Bark River Knives

[bearfacedkiller]

I have done well buying them used, mostly on BF.

Also, they seem to price the more popular models higher. If you want a Bravo or Aurora you are gonna have to pay for it. They are both too thick for my tastes.

I have mostly sought out their thinner knives and they are not their most popular models. The Kephart4, Mini Kephart, Bobcat Hunter and Mountain Man are all 2.5mm stock or less. The Kephart5 is about 3mm. The others are thicker but nowhere near as thick as a Bravo. I do love that Bravo handle though!

[bearfacedkiller]

Ive never been one to consider, or even be able to legally carry a fixed blade besides when camping so I haven't really given them much thought. These are some beautiful knives you guys/gal have posted. So I just looked them up...quite pricey!! Makes me wish I had a use for them, I'd get at least one to try it out! Love those handles.

Is that a Syracuse law? I didn’t know NY had a law against fixed blades? I carry one sometimes when I am there.

[bearfacedkiller]

The Mountain Man model reminds me of my grandparents old kitchen knives. They are carbon steel with heavy patina, wooden handles and that general blade shape above but due to 80 years of sharpening not by design. Kind of a sleeper design IMO, underrated

Is is just a traditional butcher knife pattern with modern materials. This was the most common knife pattern on the frontier because they were shipping them to the colonies by the barrel, literally. They traded lots of them to the natives in exchange for fur.

Old Hickory (owned by Ontario Knives) still makes basic ones for cheap.

[bearfacedkiller]

Wilderness Explorer with green canvas micarta and CPM Cruwear
Clip Point Hunter with black canvas micarta and CPM 3V
Bobcat Hunter with brown jigged bone and CPM154

[Pancake]

Wilderness Explorer with green canvas micarta and CPM Cruwear
Clip Point Hunter with black canvas micarta and CPM 3V
Bobcat Hunter with brown jigged bone and CPM154

Hey Darby, any experience with Camp and Trail?
I am kinda on the fence because of the stock thickness, it's 4.8 mm.
Wilderness Explorer is very nice.....but Ankerson Bowie is cheaper here.

[bearfacedkiller]

No experience with the Camp and Trail. The Clip Point hunter is similar and has thinner stock. The Wilderness explorer is quite a bit bigger than both.

Ankerson's knife looks great and is high on my wishlist. I see it as more of a camp knife while the Wilderness Explorer is more of a hunting/survival knife. If I was lost in the woods I would prefer the Province. If I was going on a backcountry elk hunt where I might get lost I would bring the Wilderness Explorer. As a general purpose knife the Clip Point Hunter is better than both. Just depends how you want to use it.

I got my Wilderness Explorer quite a while ago and paid about $220. They have come up quite bit since then though. A couple have popped up on Bladeforums lately for about what I paid. Not to push you over the edge or anything but it may be my favorite fixed blade. I like bigger knives though.

[Pancake]

Yeah, it's very nice, but it's more or less the same, buy I. Europe for full price or buy cheaper in USA and then pay shipping and taxes and other crap.
Have to think about it.

[bearfacedkiller]

Here I am exploring some wilderness with the Wilderness Explorer. Camel’s Hump State Park, Vermont.

[bearfacedkiller]

Three dirty knives after breaking down a deer. Kephart4, Clip Point Hunter and a Mora Flex.

[bearfacedkiller]

Some size comparisons.

[Pancake]

Darby, if I ever buy that Wilderness Explorer, it will be your fault.

[spyderg]

So funny that this thread popped up not long after I ordered a Bark River! Takes a while to ship here but it arrived today. PSK EDC in Cruwear from DLT.

Haven’t used it yet to comment on anything more than first impressions. F&F not quite perfect but nothing to complain about either. I guess for the price I was expecting perfection though. The sheath is decent, nothing to write home about but it’ll do the job. The edge is great except right at the heel but I’ll fix that the first time it needs sharpening. Ergos in all grips seem really nice, (I’ll know better after some use). While I can get a 4 finger grip, it’s really a 3 1/2 grip for me.

[SG89]

So funny that this thread popped up not long after I ordered a Bark River! Takes a while to ship here but it arrived today. PSK EDC in Cruwear from DLT. 0287BDE4-7211-4966-AE15-955FBD782B84.jpeg
Haven’t used it yet to comment on anything more than first impressions. F&F not quite perfect but nothing to complain about either. I guess for the price I was expecting perfection though. The sheath is decent, nothing to write home about but it’ll do the job. The edge is great except right at the heel but I’ll fix that the first time it needs sharpening. Ergos in all grips seem really nice, (I’ll know better after some use). While I can get a 4 finger grip, it’s really a 3 1/2 grip for me.

Nice scales!

[spyderg]

So funny that this thread popped up not long after I ordered a Bark River! Takes a while to ship here but it arrived today. PSK EDC in Cruwear from DLT. 0287BDE4-7211-4966-AE15-955FBD782B84.jpeg
Haven’t used it yet to comment on anything more than first impressions. F&F not quite perfect but nothing to complain about either. I guess for the price I was expecting perfection though. The sheath is decent, nothing to write home about but it’ll do the job. The edge is great except right at the heel but I’ll fix that the first time it needs sharpening. Ergos in all grips seem really nice, (I’ll know better after some use). While I can get a 4 finger grip, it’s really a 3 1/2 grip for me.

Nice scales!

Thnx! I’ve always been partial to denim micarta. This one was perfect since it has yellow liners, as close as it gets to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, blue and gold team colours. Current CFL champions!

[SG89]

If you were going to get a thin stock (sub 3mm) Bark river knife... Which would you get out of these 2 (or open to other bark river model suggestions): Fox River or Bird and Trout? I am leaning towards the Fox River... The bird and trout is sub 2mm which seems almost too thin... I don't need to filet fish either.

[bearfacedkiller]

Did you decide SG?

I have been eyeing the bird and trout but haven’t yet. I probably wouldn’t EDC it but i do hunt small game a lot and fish all the time.

The Mini Fox River just looks too small for me. You have small hands so maybe it would work well for you.

As far as other models, I have the Mini Kephart and Bobcat Hunter which are both about 2.5mm and about as small as I like to go.

[SG89]

Haven't decided yet. Not considering the Mini Fox river.. Considering the featherweight fox river in elmax or 3v. The mini fox river is actually thicker bladestock than the regular or featherweight lol

[SG89]

Got this one on sale

[bearfacedkiller]

As a fan of historical blades I will say that the Dadley has been on my radar for a while. I think that is the same handle as the Mountain Man but with an almost kephart blade.

From what I read Kephart probably had experience with the Dadley pattern so it may have inspired him a little.

Interesting history is that the oldest Dadley didn’t have the “fish scaler” on the spine. There are a few theories as to why it was eventually added. I think that due to the very symmetrical design (originally they didn’t have the sharpening notch) it was added for safety so you tell which edge was the sharp one quickly. It doesn’t appear to have been added for any functional purpose that I am aware of.

Anyway, very nice SG! I bet it is slicey!

[bearfacedkiller]

Wow, a 5.75 inch blade made from .09 stock that weighs 5.6!ounces.

The modern overbuilt survival knife kills me. Fur trappers in 17th century Canada were genuinely surviving in the wild with knives like this.

Now you have me looking at one in Bocote. :)

Also looking at the U.P. Bravo. It is the Canadian Special blade on a Bravo handle. Looks great too. I just spent a ton on two new guns and a truckload of reloading supplies so I should resist.