Camping/Hiking Knife

You're likely to need to fix something so I'd suggest a multitool (Leatherman Wave). You will need to set up camp so I'd suggest a light hatchet with hammer surface on the back for those tent stakes (Gerber BackPax). For general camp utility a Buck Vanguard, Cold Steel Master Hunter, Marbles Trailmaker...
 
A topic near and dear to my heart! Personally, I carry three knives when hiking in the NC mountains: large Wegner, Griffith Tracker or Patrolman, and Busse Basic #7. The one that sees the most use is the Griffith. The Wegner almost never gets opened, and the Busse only comes out to clear the trail of those @#$$%*% thorn bushes. The Griffith, OTOH, is used for everything from cutting paracord to eating steak with. BTW, there's no reason to worry about the discomfort of wearing a big fixed blade on your belt, when you've got multiple options for strapping it to your pack. All my hiking pants/shorts have elastic waists anyway, so I never even wear a belt. Oh yeah, I also carry the Wave. I know, it's a lot of steel (3 knives + Wave), but hey, that's what it's all about, isn't it?
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I found a great camping knife from a fellow West Virginian.....Called the Big Country Kampr, and it's on the Knifeware.com site. Big, tough blade that can stand chopping, digging, or whatever. Multiposition sheath. Worth a look. It's only $99.
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Personally, I go for the lightweight, "just me, my knife, and some rope" type of camping. Since I plan on taking about a week off in the backwoods of northern Maine, I'm looking at buying a BM Nimravus for my belt, a hatchet or folding saw for in my pack, and a CRKT Stiff K.I.S.S for my boot, since it can be made into a spear easily (skeletonized handle), and is cheap enough to actually throw that spear. I'm used to just carrying my SAK, so I'm going to feel very well-prepared on this trip.

--JB
 
Swiss Tool. i forgot to mention one of those.

The Uluchet looks good.

Morans are nice, though a bit thinner.

Saws are a good idea, though I don't know which one to reccomend

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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.
 
Well, obviously this really depends heavily on the kind of
camping you're doing, I (and most people I know) vary their
cutting tools accordingly.

But, as a general-use solution, and one that I think can fit
within your $200 budget ...

- If you're carrying high-tech equipment, make sure you have an
SAK or multitool.

- I agree with bandsidthe completely. My main cutter is a
high-performance, 4"-blade knife. Good carry system a must.
This will handle 95% of my cutting chores. Food prep, whittling,
misc cutting. Good choices include AG Russell Deerhunter, TTKK,
good puukko, etc.

- Big knife needs depend totally on what you're gonna do.
Folding saw often works well. Machete for brush clearing. Axe
or large bowie for chopping. Large bowie also works as
all-around big cutter. Uluchet as interesting hybrid
chopper/precision-cutter.

Note that I stay completely away from the
jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none class, the 6"-8" fixed blades.

So, from this, we can build up a number of options:


Light-cutting Specialty Tool
--------------------------
Inexpensive option: lower-end SAK (~$20)

Medium-price option: medium-end SAK or PST-class multitool (up to
~$40)

High-price option: high-end SAK or Swisstool, Gerber 600 Series,
or Leatherman Wave (up to ~$80)

Main Cutter:
-----------
Inexpensive option: Frosts of Sweden Puukko (up to ~$15)

Medium-price option: A.G. Russell Deerhunter, Buck Vanguard, CS
Master Hunter, Fallkniven F1 (up to ~$75)

High-price option: Rinaldi TTKK ($150)

Big-job Knife: ------------- Inexpensive option: Folding saw,
Ontario machete, low-end axe (up to ~$20)

Medium-price option: Good hatchet/axe, CS Gurkha light kukri,
Spec Plus Survival Bowie (up to ~$80)

High-price option: HI kukhri, Busse BM or Basic #9, custom
machete (e.g., Livesay RCM or the one Chiro mentions above). (up
to ~$150) plus a host of custom bowies from a number of makers,
cost up to $500 or more.


Even the inexpensive option will see you better-outfitted than
most people. You can mix-and-match options from different
categories to stress what's most important for you, and stay
below your $200 limit.

