Food-Prep and Backpacking Friendly Folder?

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brians

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Apr 22, 2006
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I'm constantly looking for ways to lighten my backpacking load as I've leaned in my old age that enjoying the hike is inversely proportional to the weight I'm carrying :) One area I'm constantly re-evaluating is my tool-set.

I'd like to reduce the weight of my cutting tools by bringing just a medium fixed blade (BK7, BK10, or even a folding saw) in my pack and a good-sized folder in my pants/shorts pocket. I think this combo would provide the strength and redundancy I need. I don't like to carry anything on my pant belt, due to the pack hipbelt. The folder would be carried in my front pocket when backpacking and used primarily for food prep and that would just include some package opening, cutting cheese, sausage, and fruit. Nothing too demanding.

That being said, I have numerous folders including multi-tools (skeletool, gerber, etc) SAKs (pioneer, farmer, OHT, classics) and some Griptillians (regular and mini) and even some nice traditional folders (Grohmann, Schrade, EKA). But all these folders have closed backs and are are real pita to clean.

Can someone recommend a folder in the $30-$100 range that is a decent size (~ 3 inch blade) open-backed and easy to flush and clean (including dis-assembly), decent stainless steel (154CM, S30V, etc), good slicer, strong lock, and one-handed operation (opening and closing)?

The Buck Vantage Avid and Pro series look good but I've yet to handle one. So I thought I'd solicit some opinions and recommendations before purchasing.

Thanks for your time

B
 
I'd recommend that you look at a larger Opinel, a Byrd Cara Cara 2 or perhaps the Ontario RAT-1. For a few bucks more, the Spyderco Delica or Endura 4 ffg are amazing (and still under your target price!)

Good luck! :)
 
brians said:
The folder would be carried in my front pocket when backpacking and used primarily for food prep and that would just include some package opening, cutting cheese, sausage, and fruit. Nothing too demanding.

But all these folders have closed backs and are are real pita to clean.

Can someone recommend a folder in the $30-$100 range that is a decent size (~ 3 inch blade) open-backed and easy to flush and clean (including dis-assembly), decent stainless steel (154CM, S30V, etc), good slicer, strong lock, and one-handed operation (opening and closing)?
B
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The Spyderco Para2 would be a great choice that is just a few dollars more than your price range. Open backed, and with a FFG S30V blade.

The Tenacious and Resilience would also be a great choice as well.
 
Why not just carry a small fixed blade? ;)

Even a $10 parring knife in you pack and you got it covered.
 
The Tenacious would indeed be a nice choice. In spite of the weight, I can't help but be partial to the CS Pocket Bushman as well. It might not be open-backed but it's still super easy to clean--most stuff just rinses right out of it, and you have good enough access to the inside that a little piece of green scrubby would get anything stubborn out without much fight. The blade works well for a variety of food prep, including spreading (my lady likes using mine to make peanut butter sandwiches when we're on trips in the car :p) and it's built like a tank so it can handle a lot of hard-use non-food tasks as well.

That being said, I agree with Ankerson--many small portable kitchen knives are available with plastic sheaths, and they're both inexpensive, light, and actually MADE for food! :D
 
The Buck vantage pro is a great knife, the high hollow grind is excellent for slicing, and with a Paul Bos HT on s30v, its a blade you cant contend with easily, the only qualm i have with it is the cnc milled g10 is not as grippy as i would like. a smidge smooth, but a lanyard or some light sanding on the g10 will take care of that, or you could go with the paperstone version
 
I really like the kershaw Blur in S30V as a slicer. it is about 50 bucks, has good steel, a pretty strong lock, and opens very easily with one hand. it is hollow ground, holds an edge very well, and is totally in your price range.
 
Ankerson said:
Why not just carry a small fixed blade? ;)

Even a $10 parring knife in you pack and you got it covered.
Click to expand...

I've tried with a 7 inch total length fixed in front pocket, and its just not the same as an accessible 3 to 4 inch folder. They require a deep pocket and I prefer to have complete dexterity in my stride, especially going up steep hills or scrambling. They also need to be unsheathed/sheathed.

I also had a Blur, but gifted it as it occasionally unfolded in my pocket :eek:

I do appreciate the thought and input. I'll be looking at some spydies, for sure, but are they easy to close with one hand?
 
timberweasel said:
I'd recommend that you look at a larger Opinel, a Byrd Cara Cara 2 or perhaps the Ontario RAT-1. For a few bucks more, the Spyderco Delica or Endura 4 ffg are amazing (and still under your target price!)

Good luck! :)
Click to expand...

Wow, the Rat 1 looks like a great value. Couple of questions: From online pics, I can't tell. Is the back open? And, is the AUS-8 a decent steel?

Can anyone tell me if the Phat Bob is open-framed as well?
 
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Yes the RAT 1 is open framed and it's not hard to clean at all (and eventually disassembly), and it is a very good and solid folder at that price. Never had the Phat Bob so I'm not sure if it's open framed.
About AUS-8...I guess it would be a long topic to discuss. To cut it short, I have used my RAT 1 when camping sometimes (altho I do prefer a fixed blade paired with a SAK) and it served me well, so I'm fine with AUS-8 for that use.
Just a personal note: if u need a knife just for food prep, and since u are also carrying a fixed blade, u might consider something even smaller and lighter (like an Opinel).
Otherwise, the RAT 1 is an excellent cheap choice, and it does fit ur requirements.
:cool:
 
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I second the Opinel suggestion, makes a great food prep knife, and is super lightweight.
Its not an open design, and you can't really disassemble it, but it is not too hard to care for, and with your price range you can buy like 10 of them.
 
I'd suggest putting in another $10 for a Para2. S30V is a good general use steel, but where it really shines for me is that the corrosion resistance is good enough to handle even abusive use(say, cutting fruit and just wiping it down on your pants). Disassembly might be slightly tricky given the unique lock design and pivot bushing, but I suspect it's still simpler than the lockback on the Endura and Delica(which is not open back).
 
brians said:
Can someone recommend a folder in the $30-$100 range that is a decent size (~ 3 inch blade) open-backed and easy to flush and clean (including dis-assembly), decent stainless steel (154CM, S30V, etc), good slicer, strong lock, and one-handed operation (opening and closing)?
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Id recommend the Tenacious. If you can live with the 8Cr13Mov steel, then it fulfills every single one of your requirements including one-handed closing.

The steel isnt bad at all contrary to what some people would have you think. Its takes a sharp edge, but doesnt hold it as long as the other upper-end steels. Its no big deal, as its much easier to sharpen than those steels. And since youll be using it for light-duty tasks, then you wouldnt really notice it.

Ive used mine as my work edc for quite a long time, and it has served me just fine. It still has zero bladeplay and strong lockup, even though ive used it for much more demanding tasks than what you mention.
 
The Cold Steel Kudu. In my experience, the blade is perfect for a portable food preparation knife. Also, it only weighs 2.4 ounces and has a 4.25" blade.

I replaced the lock ring with a knotted loop of paracord, and I suggest you do the same. It makes it not painful at all to close, doesn't get in the way when using the knife the way the stock ring does, and lets the knife fit into a slightly narrower space in your pocket or pack.
 
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