So the story goes, the original Bowie knife, designed by Rezin Bowie, was actually intended as a large, durable hunting and utility knife. However, when used by Rezin’s now-famous brother, Jim Bowie, in the legendary “Sandbar Fight,” it quickly became a popular self-defense design.
All these years later, the style is still heavily employed in fighting contexts, as can be seen in the USMC Fighting Knife. However, it is also still perfectly suited to outdoor, bushcraft and survival usage.
In fact, a brand-new modern take on the Bowie, the Prometheus Design Werx SPD STS-SFLT, makes an especially strong case for those latter purposes for numerous reasons, including its materials and remarkably low weight.
Cutting weight
Technically speaking, the SPD STS-SFLT is a full-sized knife, measuring 9.0 inches total. That said, this is on the smaller side for a Bowie knife, a style that often has a blade measuring 9.0 inches alone.
Those in the know will realize this shorter overall length is not a downside, however. Rather, it puts this knife right in the ideal range for survival and bushcraft. It’s not too big and bulky, but not so small it can’t be used for tough cutting tasks.
