CondorTool & Knife Hudson Bay Camp Knife - 1075 High Carbon Steel - Full Tang Walnut Handle with Hand Crafted Welted Leather Sheath - 8.4in Blade - 5mm Thick - 20.5oz

So this is basically a functional reproduction of the Hudson Bay knife distributed by the Hudson Bay fur trade company to its trappers in the 18th and 19th century. You might have seen a version in the 2015 film the Revenant used by Tom Hardy’s character. Very likely a precursor to the Bowie knife. Condor did an amazing job on this reproduction. It has a very primitive aesthetic to it. No flashiness, just a no nonsense workhorse. Neither too large or small. It was designed as both a camp and hunting knife. Mine came super sharp and has kept its edge during the last few months of chopping light firewood, chopping meat, and skinning both medium and large game. It has a full tang that fits fully through the wood grip as advertised. Due to the blade being high carbon steel, you want to keep it oiled. Despite having a thick strong heavy blade for hardy jobs it has no problem managing more culinary tasks. A joy to sharpen as well. Not much wear and tear to report. It comes with a very nice leather sheath that is neither too tight or too loose. Even though this knife will be durable to outlast me I will definitely be picking up a spare in the coming months.

This is a classic knife profile that got its name from the Hudson Bay Company. At one time, the HBC was the largest landowner in the continental North America long before the French and English settled there. This knife was in high demand at the time and the most widely used knife by the traders and trappers of the region who did business with HBC. And for good reason. It was a multi use knife that could handle a wide variety of tasks.I've seen many photos of original era knives and Condors Hudson Bay knife is keeping in the traditional profile and dimensions. This is a stout knife that is plenty thick enough for chopping tasks. With a convex edge, it should hold up great to such tasks. But it can also be used for food prep, scraping skins, quartering large game, etc. Of course not too many people nowadays make their own buckskins and such. Still, for the avid camper, this makes an excellent all round camp knife. Good steel for this type of knife too. It will hold an edge very well and sharpen easily, plus still be tough enough for chopping tasks. I was able to get the edge hair shaving sharp, which is not easy on a convex grind.The sheath is the same high quality leather sheath that Condor puts out with most of their knives. This particular sheath is a friction style sheath. meaning, there's no retaining strap. The knife is pushed down into the sheath until only part of the handle shows. The knife fits nice and snug in the sheath with no worry of it dropping out. I like how they used a wide swivel belt loop. This make it easier to draw the knife out.I wanted one of these style knives for my collection for a while. And looked at a lot of different Hudson Bay knives from different makers and a lot of them are fairly expensive with some upwards of $300 dollars. But when I saw Condors and measured all the pro and cons, it just came out on top. Sure you cane get a $300 Bark River Hudson Bay knife with A2 tool steel and micarta scales. OR, you spend about $35-40 on Condors which will do everything those will, and just as good, at a fraction of the cost. The choice is yours. For me I am quite happy with Condors Hudson Bay knife and would recommend it to anyone looking for this style knife or an excellent quality all around camp knife in general.

For under $40? A real bargain. Condor Tool and Knife makes no frills, heavy use knives. These aren't intended to be safe queens. They are made to be USED!The Hudson Bay is great. I consider this as something of a large camp/kitchen knife. It'll baton wood and such but, it's great for chopping things around the kitchen (not some granite counter top with Sub Zero fridges kitchen mind you). I simply LOVE the rustic finish on this. To me, scratches only add to the character of this knife. The handle is not very large and it's perhaps a bit slick but, this is a minor issue. The sheath, is as good as they come. Thick and heavy duty. Smells great too! Hey, I've seen custom sheaths for sale similar to these going for upwards of $50-$100! That makes this a super deal. The factory edge was so-so but, since I put my own edge on every blade I own, this is never an issue with me. I got it hair shaving sharp easily.As a knife collector, I sometimes find a brand I like and then have to buy every product they make. Fanatical. That's what my wife says of my "issue". This is the case with CT&K products now. I've since purchased 5 more of their products and they all impress me. The people that make these knives seem to know what really works out in the real world. Some people poo-poo these knives because they aren't D2 steel and don't have the fit/finish (and price) of some of the higher end bushcraft type knives/tools. But you know what? When you buy one of these higher end knives with S30V or D2 or m390 steel, you are reluctant to take them out and use them for fear of scratching them up. I've sold off a lot of my higher end knives to buy knives like the ones made by CT&K. In fact, I tend to buy 2 of the same model, one for use and one for the safe. I have over 75 fixed blades and 60 or so folders. Trust me when I say that CT&K makes a great value product. This Hudson Bay knife is something I proudly own and recommend wholeheartedly.For under $40? It's pretty much a no-brainer. You could look at it this way too;The sheath is a bargain at $40 and they also throw in a knife too! Just get one.