Good knife for backpacking?

For backpacking, the smallest/lightest knife capable of the cutting tasks you anticipate. I've seen hikers on the Chilkoot Pass toting massive leukus and machetes (and you can't even cut wood along that trail), where a SAK or Mora would have been sufficient. My favorite backpacking FB is my Dozier K1, and even that is an ounce or two heavier than equally capable blades.
 
Nord said:
...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). ;)
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We can definitely agree the Ka-bar isn't the most pretty solution to many tasks, although it can handle them all. Jack of all trades, master of none comes to mind when describing that style of knife. It just gets knocked a lot on these forums which has always struck me as somewhat odd (hardcore bushcrafters aside), especially given its historical and current usage as a do-it-all knife.

Honestly, I never saw the reason folks are such fans of the Mora. For years I thought "how good can a $15 blade possibly be!". Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. My daughter went up north for a week of working on a ranch with her grandma and she has a good multitool but didn't have a reliable fixed blade. So I ordered a Mora Classic 2 for her since she's interested in all things Scandanavian. I took that blade out of the package and, cheap sheath aside, couldn't believe how nicely designed, sharp, and well-balanced it was for the money. Her grandma has been teaching her about safe use, etc over the week and its been used hard up there and has come through in spades in every situation. To make a long story short, I'm now a convert and will be ordering a Mora for my fiance and another for my glovebox soon. To the OP, you can't really go wrong with a 3"-4" Mora as a hiking/bushcraft blade either. Just don't try to pry with or abuse them is all.
 
My recommendation is SAVE. There are some great blades in the 100-200 range. That being said check out the BK10, BK24, and really anything by Becker or Esee. For 40 bucks more you can get a Fallkniven F1; its super light, stainless, and would serve a backpacker exceptionally well when paired with a good folding saw like the Bahco Laplander.
 
Off the top of my head, take a look at Kabar Becker BK-16 ($60), Condor Kephart ($30), and SOG Field Pup ($30) fixed blades and a Victorinox Swiss Army knife (SAK) of your choice. The Farmer or One Handed Trekker would be good choices.

I like the Spyderco Moran a lot. I recommend it as a hunting knife but it is very light and handy. I been carrying the BK-16 since I got it in the woods. It has a great feel and big and strong enough for most things other than chopping.

I suggest a two knife approach; one light fixed blade and a simple folder for delicate cutting like a SAK.
 
Torm said:
We can definitely agree the Ka-bar isn't the most pretty solution to many tasks, although it can handle them all. Jack of all trades, master of none comes to mind when describing that style of knife. It just gets knocked a lot on these forums which has always struck me as somewhat odd (hardcore bushcrafters aside), especially given its historical and current usage as a do-it-all knife.
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No reason to knock the kabar. For it's type and for what it is, it is a pretty good and useful knife. If you can pick one that is ground properly (some I have seen look like they were made in a factory employing half blind and drunken monkeys), if you reshape the edge to give it a good working edge, sand the sides of the leather grips down a bit to make the grip slightly oval instead of round and remove the top guard you have a very fine general purpose knife in that size class. I also think that it is a strong and robust knife and the blade has a reasonable thickness. Many modern blades are way too thick to be practical and I don't see any realistic need for a blade that is as thick as a crow bar. All knives of a similar size or slightly bigger are 'jack of all trades and master of none' imo. They are useful and you can press them into all kinds of service, but they don't really shine at most tasks. A light and sharp 4" blade is better at most 'knife and cutting chores' and a hatchet, a machete or a light and compact folding saw is vastly superior for the bigger tasks. If you look at what most people actually do when they go backpacking a smaller knife is probably a better choice. That is all. :)


