Best Folding Knife for Bushcraft, Campcraft, and EDC?

Kershaws said:
So did you get your answer or do you want to continue on and give us your life story while you're at it..
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If it's my life story you want, all you have to do is head down to your local Barnes and Noble and buy my autobiographic audiotape entitled "The Semi-Complete Life Story of Neilioli: Water, Knives, ADHD, and Rejection" for $19.99.

It's also narrated by Morgan Freeman, if that makes the deal any sweeter.
 
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neilioli said:
If it's my life story you want, all you have to do is head down to your local Barnes and Noble and buy my autobiographic audiotape entitled "The Semi-Complete Life Story of Neil Havkin: Water, Knives, ADHD, and Rejection" for $19.99.

It's also narrated by Morgan Freeman, if that makes the deal any sweeter.
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Are the pages thin enough to be used as bath tissue? Because that's the only thing I think I would use it for. Assuming you made books too
 
Kershaws said:
Are the pages thin enough to be used as bath tissue? Because that's the only thing I think I would use it for.
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I don't know how thick the pages of an audiotape are. Do I look like some kind of audiotape page-thickness expert to you?
 
neilioli said:
I don't know how thick the pages of an audiotape are. Do I look like some kind of audiotape page-thickness expert to you?
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I was assuming you produce books too, but as for your 20 dollar paperweights I think a rock will do just fine..
 
Everything you mentioned are just fine. Choose what you suits you best.

I don't know what you mean by a lot of abuse. If you abuse most slip joints the way you might a full tang fixed blade, you may just break it. Good luck to ya and let us know what you choose and how you like it.
 
22-rimfire said:
Everything you mentioned are just fine. Choose what you suits you best.

I don't know what you mean by a lot of abuse. If you abuse most slip joints the way you might a full tang fixed blade, you may just break it. Good luck to ya and let us know what you choose and how you like it.
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Thanks. I'm going to get a locking knife. I won't abuse it much but I like knowing that my knife can be relied on 110% of the time. Whenever I get it I'll be sure to say a few words about it.
 
neilioli said:
Thanks. I'm going to get a locking knife. I won't abuse it much but I like knowing that my knife can be relied on 110% of the time. Whenever I get it I'll be sure to say a few words about it.
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Hate to break this to you, but you can't rely on a folding knife with a lock to not fold. Know why?

Because they fold.

Big mistake.
 
Marcinek; My take is this. Neilioli seems to know about what he wants, so let him choose and try them out. I remember when I was younger, and yeah, $50 (today's dollars) is a lot of money and you don't want to make a bad choice. There is a lot of personal preference when it comes to knives. I think it is a matter of buy, try, and maybe next year, neilioli will want something else (just like most of the rest of us). Probably will be one of those dreaded fixed blades for the woods. So, just get a Kabar Becker BK-16 or BK-17 and be done with it. :D It is hard to go wrong with one of these and a SAK.
 
22-rimfire said:
Marcinek; My take is this. Neilioli seems to know about what he wants, so let him choose and try them out. I remember when I was younger, and yeah, $50 (today's dollars) is a lot of money and you don't want to make a bad choice. There is a lot of personal preference when it comes to knives. I think it is a matter of buy, try, and maybe next year, neilioli will want something else (just like most of the rest of us). Probably will be one of those dreaded fixed blades for the woods. So, just get a Kabar Becker BK-16 or BK-17 and be done with it. :D It is hard to go wrong with one of these and a SAK.
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I'd love to get one of those knives; sadly most of the places I go don't allow fixed blades (even tiny ones) because they're run by the Boy Scouts.

Neilioli knows what he wants but he also knows that other people know whether or not what he wants is complete crap or isn't good for the intended use.
 
neilioli said:
If it's my life story you want, all you have to do is head down to your local Barnes and Noble and buy my autobiographic audiotape entitled "The Semi-Complete Life Story of Neil Havkin: Water, Knives, ADHD, and Rejection" for $19.99.

It's also narrated by Morgan Freeman, if that makes the deal any sweeter.
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Okay, I'm gonna jump back in here. This was a good reply, especially from a 15 year old. Good job, Son....:thumbup:

Now, seriously, if you want to open threads for the sake of opening threads slip on over to Community Center and check out a little subforum dedicated to corkscress and cheese graters. We calk it Whine and Cheese. I think you'll like it. Either way lets quit loading up General D with "which Knife" over and over and over and over.....
 
