maybe even some impromptu diving along the way. Planning also to light some fires if wood is available? My experience in such adventures is that even on THE most remote beach, ocean currents and tides providing-(Know your prevailing currents and tides) lots of rubbish gets washed ashore, including pallets and natural drift wood. 

Pallets can be plentiful on some beaches (such a shame) but are very difficult to bust up by hands alone. Being able to prise them apart  can really help out with using them for fire wood. This requires either a stout machete, parang or a very stout knife. 

There is no reason to take a stainless steel knife diving which has a synthetic grip which will soak up the sea water. That means Micarta is OUT! Kraton and Forprene are good, G10 possibly depends upon the finish.

Being able to thoroughly clean a knife after dunking/swimming in the sea is a must. Can you remove a grip/scales without specialist tools?

The very strong (but not indestructible) Extrema Ratio Fulcrum S being used to lever off a hardwood plank on a wooden bin.

This type of blade profile can be sharpened with basically anything from some carbide paper to dedicated sharpening instruments.

Now that that is out of the way, let's discuss knife tips.

 When I think of outdoor knives I think of knives primarily used for preparing food. For me a knife must also be sharp, not necessarily deadly sharp but sharp enough to cut through fish skin (a good test). If you are considering hunting and fishing then a big thick blade will not be as useful as thinner (5mm and under) for hunting and fishing. The shape will play a big role too in how comfortable or practical it will be to use over a long period of time.

Can hunting (specific) knives be any good for also around the camp?

Answer: of course! But it depends upon if you are camping and hunting or you walked in and are camping because if you are camping not10 yards away from your vehicle, then you can indeed bring the "Kitchen sink" and any argument about what knife is best becomes irrelevant. If however, you are walking in then "less is always best" anything else is BS!

Here is a knife which will serve you well for hunting and also preparing all food around the campsite.

There is nothing I can not do with this knife for hunting up to medium sized game (large wild goats/pigs) to preparing the evening meal around the camp at the end of the day; all with the same knife! The LINDER Super Edge 2, with a tip shape very close to that of a butcher's knife profile.

Here is another great hunting knife from FOX (N690).

What about hacking down a tree to cross a swollen creek? Is this a reality? I would say this can be. I have been in situations where I wanted to cross a swollen mountain stream, too cold to get wet (ice melt) and too foolish to get wet or worse fall over whilst crossing it. One may need to fell some small saplings, without an axe or saw this can be difficult with only a lighter knife.

You're going to need to carry a bigger knife (or saw or hatchet)

My FOX (FKMD) PARUS, designed for light chopping and cutting! (believe it or not!). Pair this knife with a folding saw (if you have the room) then you will be set for some adventures off the regular track/paths (if permitted).

 What about a Clip Point?

For example, you might think that a clip point blade would be ideal for a hunting knife to do skinning and it certainly has a good point in order to start cuts but in reality they suck at this because the tip curvature is not enough to put your hands in a comfortable position and the tip is just too pointy for fast skinning. Thus trying to use a clip point blade for large jobs skinning (especially if you don' want to accidentally puncture the hide) can be very uncomfortable- I know i tried this, there is simply not enough "belly".

For an experiment, once as a test,  I did indeed bring 2 knives on a bowhunting trip, a PUMA hunting knife and my trusty (but not for hunting) Ontario Spec Plus- a pronounced "clip point'

Trying to skin with it nearly buggered my wrists and eventually gave up and went back to my dedicated hunting knife (PUMA Hunter's Friend-made in 1974!).

For skinning, one wants their hands to be as close to the hide as possible for the best control in order not to accidentally pierce the hide. -In general- hence good skinning knives have a largish belly region and may be part of a pair of knives used to dress out your game and they are generally not very long for better wrist control and less fatigue. (Note the longer the blade the grater the leverage is-but in a reverse order- you don't want this for skinning.

Fishing is a different matter as a good knife here must without any doubt have a good point tip in order to start at the vent to gut the fish.

The tip should be one of the sharpest regions on the blade along with the area closest to the ricasso IMHO.

