Damascus Camp Knife, Hand Forged Clip Point with Rosewood Handle

A camp knife is the one you take when you only want to carry one. It is shorter and plainer than a bowie and built to work all day. This one has a 6 inch clip point blade in hand forged Damascus, rosewood scales pinned to a full tang and no guard, and it measures 11 inches overall. It goes to people who want one blade for cord, kindling and cooking.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark layers show, with the bevel polished mirror bright. At 6 inches it is short enough to control near the tip and long enough to reach through firewood. The clip point lowers the tip so the knife still bores and traces a line. Where a bowie puts its length out in front, this keeps the work close to your hand. The core is carbon, so it patinas and will rust if left wet.

The handle

Rosewood is dense and close in the grain, and it takes a finish that stays grippy rather than going slick when your hands are damp. The scales are pinned with brass to a full tang, steel unbroken from tip to butt, which is what lets you lean on the knife without the handle working loose. There is no guard, because on a camp knife the handle shape does that job and the knife rides flatter on a belt without one.

The leather sheath

The sheath is cut for this exact knife, so the blade seats deep and does not rattle. The leather is vegetable tanned. A wide belt loop is stitched to the back, a strap with a snap closes over the handle, and a welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching never sits against the sharpened side. All the stitching is done by hand. The face is hand tooled with a basket weave stamp inside a carved border, each impression struck separately. Most listings say leather sheath and leave it there.

Who it suits

This is the knife for someone who wants one blade in the pack that handles most of the jobs at camp, and the Damascus makes it good enough to hand over as a gift.

• Campers carrying a single fixed blade
• Bushcraft users making feather sticks and kindling
• Cooks who want a knife that works at the fire

What comes in the box

• The Damascus camp knife
• The tooled leather belt sheath
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Each knife is forged, ground and finished by hand, so no two come out alike. The Damascus pattern never repeats, the rosewood shifts in color, and the tooling sits deeper on some sheaths than others. Yours will be its own piece.

Looking after it

Wash and dry it by hand. Never the dishwasher, since that voids the warranty, and never leave it wet inside the sheath. The gray patina that builds with use is normal and protects the steel. Oil it lightly before storage, and let the leather dry away from heat. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. No pull through sharpeners. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and a longer message sits better on the sheath. Clean line art marks well, photographs do not. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

How is a camp knife different from a bowie? It is shorter and plainer with no guard and works as a general tool. A bowie is far longer and built around its clip point.

Why does it have no guard? The handle shape does that job at this length, and it carries flatter.

What is it used for? Cutting cord, feather sticks, kindling and cooking at camp.

Is it full tang? Yes, unbroken steel from tip to butt with pinned scales.

Will it look like the photo? No, the pattern, the wood and the tooling differ on every piece.

How long until it ships? Most orders in the United States arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

For a synthetic handle, see the Damascus camp knife in green micarta, and for plain carbon steel there is the hand forged camp knife in stacked leather. The rest sit in bowie and camp knives, Damascus steel, and rosewood handle knives.