Greykilt said:
Okay, I'm gonna jump back in here. This was a good reply, especially from a 15 year old. Good job, Son....:thumbup:

Now, seriously, if you want to open threads for the sake of opening threads slip on over to Community Center and check out a little subforum dedicated to corkscress and cheese graters. We calk it Whine and Cheese. I think you'll like it. Either way lets quit loading up General D with "which Knife" over and over and over and over.....
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Understood. I love to whine. Cheese, not so much.

I am a naturally born smartass. In my life story, Morgan Freeman explains from which family members I inherited my smartass-y ways and from whom they inherited their smartass-y ways.

If you prefer James Earl Jones though - he's narrating the sequel.
 
So Neal...

If you really have ADHD (as do several of my friends) and if you're spending some time crusing the web on knives, I know that a) you may accept what I say here intellectually but b) may have a hard time continuing to believe it over the next day or so...


Sharpening - Backcountry travel demands skills. Skills demand practice. If you are serious about learning backcountry skills and using a knife as a part of that, you should seriously consider learning to sharpen a knife by hand using a simple small stone (like a DMT dia-sharp or credit card stone).

Steel - Bushcraft is tough on blades and super hard steels can easily chip. Small grained mid-grade steels are generally tougher but dull faster. This is why many people prefer small grained mid grade steels on bushcraft knives over harder to sharpen steels. Safe options include: 1095 (or similar carbon steel), 420HC, 440A, Sandvik 12C27 or Aus8. Yes, a few people will sing the praises of higher end steels for bushcraft but honestly, most of the most recognized names in bushcraft instruction use carbon steel of some sort and do so for a good reason.

Experiment - You don't know what you want. Better to try several inexpensive knives and figure out what *YOU* like and move on from there. Safe bets include: Ontario Rat 2, ESEE Zancudo, Opinel #9 for folders and the Mora Companion or Companion Heavy Duty for fixed blades. Beat on them. Experiement with them. Figure out what you like and go from there.

For bushcraft, campcraft and EDC, I can do anything with this combo that any other folder can do.
Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

Never, ever, ever rely on a lock to keep the knife open.

Downsize Your Kniferly Expectations - Suggest reading the backpacking & climbing books by Chris Townsend, Colin Fletcher and The Seattle Mountaineers (Freedom of the Hills). The suggested knives are simple SAKs. Think about this. For campcraft and EDC, and SAK is all you need. Go beyond this and read more. Read people like Ray Jardine. Learn about ultra-lite backpacking and stove and tarp skills. I spend nearly a decade doing a lot of backpacking with nothing more than a Vic Classic or tiny 2 blade jack knife. 90% of the bushcraft craze is just recreational wood cutting. It's not real backcountry travel.

Most of what you're dealing with is fear of not knowing and not having enough and it's fueled by chest thumping of people on the forums. Relax. Read books. Get some inexpensive/high-value knives (Ontario, Opinel, Mora, SAK) and figure it out for yourself.
 
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Kid, get a ontario rat folder or utilitac for now. Inexpensive and effective. Put the rest of your money into other gear like a good brunton compass.
 
Do some research on the Svord Peasant knife. It is not pretty, or modern, or appealing to everyone, but it gets the job done. Simple = Strong.
 
My own personal opinion on camping knives is cheaper is better. We've all been camping and put something down, walked away for minute and never found that thing again. You don't want that to be your $100-200 pocket knife. I would recommend the Ontario RAT 1 (preferably in a bright color like orange). Its built like a tank has a perfectly decent stainless steel, very usable flat ground blade and is all of $30.
 
If you know how to shop, for less than $100.00 you can have all three of these bushcraft capable items; together, they will provide for 150% of all your back country and EDC needs.;)

 
neilioli said:
You read the title. What is the best folding knife for bushcraft, campcraft, and EDC?

I've heard good things about the Benchmade Griptilian (especially the Ritter Grip) and 710, as well as the Spyderco Paramilitary 2, Military and Manix 2. I noticed that these knives go out of stock a lot. How often do they get back in stock?

The knife has to be durable and able to take a lot of abuse. Any recommendations that I like I'll try and get to handle.

Thanks,

- Neilioli

Remember, I hate serrations and like G10 and S30V.
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A simple swiss army knife is 10x the woods knife than any modern single blade folder....
 
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