Recommendation? Choosing my first Bushcraft, Camping, Hiking knife

sac36555 said:
Got to love the guys trying to tell you youre not allowed to post, because I’ve been a member for a couple of days? That’s the reason I am posting, is to get peoples knowledge and help.

I realize the blades are all over the map, it that’s precisely why I posted, so people can share their knowledge of the knives. Help me learn and be inviting, share the knowledge. Don’t be like the guys in my AR and Glock group
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They mean well but the question does get asked a lot so there is already much information on the very question. Personally, I think the search feature of the forum is poor and I search google instead where the topics covered in bladeforum come up and are easier to navigate.

Biggest thing, the forum search will take the keywords you search for and give you many results with posts from the same thread because they contain those words. I've had a hard time searching for a thread of mine with the search function and I know what I'm searching for.

But, the information is there so this is a little bit of "everybody's right."

P.S. re-read you comments about your buddy's tops, that's going to be a micarta handle and you'll find it very popular in the outdoors knife crowd for the wet grip reason. I, personally, will take it over G10 almost any day of the week even though G10 is considered a little more premium.
 
I'd recommend focusing on blade grinds and grips and learning by getting some inexpensive knives.

Be sure that one of them is a Mora Companion to test a Scandinavian grind.

I like the Buck Bucklite Max for an inexpensive hollow grind.

Perhaps somebody can recommend a $30 full flat grind knife.

Spend a year goofing off with these beater knives and just conclude that Mora is really all you need. Or not.
 
Dangerously said:
I have the cold steel master hunter in 3V. Not bad, but the tip gets pretty thin. That might be exactly what you want, or not. The handle is huge and grippy. It’s not a very pretty knife, but it does work.

I prefer my Fallkniven F1, especially the new one in Laminated CoS steel.
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Then recommend the F1.
 
bikerector said:
If you want to stick to that budget, buy several. What I like and what you like are 2 different things.

What I will caution, based on your list, is blade thickness and weight. Weight for backpacking and thickness because it hinders cutting, generally speaking.

What knives have you used? What did you like about them? Think about that in the kitchen too. Does a chef's knife feel unwieldy? Do you prefer a small pairing knife or something in between?

Even though you used bushcraft and camping in the description, what do you plan to use it for? Will it really see a lot of wood processing?

Here's what I like as a "do it all" type of knife:
  • 4-6" blade, 4 for ease of carry, 6" for ease of knee lever grip if I'm processing a lot of wood (I have big legs), many of my knives are 4.25-5" for this type of use.
  • A handle at least 4" long and mostly round with light contouring. Handle shape is as important as the blade for bushcraft because you'll use it a lot.
  • Balance of the knife to be in the hand, not blade heavy but not excessively nimble like a fighting knife
  • Blade point nearly inline with the center of the knife. If processing game is called for then a higher tip is fine.
  • It comes with a nice sheath or it's cheap enough that getting a sheath made is affordable.
From your list, here's how I respond to each
-Benchmade 162 Bushcraft - Don't know, it's interested me but I've not tried this one. I think you could get something similar for less money but this is supposed to be nice

-Esee 5P NO, too heavy and thick Go esee 4 or 6 instead. Or the PR4, even better

-Tops BOB in CPM154 - maybe, I've heard the grind is thick on these but I've never used one

-Bark River Aurora CPM 3V - no too expensive if you don't know what you want. Nice knife but you're likely to end up trying a few.

-Bark River Trakker Companion - no, see above for other bark river

-Buck 863 Selkirk - I've not tried this but it could be decent. I don't care for the looks of the sheath.

