3 Things You Need to Know About Batoning

Batoning -- a technique used to process wood for fire and other bushcraft purposes -- involves splitting relatively small-diameter pieces of wood by resting the edge of a knife on the end-grain and tapping the spine of the knife with a solid stick. It's discussed a lot these days -- surprisingly often, in our view -- so we thought we'd share a few things you should know about batoning.

1. Batoning is a skill, not something that your knife comes equipped to do. You've heard us say it over and over, and we'll say it again: Skills matter more than tools.

Batoning (with a knife) can be a useful skill, one that everyone who travels in the out-of-doors should learn. Honestly, though, the technique is only a very small part of the bushcrafting skillset. It's worth taking the time to get familiar with it -- so do that, and then move on to learning other skills.

2. Batoning (with a knife) is rarely the best method for splitting wood. Judged by the popularity of batoning on YouTube and some Internet forums, you might be persuaded that it's the sine qua non of wilderness travel.

It's not. Batoning -- or saying that you do, or posting a video of yourself doing it -- is a bit of a fad. (In contemporary parlance, that means it's "a thing.")

Most of the time there are better ways to split kindling for a cooking fire or make staves for a shelter, and there are better tools (like an axe) for doing it. And here's a tip: Learn how to carve (and use) small wooden wedges to help split the wood, regardless of the tool you're using.

3. Batoning is an excellent way to break your knife. In our experience, batoning ranks second only to chopping for unnecessary abuse of a knife.

Anyone who tells you that they've batoned and hasn't had their knife get depressingly bound-up in the wood probably isn't telling you the truth. What's more, anyone who's tried to free their stuck blade by wrenching the handle side-to-side probably owns a bent or broken knife.

In theory, you can baton with almost any knife (even a folder or a slipjoint). Some are more capable (and more durable) than others, but every tool has its limits.

That's not the fault of the tool, of course. You're responsible for knowing your knife's limits and working within them.