BIG BIG CHOPPERS

Sure, big choppers such as this beast from WorktuffGear, the Nomad, (Japanese SK85 tool steel) can indeed prepare food, possible hunting and fishing and cutting open (but not down off the tree-it's too short) coconuts. But it is heavy! Fine for a vehicle or some sort of transport.

Two variations of the "tanto" wakazashi style blade as seen in these two fixed blades from Extrema Ratio. The blade in the lower image can also be used for "push cutting' and is actually a very versatile knife from ER. Note the difference between these 2 tanto type tips, the lower one having a slight curvature, the upper one being totally straight, hence the lower one necessitates some skill to maintain the slightly curved edge.

You can slice with such a knife!

"Drilling" a divot into hardwood is not a problem for these Extrema Ratio Tanto tipped knives- seen here the Fulcrum NFG "drilled into" dead and seasoned Elm tree log.

A drop point with a tip swedge will always help for penetration but better if the swedge is sharpened! The Kizlyar Supreme Dominus, a superb no nonsense highly durable tactical knife in AUS8 stainless. It also comes with a very tactical scabbard carry system.

A most excellent knife the LINDER SUPER EDGE 5 (seen in the above 2 images, made with genuine Japanese Hitachi ATS-34 stainless). This knife has an excellent tip.

Heavy (in the handle-i does have a glass breaker end, so this makes sense), almost indestructible but thin enough for preparing food. Military intended, the Spirit Soldier from RAIDOPS (Böhler's D2) can do the job if one isn't concerned about weight. However, neither of these two above knives are any good for hunting. The LINDER SUPER EDGE 5 though is just fine for fishing, the Spirit soldier can be used but overly heavy.

Another big boy "survival" knife, the Kizlyar Supreme Survivalist fixed blade, my model in AUS8. At 5mm thick it reaches a good compromise, easily hack open coconuts to preparing evening meal, or chop a palm down for food.

Big knife, big adventure. Extrema Ratio AMF. THIS is NOT a general camping and hunting knife, this is for going outback for some time. Or up that mangrove, crocodile infested river but with "a paddle" LOL! (make sure it's tied on so you don't drop it overboard!)

The Extrema Ratio TASK J, (N690) made for the Austrian military commandos. A truly well-thought out combat/survival knife. But again , not a hunting knife for "living off the land" (although fishing for food is good). This has a sort of "sheep's foot tip, very unusual for a fixed blade and more commonly seen amongst older style folders. The upper edge is sharpened and this type of tip provides a very effective penetrating knife. The blade requires some skill to sharpen because it is entirely of a convex shaped edge. It is an incredibly strong design bordering like the spirit soldier on being indestructible, although as Extrema Ratio like to say, no knife is indestructible including theirs! 

Finally, on this note I'd like to point out that indeed no knife is indestructible and should one find themselves erring on the side of abusing their tools, then you should consider the consequences of what situation you might be in if you break it and readjust your behaviour towards your knife (or any tool for that matter).

Addendum: Don't get too hung up** about the knives (or brands) I used in the above examples, they were just what were on hand at the time of writing this article. If I chose again there would no doubt be another different bunch of knives from "out of the bag" so to speak. I just wanted to emphasise the differences in tips and functions as I see it. I'm sure all of you have your own views here based upon your experiences and they of course could/would be totally different to mine.

**So basically what I'm trying to say here is, don't get political on me. This blog and channel I strive to keep "non political" over the years. There are countless blogs and channels out there discussing similar topics with political slants, this is not one of them.

BushCampingTools

updated on the 6/3/2022

2022

s once as a test, where I did indeed bring 2 knives, a PUMA hunting knife and my trusty (but not for hunting) Ontario Spec Plus-

nearly buggered my wrists trying to skin with it and eventually gave up and went back to my dedicated hunting knife.

For skinning, one wants their hands to be as close to the hide as possible for the best control in order not to accidentally pierce the hide. -In general- hence good skinning knives have a largish belly region and may be part of a pair of knives used to dress out your game.

Fishing is a different matter as a good knife here must without any doubt have a good point tip in order to start at the vent to gut the fish.

The tip should be one of the sharpest regions on the blade along with the area closest to the ricasso IMHO.

whilst a clip point