Heavier duty camp knife for sea kayaker.

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chrisrezac

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Mar 22, 2015
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I've got a few folders and a lifejacket knife. I've been trying to figure out what to get for a heavier duty camp knife that I can pack in a hatch of my sea kayak. I live on the coast, and the better portion of my paddling is in the Atlantic. Much of everything else is in the intracoastal waterways, tidal marshes, and tidal creeks and rivers. And I get into some fresh water less often. Most of my camping is kayak camping. I live in SE NC. So what I have is plenty of humidity and surrounded by saltwater most of the time. This doesn't mean I can't take care of the knife. It won't be like my lifejacket knife, drenched in salt water. But there's also a limit to how much time I'll fuss with it, as a lot of times, I'm more on the go than settled in somewhere. So it's going to be subject to a certain degree of exposure to less than ideal elements. But in general, I can wipe it down and put it in a dry bag in a hatch between camps.
Wow, there's a heck of an assortment of stainless steels out there. Somehow, the one that has sort of stood out to me for this type of knife is Elmax. Would something like a Bark River Fox River in Elmax be consistent top quality?
I've read many comments about heat treat of steels and blade geometry, to the extent that I might figure I could get junk in any type of steel, or greatness in just about any type. This is one area where I think a person should be able to have the best of both worlds. A premium steel that has been tooled properly. I've seen an Esee 4 in 440C, Benchmade Bushcrafter in S30V, Ontario SK5 Blackbird in 154CM, Bark River Knives in Elmax and S35V. I see tool steels consistently described as much tougher than stainless. But I'm worried in my salty environment that edges will suffer. I got the impression that Elmax might be one of the toughest stainless steels and hold one heck of an edge even at a high, say 61, hardness level?
Am I on the right track here? Something I can carve some wooden stakes, shave some wood for a fire, light splitting of wood, clear some vines and light branches, the harder use stuff - and will still remain useful with a good edge for all the more normal knife tasks like rope and meat and such.
 
You're on the right track.

You've picked out your blade steel, now all you need to decide upon is what blade style you want and your budget limit.

I say go for a Bravo 1 in S35VN, if you are ok with spending $200+.
 
G.Sakai Sabi knife series. These are the folks who make Spyderco's H1 knives.
I use a Sabiknife 5. OAL 10/5" Blade length 5.4". Blade thickness 4mm.
Blade material H1 HRC 56-57.

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sabiknife5-bk_zps6huy3z55.jpg
 
What KenHash said on G. Sakai. I carry a fixed blade Spyderco Aqua Salt (4.78" blade) in H1 steel with me often when kayaking in salt water and although it had been discontinued there is a second round underway with some dealers taking pre-orders. I've toted a Fallkniven along with me before and the VG-10 with Marine Tuff Cloth coating held up just fine.
 
I agree with the Bravo 1 in S35VN (or the Bravo 1.5 if you want a slightly longer blade) but make sure you get a kydex sheath made for it if you really don't want to worry about rust. I used a Bravo 1 S35VN as my "go to" fixed blade for more than a year and it was great at resisting corrosion and held an edge well.

Another great general use knife in S35VN is Spartan Blades Nyx. Spartan uses a proprietary heat treat, and my experience has been that their S35VN holds an edge far better than the same steel from other makers. The Nyx is light and flat and designed to work in many different grips and situations. Spartans sheaths are very well designed and are among the best available. I've used my Nyx for everything from basic cutting chores to food and fire preparation. It really is a perfect "do it all" fixed blade and has replaced my Bravo 1 because it carries more easily while still being every bit as capable. The PVD coated S35VN is probably about as rust resistant as possible.
 
Having used knives in/near saltwater most of my life fishing and diving, I can tell you that if you wash down and dry ANY stainless knife after use on a routine basis it will be fine.
It's really only if you leave it for some time that you will have to face stains and rust. Carbon steel is out of the question because it will develop pitting. Obviousy the handle and sheath material needs to be waterproof and synthetic materials are the way to go. The beauty of H1 knives is that if you happen to forget or forego washing and use your knife 3 weeks later, it will not have rust or stains.
This makes H1 knives a pretty good choice for people who may expose their knives to saltwater frequently.
 