Honestly, I never saw the reason folks are such fans of the Mora. For years I thought "how good can a $15 blade possibly be!". Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. My daughter went up north for a week of working on a ranch with her grandma and she has a good multitool but didn't have a reliable fixed blade. So I ordered a Mora Classic 2 for her since she's interested in all things Scandanavian. I took that blade out of the package and, cheap sheath aside, couldn't believe how nicely designed, sharp, and well-balanced it was for the money. Her grandma has been teaching her about safe use, etc over the week and its been used hard up there and has come through in spades in every situation. To make a long story short, I'm now a convert and will be ordering a Mora for my fiance and another for my glovebox soon. To the OP, you can't really go wrong with a 3"-4" Mora as a hiking/bushcraft blade either. Just don't try to pry with or abuse them is all.
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I am Swedish, I live in Sweden and I got my first Mora on my 4th birthday and have been using them fairly regularly for over 30 years. I used them intensely as a kid for whittling, making slingshots, bows and arrows and for all sorts of chores. In my teens i drifted away from them and started to look at them as 'boring' and I aquired various folders, military knives, 'survival knives' and other kinds of non-Mora knives. I have been an outdoors person all my life and have always enjoyed 'bushcraft' (long before I ever heard the term) and I am also a civilian and military trained survival instructor. The thing is that I have found that in the last decade or so I drifted back more and more to using Moras since they are so useful and practical, since they are cheap, since they are sharp, hold an edge, are easy to sharpen, are good for wood carving and actually cutting stuff, and since they end up being the knives you actually use for hard use anyway. Through all my years of using Mora knives I only managed to break two of them. One was a beat up old red wood handle KJ Eriksson from the 1960's or earlier on which I cracked the handle (blade was fine though and I put a home made handle on it) and the other an old 1980's Frosts 740 that I used to throw very hard at trees (I practiced throwing knives and axes a lot as a child) which cracked the handle. And no, I do not work for Mora of Sweden and I live quite far from the city of Mora. :D
 
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You can get a ka bar easily for less than 60. Try (( not a paid BF Dealer )). I will get a link if you're interested. I would suggest the cold steel gi tanto. It's an AMAZING knife. Just keep it oiled when possible. Only $25 too. Again (( not a paid BF Dealer )).
 
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Consider the Light My Fire knife. It's similar to the Mora Clipper but with a built in fire steel. Get it in the red or orange, something easy to see when you lay it in the grass. Costs half of your budget and is light in weight.

Joe
 
Moras are always great. I carry a Robust and the better half carries a Companion. They're strong, sharp, easy to maintain in the field and can really take some abuse. Not to mention the low price means you won't cry if something happens to one. We've batoned a ton of wood with ours and they haven't showed even the smallest signs of give. From my experience, they also skin well and are good for small game hunting. Not to long ago I latched one to a stick and went frog gigging. Speared a rabbit too.

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I also carry a Cold Steel GI Tanto now which might be more what you're looking for. Large, durable, carbon steel blade. Full tang. You can do finer tasks using the finger choil to choke up and you can do heavy tasks with ease. They come wicked sharp and retain their edges very well. They come with a great Secure-Ex sheath that can be attached to a pack or carried on the belt. Only $25 too! I like pairing it with either a Mora, or Cold Steel Roach Belly. Great blade duos for $40 or less.

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I'm actually planning on getting a Cold Steel Kobun next, which you might want to look into as well. I hear they're great and only $30.


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I strongly suggest one of the following:

-Mora Classic
-Mora Companion Clipper
-Cold Steel Survival Edge
-Cold Steel Outdoorsman Lite
-Cold Steel Bushman
-ESEE 3, 4, or Izula 2

All are a great value from experienced and respected companies, and will serve you well.
 
Egnar T Seinnhoj said:
Moras are always great. I carry a Robust and the better half carries a Companion. They're strong, sharp, easy to maintain in the field and can really take some abuse. Not to mention the low price means you won't cry if something happens to one. We've batoned a ton of wood with ours and they haven't showed even the smallest signs of give. From my experience, they also skin well and are good for small game hunting. Not to long ago I latched one to a stick and went frog gigging. Speared a rabbit too.

P7170031.JPG


I also carry a Cold Steel GI Tanto now which might be more what you're looking for. Large, durable, carbon steel blade. Full tang. You can do finer tasks using the finger choil to choke up and you can do heavy tasks with ease. They come wicked sharp and retain their edges very well. They come with a great Secure-Ex sheath that can be attached to a pack or carried on the belt. Only $25 too! I like pairing it with either a Mora, or Cold Steel Roach Belly. Great blade duos for $40 or less.

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I'm actually planning on getting a Cold Steel Kobun next, which you might want to look into as well. I hear they're great and only $30.


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I own both a Cold Steel GI Tanto and a Kobun. I consider the GI Tanto to be more of a combat/survival blade than a bushcraft knife, but despite the tanto shape it could certainly fill that role. One of the strongest fixed blades on the market, and the mind boggling thing is that you can get it for under $30.

