Dayhiker or Bushcraft?

[MountainBilly]

Forager is too big for your intended use.

The Woodlander is better, but the Rock Salt matches it's six inch edge and is much more versatile.

The Dayhiker is a fine versatile knife and the handle is plenty big enough. I worried about that too, until I got one.

 

[Edgyone]

I would like to add a Spyderco fixed blade to my collection for specific use in backcountry/survival type environment... I really like the design of the Dayhiker/Forager, but know little about the steel used.

I think N690Co will cope in the back country

This one is the Forester, still with its factory edge. It is the largest of the four Hossum collaboration blades that you are considering (which gives you an idea of the size of the tree). No blade edge chipping. Slightly dulled but still able to shave hair (just) - and it had been chopping kiln dried hardwood prior to tackling the tree.

The wood was a dead wattle tree, removed from a farm house block due to being a fire hazard. It is a hard wood of Acacia sp. We had a *cough'muchmoresuitable'cough* chain saw but 'just this once' I wanted to see whether the Spyderco Forester would hold up to its name . I think it did fine. :thumbup:

 

[monsterdog]

I already had the Woodlander, then when the prices went down had to pick up the Dayhiker. Both are very good knives, don't worry about the handle size unless your hands are too small (in which case you should go with the Dayhiker because the handle is slimmer.)

They are tough, comfortable, and now cheap (though likely to disappear from the market soon.)

There are some cons:

* You have to be comfortable sharpening a convex, recurve edge.
* Not the best sheath in the world, prepare to use some cord to secure the knife to the sheath or build another sheath. This is especially for the Dayhiker.

The above are non issues for me, YMMV.

 

[tholiver]

Convex? Really? Can anybody confirm that?
Spyderco website says "The blades are flat ground European N690Co steel".
I hope you are wrong about the convex thing.
If you are right i'll have to pass on the Dayhiker.
No offense to the convex lovers but I'm more a of scandi and flat ground kinda guy.

 

[NoFair]

Convex? Really? Can anybody confirm that?
Spyderco website says "The blades are flat ground European N690Co steel".
I hope you are wrong about the convex thing.
If you are right i'll have to pass on the Dayhiker.
No offense to the convex lovers but I'm more a of scandi and flat ground kinda guy.

They are flat ground with a convex edge. You can always sharpen it using a Sharpmaker. It will then stop being convex after a while.

I prefer the convex edge on it so strop mine..

 

[monsterdog]

They are flat ground with a convex edge.

I can definitely confirm this. Something I hadn't noticed before I bought my Woodlander. They cut very well in this configuration.

Initially I was concerned about my ability to maintain it, now I love it. It taught me to use a strop, now I will never use anything else for maintaining an edge on my knives.