Good knife for backpacking?

[SlimsyYeti]

Hello all, first post here. So I'm new to knives (never even owned one) and I will be taking a backpacking trip soon. I would like to get a fixed blade knife that would be good for doing general hiking/backpacking jobs. I was thinking about getting a ka-bar USMC (with the serrated edge) because I hear about it being a great knife all the time. Although I have heard bad things about the tang on the ka-bar, I doubt the jobs I will be doing will be enough to break it. Anyway, here's the catch: I would prefer to not spend more than $60. I am curious to see what fixed blade knives you knife connoisseurs suggest.

 

[Concat]

If you're just hiking, the USMC might be a bit big anyway. (12 inches total)

I'd suggest looking at Mora. They are certainly within your price range and are well regarded.

 

[BladeHQ]

I've been backpacking with my Izula II for a couple years now. It isn't too large but big enough to do most tasks. ESEE has an awesome heat treat and even better warranty.

http://www.bladehq.com/item--ESEE-RAT-Knives-Black--7190

 

[matthew krissak]

The Mora is a great choice and there's a few nice models too. I keep one in all my packs and car just in case that horrible day comes where I forget my knife.

 

[kicwk]

I really like my Bark River gunny.

 

[Holag]

I usually carry a Becker BK11 or BK24 backpacking. I'll have the BK24 on a 220 mile through-hike I'm doing this summer. The BK11 is about $32 on (( not a paid BF Dealer )) and the scales (optional but worth it) are about the same. The BK14 and BK24 (the same except for the steel) are priced similarly, but the scales are cheaper. I have a Mora also, but I always carry one of the Beckers because they are just all-around better knives and less bulky. The Mora does weigh about and ounce less, however.

I agree that the Ka-Bar USMC is too big for backpacking, and I also would have to question the usefulness of a serrated edge in the woods. If you are considering such a big blade, my advice is to weigh your pack--odds are it is a good 10-20lbs heavier than it needs to be. I know mine was before I started weighing my gear.

 

[marcinek]

Welcome!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the KABAR tang. What's wrong with it is that it was not designed as an outdoors knife. It will work, but hiking/backpacking/outdoor recreation is not what is was made for.

The Izula mentioned before is an excellent choice.

I would also suggest the AG Russell Deer Hunter. Built for slicing things outdoors, well inside your budget, and has a cool locking and dangling sheath. Perfect for clipping onto a backpack.

People like Moras...I did too. I'm over them. I find a full flat grind like that of the Izula or Deer Hunter to be better for a wider ranger of tasks than the so-called "Scandi" grind on the Mora.

That said...What I would really suggest is a Victorinox "Alox Farmer" Swiss Army Knife...but that's a folder.

 

[SlimsyYeti]

Thanks for the suggestions, but I was just wondering why you don't recommend a serrated edge. I just figured it made the blade more useful in different scenarios?

 

[zeroed4x]

If you are looking for a combat style / camp knife give a look at the Schrade schf3N. Its light weight for its size, full tang and will hold a good edge.
It comes with a nice scabbard, they also have a combo serrated edge available. The handle is more comfortable than a K-Bar.

 

[sideways]

Hard to go wrong with a Mora if fixed blades are your thing. If you can live with a folder (I do) then a swiss army knife is hard to beat.

http://www.bladehq.com/item--Mora-of-Sweden-Craftline-Q-511-High--11069
http://www.bladehq.com/item--Mora-of-Sweden-Bushcraft-Triflex--11072
http://www.bladehq.com/item--Light-My-Fire-Mora-Swedish--13388
http://www.bladehq.com/item--Victorinox-Swiss-Army--4042

You could get several of the above blades for under 60 $. The alox farmer is like the spartan above with the addition of a saw blade. If you like a locking swiss army knife then the soldier is a good model to get.

Serrated edges are harder to sharpen but will keep cutting (ripping) even when dulled a bit. Serrations are better at cutting fibrous materials like rope.

