2 knives for 4 daughters backpacks.

J

JamesofArc

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Apr 19, 2016
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This is not a gear question so please dont move this.

This Christmas i will be getting my 4 daughters (ages 14 to 23) backpacks with all the gear they will need. I have to start buying now so i can afford to do this for them.

I need knife sugestions. Their equipment will be. Backpack, 2 man tent with footprint, sleepingbag with pad, water filtration and hydration system, hammock with straps, tarp, stove and mess kit, 550 and bank line, walking poles, fire making kit, flashlight, extream cold baselayers, and last but not least knife, hatchet and saw. I have to do this times 4 so it has to be affordable but quality.

What pocket knife? What fixed blade knife? What hatchet? What saw?

A few of what i am considering is a KA-BAR MK1 with a Ontario Rat folder in AUS8.
Or maybe a Real Steel Bushcrafter II with a Steel Will Modus.
Maybe a BK16 and some other folder.

What do you think is good (quality) but low priced?
 
I go light when I go. I recommend a Spyderco Delica or Native 5 LW. If you need a larger folder, Endura or maybe a SE Pacific, depending on what you’re up to.

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×4

Do color matching ESEE Zancudo folder w/ ESEE Izula fixed (w/ survival kit?) Sets... i know Knifeworks had a ton of colors available.

Don't forget a lifestraw just in case they get thirsty and need to drink puddle water.
 
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The Ontario sp46 is 6” blade, 5160 steel I saw is $45 at one website.
 
For hatchets you can't beat the VAUGHAN & BUSHNELL half hatchet for $20. ( Go to the local ###mart and you'll find a box of them in the tool isle )
The Vaughan half hatchet doesn't come sharp but the steel is great and easy to file sharpen , and you get an actual hammer poll for pounding tent stakes...ect unlike most hatchets. They're an everyman's working tool and meant to be abused
No sheath , but you can get a $12 bag of scrap leather and a some copper rivets from a craft store such as micheals and make simple bit covers in minutes.

As for knives nothing heavy duty should be needed when there's a hatchet so I think a $20 Victorinox tinker and $12 Mora companion would do the trick, plus you should be able to get them in their favorite colors.
 
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Swiss Army knife, a tinker, s111 or similar is plenty of knife for backpacking. Ditch the saw and hatchet. They are to heavy and not needed. Every forest I have packed in, prohibited cutting standing trees for firewood dead or not. So one is limited to dead down limbs and logs. Dry twig and small limbs work fine for kindling. No splitting needed. Larger limbs can often be broken, and if to big for that just center over the fire and burn in two.

O.B.
 
Last Christmas, I helped Santa deliver my wife and I emergency/get home bags (GHBs) for the cars, each set to handle 1 adult and 2 kids -- which (un)surprisingly double as light backpacking/hiking kits. We've used them a number of times on day hikes to good effect, so there should be some overlap with what you need. Based on figuring out what we needed for those, and my hiking and camping experiences, here is my input:

Since you did not mention a budget other than "low price", I'll jump in with a few good, solid recommendations that are inexpensive, but good deals for the quality at a low price point.
For fixed blades:
  • Mora ($10+) - the Robust can take a bit of a beating and the Companion is a great deal, and there are higher budget options too, so whichever type you like. I opted for Moras in the GHBs because they work and are easy to sharpen. We also have a number of them around the house dedicated for specific tasks, like the one in the fire pit kindling box and the one in the cabinet next to the fireplace and the one in the hose project toolkit, so we are used to using them.
  • A.G Russell Woodswalker ($15-30, depending on sheath) - not a super steel, but a decent small knife - think paring knife sized. My seven year old daughter has been using one for recent camping trips, hikes, and backyard fires (like this afternoon) along with a small Vic she got for her last birthday. The woodswalker is still mine, but she can borrow it if she asks and has been behaving. If she continues to show she is (mostly) responsible, it'll be hers by Christmas. :). It is a very pocketable knife in the leather sheath. I don't like neck knives, but the kydex sheath for it works well too.
  • War Eagle Blades Pocket Skinner ($15)- bigger than the woodswalker, but again, a decent inexpensive blade, but the sheath has no way to attach to a pack or belt.
  • I'll add the A.G. Russell Hunter Scalpel for giggles. My five year old son has been using one under close supervision for fire prep and it has been in his backpack on hikes and camping trips, because big sister has the Woodswalker. It's too small for my hands, but is the right size for him, and I like the sheath lock on it for a kid's knife.
For folders (not included in our GHBs since I always have at least 2 knives, and my wife has a Delica or Dragonfly on her):
  • Spyderco Persistence ($35ish) - decent budget one handed folder, and my backup when I can't carry a fixed blade.
  • Victorinox Swiss Army ($20 -> whatever) - It's a blooming Swiss army knife, you can't go wrong with one, unless you need a corkscrew and opted for the phillips instead..... not that that has ever happened. :( I always have an alox farmer and a classic in my pocket, no matter what else I carry.
  • Spyderco Delica or Dragonfly -- if you can swing 4 of either of them in the budget, my wife loves both of hers :)
I personally would do 2 knives per person - 1 dedicated for food, 1 for wood processing and anything else that comes up. Why? I have heard/read a few horror stories about nasty fungi and things getting into food from a knife that was "wiped clean." 2 color coded Moras could be an inexpensive option, or a mora and a woodswalker. And with 4 daughters, you could personalize the knife combos a little with this approach.

