Fixed blade for Central America

USMCPOP is right. A tourist carrying a fixed blade can seem threatening to locals in any country particularly outside of a camp ground. I've been to both places for about 4 weeks and needed only a swiss army pioneer. I enjoyed the people and never felt threatened. Crime, like in the US, depends on where you hang out.
 
USMCPOP said:
You know the knife laws there? I don't care if the locals carry whatever, laws in many countries are selectively enforced. I was challenged twice in Thailand and that was 40 years ago. Once I had a government ID (at a military/police checkpoint) and the next time by a beat cop near a local market where I had just purchased a machete. I did speak the language, so I was able to explain why it was normal to carry a 12" blade around.

Get a cheap (not a bad) knife. And watch your step. A few weeks (months?) of jail time in these countries will make you regret things.
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This!

Think twice about what you Bring in with you. As the gringo tourist you will be subject to a whole different standard, and prospecting for dollars. Your wife may be going to the nearest U.S. Embassy to arrange your release.

If you feel you must, just taken a mora and a SAK. Anything else is going to be wasted as anyone preying on you will most likely be using machete's at a minimum and guns in a worst case scenario.

Better yet, go snorkeling in the Florida Keys or the U.S. Virgin Islands where you don't have worry about crooked local cops and government.
 
To those of you who have made recommendations regarding selecting and knife, thank you.

As mentioned in my original post, I have made myself familiar with knife laws in Belize and am comfortable that there are no prohibitions regarding carrying knives during daylight hours. I have traveled in Third World countries throughout my life without ever going to jail, and I don’t plan start now.

Back to my original line of questioning, does anyone know how N690Co would hold up in a humid/wet environment?

I’ve looked at the Spyderco Street Bowie, But I am more drawn to their Street Beat.
 
Last time I was in Central America I carried a Sam Lurquin Hurak



If I were looking for a good prouduction knife in your price range it would be the Spyderco Ronin II


Seems like this would fit the bill and carry many different ways

I just ordered one as a dedicated boat knife

From Spydercos website

FB09GP2 Ronin 2

A direct descendant of Michael Janich’s original Ronin™ design and close cousin of the Yojimbo™ 2 folding knife, the Ronin 2 is based on a custom knife Janich commissioned from knifemaker Mickey Yurco. Its blade is crafted from Carpenter® CTS® BD1—a vacuum-melted stainless steel that is highly corrosion resistant and holds an excellent edge. Deep hollow-ground bevels on each side of the wharncliffe blade define a perfectly straight cutting edge, enabling it to cut with full power all the way to the point while leaving its spine thick and strong.

To ensure maximum strength and a deft balance, the Ronin 2 features a skeletonized full tang capped by thin textured black G-10 scales that guarantee a positive grip while allowing the knife to be easily carried and concealed. At the junction of the handle and blade, the tapered, ergonomic profile of the handle flares to create a very effective integral guard that protects the user’s hand from sliding forward onto the edge.

For maximum versatility, the Ronin 2 comes equipped with a custom-molded Boltaron® sheath and a G-Clip™ attachment that supports both belt carry a99nd clip-style inside-the-waistband carry. The G-Clip is also configurable for vertical, horizontal, or diagonally canted carry and can be attached to both faces of the symmetrical sheath.


 
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marcinek said:
I'd just pick up a machete and a kitchen knife when I get there.
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I all heartedly second this. Wherever it's legal, I have travelled in adverse conditions on just about every continent when I was a young man, minus Antarctica and Australia. Machetes in the southern hemisphere are common tools. Gift it to a farmer on your way out.
Adopting local practices, not in an ostantatious manner, blending in and preferably possess the language is the best way to gain the hearts of the locals, including the law. Central America is home to some of the most virulent gangs, active in the US too. Couple of years ago I tried to dissuade a friend from the Netherlands from taking a trip to Egypt with his kids, they had the time of their life sailed down the Nile and camped with bedouin nomads.
Out of your two picks, I would opt for the Aqua Salt, which I own in its serrated iteration. It's an awesome nautical blade.
 