-SOG Pillar - I avoid SOG's because I think they're over-priced for what you get, there are too many other good options

-Ontario Knife Company SK-5 Blackbird - YES

-LT Wright Bushcrafter - No/yes, I love LT wright knives but they are a little pricey if it doesn't work out for you. I have 3 of them, bushbaby (3"), genesis (4.25"), and bushcrafter Mark II (5") and really like them all. The bushcrafter HC would be a good option

-Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter - I think this has a lot of potential but not one I've looked at in a while. I would probably get the lower priced one though

-Gerber LMFII - no, only comes in combo edge, that i've seen. Serrations suck on wood compared to plain edge

-Bradford Guardian 5 - I've read the longer guardians aren't comfortable in hand but I've not tried one myself and I don't know anyone who has. I know the smaller guardians are very nice.

-Swamp Rat - Swamp rat is a brand, not a knife, but I'll assume you're talking about the ratmandu since that's a bit of the poster child. It's an amazing knife and a favorite of mine for it's size but it's expensive and won't come with a sheath so you'll need to account for that. I don't own one anymore because of the LT Wright bushcrafter mark II, if that says anything. Both are amazingly capable and comfortable in hand.


If i had to pick one, and you really wanted stainless, I would go ontario blackbird. The Kephart design it is modeled after is time proven, very nice, and the blade isn't excessively priced. I feel this is one that will get a lot done and last for a long time.

If you want to stay on the cheap side and plan to do a lot of woodcrafting, get a stainless mora companion. It's worth having one anyway just to try. Great knife, outstanding for the price. I don't personally like the scandi grind for anything except wood processing but it will still cut fine. It's super light so it will treat you well as a lightweight hiking knife too.

Side note: If you happen to be located in SE Michigan, let's meet up and I'll show you what I have and we can cut some wood and see what you like. The best way to know what's best is to try some stuff. Unfortunately, stores aren't going to let you do that but some of the forum members here will. Additionally, enjoy this time as it's awesome trying out new things and finding what you like and don't like if you tend to be a gear junkie.

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I do more wood processing and woodcrafting than hiking and camping these days but I do give my tools a workout regularly still.
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This is what I was looking for! Thank you for the great feedback and knowledge. I am unfortunately in CA, otherwise I would totally take you up on the offer!
 
So many knives out there to choose from. Experiment with the Mora. Least amount invested but you will probably figure out what you like.
 
Let's back this up just a little, shall we.

First things first, carbon OR stainless steel? Make your choice then go from there.

With that being said, I wanted stainless. Just had to have stainless. True bushcrafters swear up and down that you should only have carbon steel but I did not care.
So, I purchased the Benchmade 162.

Here's what I found out. The knife works well once you get past the learning curve with the handle. The palm swell is a little forward for most people. The knife is designed well and has not been a disappointment but, the sheath sucks. There is no way to get around that other than an aftermarket sheath. Also, the saber grind is not the best for food prep. Something with a full flat grind might work better for you. I use mine more as a food prep/camp knife and less as a bushcraft knife. The Blackbird would probably work better for me.

I have to agree with many of the post here, consider starting with a Mora of some sort. If you know that is not your style, look again at the whole line of Ontario knives.

Another that you might consider is Buck's Mesa series. About $50 bucks for a stainless steel knife and you will love the handle material. One heck of a buy for what you get.
 
I just noticed you are in CA. Where at? If you are close to me, maybe we could get together and you could try out some of my stuff. Especially the 162.
 
sac36555 said:
Got to love the guys trying to tell you youre not allowed to post, because I’ve been a member for a couple of days? That’s the reason I am posting, is to get peoples knowledge and help.

I realize the blades are all over the map, it that’s precisely why I posted, so people can share their knowledge of the knives. Help me learn and be inviting, share the knowledge. Don’t be like the guys in my AR and Glock group
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No problem dude, but here's what you're going to find, ask 10 guys and you'll get 10 answers. The best way is to do some lurking and searching and reading. I wish I had a nickle for every post like yours from newbies.
Do like the rest of us, buy the knife, decide it's not for you, and sell it on here. I've been doing that for about 14 years now. You will prolly NEVER find that, 'one' knife. Something will always come along that you like better.
 
pinnah said:
I'd recommend focusing on blade grinds and grips and learning by getting some inexpensive knives.

