Advice for a knife to take on hikes?

S

stanwelks

Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Messages
1
Hi all,

I know nothing about knives and am hoping someone here can give me advice for getting one. I want to get a knife that I can take when going on hikes to cut through anything that I may need, and to protect myself in case I ever get in a situation with a mountain lion, coyotes, etc. (not a likely situation, though just in case). I would like the knife to be small, light weight, and I'm thinking foldable?

What should I look into?

Thanks for any advice!
 
I do a good amount of hiking and backpacking here in NC. Depending on where you're going changes what kind of gear I'm going to bring. If I'm going to the state park to car camp with my family, I may not even bring a knife. If I'm going on the Appalachian Trail, I'll bring a folder and maybe a small fixed blade. If I am going bushwhacking I'm bustin out the big guns.

That said, I usually go hiking on the AT and bring a Spyderco Delica 4 and (sometimes) an ESEE 4. It's all preference. Hope this helps. :)
 
First, welcome to Blade Forums. It's a great place to be.

Second, if you need to defend yourself against mountain lions, coyotes, bears or anything larger than a rabbit, you should invest in good tennis shoes. A knife will do nothing against a large predator except allow you to make a rudimentary weapon that might make you feel better.

For hiking, I like to take a large folder like a RAT 1, some of my Kershaws or their like. A small fixed is a good choice as it should suffice for any hiking chores. I would consider a larger knife if I was overnighting as I would need to consider I might need to modify or repair my shelter, process a bit of wood for a fire, cut a walking stick, etc.

Your best defense against a larger predator is to be aware of them, go as far around them as you can if you know where they are, and keep your tree climbing/running shoes handy.

Robert
 
Fixed blade and folder suits me fine. Smaller fixed is my GFs.

20130926_132605_zpsfc0a8df3.jpg
 
Victorinox trekker
Mora clipper
Mora with firesteel
Opinel
Victorinox classic
Leatherman squirt
Full size multitool
Byrd cara cara 2 g-10

Forget animal defense as a selection criteria, if you are in big cat or bear territory prepare accordingly. Bring bear spray. Any one of those will do the trick. They all have their pluses and minuses. For most tasks the main thing is having a knife not which knife. If you bring a knife along with your 10 essentials (google it) you should be fine. Tell us a bit more about the kind of hiking you do and we can help more. If you are building fires a bigger knife makes things easier, if you are through hiking with ultralight gear the opposite applies. How remote? How far to walk? What else are you packing (saws and hatchets)? Will you be preparing lots of food? In general what will you do with it.

Get a knife that does the things you need it to do. Not what navy seals or bear fighters use.
 
I wouldnt want to protect myself from anything larger than a rampaging chipmunk with a folder, the larger the better IMO.

Other than that, what are you planning on cutting? Is this the sort of hiking thats on a manicured trail? Or out in the deep backwoods?
 
Welcome!

As others have pointed out, the knife ain't gonna help much if a large predator like a mountain lion decides he's gonna mess with you.

Regardless of your budget, I'd get a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. The Farmer is a very popular choice for hiking. I have one...great knife for the woods. Has a great saw blade which is super handy. Set you back about 30 US.

I would also want a 3-5 inch fixed blade for hiking to go along with the SAK. Probably don't need it, but nice to have and fixed blades in the woods are just plain cool. :) There are a million choices.

What is your budget? $50, $100, $150, ... ?
 
I like the spyderco military for large, but light/thin folder choice, mora clipper for fixed blade, and maybe a sak hiker or equivalent for a multi tool.

not all at once, of course. one knife is enough for most hiking trips. and that one knife was always my spyderco military. so good it made me leave everything else at home.
 
Victorinox Cadet. Best anti-mountain-lion knife there is. Ever since I bought mine, I have not once been attacked by a mountain lion.