I'd go with buying something there.
Tourist with a tourist knife they bought while being a tourist. :)
Buy some useless trinkets to lug around with it too.
 
Solid advice here.
I was born and raised in a south American country and I can tell you that you are a target the minute you step in the country just by your looks and accent. Having a knife could get you in trouble. Just give them the valuable.

I wouldn't personally go where I would be alone over there. If its a jungle tour ok but just your family in the middle of the jungle?
If you decide to go, stay low key and don't be alone (you or your relatives), don't draw more attention to you and don't over talk to people but never show fear or you will be eaten alive.

jc57 said:
You are right to be concerned. US State Dept has Guatemala ranked at their second highest threat level. "Level 3: Reconsider Travel" (the only higher level is "4: Do not travel").
https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...aveladvisories/guatemala-travel-advisory.html

Based on the what the State Dept is saying, no way in hell I'd take my family there. I am not trying to be a dick. Read up on it, it's not a good place to go.

This is just SOME of the warnings on the web site. They recommend hiring security escorts through the government there.

Crime: The crime threat level in Guatemala is critical. The Embassy has no reason to believe that U.S. citizens are being specifically targeted, although criminals in Guatemala may assume that U.S. citizens and their relatives have more money than average Guatemalans.

  • The number of violent crimes reported by U.S. citizens and other foreigners remains high and crimes occur even in areas of Guatemala City once considered safe, such as Zones 10, 14, 15, and 16.
  • The Guatemalan border with Mexico (and in particular the northwestern corner of Petén) is a high-risk area due to large scale drug and alien smuggling.
  • The border areas including the Sierra de Lacandon and Laguna del Tigre National Parks are among the most dangerous areas in Guatemala. The U.S. Embassy takes extra precautions when U.S. government personnel travel to the region.
  • Reports of sexual assault remain high. Support for victims of sexual assault is lacking.Theft, armed robbery, and carjacking are the most common crimes against U.S. citizens who visit Guatemala, and travelers have experienced carjackings and armed robberies upon leaving the airport. Victims have been killed when they resisted an attack or refused to give up money or valuables.
  • Pickpockets and purse-snatchers are prevalent in major cities and tourist sites, especially the central market and other parts of Zone 1 in Guatemala City. In a common scenario, an accomplice distracts the victim while an assailant slashes or simply steals a bag or backpack.
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I'm South American and constantly travel around the American continent, from Canada to Argentina. Wrestling tournaments, archaelogical digs,working with oil companies and NGOs.

My advice would be to have options. Not every part of Belize or Guatemala are the same. I'd recommend a multitool or SAK, a folder and a fixed blade.

Don't bring anything that you don't mind losing or can't afford to replace.

On to the knives themselves. If you're going to be staying mostly at hotels and doing day hikes in the jungle, corrosion won't be such a big deal. Simple carbon steel machetes somehow survive.

I'm a huge Bastinelli fan, but find the handle on the RED to be a bit uncomfortable for a work knife. I'd go for something with a more neutral handle shape.

I've carried the Spyderco Moran knives a lot on my trips, as well as my ESEE 3, Spyderco Temperance 2, Fallkniven F1 and some Bark Rivers as well as a bunch of Moras (I bring several and give them away as tips to guides).


Bringing nothing and buying local is a bad idea. There's practically no high quality local production, very few options and you might end up paying twice the price for something from an American company. Machetes are the exception but you can't EDC that.
 
rye_a said:
To those of you who have made recommendations regarding selecting and knife, thank you.

As mentioned in my original post, I have made myself familiar with knife laws in Belize and am comfortable that there are no prohibitions regarding carrying knives during daylight hours. I have traveled in Third World countries throughout my life without ever going to jail, and I don’t plan start now.

Back to my original line of questioning, does anyone know how N690Co would hold up in a humid/wet environment?

I’ve looked at the Spyderco Street Bowie, But I am more drawn to their Street Beat.
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N690co has 17% cr chromium, stainless steel, should not rust easily.
 
