Best 4" camping survival knife and why?

[bigmark408]

Winkler belt here.

 

[upnorth]

I find slightly different needs for hunting, car camping and backpacking.

For backpacking, weight and repairability are key. I carry an Opinel and Leatherman Squirt.

For ski touring or other trips where my Emberlit wood stove replaces my Trangia or Svea stoves, I trade the Opinel for a Mora Companion HD.

For hunting, I prefer a hollow ground blade so the Opinel gets swapped for a Buck 110. It's an old one with 440C.

For car camping, the Opinel handles food prep and I add a hatchet for splitting wood.

If I had to pick just one, I would take the mora companion HD.

You might look at a Viruovice's YouTube channel. He's a hunter from Japan and his videos test many knives side by each. He's not posting so much right now but the collection of videos is stunning.

His favorite for both hunting and bushcraft is the BarkRiver Bravo II. But, in one video and compares his Bravo II to a Mora and concludes the Mora is almost as nice for 1/10th of the cost. I like the Companion with the blade convexed a bit.

I would rather cut meat with my Mora than process wood with a hollow ground blade.

I'm with you Pinnah, good post. :thumbup: I tend to tailor my tool choices for the anticipated, or not, environment. I don't always make perfect decisions. But with outdoor use over time, my choices generally become more efficient and practical.

 

[Mike-The-Knife]

I have an Ontario TAK 1 that works well (more comfortable handle than the ESEE 4 I find) . My main camping and outdoor knife though is my Survive GSO 5 . Great knife and I'm thinking about picking up a GSO 4.1 now too :thumbup:

 

[The_Knife_Man]

ESEE 4; you beak it you get a new one.

 

[BrandonEDC]

There are a few brands that if you break it you get a new one.

 

[guns_and_labs]

I have a Mora and a couple of Opinels in the kitchen box. I usually have an Adventure Sworn, L.T. Wright, BCNW or something similar on my belt for woodwork. For food prep or game prep, it would be a Dozier or a Phil Wilson in the pack. My truck/survival pack has an ESEE-6 in it, along with a beat up BHK Lumberjack. Backpacking means the SAK, and maybe an Opinel if I'm doing the gourmet thing.

Now that I can, I prefer to have the right tool for the right job.

 

[Curveman]

I wouldn't say this normally, but you are dissin' the name. (kidding, your fine) The name is actually ESEE Which stands for "Escuela de Supervivencia-Evasion and Escape" Translated to: " School of Survival-Evasion and Escape"

Both are pretty bad-@$$

To the OP, I love my BK16, and ESEE 4. Take your pick, both are great.

The Kid, BH #339

Yeah, I have the BK9 too and sometimes I take that. I almost bought spares of the "Rat" 4 in case I lost the one I have! Escuela-what?! :-D Clearly they didn't hire a marketing guy! "Rat-4!" just has a ring to it. Like there are good and bad dog names if you know what I mean. I love my Rat but if I lose it I'm getting something else! :-D That being said, I do recommend the "ESEE" to friends-just glad I have the Rat! LOL! I wish I had bought the T-shirt too! Now, I don't even look at what they have! Crazy?-Yep! A little. But this is all still fun! My gym went from a World Gym to Best Fitness. Cool looking gorilla to a big orange 'B!" I honestly don't think he sold a single t-shirt-even when he reduced them to $5! :-D

 

[miltmaldo]

My ZT 0561 or Spyderco Tuff are great almost 4" blades for outings, because they cut stuff and fit in my pocket. :thumbup:
The Emerson CQC-12 actually works pretty well too.

Someone will come along and "But you need a fixed blade!!!"
I prefer my fixed blades to be bigger; for the 5 inch and under length of blade, I prefer the carry convenience of folding knives.

I went out for a hike and had my 560 in my pocket and the GSO 4.1 in My bag and for just a hike I'm sure the 560 will do just fine . I still take my bag and a fix blade just in case I need it .

 

[SFW]

Well... The knife that gets all the outdoor use these days is my Enzo Trapper.

But honestly my Benchmade 850 gets more use than any other knife I own. I've probably skinned more deer with it than with my actual "skinning" knives. It usually comes down to what's close at hand when I have a task that needs to be done.