 

[Holag]

In my experience I've never had to cut rope or cordage when backpacking, which is really what serrations are for, like sideways said. The main reason to avoid them, other than sharpening reasons, is that they can get in the way when making feather sticks or doing detailed work. You basically sacrifice the lower half of the blade for cutting cordage, and a sharp flat blade will cut cordage just as well as a serrated edge.

I usually use my knife for making feather sticks, batoning small branches, trimming mole foam and bandages, and cleaning fish. Honestly, most backpackers get by with just a Swiss Army Knife as has already been suggested, but I love my survival knives so I compromise and go with a mini one like the BK11. It's also easier to keep clean, which comes in handy if I catch any fish. I don't want anything that smells like fish inside my tent at night.

 

[Nord]

If you want a practical knife that works well for your intended purpose you can't really get a much better knife than one of the modern plastic/rubber handle Mora knives. What you actually use a knife for when backpacking is cutting open various food packaging, food preparation, maybe cutting some string, cutting some cloth, cutting a piece of band aid, maybe some whittling, making some shavings and feathersticks for a fire and so on. I own and like some bigger and sturdier knives like the classic USMC kabar and various others but a Mora is a MUCH better choice for general backpacking and backwoods use. Another advantage is that they are cheap, they are sharp and ready to go with a practical useful edge out of the box (unlike most kabars and similar knives) and if you are new to knives they are very good for learning about how to use a knife, how to sharpen it and so on. The only 'problem' is that if you start out using Moras and actually use them a bit for real practical purposes you will probably be disappointed and frustrated and dismiss many other, more expensive, bigger and cooler looking knives as useless junk, when you eventually 'upgrade'!

For general backpacking that will involve food preparation and such the most hygienic and easy care choice is a fixed blade knife with a high quality stainless steel blade. I would recommend a stainless steel Mora with plastic/rubber grip and a .098" thick blade. The thinner blades are a bit thin imo and the new thicker blades are perhaps a bit thick for general food preparation and such. Good choices would be the Mora 746 which has a very comfortable grip or one of the stainless Companion/Craftline models, or maybe the new Bushcraft Force. Stay away from the Mora 2000 and the other models with the same type of blade (Bushcraft Forest and Bushcraft Signal). I do not trust that blade design since it is a bit thin and I have seen a few of them break and bend. The regular .098" blades are as sturdy as you will realistically ever need for backpacking, but if you want an even more robust blade go for the new Mora Bushcraft Orange, which so far is the only model with the new thicker blade in stainless steel.

 

[Torm]

Welcome!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the KABAR tang. What's wrong with it is that it was not designed as an outdoors knife. It will work, but hiking/backpacking/outdoor recreation is not what is was made for.

I may be wrong here but last I checked soldiers do plenty of hiking (marching until toenails fall off at times), backpacking (marching with 60+lbs of gear), and bushcraft (all-around utility and camp use). Its done quite well in countless hands for decades now and is an all-time classic for anything the OP mentioned. That said, the Izula is a solid choice as well, but quite a bit smaller. My only advice to the OP would be to consider getting a plain edge rather than partial serration if the decision is made to go with the USMC Ka-bar.

 

[Nord]

Serrations make a blade more useful in some limited and for most people unusual scenarios and makes a blade less useful for most people and most purposes. Serrations is/were something of a fad even if they do have a place in some cases. For a general purpose knife intended for backpaking and camping use a plain edge is much more useful and easy to maintain.

 

[Torm]

*Double post.*

 

[Nord]

I may be wrong here but last I checked soldiers do plenty of hiking (marching until toenails fall off at times), backpacking (marching with 60+lbs of gear), and bushcraft (all-around utility and camp use). The Ka-bar done quite well in countless hands for decades now and is an all-time classic blade design that can handle anything the OP mentioned. That said, the Izula is a solid choice as well, if a bit smaller. My only advice to the OP would be to consider getting a plain edge rather than partial serration if the decision is made to go with the USMC Ka-bar.