It's important to think about not just what your uses will be,
but how much weight you're willing to hump!!! The 20" HI kukrhi
is awesome, but bigger than I personally am willing to hump
around. If your choices are too heavy, you'll start leaving them
in camp or in the car.

Joe
 
ptpalpha, I'd really be interested in more details on your use of the Griffith Tracker, as I am thinking very hard about this very blade for that very use. If you want, you can e-mail me at my profile address. Or post here; others may be just as interested.

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"Absolute safety is for those who don't have the balls to live in the real world."
 
Holy smokes Jerry, that thing is awesome. I can see it is time to start saving... For camping I think an M2 Nimravus or cub are great for all around use and they don't need a lot of sharpening. I like bigger knives, but it seems I don't use them as much as I usually have a folding saw or hatchet or both with me. I haven't used it much but I think Newt Livesay's Air Assault is going to be absolutely perfect for everything but chopping and it would be my top pick. By the way I really like my A1, but will never buy another rubber/kraton handled knife again after trying G10 and Micarta.
David
 
Randall Model 5
Livesay Air Assault
Dozier Pro Guide
Fallkniven F1
Busse Basic #5 or #7

They all would be great knives and do the job for you as well as a dozen others. Choose one that you like the looks of and is affordable for you, and then buy more. I like knives in the 5"-6" for general camping/ utility use.
Just remember bigger isn't always better. (At least that's what I tell my wife anyway.)
 
Joe, thanks for the second.

All, I think too many focus on the big name atomic stuff and forget the low-price options or the options that don't have the "penis enhancement factor" aka the "full pants effect".

That said, yes there are reasons to carry a big 'do it all' bowie or such, but that is not the only option.

Given an axe, 18" Barteaux and a 4" drop point, I think there are very few things one could not do.

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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.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. You've given me a lot to think about. I think what makes the most sense for me is a small axe, and a medium sized FB. Although it would be cool to be swinging around an 18" Bowie, I really don't need one, and would get tired of carrying it. This might end up being some of the most practical knife buying I've ever done.

Thanks,
Mitch
 
I would go for a SAK and a Livesay RTAK

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The thorn stands to defend the Rose, yet it is peaceful and does not seek conflict
 
lol @ GaKnife

I support the Ka-Bar. It's 7 in, which is a overall gret length. Strong enought to chop down branches and such, great for self defense if the opportunity presents itself, and can yet do the small stuff that folders can do. The fact that I am completely biased and think Ka-Bar's are the solve all problems knife of the world should be disregarded as well...
 
I camp a lot-usually travel on a motorcycle too.
I have found that my old 7" blade K Bar does about everything I need it to do, and I do not need to worry about scuffing it up.
I also have an AFO(SBT model) or a Carnivore in the tent as defense.
The knife used most frequently is a "standard" Klotzli drop blade. It serves me well for preparing meals and as an eating utensil. The blade is satin finished 440C and has never demanded special attention, nor has it ever rusted or stained.
Also, I carry a wire saw for firewood.
The Klotzli runs around $80, the Carnivore is $115, the K Bar is $40, and the AFO is $135.
Bill
 
Awesome sword, Jerry! It looks like there's a "jump" in the edge about 4-5" from the ricasso. Is that a very long choil, or is it sharpened? What's the purpose?

Just curious,

Ryan



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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23


 
I've done quite a bit of hiking, camping, backpacking in the Sierras.
First, I carried a CS Bush Ranger. I replaced it quickly since it was too big to be useful. My machete that I used to carry consistently gets left behind also.
In my experience, big blades are useless since they take up a lot of space, are awkward, and are not needed for firewood. Instead, on overnighters, I carry a GI folding shovel with sharpened edges which I use to cut and split firewood. On longer trips, I prefer to go lighter and take a 'pocket chainsaw'.
As far as knives go, fixed blade is best, because you might have to use it for light prying. A short overall length will keep it confortable in the sheath. Short blades work great for camping tasks such as cutting and slicing food. Pommels are nice for pounding if you don't have a shovel handy. My current favorites are Marble's Woodcraft and Blackjack's Squad Leader. A good budget knife is the USAF 5 inch pilot knife.
-CAman
 
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