I really liked Implumes post even though he pointed out a mistake I made.
However most of the Rosarms knives we get here are not made according to that weird Soviet law.


This reminds me of the "any knife over 4 inches is useless in the bush" argument.
I often use the Hudson bay knife as an example of a very useful big knife.
If the fur traders did not absolutly need a piece of equipment especially a heavy one they left it behind because there were long stretches were the had to portage
(carry everything in the canoe) from one waterway to another.
Here are 2 real Hudson Bay knives found near my town on the North Saskatchewan river which was the interstate of the fur trade.



I also have a old style butcher knife of the type used in the fur trade. It is a very soft carbon steel that does not hold an edge worth a crap but can be sharpened very easily. I can't seem to find the picture though.

Here is a great photo of a real mohawk trade knife that has been decorated. It is a good example of the thin bladed knives that were popular. Another reason the thin blades were popular besides economics's was their light weight both for the owner who wore it on the belt and the trader who had to carry it into the bush. The Green River knives are a great example as well.



A Tomahawk is not as good a chopper as an axe or hatchet and a lot of people don't understand them but their real advantage it how light they are. For the weight they can do a tremendous amount of work. I still like the Rodgers Rangers
guide as to gear. A rifle ,60 rounds of of ball and powder ,a belt knife and a hawk. I often carry the same gear now although my ball and powder are in a cartridge ,my knife is an SS4 and my Hawk was made in China.

Here is a very nice hawk made the same way as in the past.