Help Find a knife for protection while hiking

We always had a stiff walking staff. Something that could be used to poke prod and fend off "danger" from more than a few inches..
We always had a knife or two. Usually a lockback. I never was one who felt comfortable with a sheath knife, Now I have worn them, but somehow they always seem to get in the way. Caught on branches, sticking me in my side when I sit down, etc.
The best defense is to be aware of your immediate area.
Second best defense dont hike alone.. we always stressed the buddy system.
whistles... noisemakers... flashlights... firecrackers.... all can scare animals away as long as you know they are there... again heads up is the key..
good knife hunting
Jack
 
A good knife is a good back up.

But even more effective is working on awareness skills. I've been followed by a cougar once before, and the behavior of the birds told me so.
I turned and faced the direction I was coming from with a KaBar in hand. I sure as HELL didn't want to get into any kind of confrontation, but once the animal knew I was aware of it, it just veered off and went away.

I will admit I did not actually see it, but I did find tracks on top of my own... :eek:

Clint Hollingworth
The Wandering Ones webcomic
http://www.wanderingones.com
 
Sal of Spyderco designed the Temperance fixed blade for that very reason, protection against animals in the woods. I just read an article in Tactical Knives about it.
 
TheKnifeCollector said:
Sal of Spyderco designed the Temperance fixed blade for that very reason, protection against animals in the woods. I just read an article in Tactical Knives about it.
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I would think that the bladeis a bit small for defense against some animals such as bears and mountain lions. Wouldn't a 7 or 8 inch blade be more suitable for defense?:confused:
 
RedEdge77 said:
I would think that the bladeis a bit small for defense against some animals such as bears and mountain lions. Wouldn't a 7 or 8 inch blade be more suitable for defense?:confused:
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I would also think that one would like a blade more suitable to stabbing for self-defense against large animals. :confused:
 
Cromag said:
TLR: This one seems like a nice knife. I'll have to find more details on this one :)
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I like that. I have the regular version which for backcountry use might be better however.
1.) The rubberized grip is great when it rains or if you have something slippery on your hands (found this out skinning a deer one year)
2.) The tang of the regular knife sticks out of the butt of the handle and provides a good surface to strike if you have to hammer a peg in. Furthermore because it sticks out slightly it is effective for self defense particularly against a skull. (The micarta version may still have this, I couldn't tell from the pic)
3.) About as affordable as it gets

With all that said I couldn't blame you for the micarta version- tell you what get that one and we'll trade :cool:

Original version here I have the kydex sheath which I like...your call

TLR
 
Last week, up here in Ontario, a canoeist killed a 200-lb black bear with a Buck 119. Of course, this was while the bear was gnawing on his pit bull; the dog positioned itself between the bear and its master, growling, and so the bear went for the closest, obvious threat. The guy then jumped on the bear's back and stabbed it repeatedly in the neck until it died, suffering a bite to the hand in the process.

At last report, both man and dog are recovering nicely.

A dog would probably help a lot. So would working on your awareness skills. And any solid fixed blade 6" and up would do just fine; Buck 119, Kabar, CS SRK, Becker BK-anything, RATs, Busses, Bark Rivers. Falknivens, Striders, Marbles, Grohmanns... there's a wealth of good outdoorsmans' knives out there :).
 
I like to take my Ontario Rat-3 on short hikes. It comes with the large TekLoc so I can draw it into "icepick-edge in" grip in a split second. That's exactly the grip I would want against an animal attack. I also take along my Cold Steel Oda Fighter if I'm going camping or traveling.

CS gets a lot of bashing on this forum but I still think their line of high carbon steel knives with the Kraton handle are a good deal. Plus, the sheaths are a nice design and comfortable to carry.

Regards
 
I also like the spyderco temperance.It is razor sharp.The 2 main things I look for in a hiking knife is the sheath lenght and the handle shape.I like the high rise style sheath so when my shirts out the knife can't be seen by others.I think alot of knives handles are way to slick.I'm always afraid in a defensive situation the knife would slip out of my hand. I think Bark river knives are great( I have four) but they need a pommel.The negative thing on Spyderco Temperance is the sheath scratch the blade.My opinion PJ
 
CMSpeedy said:
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't think you would stand a chance against a bear or mountain lion. Knife or no knife.
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Yeah, right, and yet the numerous people saved their lives by reaching for a knife in a mountain lion attack. How stupid of them. They just should have given up and not confuse your argument.

And by the way, what bubble are you talking about? I didn't see anyone with a bubble.

I would be willing to bet that hundreds of people with knives have been killed by animals
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Where do you get your numbers? Hundreds? Where? Anywhere in the world? Or are we still talking about the United States? There are very few deaths from mountain lions in the US, and not too many from bear attacks, either.

When hiking and trying to keep things light I carry a 44 Magnum in a holster (Some have 357 mags - I WANT MORE POWER).
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Well, that's great but a lot of places you cannot carry a firearm. That kinds takes that argument.