For saws:
I had a silky pocket boy saw. Then my wife saw it, and stole it. Now, we have 3: one in each GHB and one in the garage (the original) that I have to ask permission to use if I don't want to be in the dog house. YMMV. :)

Don't forget a small whetstone, DMT card, or ceramic rods so they can keep the blades touched up. Just make sure they can use it.

And a trauma kit (quick clot, gauze pads, Israeli bandage, ace wrap, and Sam splint type stuff ... because bad things happen).
And a first aid kit (bandaids, advil, bug bite cream, and moleskins . . . because blisters and small cuts stink), and you should be set.

Good luck and enjoy.
 
When i thing of cheap quality pocket knives i instantly think of the Enlan El-01. It s a great stupid cheap pocket knife and very rugged
 
I would ditch the saw and go with a Mora knife (fixed blade) and a multi-tool (folding blade and saw).

n2s
 
JamesofArc said:
This is not a gear question so please dont move this.

This Christmas i will be getting my 4 daughters (ages 14 to 23) backpacks with all the gear they will need. I have to start buying now so i can afford to do this for them.

I need knife sugestions. Their equipment will be. Backpack, 2 man tent with footprint, sleepingbag with pad, water filtration and hydration system, hammock with straps, tarp, stove and mess kit, 550 and bank line, walking poles, fire making kit, flashlight, extream cold baselayers, and last but not least knife, hatchet and saw. I have to do this times 4 so it has to be affordable but quality.

What pocket knife? What fixed blade knife? What hatchet? What saw?

A few of what i am considering is a KA-BAR MK1 with a Ontario Rat folder in AUS8.
Or maybe a Real Steel Bushcrafter II with a Steel Will Modus.
Maybe a BK16 and some other folder.

What do you think is good (quality) but low priced?
Click to expand...

If you look around... You can find the 3" Steel Will Cutjack Mini D2 for around $21, or the 3.5" Steel Will Cutjack for $24. Either of those would be an excellent folder for the situation.
You can find the Morakniv Bushcraft Orange for $22, the Morakniv Bushcraft Forest (with the nicely profiled blade) for $20, or the Morakniv Craftline Pro S (if you want to go a little smaller) for $9.50. Any of those would be a great fixed blade... I personally like the Bushcraft Forest for the versatile tip.

At $30 - $50 per child it might even leave enough cash left over to set them up with a nice outdoors Swiss Army knife like the Huntsman or Fieldmaster.
 
I do not know much about hatchets and have never taken one backpacking.

As far as folder, I would go with a SAK, like the climber, camper, super tinker. They give you some basic tools that could come in handy beyond just the knife

Esee or Moras are nice fixed blades and usually sufficient knife for hiking/backpacking

As far as saws, I like Sven folding saw. It cut like a larger saw.
 
I like the fiskars hatchet for a lightweight, cost effective option. I think it's the best bang for the buck in hatchets. I'm less a fan of folding saws lately but some of the folding bow saws have peeked my interest and I think I want to try a sven saw or one of the larger ones. Maybe a buck saw.

Not sure what you will be doing with the fixed blades but if you're carving wood then a mora. If not then I would get something without a scandi grind. There's too many options out there, I prefer bird and trout knives or something like a buck 118 or 119. You already have the hatchet and saw so I don't think you need much in the way of a knife for wood processing. Depending on the budget here, I like some of LT Wright's knives as some are priced really well but I stalk the kinfemaker's forum and look for custom stuff a lot and you can usually get some thing in $100 range, you may be able to get a better price if you requisition 2 since they can duplicate their process instead of make a one-off.

Folder, again lots of options. Spyderco's FRN models or some of the cold steels in G10 (recon, broken skull, american laman, etc.) would make good options. Or go to the SAK or multi-blade traditional.

Personally, unless processing a lot of thick wood I would ditch the hatchet and lean toward a little sturdier fixed blade. Not much, you already have the saw. You really only need to process kindling most of the time and light batoning can get that done. If it's bigger, carve out a wedge, baton in a little and then let the wedge do the heavy work. Or saw in and an indent for the wedge and then wedge it open. I think hatchets are fun to use but I've found that I like bigger knives or saw more, at least until you start getting to the boys axe or hudson bay axe sizes.
 
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The Delica & Native LWs are tougher than you might think. My D4s have survived years of warehouse use.
 
What pocket knife? What fixed blade knife? What hatchet? What saw?

Leatherman wingman or sidekick
Bk16 is amazing if you have the funds for 4 of them.
I also go with ditching the hatchet
Silky saw for a backpack
 
Are these packs for emergency bug-out situations or recreational hiking?
Those are going to be awfully heavy for a fun hike.
 
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