Franciscomv said:
Fun fact: there are three official dealers in Chile, but most of the rest of Latin America gets Condor knives via the US.
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Now that is interesting. I would think that the Colombian machetes would be quite plentiful. Yes, I know Condors are made in El Salvador.

seabil said:
N690co has 17% cr chromium, stainless steel, should not rust easily.
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I read that it is about like 440C.
 
I will say, between the 2, I'd vote spyderco as your "only" blade for versatility sake.

But.

What I would do if I was you however, is carry the smaller, lighter Bastinelli, (you could even get away with something smaller and lighter like a cheap Mora even), and buy a machete for chopping while you're at your respective location...
Machetes are surprisingly inexpensive, So you could easily buy one in Belize, "give" it to some for 2-4 BZ dollars, then buy one in Guatemala and "give" it to someone for 16 Quetzals.
 
My suggestion is you simply limit yourself to a Vic SAK of your choice. What do you need a fixed blade knife for anyway? In Colombia, the dominant use I had for a SAK was opening pop bottles. I know we all like knives, but honestly, the number of times you might actually need a fixed blade as a tourist is likely to be Zero unless you're staying there for months. You want a fixed blade, buy a couple Mora's and take them with you and give them away before you leave.
 
Also, fwiw, the spyderco salt "WILL not" rust! Far as I know is that nobody has gotten it to rust yet...

The n690, it will "probably not" not rust... outside of pure neglect in the rainforest for days, n690 with normal and natural care, (wiping it down after use, cleaning as needed before calling it a night, etc.), should hold up exttemely well... n690 is very rust resistance, you almost have to try, or completely forget about it to truly rust it.
 
brandoak said:
No, its just the only way that H1 is semi acceptable :D
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I love my plain edge H1 knives, sure they aren't going to win any edge holding competitions but they easily make it through any average day of work and take no effort to put a ridiculously sharp edge on.

To address the Op's question, out of the two I would pick the Spydie but personally I'd take a Mora and a SAK. I stick to inexpensive knives when flying, the TSA has sticky fingers and I'm sure the customs agents down there aren't any better.
 
rye_a said:
To those of you who have made recommendations regarding selecting and knife, thank you.

As mentioned in my original post, I have made myself familiar with knife laws in Belize and am comfortable that there are no prohibitions regarding carrying knives during daylight hours. I have traveled in Third World countries throughout my life without ever going to jail, and I don’t plan start now.

Back to my original line of questioning, does anyone know how N690Co would hold up in a humid/wet environment?

I’ve looked at the Spyderco Street Bowie, But I am more drawn to their Street Beat.
Click to expand...


I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in Central America (el Salvador, Guatemala). I do not see an issue with you bringing a fixed blade at all. This countries are very knife friendly and I don’t think people would think twice if you pulled out a fixed blade to slice up a mango or cut a guyava fruit off a tree.

Now I’ve have not spent time at the touristy places in these countries so that may be different.

Out of the Knives you listed I would pick the Spyderco. Personally I would not bring an expensive knife because I have always given the knife I brought there away. Someone has always been like, hey man that’s a really nice knife and we can’t get those here. I would typically then gift the knife when I left.

I would look at Cold Steels offering and get something light and not too expensive like a Kobun or stainless master hunter.

Also N690 would serve you very well down there.

Iwb loops and static lines are your friend btw.

Have a good time.
 
I would shy away from buying something there. Most of the local knives are garbage besides machetes. Just because Condors are made in El Salvador You should not expect to find them readily available there. I would actually advise you to ignore most of the responses on this thread and buy what you want.

You should be prepare to lose it for whatever reason but for the most part it should be fine.

Another good thing about cheap knives is that you can bring multiples to give away. :)
 
Mora and a Swiss Army knife or even an Opinel, should be able to handle most if your cutting needs, if you really need more than that, get a local machete. Plan to give them away when you leave. Stay with a well known company or group when doing your outings that has a relationship with the company you are planning your trip with, they know or have experience in the area and the local establishments or people.
 
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