Be sure that one of them is a Mora Companion to test a Scandinavian grind.

I like the Buck Bucklite Max for an inexpensive hollow grind.

Perhaps somebody can recommend a $30 full flat grind knife.

Spend a year goofing off with these beater knives and just conclude that Mora is really all you need. Or not.
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S sac36555 Not a fixed blade but the ontario rat I and rat II are great little woods folding knives. High point, so I've poked myself a time or two with the rat II, but a nice design for the money. The selkirk is a Full flat grind I think.

This is if you decide to follow the above advice about trying different types of grinds, which is solid advice too as it helps isolate some of the likes/dislikes.
 
Condor makes some pretty nifty and obscure designs, some very primitive. I don’t have anything smaller from them than the Eco Parang.
 
Uncle Timbo said:
Do like the rest of us, buy the knife, decide it's not for you, and sell it on here. I've been doing that for about 14 years now. You will prolly NEVER find that, 'one' knife. Something will always come along that you like better.
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This is how you end up with several options of knives, assuming you can afford it. You just find some that you like and then kind of figure out which one you like for that day. Kind of clothing. Some days are just flannel days, some days it's long t-shirt, some days its the scrubby sweatshirt that may or may not fit you from 12 years ago.

Also, "the one" is the knife on you. To elaborate, if it's a bastard to carry, it's not getting carried. Seriously, make sure the carry system is nice too or be willing to get something made. But, that's a whole 'nother experiment to work on down the road as you can spend plenty of time learning about the stock sheaths and what can be done with paracord and lashing it on a lot of places.
 
+1 on the Mora Companion, or any Mora, until you get a better idea of what you want in a knife and narrow down your field of interest.
 
bikerector said:
This is how you end up with several options of knives, assuming you can afford it. You just find some that you like and then kind of figure out which one you like for that day. Kind of clothing. Some days are just flannel days, some days it's long t-shirt, some days its the scrubby sweatshirt that may or may not fit you from 12 years ago.

Also, "the one" is the knife on you. To elaborate, if it's a bastard to carry, it's not getting carried. Seriously, make sure the carry system is nice too or be willing to get something made. But, that's a whole 'nother experiment to work on down the road as you can spend plenty of time learning about the stock sheaths and what can be done with paracord and lashing it on a lot of places.
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BE - my thoughts exactly. I've always said, none of your doomsday or survival gear us going to do you any good if you don't have it on you when you need it. So if I like a bushcraft knife in a kydex sheath with a mag pouch filled with some basic nessessities, it darn sure had better be comfortable, or it stays at home. I can't carry a long, heavy knife on my side. The Kephart is as big as I care to go.
Now if I'm wearing my pack, that's a whole different ballgame.
 
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Couple choices to consider...

Gerber Strongarm and Gator are inexpensive, very easy to sharpen and stout, Made in the USA.

Bucklite Max is a great choice, very inexpensive and easy to sharpen. Excellent warranty.

The Cold Steel SRK in VG-10 is pretty meaty, easy to use and sharpen. Takes a beating.

Either of these can take a good edge with very little effort, and won't break the bank.

The search is always fun for this kind of thing. Enjoy.
 
Bushcraft, hiking, camping.

The Becker "Tweeners, BK 15 (my favorite but discontinued), BK-16 (Ethan Becker's favorite) or BK-17 would do you great in performance, value and easy-peasy 1095 CroVan steel. The Ontarios SK-5 if you really want stainless.

As for camping, there is backpack camping and vehicle camping. In the case of the latter weight is not so much a concern. For your $200 budget you could get a Becker BK-16 or 17 and a BK-9 or BK-2 which wood fears!

Much of camping is food prep and much of bushcraft is woodcraft - both favoring thinner/slicey grinds. Camping involves wood processing where a beefy spine for batoning and a thicker, more rugged grind is beneficial - hence my suggestions for two knives even though you would not want to backpack far with a BK-2 or BK-9.
 
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