My question is what makes a good camp knife,I would like something on the large side,but how thick should the blade be,thanks Larry.
What are some things that describe it's range of duties? In your case.
Lin I'm wanting an all purpose knife,cut limbs around the stand to helping make a meal in camp.
If your making the blade I would go with either a shortened Bowie or a longer modified tanto giving the tip a little curve. If you are getting a pre-made, a Bowie is great but there's a lot of tacticals I would prefer to carry.
For an all around good camp knife I would go with a thicker blade giving it the backbone to chop anything from wood to bone and if you can find a nice tri laminated high carbon center even better. As for metal I would prefer a high quality Damascus for duration, sharpness an overall looks.
My all time favorite "camp knife " is the kukri it is amazing. I use it to chop cut and cook. They are great for hacking a bone in half or skinning. The thickness gives it great weight and the angle cleaves branches in half.
Grinch,
I have always tried to limit a Camp Knife to 10 inch blade and 15 inches over all length. Why? Because the tendency is to think bigger is better. It might be cool and even necessary to make a larger knife, but setting that size limit usually allows plenty of room to design a great knife for camping chores while being able to cook, etc. with it too. I personally like a 5 1/4 inch handle so I borrow a little off the blade and still set the limit at 15. 9 3/4 inch blade and 5 1/4 inch handle.
Here is a picture of the big bowie in the other thread balanced on my finger. Notice that even though it is a 12 inch blade the balance point has been moved back the same as if it were a 9 or 10 inch blade. That's the value of distal taper.
A bowie is hard to beat, but I tweak the design and make a knife that I think is specific for camping. A good knife like described is a real tool and is a pleasure to carry and use. I like the ricasso to be about .300 thick with good distal taper. This moves the balance toward the center near the guard and makes the knife feel lighter than it really is.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8425/7734475540_4365b78f76_c.jpg)
I agree with Lin on the size and balance. Searching the achieves here you will probably find several labeled camp knife that will give you ideas.
I prefer a good high carbon mono steel for my camp knife. My camp knife gets much use and I can touch up the finish to remove some minor scratches that would require more work to get looking good than if it were Damascus.
Great heat treat with proper edge geometry allows you to take on any camp chores. I can go from slicing tomatoes to building brush blinds and only worry if I get bark or debris in my dinner.
Chris
Thanks to all for the replys.Larry