Good Camping knife $100 and under

[kornphlake]

I'm reasonably happy with my Kershaw Diskin Hunter, the newest revision has a high flat grind instead of a hollow grind which makes it more attractive and more useful for its intended task in my opinion than the knife originally made available. My understanding is that the revision is fairly current so your local reseller may not have rotated through old inventory, but if you look hard enough you should be able to find the updated design.

I put a canary wood handle on mine and polished the blade. Shown next to a ZT 0350 for reference.

 

[Eero]

Ill throw in my vote for a BK16:

 

[sunandsteel]

Ill throw in my vote for a BK16:

So you prefer the BK's over the Esse's?

 

[mountainmist]

you will not be disappointed with a bk16

 

[1066vik]

So you prefer the BK's over the Esse's?

I had an ESEE4 with aftermarket scales that I sold after getting the BK16 -- better feeling handle and no huge, useless (to me) choil makes it a much more comfortable knife in my hands.
OTOH, I prefer the ESEE6 to the BK2 and 7.

 

[22-rimfire]

General purpose woods/camping knife that is not large but strong, useful, and dependable = Kabar Becker BK-16.

 

[pinnah]

Hey guys title says it all! Just wanting some opinions for a good camping/hiking knife thanks!

It all depends on what you mean by "camping/hiking".

If "camping/hiking" means ultra-lite backpacking, dehydrated food in packets and the skill and knowledge to use a modern camp stove (alcohol, white gas, butane) and if you have the navigation skills and backcountry sense to keep yourself out of major trouble, then you can get by with a Leatherman Squirt PS4 or a Victorinox Classic. People thru-hike the AT and PCT all the time with nothing more than this. Suggested reading: Ray Jardine.

If "camping/hiking" means normal backing with a bit more luxurious food, you can add about any pocket knife you like to your PS4 or Classic. Opinel #9 and PS4 is my choice for 4 season backpacking and ski touring in wet New England. A lot of people like SAKs. But really, about any reasonably sized pocket knife is fine. Suggested reading: Colin Fletcher, Harvey Manning, Chris Townsend.

If "camping/hiking" means canoe or car camping, more reliance on camp fires and even more ambitious cooking, then you will want to add a tool for cutting wood (saw), a tool for splitting wood (large fixed blade or hatchet) and you may want to add a general purpose light fixed blade for the kitchen. Suggested reading: Cliff Jacobsen.

If "camping/hiking" means harvesting a lot of wood while practicing and rehearsing bushcraft/survival/primitive living skills, then you should get whatever type of tool you most associate with your bushcraft/survival/primitive living heros. Suggested reading: Kohanski, Mears, Ludin, Grylls, etc.

 

[sunandsteel]

I had an ESEE4 with aftermarket scales that I sold after getting the BK16 -- better feeling handle and no huge, useless (to me) choil makes it a much more comfortable knife in my hands.
OTOH, I prefer the ESEE6 to the BK2 and 7.

I'm deciding between the ESEE4 or the BK16. They're both almost the same in blade length so I'm going to take the plunge with one of the two.

 

[22-rimfire]

I have both, but prefer the BK-16.

 

[Sulaco]

If you have anything close to normal sized hands you'll enjoy the BK-16 more than the ESEE-4. I'm not sure what the design idea was with the 4, but it seems like a lot of the ESEE knives may be designed to hold flat against the body, like when lashed to body armor or something along those lines. The BK-16 is much more ergonomic. I do however prefer the heat treat (seems harder) of the ESEE knives.

 

[sunandsteel]

I might just order both the ESEE4 and BK16, this way I can hold both of them to see which one is more comfortable for my hand. Whichever one I keep, I'll just send the other one back for a refund.

 

[upnorth]

I might just order both the ESEE4 and BK16, this way I can hold both of them to see which one is more comfortable for my hand. Whichever one I keep, I'll just send the other one back for a refund.

I have them both also and wish to keep both. I like each for its own attributes, which are individualised and subjective. If told to grab one and run, it would be the BK-16. Sweet ergonomics and a much more balanced knife in many ways. It is also a feather weight compared to the 4.

 

[lamech]

All the above mentioned knives are great suggestions, you couldn't go wrong with any of them. Just to toss out an idea try looking up Green River knives, get a couple blades and have fun making it what you want. You can put wood , synthetic or just wrap them in paracord for a handle material, the nice thing is they are inexpensive and sharpen up really nice.
God Bless
Tracy