Good fixed blade for camping?

T

testosterone325

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Jul 4, 2013
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Planning to do some camping this year and want to get a decent fixed blade knife. Looking for something versatile for around the $200 mark or less. Been to a couple local shops and have so far checked out the Becker BK2, Esee 3, DPX HEFT 4, and some Benchmade Hunt series knives. I have been doing some research into Swamp Rat and I like the the features and looks a lot. Out of the knives I've listed, what would you recommend? Are there any other options I should consider? The Niolox and and SR101 steels sound interesting from the DPX and Swamp Rat knives. Anyone have any experience with those steels?
 
Mora Bushcraft, Victorinox Farmer, and a Condor Bushcraft Parang.

or go a little more upscale

Helle Symfoni, Victorinox Farmer, and a Gransfors Bruks Small Forest Axe.
 
Using a Mora Bushcraft Black.
Busse also got a FB on their site now for $227, not much over your budget.
 
For ~200 you may consider looking at some customs. There are a lot of great makers on this site who need business.
 
http://surviveknives.com/knives/gso-series/gso-5-1.html

I recently picked up a GSO-10 from Survive! Knives and couldn't be more pleased with it.
Looking forward to really beating on this thing in a month or two once camping season gets going.

The "Rodent" line from Swap Rat looks pretty nice. Not sure how SR101 measures up to the CPM-3V / CPM20-CV that Survive! is using, but I'm sure others here can inform us both.
I dunno if I like the coating Swap Rat is using on those Rodents, but that's just a personal preference.
 
dwong said:
Using a Mora Bushcraft Black.
Busse also got a FB on their site now for $227, not much over your budget.
Click to expand...

That's for a 3 1/2" blade though...
I'm not sure what size OP is looking for, but that on the small side for what I think most would consider a "camp knife".
 
For that budget you have a lot of options, both production and hand made. Before you settle on a production knife it would be very worthwhile checking out what the forum member knife makers have to offer.
 
Anything with Vanadis 4 Extra will knock your socks off. I've been looking to buy something from Knife Research, they have some really awesome designs, and high quality pieces.
 
No particular order:

Bravo 1
TOPS Dragonfly 4.5
TOPS BOB
Esse 4 or Esse 6
BK 16 or BK 10
Ontario Blackbird SK5
 
Hey everyone thanks for the responses. I'm looking for a 4-5" blade. The BK2 and Esee 4 knives seem to be highly recommended. I know the 1095 they use is highly praised. I love the Busse SOB but it's pricey and there's a 4-14 week wait time. I can try second hand. That's part of the reason I am considering the swamp rat rodent 4. Taking my time with decision though I'm in no rush. 14 weeks is a bit long though. I'm definitely open to checking out customs. Still seeing what's available and I really respect the opinions of everyone on the forum.
 
Fallkniven F1 or S1, great knives, or like others have said, you could go with a custom from here on the forums.
 
The knife choice depends on what you might do with a knife. Are you backpacking or car camping?

For me, te BK-2 and the equivalent ESEE 5 is a bit too heavy and more difficult to use. I would choose a BK-16/BK-17 or the ESEE 4 or 6 depending on the blade length you prefer. The BK-16 is a very useful size and one you will carry and not leave in the car or home when you are out in the woods. You really don't need a really large knife for anything other than chopping and if chopping is your intent, I would go with the Bk-9 or perhaps the BK-7.
 
Just looked up the Bravo 1 and it's gorgeous. I absolutely love how many configurations it comes in. So many handle colors and materials to choose from. And you can choose from variety of steels.
 
A lot of the Bark River knives are good choices. I also like the Blackjack 125 made by Bark River.
 
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