Advice for a knife to take on hikes?

I encounter coyotes and lions here in CA, they are not a threat to humans... maybe small dogs or cats.
 
I usually cary a small pocket knife 3 inch knife whatever I'm edcing that day . But I will also take my ESEE 4 or the fallkniven f1 for day hikes . If I'm going out for more than one day my fallkniven A1 or a Bark River Aurora .
 
Here is an article about a man who killed a mountain lion that attacked him:
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Attacking-cougar-killed-with-pocket-knife-1092755.php

Here is a link that has a picture of the knife, looks like a Buck 110:
http://igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2002/cougar_attack_vancouver.html

It's possible... but if a big cat is stalking you, most of us will never see it coming. They are used to hunting animals with more acute senses than ours. You are advised to fight back against a mountain lion. It's that's with a blade in your hand, all the better.
 
The following knives are excellent, affordable choices depending on the length and severity of the hike:

(1) Always carry (and usually sufficient) - Victorinox Farmer [outstanding blade and saw];
(2) Light Fixed Blade (easy hikes) - Mora Light-My-Fire Knife [mora with firemaking capability];
(3) Heavy Fixed Blade (extended hikes) - BK 12 or BK 7;
(4) Light Folder - Benchmade Griptilian
(5) Heavy Folder - Cold Steel 4-inch clip-point Voyager
 
HwangJino said:
Fixed blade and folder suits me fine. Smaller fixed is my GFs.

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Whats the knife on the right?

EDIT: nevermind I see its already been answered. Cool knife!
 
The possibility of needing to protect oneself from mountain lions while hiking is NOT fantasy. I've personally seen the aftermath of a mountain lion attack on a couple who were hiking a not-remote-at-all trail. These attacks are rare, but they do happen.

IIRC that couple used an ink pen to fight off the lion and barely succeeded. I can see how a knife could be a useful defensive tool in a situation like that.

ETA: personally, I'd want a smallish fixed blade.
 
I live about 5 miles from the Big Bend National Park. Last year a family was walking from the restaurant there to the hotel... The last place you'd expect a mountain lion attack. But it happened. A lion darted out and grabbed the little boy BY THE HEAD and began carrying him off. The dad stabbed the lion with his knife! The lion dropped the boy and bailed! The boy only needed minor treatment which was lucky! Certainly this is a super rare scenario but it is a true story! You can prolly look it up!
 
OP may benefit by at least taking a look at a Cold Steel Bushman. Light weight, easy sharpen, easy carry, makes an excellent spear.
 
As many have said already, a small fixed blade (I carry mine on my belt in the small of my back) paired with your favorite folder. Unless you are going to be in a remote enough area to merit a large fixed blade for fear of shtf /zombie apocalypse /survival situation. So esee 3 or izula 2 with a delica for me.
 
Get a becker BK2., If a bear messes with you conk it over the head with the back of the knife, /joke. For wildlife concerns carry a firearm, or bear spray. for knives...depends on budget, capabilities, needs ect. we need more info to make a recomendation.
 
Depends on where you hike, on well groomed trails you probably won't need much more than a Swiss Army Knife or other similarly sized pocket knife.


midnight flyer said:
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.
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About the worst thing you can do when any large predatory mammal attacks you is run. That animal, with no exceptions can run a lot faster than you can and if you run, it'll be on top of you before you make it ten feet. A knife can be used if there's no other choice, but it's going to be about as effective as a fart in a hurricane. Your best defense against predators, unless it goes, "bang! bang!", is your brain, look at what animals there are in your area, and learn the proper method for dealing with an encounter with them and keep your eyes open.
 
Opinel are cheap, and super light. I like a #10 for carving, whittling and such.

I have big, little, and medium fixed blades to cover all my conceivable uses. Machete, tomahawk and such.