Thanks guys. Now I'll be tempted to replace my lifejacket knife with one of those H1's. I'm going to stick with stainless, but I get the impression that for my pack knife, I don't have to go all the way to stainproof H1.
I read a Blade Ops article about CPM S35VN dated Oct 24, 2014, titled "What is CPM-S35VN Steel?". So it's a fairly recent article. I've read quite a lot of stuff, some of it very contradictory. It has some pretty good things to say about S35VN, but it's these little bits about Elmax, as you see here, suggesting that it can give you superior edge holding and retain more toughness at higher hardness levels, that sort of pointed me more and more to that steel. What do you think of this particular article? I know there's lots of stuff out there on these steels, and I'm not always sure all of my filters are in check. But it seems among the positive and negative anecdotes, and a couple of articles like this, Elmax could be a standout knife given proper tooling.

http://blog.bladeops.com/what-is-cpm-s35vn-steel.html

The other piece I was keeping in mind that made sense to me is blade thickness. If I need closer to a quarter inch thick steel for a particular knife in a particular steel to hold up against my normal camp use, then a superior steel should hopefully allow me better geometry and weight that would have failed using inferior steel under hard use, but with this superior steel, will be just fine.

This is partly how I came to eyeball the Bark River Fox River and Aurora LT, in Elmax, at .15 thickness. They list the hardness where I've read the hardness needs to be to take advantage of Elmax. And they seem like the kind of blade that I would reach for for just about anything. For that kind of blade to hold up to the heavier duty chores seems pretty great, if it's true?

Anyway, as long as I'm going in a good direction in terms of a manufacturer, a good steel choice, and hopefully taking full advantage of the qualities of that steel, I'll feel pretty good about things.

Thanks again for any feedback.
 
H-1 does not hold an edge well enough to be a camp knife. Elmax would be okay and Bark River makes some great knives. Kershaw makes a couple of folders in it, too. N680 is a nice steel that will not rust in salt water. Lonewolf makes fixed and folders, Benchmade makes folders in it.
 
I love my H-1 knives and it has been my experience that you have to "season" them in order to get good edge retention. Use them and resharpen for a month or three and you'll get the longevity you're looking for. I've been kayaking for over 13 years and have made several 100+ miles trips. I carried a Spydie Aqua Salt for years and it served me very well until a 'friend' lost it while camping. :mad: I've been waiting on the new re-release of the Aqua, but the G. Sakai knives look equally amazing. Especially the Sabi 5,6 and 7 models...
 
What about something really basic such as the Mora Bushcraft Orange? It's a tough blade with great ergonomics. I've seen them many times, if you know where to look:), for around $18-$22. It's SS and should handle everything you mentioned easily. It's easily replaceable as well. Just a thought.
 
I used to do a fair bit of whitewater canoeing and ocean kayaking especially up north where you can be stuck in a kayak for a fairly long time waiting for the ice. I always have a shorter blade for PFD or survival suit use and a larger blade for camp chores and ice. For the short blade my preferred materials are stellite/talonite or titanium because any steel will rust in the time betwen cleanings if you are out for a long time. Longer blades in that material are problematic because those matarials are fairly soft and a better steel is nice. I do prefer tool steel but a good stainless, even 440C, can be more than adequate. After trying many things i settled on coated Busses or a coated Fehrman Hood hunter which surprisingly fare fairly well against rust with minimal maintenance. I keep a big knife with me for several reasons, and it can be put an easily accessable dry bag beside you near the shotgun loaded for walrus or secured on deck.
 
I wonder how Falkniven A1 would work in this situation? Seems like a great knife with the non slip rubbery grip and tough stainless steel san mai style blade.
 
Any of the big Chris Reeve fixed? The Pacific seems perfectly suited, S35V at .220 thick.
 
If you're boat has watertight hatches and you put your gear in drybags, I think you can pretty much get any sort of knife you like. I've always had my Grohmann #3 in my boat for my paddling trips without any issues. It was my camp knife for a 12 day trip last year on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland and it performed fine.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1433636499.556161.jpg No pics of the knife, but it wasn't the highlight of the trip hehe.
 
HJK said:
I keep a big knife with me for several reasons, and it can be put an easily accessable dry bag beside you near the shotgun loaded for walrus or secured on deck.
Click to expand...
I've a loaded shotgun for a lot of things, but this is the 1st I've heard of walrus ... thanks for the warning if I'm ever in their proximity.
 
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