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My new knife

TidalWave

TidalWave

Professional
Wasn’t sure whether to post here or the Gear thread, but anywho…
Kabar bk62 (Kephart)

My new knife, sort of a cross between a minimalist survival knife and a basic camp/ outdoors generalist blade. Whichever, whatever, I think it rocks.

Horace Kephart, some sort of earlier 1900s NE woodsman apparently designed it. Also authored at least 1 outdoors book.

Full tang for strength, blade length 5” & handle 4.5” (actual grippy part ~4.25”)…. Appears very good edge for production knife - but we’ll have to see.
Straightforward functional shape, although no crossguard makes this lean rather more to utility than SD (other than last resort). I’ve always said 6” min is my standard for a sheath knife, but must say this one seems more than useful. Wide blade will take on a patina with use, but if it’ll polish to ‘like new’ it can flash a sunlight reflection for signaling easily.
Pics below, even paired with my SS springer Garrison .45, and my good ol’ Rothco tactical fleece jacket (part of my back of the SUV layering gear). F0ED6DA3-530B-4426-A85E-EB32C5B2F6A1.jpeggear).8F43BEFB-DEB2-4E22-A7E5-F9AF09BF9706.jpegDA76C8DA-7CBD-4A69-8565-7B7CB2BB0813.jpegB3F8C414-CCF8-4334-A0B1-187E83F7F669.jpeg
 
Nice blade, old design by Horace Kephart. An oldie but just as good as it was back then for a camp type knife. As you alluded to, take care using it as a skinner so fingers do not end on blade. I have a compendium of reproduction Marbles catalogs which has that design they made for a time.
 
Wannabewoodsman said:
Woodsman don't use the big blades to skin game. That what the pocket knife is for. That knife is a camp knife: making gear, splitting wood, cutting down trees (small ones), cooking etc.
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Nah, I wouldn’t want to use it as a skinning knife either - although those old Green River mountain man knives were kinda similar…

Of course, in a life/death survival situation, you use a piece of broken glass if that’s what you’ve got :).
 
The large vs small knife debate seem to be a more recent among more modern woods walkers, probably akin to the 9mm vs 45 acp debate in firearm circles. Modern woodsman seem to be strongly in obe camp or the other. I find both handy, and use and carry both. I have cleaned deer just as well with a 6 in Green River as I have with a smaller blade. The larger is better for splitting the pelvis.

Having studied knives for better than 50 years I can say there are no absolutes. I usually look to those who lived and died by thier choices. Woodsman of yore carried large knives and small knives, and yes, sometimes a pocket knife, but the pocket knife was the least carried if what I have seen runs true.

If you look at surviving knives, a good source for pictures is The knife in homespun America, pocket knives are probably the smallest group, but still plentiful enough as to have been popular. I've a theory that many were more popular in populated areas where belt knives were less common. But yet the man wanted a cutting implement close to hand. One must remember that the longhunter lived and died by thier blades, and a knife with a pivot and no lock was more fragile, and dangerous, and requiring of more maintenance. This is why I think that although used, they were generally less popular.

I think the Barlow type was one of the most popular later in the 1700s. A lot of soldiers seemed to carry them as they fit in thier kit bags easily. One use for the smaller fixed blade was attached to the bag strap and used to cut patches for muzzleloading rifles.

Skinning knives, generally 3 to 6 inches, were one of the hardest used knives, and yes the old green river skinners are good examples. These knives were used for darn near everything in the wilderness. Trappers would buy a number of them for thier long sojourns in the wilds. Back then the Level of detail on hides was much less than today. Today the small pocket knife excels at small fine detail work around eyes, claws etc. required for top pelt prices in todays market.

Belt and camp axes were much more popular for chopping chores than a large heavy knife. IN THE USA. In Scandanavia they have the traditional large leukko which is used for chopping and camp work along with axes. And in tropical climates large knives like the parang have been used for generations for chopping.

That is not to say that large choppers and fighters were not popular, they were. The long knife was a name given to hunters by the indigenous peoples. And the bowie knife became wildly popular. Both were used for camp and fighting in.

Just some ideas I have gleaned over my lifetimes of love for knives.
 
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Sld1959 said:
Surprisingly, I have been amazed by the use of a double edged knife by some experienced woodsman. This I akways thought to be unknown relatively.
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I personally prefer single edged blades and single bit axes. Less chance of being injured. Double bits certainly have their uses in felling and bucking trees and my prized axe is a 1937 chemical sager which is a double bit. I wouldn't take it camping but would use it for the home.

