If you’ve ever tried taking your standard chef’s knife camping or hunting, you know what a pain it can be. Chipped tips, rolled edges and sometimes flimsy construction can turn the deeply human experience of cooking outdoors into a chore.
As of this morning, there's a promising alternative. That's because The James Brand has revealed an unexpected, fortuitous connection with Sitka Studio (the R&D arm of the hunting brand) in the form of a brand-new, outdoor-oriented chef’s knife: the Anzick.
Each Anzick knife in the limited run collaboration is handmade in the USA, laser-engraved, individually numbered and hand-sharpened. Designed to bring the professional culinary experience to the outdoors, the Anzick took two years of design development, and input from chefs and hunters alike, to come to fruition.
“This project started with a desire to elevate a meaningful and fundamental human experience — cooking food outdoors,” says Brad Christian, Sitka Studio Brand and Creative Leader. Ryan Coulter, founder of The James Brand adds, “Sitka Gear and The James Brand have a mutual obsession with nailing the details of every design and the Anzick is a reflection of that shared passion.”
Each detail of the Anzick has been considered: the MagnaCut blade marries the sharpness and toughness of high-carbon steel with the corrosion-resistance of stainless. The full-tang construction lends stability and durability, while the textured and contoured CNC-milled G10 handle lends grip — even in messy situations.
There are no rivets used on the knife, eliminating areas for food and debris to get trapped. The blade also features a food-safe DLC coating, which improves wear and abrasion resistance, along with high hardness and anti-reflective properties.
For the serious camp chefs out there — and, let's be honest, the ones with some extra scratch — the Anzick may well be the key to cooking well in the wild.
