Camping/Hiking Knife

U

UW Mitch

Joined
Nov 2, 1999
Messages
1,437
I'm intentionally leaving this fairly wide open. I might be going camping soon, so now I finally have an excuse to buy a FB! I guess first of all, what should I be looking for in a camping/hiking knife (size, steel, weight, etc.)? What knife would you recommend for me? I'm kinda looking for good dollar value, and will definitely consider custom makers. I guess before I let you all get too carried away, let's put a $200 price cap.

Well, fire away...what do you think?

Thanks in advance,
Mitch
 
Hmmm. This IS wide open! I personaly like a large blade (Battle Mistress) most of the time. On day hikes, Chris Reeve Shadow 4, the Fallkniven f-1, or the good ol' Ka-Bar. For handmade blades in that range, look at TOPS and Newt Livesay. I have knives from both makers, and they are top notch.
 
For general camping/hiking/light-med backpacking, good choices are virtually unlimited. My personal favorite right now for backpacking is my Busse Basic #5. Relatively small/light weight, the right size for easily accomplishing most camping/backpacking tasks (cutting food, rope, etc., and darn tough. I've used it to dig in very rocky soil, and I've seen no problems (short of the coating getting a little scuffed up). What really surprised me about the knife was considering its size, it made a relatively decent chopper when harvesting small to medium diameter pieces of wood.
 
If you run into a large bear you"ll need a Cold Steel Trailmaster,

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have a"knife"day
 
OK,

My reccomendations are going to fly in the face of, but oh well....

1) A good drop point. Easy to control in use, very versatile and non-threatening. Fallknives F1, $75. Cold Steel Master Hunter, $50. and so forth.

2) Cold Steel Rifleman's Hawk. A good chopper, good for splitting kindling and has a hammer poll, very uesful. and in a pinch you could take a tree down with it. $30 most places, 2 for $28 plus shipping through the WOW sale.

3) Barteaux Heavy Duty Machete, 12" or 18" You can do all the big knife stuff with this and then some, easy to resharpen with a file, comfortable handle. I like them so much, I am sending Jeff Randall and Cliff Stamp some. $20

So now you have 3 cutting tools with spare change.

The only thing these tools may fail at is that "full pants feeling".

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye, Cd'A ID, USA mdpoff@hotmail.com

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
just finished this the other day, however, it doesnt fit into your price parameters, quarter inch ats x 16"
atsmachete.jpg


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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
One thing to remember when hiking is that you must carry all that iron. I have always found that a 4" blade or so can handle all but 5% of the cutting chores one routinely runs across while in the bush. A lightweight folding saw handles that 5% and is usually lighter when combined with a small FB than a larger knife.
 
I've just ordered a Busse Basics #5 for day hikes and such and I think that might me a good choice. If you want a little bigger and a bit more of a chopper go for the #7-both are under $200.

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"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n"
John Milton
There are only two types of people; those who understand this, and those who think they do.
 
I'm a little unconventional, but here goes!
SOG Northwest Ranger, 5" Bowie, light weight good utilitarian sheath, very mutipurpose blade size and design
Issue Machette with issue plastic sheath; for
brushing out camp etc...
You won't like hiking with a knife on your belt that is large enough to chop well! I did 4 years in the infantry and left my Randall at home and carried a 4" Buck!
 
My choices in order -

6" Randall leather #5 - OK a little over budget at $225 but I don't think you would ever regret spending the extra bucks.

Marbles Expert II - also leather handled and comes in at a under $100.

Both knives are great performers and they just look like they were made for the outdoors.
 
How about a 7" or 10" Marbles Trailmaker. Nice convex grind, beefy blade, nice feel and balance.

Take care,
Tom
 
There's also the Griffith Tracker or Marshall, both right at 4 inches, both right at $200, if you get the basic model (black micarta and 5/32 ATS-34). If you want to pay a little more and go a little upscale, you can get other colors in micarta, or several colors in G-10, including red, white, and blue (not together...
redface.gif
). He also offers these knives in BG-42. Right now, I am toying with the idea of a BG-42 Tracker ... but don't tell Lynn I said that.... yet.

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"Absolute safety is for those who don't have the balls to live in the real world."
 
Mitch:
Take a look at the Uluchet, there's an article on it in the latest issue of Tactical Knives. It's lightweight, versatile, tough and has good value to price.

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P.J.
P.J. Turner Knife Mfg, Inc.
Uluchet, What's an Uluchet? Find out at...
www.silverstar.com/turnermfg


 
I would recommend two knives for hiking from personal experience. One is a Ross Aki Straight Back Machete and the other is a Spyderco Moran Featherweight. The machete is super duper lightweight so you don't even notice it (see review on my webpage) while the Moran has a 4.5" or so blade and a very comfy handle and weighs a few ounces. Great for light duty, food prep, etc. If you want a more "do it all" type knife, I would look at the Busse Basics line, the Cold Steel Tarilmasters, and I would guess that Newt Livesay has some all-around knives that could double as machetes that would fit your bill. If you choose to carry one of the larger, heavier knives I mentioned, I would still pack a good folder for small jobs.

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My Custom Kydex Sheath page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/frames.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
agocs_s@dd.palmer.edu
Madpoet (Mel Sorg, Jr.) Tribute page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/madpoet/main.html

 
I can second the Uluchet recomendation.It is a great knife as well as an excellent hatchet.It will easily out chop the smaller knives and cut probably as good or better and weighs and carrys about the same.It does not have a penetrating point though so you may want to carry a pocket knife or something with a point also.
m
 
The Spydie Catalog lists the Moran at 3 7/8 inches blade length. I don't know whether that means cutting edge, or the entire blade, but I'm pretty sure it is the entire blade. That means the cutting edge is substantially shorter, as there is a pronounced choil, probably about 1/2 inch. As a sometimes backpacker, and more-times camper, I would recommend something a little more substantial for camping, especially back-pack camping. I have a Spydie Moran, and like it a lot, but it just isn't heavy duty enough for my camping needs, at least not as my sole knife. No, I'm not looking for a full on "chopper," but I flat-out couldn't chop at all with the Moran. Too light, too short, and no lanyard hole. (not that my current favorite, the Vanguard, has a lanyard hole either....
frown.gif
)

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"Absolute safety is for those who don't have the balls to live in the real world."

[This message has been edited by rockspyder (edited 02-14-2000).]
 
Several here have already suggested 4-6" knives such as the Falknivens, Cold Steels, or Busse Basics, and that's a very good starting point.

Add to that a decent basic hatchet or machete and/or a resonable-sized folding saw, and you should be all set. Shop carefully, and you'll have a few dollars left over for MRE's.
smile.gif


When I camp, what I have with me usually depends on my packed load, or whether we're car camping. I usually bring a combination of any of the following items, depending on the hiking distance and conditions: my 4" Rinaldi TKK, my Steel Heart, an older Ontario machete, a folding saw, a cable (wire) saw, and a medium-sized hatchet.

Oh yeah, I always have my small Sebenza and Leatherman ST (or Wave).

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Don LeHue

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings...they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
 
I'll second the Marbles 7" Trailmaker, with a very nice Stag handle, you should be able to pick one up for about $125, a great value.

 
SAK Rucksack or a mutlitool that includes an awl(reamer/punch) and saw, and a medium to large blade as an accompaniment, depending on how much weight I have on my back and how far I'll be going...

The medium to large blade will probably not see service unless I am really tired, really lazy, or in a tight jam. I bring it along for good measure and because they are really cool...
wink.gif


~Brian.
 
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