Recommendation? Fishing/boating knife with Camping usage

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BucfanTitan

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Sep 17, 2018
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Hello Blade Forum Members!!!

I need some advice. I have been searching with little luck and I need some help.

I am looking for a fixed blade knife that can be my knife for a little of everything. If that is even possible. Here is what I would like to find and see.

I want something that I can take on the boat/kayak (saltwater) to cut bait, ropes caught in the prop, and other tasks that occur on the boat. Also would like something strong enough to handle camping. If I have to collect firewood or cut wood, prep a meal - normal things that come up.

I would say that the usage would be 90% boating with 10% of usage with camping. I boat more- a lot more.

I have been looking at Buck (Selkirk and 192) and Gerber (Strongarm and Prodigy) in stainless. Should I steer clear of 1095 blade material with saltwater like Schrade and Becker? I take care of my gear but salt is hard on everything.

Is there another brand I should be looking for. I would like to be under $100 if possible.

I have random folding knifes and a great skinning and gut hook setup. Just looking for a strong/overall/anything comes up fixed blade knife.

If this has been covered forgive me. I looked for the last week and never found my answer.

Thanks a bunch
 
Spyderco Aqua Salt is about 20 bucks over budget but will shrug off salt water without batting an eye. H1 steel will be adequate for cutting tasks, albeit it’s plain edge version will need sharpening more often than a higher carbide steel. I’ve had nothing but great experience with H1. Plus you can get one with a high visibility yellow handle to make it easier to find if it falls in the drink.

Good luck in your search!
 
The Mora is enough for all of the uses. I'm just not a huge fan of them. It's personal preference versus any really rational negativity towards them. I own a Mora Companion and a couple others.

And if for some reason the knife takes a deep dunk which is not uncommon boating, you won't loose sleep nights over it.
 
I like the Buck 119 special for a all purpose knife.They are not very expensive and very tough.I keep one in my canoe bag and one in my earthquake kit.
If you are really on a budget a Mora will probably work fine for you.
 
BucfanTitan said:
Hello Blade Forum Members!!!

I need some advice. I have been searching with little luck and I need some help.

I am looking for a fixed blade knife that can be my knife for a little of everything. If that is even possible. Here is what I would like to find and see.

I want something that I can take on the boat/kayak (saltwater) to cut bait, ropes caught in the prop, and other tasks that occur on the boat. Also would like something strong enough to handle camping. If I have to collect firewood or cut wood, prep a meal - normal things that come up.

I would say that the usage would be 90% boating with 10% of usage with camping. I boat more- a lot more.

I have been looking at Buck (Selkirk and 192) and Gerber (Strongarm and Prodigy) in stainless. Should I steer clear of 1095 blade material with saltwater like Schrade and Becker? I take care of my gear but salt is hard on everything.

Is there another brand I should be looking for. I would like to be under $100 if possible.

I have random folding knifes and a great skinning and gut hook setup. Just looking for a strong/overall/anything comes up fixed blade knife.

If this has been covered forgive me. I looked for the last week and never found my answer.

Thanks a bunch
Click to expand...

Although not a less than $100 solution, I'd suggest you get two knives and save yourself a lot of headaches.

Get a 1095, Becker or ESEE, for cutting tree branches around the camp, AND get a Spyderco Jumpmaster 2 or Aqua Salt as MolokaiRider MolokaiRider suggested for around water.
 
Spyderco Salt, check out the soon to be released waterway. Designed by a fellow board member who spends most of his time saltwater kayak fishing.
 
Just picked up a KaBar USN Mk 1. 1095, but if you rinse it daily, you'll do just fine. It was perfectly fine for the US Navy, so . . .

Zieg
 
Tommy-Chi said:
Although not a less than $100 solution, I'd suggest you get two knives and save yourself a lot of headaches.

Get a 1095, Becker or ESEE, for cutting tree branches around the camp, AND get a Spyderco Jumpmaster 2 or Aqua Salt as MolokaiRider MolokaiRider suggested for around water.
Click to expand...

Right. That make sense. OP is looking for a one knife solution under $100 so you suggest a two knife solution that would cost about 2.5 times his max budget.
 
The answer is: it doesn't exist. No knife out there will be dainty enough to clip to your life jacket and not get in the way, yet be strong enough to chop up firewood, etc. Add into that the desire be stainless enough to constantly withstand saltwater, but be tough enough for camping and you're truly chasing ghosts.

What you need is a couple of knives. The Spyderco Salt series already suggested would be great for boating. If you want to go cheap, a stainless Mora as already suggested would do the trick.

Get yourself a strong, carbon steel knife and use it for camping. Problem solved. Since you're here on this website, you'll wind up with many multiple knives anyway, trust me.

If I HAD to choose only one knife for both, it would probably be something double edged with serrations on one side. Something like a SOG Pentagon. That way you have a serrated edge for cutting rope, and a plain edge for camping and everything else.
 
Go over to the Spyderco forum and search for member Surfingringo's posts. He kayak fishes in the ocean daily and has much experience. The Spyderco Salt line is what you seek. The specific model is up to you. You're not going to want to split firewood with any of the offerings but for the other 90% that you mentioned you will not beat something in the Spyderco Salt line up.
 
19-3ben said:
Right. That make sense. OP is looking for a one knife solution under $100 so you suggest a two knife solution that would cost about 2.5 times his max budget.
Click to expand...

Maybe you should read AntDog AntDog response, which is right after yours up above. It is the same as mine with more depth.
 
For $20, a Gerber River Shorty (serrated and plain edge) would be a big help on rope and stuff along that line. Yeah, probably some fishing line too. ;) I keep one clipped to my pfd. Back that up with a better stainless knife for general cutting like the one I mentioned (White River Backpacker Pro) which would be great for general use and camping. A machete or folding saw could handle the wood processing chores you envision camping. I tend to buy larger knives than I really need simply because I like them. The little Backpacker (S35VN) would work for you and you might actually carry it.

If you are talking big fish, you might want something larger than the White River.

Mora's can be quite useful as has been mentioned by me and others. Most aren't very expensive and they cut cut cut.
 
Ontario Tak1 in d2; blade is about 4.5” combo edge. The D2 steel will hold up better than 1095 to saltwater, though not as well as H1, and it will handle camping tasks as well. It’s just under $100.
 
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I think your original plan to go with a Buck would be a good bet. Stainless enough to handle your needs on the water, and plenty tough for jobs around camp.
 
Hands down, Mora Companion in Stainless steel. I have 2. One in the camping gear and another lives on the boat. And I have $70 left over to shop with as I please.
 
Eli Chaps said:
Go over to the Spyderco forum and search for member Surfingringo's posts. He kayak fishes in the ocean daily and has much experience. The Spyderco Salt line is what you seek.
Click to expand...

I've read a lot of this fellow's posts and admired his many pics of kayak fishing off Florida coastlines... He always said that the Spyderco Pacific Salt (full serrated) was the best... H1 steel, completely waterproof. Sal, Spyderco CEO, says that the machining process involved in making the serrations tends to harden the steel, and that Spyderco has never found anything any harder...the serration tend to stay sharp a very long time.
The last time I read Surfingringo, he was going to check out the LC200n steel from Spyderco...
 
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