I also keep a pocket knife and a larger fixed bladed knife in addition to a felling axe or camp axe. Depends on the trip. A 2 pound axe can do a lot of work
 
Sld1959 said:
The large vs small knife debate seem to be a more recent among more modern woods walkers, probably akin to the 9mm vs 45 acp debate in firearm circles. Modern woodsman seem to be strongly in obe camp or the other. I find both handy, and use and carry both. I have cleaned deer just as well with a 6 in Green River as I have with a smaller blade. The larger is better for splitting the pelvis.

Having studied knives for better than 50 years I can say there are no absolutes. I usually look to those who lived and died by thier choices. Woodsman of yore carried large knives and small knives, and yes, sometimes a pocket knife, but the pocket knife was the least carried if what I have seen runs true.

If you look at surviving knives, a good source for pictures is The knife in homespun America, pocket knives are probably the smallest group, but still plentiful enough as to have been popular. I've a theory that many were more popular in populated areas where belt knives were less common. But yet the man wanted a cutting implement close to hand. One must remember that the longhunter lived and died by thier blades, and a knife with a pivot and no lock was more fragile, and dangerous, and requiring of more maintenance. This is why I think that although used, they were generally less popular.

I think the Barlow type was one of the most popular later in the 1700s. A lot of soldiers seemed to carry them as they fit in thier kit bags easily. One use for the smaller fixed blade was attached to the bag strap and used to cut patches for muzzleloading rifles.

Skinning knives, generally 3 to 6 inches, were one of the hardest used knives, and yes the old green river skinners are good examples. These knives were used for darn near everything in the wilderness. Trappers would buy a number of them for thier long sojourns in the wilds. Back then the Level of detail on hides was much less than today. Today the small pocket knife excels at small fine detail work around eyes, claws etc. required for top pelt prices in todays market.

Belt and camp axes were much more popular for chopping chores than a large heavy knife. IN THE USA. In Scandanavia they have the traditional large leukko which is used for chopping and camp work along with axes. And in tropical climates large knives like the parang have been used for generations for chopping.

That is not to say that large choppers and fighters were not popular, they were. The long knife was a name given to hunters by the indigenous peoples. And the bowie knife became wildly popular. Both were used for camp and fighting in.

Just some ideas I have gleaned over my lifetimes of love for knives.
Click to expand...
… you’re no doubt aware that the iconic Bowie knife supplanted the Tomahawk ‘almost overnight’ (I say that tongue in cheek) as the primary frontier tool, when it hit the scene ? It sort of parallels what happened between the flintlock and the percussion cap rifles…
( I’m going off memory of some old and very likely incomplete ‘research’ from when I was a kid - don’t pick it apart, haha !)
 
TidalWave said:
… you’re no doubt aware that the iconic Bowie knife supplanted the Tomahawk ‘almost overnight’ (I say that tongue in cheek) as the primary frontier tool, when it hit the scene ? It sort of parallels what happened between the flintlock and the percussion cap rifles…
( I’m going off memory of some old and very likely incomplete ‘research’ from when I was a kid - don’t pick it apart, haha !)
Click to expand...
Lol doesnt that tool grab the eye of every young man? If you read to the end I mention the popularity of the Bowie on the Anerican culture. You are quite correct the Bowie became an icon of the American, known to every European. Designed in the 1830s, it was a bit late for the longhunters and explorers which opened up the east and started westward expansion.

Did you know that it was so popular that schools popped up teaching it's use, and it was outlawed in some areas, there were even fights in the halls of congress where it was used.
 
LewisPLD said:
Great knife!! I'm looking for a slightly different knife. How about the Buck 104 Compadre? Similar to knives like the ESSEE-6 or Ka-Bar BK2.

I watched various reviews:
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That Buck 104 would be a great knife, no doubt ! The price is about the same as my Kephart BK62…

The only drawback to this Buck is the blade isn’t very long - for me, I like a fixed blade/sheath knife to be 6 inches (minimum 5.5 in).
But it all depends on what you intend it for….
 
LewisPLD said:
Great knife!! I'm looking for a slightly different knife. How about the Buck 104 Compadre? Similar to knives like the ESSEE-6 or Ka-Bar BK2.

I watched various reviews:
Click to expand...
In that same basic size I often recommend the Mora 2000 it's an amazingly cheap but effect knife you can beat up and not feel bad, and store copies in all your kits and not break the bank.

 
Here’s my Kephart BK62 with the Micarta handles I added, before and after…doesn’t look as great but better durability.
 

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