People will constantly pop in and decry a knife for animal defense, but it can and does happen. A lady in my state was attacked from behind by a mountain lion. She weighed less than. The mountain lion. She had no knife. The mountain lion dragged her off the trail and tried to kill her. She had a set of long tweezers. She killed the mountain lion with tweezers through the eye. Pushed them into the brain. She required hundreds of stitches. A knife would be better than harsh words, or cold reason. Some one was recently killed by a pack of coyote. A decent t sized knife may have changed the outcome. I have personally witnesses wild packs of dogs attack and maul people. Rocks, sticks and knives are all better than good thoughts and pixie dust.

Besides, knives are handy, useful and nice.
 
archieblue said:
I live about 5 miles from the Big Bend National Park. Last year a family was walking from the restaurant there to the hotel... The last place you'd expect a mountain lion attack. But it happened. A lion darted out and grabbed the little boy BY THE HEAD and began carrying him off. The dad stabbed the lion with his knife! The lion dropped the boy and bailed! The boy only needed minor treatment which was lucky! Certainly this is a super rare scenario but it is a true story! You can prolly look it up!
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Just so happened the knife that was used was a Caly 3.5 just like what rides in my pocket everyday. Granted it wouldn't be my choice if I had to choose but that does go to show the best knife is the one you have with you.
 
If you ask me, Dan Koster makes some of the finest fixed blade hiking/survival type blades ever. I think the most recent iteration of the bushcraft (flat ground) is as good as it gets in terms of size/weight compromise for an outdoors knife. The W&SS neck knife gets the most carry though since it's so tiny and basically lives in my pack. If weight isn't an issue, the MUCK is my favorite knife of all time, it's just too heavy for me to carry on long hikes.
 
I personally like my old school case trapper. I've found that two blades are always better than one. Especially if your preparing food. But you cant go wrong with a SAK. If your on a hike that lasts longer than a day I would suggest bringing a fixed blade or small hatchet. If you use a walking stick check out the M48 tactical survivor. I've never used one but they look like the would get the job done alot better than a knife if attacked by a animal.
 
stanwelks said:
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?
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Stan,

Of the predators in the US, the most likely to attack humans are the grizzly and mountain lion. This said, they are very, very rare. When I last visited Yellowstone (a few years ago), they emphasized that bison injure more people. When I lived and hiked in the Big Sur region of California, I never saw a mountain lion (although my bud swears one ran in front of the truck one evening as I dozed on the way out). In New England, where I live, moose are among the more dangerous animals in terms of injuries. More broadly, animal attacks all totaled are much less common that more mundane backcountry threats like hypothermia, getting lost, falling, and heart attacks. And of course, the most likely way to get killed or injured from a backcountry trip is during the drive to and from the trailhead. Strongly suggest reading a good general backcountry book like Colin Fletcher's "The Complete Walker", creating your own version of the "10 essentials" (my list is here and it includes a knife: http://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/DirtbagPinner/essentials-list.txt) and driving safely.

Regarding knives... I prefer to carry a knife with a blade in the 3" to 4" range. I like flat ground blades as they work wood well, which is handy when making fires. I also like a knife I can carry on my person even when I'm wearing a pack. For me, this means a folding knife.

Of all the animals discussed above, the only one that would make me change my knife selection (I carry an Opinel) would be the mountain lion. It appears to be the only animal for which it is suggested that you actively fight back. If I were hiking solo in known mountain lion terrain (I have in the past), I would be thinking about the same things from a knife that fighters think about; namely the ability to deploy it quickly under duress and the ability to stab. For a fixed blade, I would want a finger guard. I would also think about a "dangler" style sheath that could be used with a pack hip belt so that I always have it with me. For a folder, I would want 1 hand opening or assisted opening. Of these two styles, I would go with a tactical style folder.

I must emphasize that with all wild animals, knowledge is much more important than a knife. If you regularly hike in mountain lion terrain, you should read everything you can get your hands on about them and learn how to hike in a way that minimizes the chances of being attacked. Solo running is probably a bad idea.
 
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