Custom Made Camp Knives Can Change Your Experience In The Field

Apr 27 2020 - 2:00

Reflect for a moment, what makes a good camp knife? A camp knife, like a tool for everyday carry, must be one of the most versatile tools in your arsenal, able to perform the maximum number of tasks for a single item while making as few compromises as possible. Generally, a camp knife is a knife that you keep around camp for anything you could ever need a knife for while in the field. There are knives for boning, caping, skinning, fileting, gutting, carving, chopping and more, and each of these, more or less, has a specific design of its own. A camp knife should be able to handle any of these tasks when called upon - not necessarily perfectly, but acceptably. Thin blades do not excel at chopping, but heavy blades lack the dexterity and finesse required to process small or fragile game or create fine detail in wood while crafting cooking utensils. As a result, some camp knives are large, heavy and stout.

Given the fact that a camp knife should be able to execute any task that might arise around a campsite, even tasks that are reserved for other tools like axes or a chef’s knife, one will find a fair variety in the design of a camp knife. One thing, however, remains fairly universal, and that is a commitment to versatility.

Knife makers invest a lot of time and research into developing camp knives that can handle the rigors of your chores and projects in the bush. That being the case, life can be made quite more amenable when you do some searching for custom made camp knives.

You can go with any commercially produced knife for tasks around your campsite or outpost, but the truth is, it may or may not work as you want it to. On the other hand, investing in custom made camp knives gives you the ability to put together the perfect blend of blade, handle scales, and sheath to efficiently tackle your outdoor endeavors. A custom created knife system gives you the ability to spec out the knife, sheath and accessories to tailor the system to best suit your preferences. Some of those preferences may include adding a ferrocerium rod, a sheath that gives you the ability to change your method of draw and how it sits on your belt, and between a leather or Kydex sheath. You’ll also have various choices that affect the visual appeal of the knife, and let’s face it, everyone loves a knife that looks awesome.

Ultimately, building out a custom camp knife will make you more efficient in tackling outdoor cutting tasks. You’ll be freed from the need to take what you get from what is effectively a list in a catalog. When you can choose the blade that suits your needs and then outfit the blade with handle scales, a sheath and accessories you’ll need to tackle those camp chores, you’ll be more comfortable and confident while you’re in the field.

So now that you’ve seen how much additional benefit you can get from the creation of your own custom camp knife, it’s time to check out what the custom knife builder at The Knife Connection can do for you. With a wide selection of extremely popular blades from TOPS Knives, Ontario Knife Company and ESEE Knives, The Knife Connection is perfectly poised to help you spec out a custom camp knife to take on your next outdoor adventure. The Knife Connection enables you to pick the type of blade you find ideal for your camp knife and then pair it with your choice of handle scales (available in a multitude of colors), after which you’ll be able to select a sheath in Kydex or leather for comfort of carry and ease of draw. Then you can finish off your knife system with accessories like a firesteel loop, paracord and accessory pouches to truly put the finishing touches on your custom camp knife system. Take a look at The Knife Connection’s Custom Knife Builder to find your next camp knife.

Our Custom Knife Builder
Our custom knife builder will make it easy for you to put together a camp knife system that prepares you for the challenges of camping and bushcraft. You can design a system around the blank of your favorite blade and tailor it to your liking, down to the finish on the blade.

Take a blade blank for a knife such as the ESEE 6. The ESEE 6 is a great blade blank out of which you can craft a capable camp knife. Its 3/16” thick blade makes it great for batoning and creating camp essentials like stakes and spits. It is also comfortable and properly balanced enough to take on more delicate operations. If you appreciate the look and feel of the ESEE 6, we can make it easy for you to build a whole system out of that blade blank.

With our Knife Builder, you start with the blade blank and add the scales to it that give it the finish you want for your ESEE 6. If you want a darker pattern to conceal you better in the brush, we have scales in darker colors and patterns that lean to the side of camouflage. However, a common problem when working in the field is the loss of a knife due to lack of contrasting colors. Hunters and campers have absentmindedly put down a knife only to lose it in leaf litter. Our Knife Builder lets you add scales in colors like hunter orange to give your knife contrast as a much needed precaution against accidental loss.