I also have a Kobun. I would not recommend it as a bushcraft blade, but if you want a boot knife, it is my opinion that there is none better than the Kobun.
 
Kwon Kwang said:
I strongly suggest one of the following:

-Mora Classic
-Mora Companion Clipper
-Cold Steel Survival Edge
-Cold Steel Outdoorsman Lite
-Cold Steel Bushman
-ESEE 3, 4, or Izula 2

All are a great value from experienced and respected companies, and will serve you well.
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+1 on the bushman. Great knife. Just beware of rust!!!
 
If I were in your situation, I'd purchase a Mora 2000, (really dig the long, light blade profile) for cutting things (not for batoning, or digging), and use what's left over for a good folding saw, like a Silky Pocketboy. The more I'm outdoors the more I like saws for processing wood. The HD Clipper Moras, are nice as well, as are the Robust models. I'm not what a number of you would call an avid camper for what it's worth, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
 
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A Mora is a good choice for a secondary but way to small for a only knife. I would recommend something with at least a 5.5 or 6 inch blade. I have backpacked with bigger knives because they are worth carrying there extra weight, but a good saw would be a good choice along with a couple of knives with different blade sizes. Now a days even though I'm not backpacking any more I still have a saw and 3 or knives of different sizes. I find I still do a little chopping.
 
I vote for a mora. Cheap, sharp, and great slicers. Very good value, they should cost more than they do.
 
Sharp Steel said:
That looks an awful lot like a Chris Reeve Pacific, doesn't it?
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Schrade has a few knives that are modeled after CR knives. All legit knives. Schrade has done well at making quality versions of them and they have been well reviewed.
 
I keep a Helle in the door pocket of my car. Inexpensive and strong. I always have a folder in my pocket and that ends up performing the bulk of my cutting. many seem to like the opinels but they aren't stainless. Also, are you doing food prep or field prep of game animals? If not, I usually tote a small hatchet rather than a big old fixed blade.
 
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G to a store that sells the knives, handle them, and buy whatever is most comfortable in your hand. If you like a larger blade, make sure you can do fine tasks or carry a small blade as well. I find a medium size blade fits the mold for me, but everyone is different. Always have a pocket knife as well. So little weight will never go as far as a pocket knife.
 
muddog15 said:
A Mora is a good choice for a secondary but way to small for a only knife. I would recommend something with at least a 5.5 or 6 inch blade. I have backpacked with bigger knives because they are worth carrying there extra weight, but a good saw would be a good choice along with a couple of knives with different blade sizes. Now a days even though I'm not backpacking any more I still have a saw and 3 or knives of different sizes. I find I still do a little chopping.
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Why is it way too small? What do you actually need a 6" blade for when backpacking? Presuming that the plan is to engage in normal backpacking and not some other kind of activity I don't see much need for a bigger blade. Most backpackers around the world probably don't even bring a fixed blade knife at all. They sleep in tents or on the ground, they cook their food on lightweight stoves and basically just walk through the landscape. I prefer fixed blades over folders since they are sturdier and more hygienic for food preparation, cleaning fish, etc. Nowadays I find that I rarely need a 6" blade knife for anything in the woods. If you have the right technique you can take down wrist thick trees and saplings faster with a Mora than with most 6" blades. Taking down trees on land that you do not own is probably illegal in most places anyway. One reason for larger and longer blades that I can see is for stabbing humans or animals, and if there is a real risk for that need on your backpacking trip I would bring guns (if that is legal in the area), or rather go somewhere else.

If you need to do some heavier edged tool work, which is probably rare for most backpackers, you are much better served by bringing a small hatchet, a practical machete/parang/etc or a light folding saw like the Bahco Laplander. If you combine a good Mora and a Bahco Laplander saw you can have a very reasonably priced combo that probably weigh less together than what many bigger knives weigh alone, and you have a pair of tools that are many times more effective for most chores than a single large and heavy knife would be. These tools would also be safer and easier to use efficiently for most people. I think many larger knives are actually too small. They are too big to be practical for many everyday knife chores and too small to do the job of a hatchet or machete.

I am not trying to be confrontative here or anything, I just wonder about the reasoning behind som views and choices and find it interesting to discuss it every now and then. I have changed views myself on some of these things over the years due to experience and needs. Other people with other experiences, in environments different from the ones I am used to, might make different choices. :)
 
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