Of course, we can use any knife for carving; even a simple “Rybička”—which Mikov and its predecessors have been manufacturing for over a hundred years—will do the job well. However, if we plan to do this kind of work in advance, it’s better to choose a knife with a blade lock. When focusing on detailed and precise work, it’s important to prioritize safety. That’s why the knife needs to be stable.
The choice of lock type depends entirely on your preferences. Mikov’s Fixir, Hablock, Hunter, Hubert, and Crocodile knives feature a backlock. You can read about the advantages of this lock here. The Zero, Praktik, and Elipt knives feature a liner lock. You can read about that in our previous blog post as well. In any case, you should choose a knife with a lock mechanism when you plan to work with hard wood.
And what about carving in nature? We’ve prepared a few ideas for you. Setting aside the usual cut-off sticks for roasting sausages or as substitutes for forgotten tent stakes, you could carve a wooden spoon or fork, for example. Mikov’s line for hikers includes the Piknik knife, part of the Stovka series, which comes with a fork. But using a fork you’ve made yourself is definitely romantic.
Carving little boats out of pine bark is also great fun, especially for kids. The carving is usually followed by a dramatic race down a mountain stream. And of course, we can’t leave out an absolute spring classic—a whistle made from willow twigs, accompanied by the recitation of the old poem “Blow, Little Whistle.” And once you’re done, you can test whether you can blow it louder than the whistle made by Mikov.
There are countless possibilities for carving all sorts of decorations, jewelry, or camping accessories. If you give carving a try and share photos of your creations with us, we’ll be happy to post them on Mikov’s social media. We hope you have fun. And by the way, if carving in nature interests you so much that you’d like to explore it further at home, you can get started with the Start carving set.