I totally agree with rdelliot - A DOG IS THE WAY TO GO!! especially if you don't feel like lugging a heavy firearm. Most of the time we hike with a lab, bull mastif, or a wolf hybrid.
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In many wilderness/animal preserves you will get arrested for hiking with any such thing. Absolutely no dogs.

You know, I am for carrying a gun, but the guy was asking what knife would be best to carry. To pretty much tell him that it's useless is reckless, irresponsible, and ignores the facts that people do save their lives with knives.

And yes, it does pi*s me off - particularly that "burst your bubble" thing when a fellow is asking for legitimate means to improve his survival chances.
 
Back in the day,I used to canoe in places such as the Yukon, BC and such. We always had a 12 ga with slugs also. But the thing is it was not always in my hands, a blade was always on my belt .

I would not want to fight a bear or lion with a knife, but I believe its better then nothing. I have an old yellowed article about a 55 y/o woman who killed a mountain lion with a "serrated" knife while her family was camping . It does work from time to time . I remember reading about a bowhunter who killed a bear that went after him by stabbing it with an arrow, beats your finger nails...

Or you could bring someone along who runs much slower than you .Perhaps your mother-in-law?
 
Angry HWYHobo? My numbers were guesses. I carry a knife and I will use it as a last resort.

My advice was too long I agree, but the bottom line was - I will never let a ferocious animal get close enough to me that I need to use a knife. What you do is your choice.

Maybe I'm naive, but where I hike guns are allowed and I take advantage of that. If you notice I edited my response, because I do believe that I should have answered his question or not said anything. Have a good night guys.
 
CMSpeedy said:
I will never let a ferocious animal get close enough to me that I need to use a knife.
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No offense, friend, but if ANY wild animal (except maybe a turtle) wants to get close to you, it will, and you will have to deal with it one way or the other.

To me, I'm still more concerned about humans, no matter where I am, city or country.

Regards
 
Ambush situations would certainly justify this knife defense argument. I would grab my waved Endura and start hacking if ambushed and I could not get my gun. Fast access would be key.

I guess the difference is that where I hike I would never try to use a knife for self defense. The only animal to worry about is the kodiak brown bear.

What would you guys do if a 1200lb kodiak brown bear got too close to shoot? Would you roll over on your stomach and play dead or try to fight the beast. I'm playin dead!! I've read a newspaper article where a kodiak that sustained multiple 45-70 rounds was still going strong. The animal was finally killed, upon examination the animals heart had been hit early on and it continued the fight for some time. That animal would barely feel a knife and they get more pissed if you try to fight.

Sorry guys, my experiences are not represenative of everybody else's. I do see now where a knife would be helpful against a mountain lion ambush.
 
Now of course I understand what the OP was asking for in a knife, but I thought I'd throw this out as a smaller defense knife (you never know when humans might attack) for smaller animals like dogs and badgers. Oh, trust me, badgers can be vicious. It's also a great tool. I know this may seem silly and cheesy, but a good knife I've found is this Northwest Territory folding knife I found at Kmart on sale for $12. I know, I know, it sounds absolutely ridiculous and not like anything you'd want, but please, let me show you why I like it.

It's a decent size, a blade length of 3 inches and an overall length of 7 inches. The handle has a nice grippy diamond pattern on it and I have yet to have it slip, even when my hands are sweaty. The blade itself is wicked sharp, holds an edge, and is easy to resharpen. It is also partly serrated. The blade is 440 stainless and I know a lot of people aren't thrilled about it, but I have yet to have one of these fail (I have three). It's also very lightweight and has a quick thumb stud to open (I do wish it had index-opening).

Deployment is quick, and it's small enough to be concealed in your hand and pulled from a pocket.

Best of all, it's cheap, so if you lose it, no biggie. I've already lost one of mine. Fortunately, I have three more.
 
Okay, I have to laugh at myself here, and I bet you will get a good laugh out of this. Following is my progression in hiking knives, and I just realized how much extra I carry just because I haven't taken anything off/out of my kit, but just added to it. After reading this thread, I took a look with clear eyes at my hiking gear, and here is what I came up with. Fallkniven f1 in a www.survivalsheath.com chest rig, Spyderco Temperance mounted on my left pack strap, large chopper type knife in pack (usually Becker Brute, but the choice changes occassionally depending on my mood), left and right pocket edc's of the day (usually a Manix in right pocket, BM 551 in left pocket), Sak tinker in pocket, leatherman somewhere in pack or on person. Now that I look at it, I think that the Temperance shall be removed from the pack strap, and the edc folders will stay in the ca(or at least one of them). I just added to the kit without thinking about removal of extraneous items. Okay guys laught it up. lol
 
This is one of the most foolish posts I've seen on BF:

Nothing is more detering than a .45 slug in somethings brain.
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Horsefeathers. A .44 mag or .50 S&W, or any of several slugs fired from a high powered rifle, is more effective than a .45 slug. A .357 mag slug fired from a revolver is potentially more effective.

At any rate, if the *goal* is to stop the animal from killing you, there is absolutely no point to killing the animal, unless that's what you set out to do in the first place. We have words for people who kill for no particular reason...
 
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