Do you automatically grab a certain (traditional) knife when you head into the woods?

Macchina

Macchina

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When I turned 12 my Grandpa gave me his Buck 112 that he bought back when they came out and I carried that knife whenever I was in the woods (my family used to rent a cabin a couple times a year and we always hunted a lot). After that, it was a Swiss Army knife. Fast forward to now and I have my own cabin and do more hunting and fishing. In addition, I love to backpack and would happily live in a tent (or more likely a hammock) all Spring and Fall. Since I stopped catering that 112 in my childhood until recently I have only been interested in one hand opening modern folders and super steel fixed blades, though I've ALWAYS packed the Victorinox Alox Farmer.

Thanks to this section of the forum I now have a small but very functional collection of GEC, Case, Queen, and Buck slippies. When I fish I usually bring whatever pocket knife I've brought to the cabin that weekend, usually a 3"-4" GEC. I have noticed though that when I plan to backpack and think about my knife choices I usually pack my Buck 301. It's a slightly older model with full flat ground blades and it's so nice having 3 continual blades to rotate through when I need something sharp. The Buck is stainless and it's milled construction makes it incredibly strong. It just feels like a knife that should be used hard and put away wet.

I'm going to be backpacking next weekend and I'm thinking about bringing only a single knife and making it a slipjoint. I never thought I'd leave a fixed blade at home when I'm site spending nights in the woods but I don't think I'd miss it...

So, do you have a favorite traditional that you put in your pocket when you are headed for the woods?
 
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If for some strange reason I could not take a fixed blade...it would be either a GEC 42 LB or my larger Canal Street pinch LB.

That said...I would never go backpacking without a fixed blade camp knife. Just me.
 
Macchina said:
So, do you have a favorite traditional that you www you'll be in the woods? What is it and why did you pick it?
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Like you, I usually carry a Buck 301 when camping. And for about the same reasons.
Right size. Good selection of blades. Stainless. Good heat treat. Built like a tank.
 
I have a couple. The first is a birch bark handle puukko. It's my favorite belt knife.

The second is a harness jack. Normally I prefer to carry a single bladed slipjoint, but I won't use a sharp blade on a firesteel. The punch works well as a scraper, preserving the fine edge for cutting tasks.



- Christian
 
My SAK Trooper, it's been on countless hikes, when I was still hiking. Together with a titanium spork it's everything you need for eating and setting up camp.
 
Roselli Bear Claw most of the time, if I go hiking. Fits in the coat pocket nicely.
 
Not really a "pocket" knife, but I usually take a Uncle Henry LB7 or Old Timer 7OT lockback. Now that I finally have one, I'll probably bring my Buck 110.
For fixed blades, it was generally something along the lines of a Schrade Sharp Finger. For a slip joint ... I usually took my "US" marked all stainless camp/utility/scout knife.

Now that I am a vintage antique and have a better selection of knives, I'll probably take my Cold Steel Bushman, the Buck 110, the scout/camp/utility, and either the Buck 301 I have on the way, or my Buck 389 canoe. (Why chance losing the two Case knives that were gifted to me?)
 
No matter what I am doing I carry a case trapper in cv steel and a belt knife with a2 steel. I am old fashion I guess
 
For me, this really depends on the style of the backpacking trip and the location and time of year. No single right answer.

I'm not a full blown ultra light hiker, but my style is closer to Ray Jardine than Ray Mears.


Here is my standard backpacking carry...

Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr


For a great many years, my standard carry was a Victorinox Classic. Relying on campfires where I hike just isn't practical, nor sustainable. Backpacking in New England often means up high in sub-alpine boreal forest or in the alpine zone at and above treeline. So knives are a much smaller need. Cutting things like paracord, thread and opening food packages are the top needs. But there are other small tool needs too, including:
+ finger nail clippers and file to manage toe nails
+ small scissors to cut and form bandages and cut fabric and repair tape when making repairs
+ small pliers to fix zipper pulls and to drive a heavy needle through fabric when making repairs
+ small screw drivers for prying and small equipment repairs

I could get by without it, but the Opinel is my choice for a general utility knife. It weighs nothing and I find it useful for food prep.
Lunch by Pinnah, on Flickr

I've tried a bunch of other larger folders including the large Victorinox knives and several Bucks. The 110/112 are just too heavy and the light plastic Bucks are too frail. The Opinel is incredibly tough, incredibly light and a great with food. It also handles wood cutting chores better than any other folder I've used and can even baton wood in a pinch.


There is one kind of trip where I take a fixed blade. In the winter, we do a lot of XC skiing which keeps us down low among the hardwoods along rivers. I've converted to carrying a wood stove (Emberlit) instead of a white gas stove or alcohol stove as it's lighter and possible to operate all night long in case of an emergency.

Out of the Wind by Pinnah, on Flickr


Keeping a wood stove running means some wood processing and for that, I carry a combination of a fixed blade and a folding saw.

Winter fire tools by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
I usually take a case sodbuster Jr because it's my favorite traditional that I own. Also when I'm hunting I carry it because I like guns from the 40's and 50's so a traditional knife just fits better into that fantasy than my spydercos or zero tolerance knives
 
Oh I also carry grandpas old fixed blade but usually in the pack as the sheath is getting brittle. That one is there for mostly sentimental reasons but it can still skin a deer with the best of them.
 
When I was growing up it was always my Buck 110. It never left my side, and going into the woods was a daily thing. Whenever I could I also brought along my 119. Now my 110 has gotten very worn and I keep it at home to preserve the memories, so I have started some rotating. I prefer a small-ish fixed blade for outdoors use so to try out the kephart pattern I spent $10 at my local hardware store and made my "Old Hickhart." It does everything I need it to and then some.



When I read his book I noted that like myself, he saw the need for a pocketknife with multiple blades to accompany his fixed blade, so that got me to thinking about what traditional would be best at smaller tasks out in the woods. My first knife was a stockman, and I have always loved them, but my only stockmen were smaller than I wanted. I got a Taylor/Schrade 858 and loved it, but wanted a better knife, so I did some reading on the forums and found the Buck 307. It is perfect.



Even though I usually carry a modern folder I almost never use it anymore when I'm in the woods because the 307 and "Old Hickhart" are such a joy to use. If I need to open it one handed, I just use the fixed blade, and if its a smaller job I just use the 307. Traditionals beat modern knives hands down for me in the woods.
 
When I head to the country it is mostly for hunting, scouting hunting areas, or working on the farms where I have hunting leases. I carry a Buck 110 on my belt when big game hunting and a Buck 112 when hunting anything else and a Buck Lite 112 when working chores on the farm. I also carry a Buck 307 Large Stockman or Old Cutler 523 Texas Jack in my pocket (always like to have a pocketknife) and I keep an appropriate fixed blade in my pack for skinning/butchering (Buck 102, Buck 118, and Buck 121 are my favorites for their respective uses). I also own and occasionally use a Western Black Beauty 66 or a Schrade-Walden H-15 fixed blade. OH
 
I coonhunt quite a bit, sometimes 7 or 8 nights in a row during winter.

I generally take my large Case Sodbuster in CV.

It is a useful knife, big enough for anything I need to do, and not terribly expensive to replace.

The bright yellow color also makes it easy to see at night if I drop it.
 
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