Plus it will cut through anything you may need whilst on a hike.
 
stanwelks said:
Hi all,

I know nothing about knives and am hoping someone here can give me advice for getting one. I want to get a knife that I can take when going on hikes to cut through anything that I may need, and to protect myself in case I ever get in a situation with a mountain lion, coyotes, etc. (not a likely situation, though just in case).
....
Click to expand...

If you're really worried, I can send you some of my mom's home cooking, but in your area it may be illegal to poison animals.

As for the knife, you probably want something a bit bigger but lightweight with a comfortable handle. Maybe:

Benchmade 551 Griptilian
SOG Flash 1
Victorinox Trekker

Toshi
 
I rarely, if ever, come across things in nature that need cutting.

That being said, a sharp blade can sure come in handy from time-to-time when hiking, and it's too important of a tool to not have. Cutting moleskin, opening food packs, cutting guy lines...

My favorite is the AG Russell Hunters Scalpel. It's a small, very lightweight, and safe fixed blade that snaps into a locking sheath.

In my experience of years of working and living outdoors, I'd say that more serious hikers and backpackers carry a Swiss Army Knife than any other single item.
 
I really like the CS Pendleton Lite fixed blade. It weighs nothing, doesn't look menacing, is crazy comfortable in the hand, sharpens up really easily, and is insanely low price (like $15 or less).

A little paracord loop to improvise a dangler and it's a great little fixed blade rig. No snaps on the sheathe so access is quick too.

20SPH.jpg
 
stanwelks said:
Hi all,

I know nothing about knives and am hoping someone here can give me advice for getting one. I want to get a knife that I can take when going on hikes to cut through anything that I may need, and to protect myself in case I ever get in a situation with a mountain lion, coyotes, etc. (not a likely situation, though just in case). I would like the knife to be small, light weight, and I'm thinking foldable?

What should I look into?


Thanks for any advice!
Click to expand...

Welcome to Bladeforums! As you can tell your just going to get people throwing a bunch of knife recommendations at you confusing you even more. Help us narrow your choices down for you. What is your price range, what exactly would you do with the knife keeping in mind that no knife is going to be ideal to fend off any of the larger predator animals you listed :), and do you like more traditional non locking slip joint or more modern one handed opening folders?
 
jc57 said:
Victorinox Cadet. Best anti-mountain-lion knife there is. Ever since I bought mine, I have not once been attacked by a mountain lion.

Plus it will cut through anything you may need whilst on a hike.
Click to expand...

Nice! I laughed myself silly over that one. I may need a CADET now just to ward off the unwanted wildlife.

Still chuckling...

Robert
 
Welcome to BladeForums.

A lot of folks swear by Swiss Army Knives.

A lot of folks swear by Opinels.

A lot of folks swear by Moras (not foldable).

These are inexpensive but high quality knives you can start with, and will serve you well. Stick around here long enough, I'm sure you'll be spending hundreds of dollars on the ultimate grail knife, whatever it may be for you. But good 'ol SAK, Opi, and Mora will be there for you when you come calling.
 
I take a folder and fixed blade and go light. Here are some options:
Fixed blade- Mora Light My Fire knife. This knife gives you a nice Mora knife with a firesteel built in, though I prefer to carry a couple Mini Bics to start fires. The above mentioned Cold Steel Pendleton Lite Hunter is a another good knife. I usually carry the great Marttiini Little Condor. Any rubber-gripped Marttiini knife is a great choice in a light fixed blade. They're better than Moras. Mine weighs 2oz for knife and sheath. These three go for $15-30.

Folder- I agree with the SAK Farmer being best. It has that excellent saw. So does the cheaper SAK Hiker I carry all the time.

Joe
 
It depends on what you mean by hiking. If it is long distance, through hiking, then I suggest that you assemble all your kit including food and water and walk 10 miles as a trial. Then you will have a more realistic idea of what you can carry. Weight is a serious issue for long distance hikers. Then base your choice of knife on what you can carry and what you actually envisage using it for.
 
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