Just because it has been issued to soldiers and used by them for many decades does not mean it was ever the best or even a good choice for what it has mostly been used for. Most armies around the world are notorius for issuing at least some equipment that is less than ideally suited to the task most soldiers actually use it for. Many soldiers have used bayonets and fighting knives/daggers for general purpose 'backpacking and bushcraft', because that is what they were issued with or were lead to believe they needed. I am a real 'knife person' but I have found it quite common to go through several days of military activity without taking my knife from it's sheath even once. Occasionally you might cut som string, cut open some packaging or clear some vegetation but in many cases you hardly even use it at all. Most military knives are or were inspired by bayonets or fighting knives that were primarily designed as weapons for killing people. Some are figthing knives that were altered to make them slightly more practical for more mundane purposes, but they are still often primarily killing implements. I think that the same holds true for many big knives of the past as well. Their original use and purpose was often as weapons rather than tools and many people probably carried them, then as now, because they felt they were good weapons that looked and felt cool, masculine and intimidating.

 

[Sharp Steel]

If you are looking for a combat style / camp knife give a look at the Schrade schf3N. Its light weight for its size, full tang and will hold a good edge.
It comes with a nice scabbard, they also have a combo serrated edge available. The handle is more comfortable than a K-Bar.

That looks an awful lot like a Chris Reeve Pacific, doesn't it?

 

[Torm]

Just because it has been issued to soldiers and used by them for many decades does not mean it was ever the best or even a good choice for what it has mostly been used for. Most armies around the world are notorius for issuing at least some equipment that is less than ideally suited to the task most soldiers actually use it for. Many soldiers have used bayonets and fighting knives/daggers for general purpose 'backpacking and bushcraft', because that is what they were issued with or were lead to believe they needed.

The Ka-bar is a hell of a lot more than just a fighting knife; it's an archetype of its own at this point. Some soldiers don't know knives but they know how to use them for utility and to accomplish a task, and the fact the Ka-bar is still in regular use today speaks volumes as to its usefulness as an all-around blade design. Millions of users aren't wrong in that. After all, that's sort of the point of an all-around knife, isn't it? To handle anything, whether its slicing, prying, cutting thread, opening food, carving, etc etc. To say the Ka-bar isn't "good" for those uses is utterly ridiculous.

 

[cbach8tw]

Give the Kabar shortie a try, still great styling as the classic Kabar knife, but shorter and have a choice of leather or Kraton handles, serrated or not, and a kydex sheath. Bk 11 or 14 with scales and a good SA knife would also be a good combo, not too heavy. I doubt you will ever need to baton anything.

 

[Nord]

The Ka-bar is a hell of a lot more than just a fighting knife; it's an archetype of its own at this point. Some soldiers don't know knives but they know how to use them for utility and to accomplish a task, and the fact the Ka-bar is still in regular use today speaks volumes as to its usefulness as an all-around blade design. Millions of users aren't wrong in that. After all, that's sort of the point of an all-around knife, isn't it? To handle anything, whether its slicing, prying, cutting thread, opening food, carving, etc etc. To say the Ka-bar isn't "good" for those uses is utterly ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, I own a couple of kabars, I like them and have used them quite a lot in the woods over the years (it was a real chore to get a good working edge on them though). My definite opinion though is that they and other knives of similar size and type are not ideal for general purpose backpacking and 'bushcraft' type use. I think that most experienced bushcraft and backwoods survival experts and instructors would probably prefer another and smaller type of knife for general purpose use (there is a reason people like Mors Kochanski, Ray Mears etc. tend to use and recommend a Mora or a knife of similar design and proportions). A kabar size knife can also quickly become a nuissance due to it's weight and size while hiking. They are also not quite ideal for whittling, wood carving, cleaning a fish, dressing a game animal, preparing food, cutting a piece of cloth with any precision, and so on. It is a bit like the tactical drop leg pistol holsters that are very popular. They are fine for some purposes and scenarios but if you actually walk around with one of those contraptions strapped to your leg for any length of time when you are walking in the mountains or through dense foliage and whatnot on a hot day, and it really chafes against your leg and irritates the hell out of you, you just want to throw the darn thing into the nearest swamp, lake or stream and be done with it.