Choosing a Woods Knife

 A woods knife can be a plethora of things:  what you have on you, something custom made, something from a chain store.  However, if you want to have more success than just trying to wing it, there are some features that you want to have in that knife.  This is a list of things that in my 40 years of playing in the woods I have found to be very helpful.  

Right off the bat are the many styles of blade.  I prefer the spear point blade.  This basically looks like a spear when viewed form the side.  Not to be confused with a dagger which is sharp on both edges, a spear point will be a full flat, convex, or scandi grind.  I’d say choose the grind you’re most familiar with sharpening in the field.  Strictly woods use, I’d go scandi.  Don’t confuse the grind for the shape (or for the geometry of the sharpened edge either).  A spear point knife will have the tip in line with the center of the knife.  This will help you drill holes while having the butt of the handle in your palm and twisting to make a hole in a fire board for example.   

Also with the blade itself, I want a sharpened spine.  The more work you can perform with the spine and save the edge for actual cutting, the better.  This will help you scrape down a branch to make a tinder bundle and do other scraping chores.  The spine is also great for striking a ferro rod (remember, hold the knife, pull the ferro rod).  Lastly, I want a steel I can easily sharpen in the field.  There’s 2 schools of thought here: you either want something softer that sharpens easily, or pretty hard that will hold an edge longer.  If you’re in the bush long enough any knife is going to get dull so I’d want the one I can easily sharpen.  Give me a good O1, 1095, or 1075.  Something with some carbon in it, something hardened to NOT over 59, something I can tune up with my leather belt or the sheath. 

Next I prefer a wood handle.  It gets a nice patina from use, is usually lighter than some other materials and can easily be made to have some texture for extra grip when your hands are wet.  I’ll take removable scales if I can get them but it’s not a deal breaker.  I’d like the option to lash that knife to a longer pole for reaching out if necessary.  So, either no scales or scales you can carve a couple grooves in will help lots with lashing.  

Finally, I want a leather dangler sheath.  I prefer running that sheath through the standard belt loop but I want that dangler on there for my mini-sharpening strop.  I can either use my belt for stropping or that little dangler.  Have a small flat rock for getting the burr back and then the leather for stropping that final edge. I'll also have as much para cord wrapped around the bottom of that sheath as I can get.  That’s about it.  Spear point,  scandi grind, sharp spine, wood scales (removable if possible), and a leather sheath.

Scott Wickham Jr.