After you fit your blank with scales we let you pick the sheath you want to pair with the knife. In this case we offer a Kydex sheath that gives you excellent blade security and protection. It also offers you the modularity to attach any of multiple accessories to the sheath to complete your system. This Kydex sheath also gives you the freedom to change up the way you carry your ESEE 6.

Another thing that’s great about a modular sheath system like this is the flexibility it gives you to add and remove accessories as you see fit. With our custom knife builder we offer fire steel loops and pouches that you can add right to the sheath. We can also set you up with the ferrocerium rods to keep with your knife so that you won’t be caught unprepared in the field. Finish off your custom camp knife with a length of paracord. Weave yourself a lanyard to improve the security of carrying your ESEE 6. Wrap the excess paracord around the Kydex sheath to make it quieter and afford yourself an emergency supply of cordage at the same time. You never know when you might find it pressing to build a fire in the field or to lash together the joints of a makeshift shelter at a moment’s notice.

The point is, preparation pays off, and with our custom knife builder you can be especially well prepared. A little know how and the right equipment can go a long way. But all this functionality is only one small part of the package we offer with our custom Knife Builder. If you find the ESEE 6 does not meet your needs for a camp knife, you can start out with any of many blanks from equally popular models.

For example, to get the full effect of the utility of our custom Knife Builder you only have to look at what we can offer you in a model like the ESEE 4. The ESEE 4 is one of the most popular knives for camp use and hunting in the country because its size and profile make it effective for many bushcraft tasks. If you’re looking for a model like the ESEE 4, we offer much greater ability to customize the knife to your liking, along with several of our own exclusive offerings to give the knife more functionality.

In a handle for your custom ESEE 4 you can take your pick from among the colors and patterns that appeal to you as explained above. But we also offer extended handle scales for the ESEE 4 in our custom builder to give added length to the knife handle. You might like a little extra surface area in the handle of a camp knife for more comfort and leverage when needed. Our extended handles will be what you want.

If you pick a model like the ESEE 4, the Kydex sheaths we offer in our custom knife builder give you a great amount of flexibility in carry. You can mount them to a pack, a belt or use a variety of molle compatible arrangements. Best of all, we don’t just offer Kydex sheaths for the ESEE 4. You might prefer the silence and comfort of leather, and we offer handsome sheaths in our knife builder that present the comfort, flexibility and noise reduction of leather while securing the knife.If you prefer the freedom of dangle carry, you can pick a sheath from our knife builder to give you that option.

As with the ESEE 6, we offer accessories for your system like ferrocerium rods and loops for carrying them, paracord as well as sheath pouches for other accessories like emergency items. It’s remarkably easy to put together a system with our custom knife builder to get exactly that functionality from your camp knife that you want, and when you’re in camp, that functionality will pay off tenfold.

Yet these are only a few of the many combinations we offer in our custom made camp knives. Take a look on our page at our custom knife builder and you will be able to put together a system out of your favorite platform. We can help you build a custom TOPS, ESEE or Ontario Knife that includes all the tools you’ll want to have right on your hip when you’re in camp.

A Custom Made Knife Gives You Extra Versatility
Flexibility and the ability to perform a great number of tasks are two very important features that any outdoor tool should possess, regardless of the brand stamped on it. Buying custom made camp knives will enable you to tailor the features not just of the knife, but of the whole system, to your exact preferences.

If you start with a blade blank like the ESEE 4 described above, you’ll already be starting out with a very versatile knife. However, when you customize its features, you end up with a finished product that brings you so much more versatility in the field. The addition of a ferrocerium rod will give you the ability to produce fire in a pinch. The addition of paracord will provide you with cordage for much needed lashing that might otherwise be absent. Even if you forgo options like these by opting for a leather sheath, for example, you’ll be reaping different benefits. A leather sheath will be quieter and more comfortable in the field which is an attribute you might very much want as a hunter.

Regardless of the system you design, custom made camp knives give you specialized utility that you put together yourself which you will not find elsewhere. If you know what you need from a knife and just how to get there with the right accessories, you might be able to find exactly what you’re looking for in our custom knife builder. Take a look on our custom knife builder page and see what we offer.