To answer your last question first, the Gov-tac isn't on SOG's website and that almost always means it's been discontinued.
Fortunately, just because it's (probably) discontinued doesn't mean it's automatically out of stock.
There's a ton of them on eBay right now so getting the Gov-Tac isn't an issue if that's the one you like the most.
My personal suggestion would be
the classic SOG SEAL Pup (
not the "Elite") as an all around camping knife. I haven't seen any major improvements and my biggest complaint about the "Elite" is what has been done to the top edge.
SOG put a weird set of mini notches all along the top edge. It's not a saw, so it can't cut wood. It's not serrated, so it can't cut rope. The notches also prevent you from having the top clip sharpened or serrated as a third-party modification by a custom maker. If SOG ever made a SEAL Pup with a fully serrated top edge (like the Buck 184 survival knife had), I would be in heaven.
But the "Elite" doesn't have that.
What those notches almost certainly
will do is jam up in the material if you need to penetrate deeply with the blade. That is much less likely to happen on the classic SEAL Pup with its smooth, unsharpened top edge. Here's a test you can try at home. Get an old worn out hack saw blade, wrap five inches or so with some cloth as a handle, now push hard with the worn out edge across a wooden log. What happens? There's just enough "notches" to stick, but not enough to cut. Now try the smooth edge across the log. The blades slides smoothly forward. There's nothing jamming up on the blade. That's exactly the difference between the "Elite" and the classic SEAL Pup. The classic SEAL Pup doesn't have any notches to jam up during a thrust. Sharp serrated top edges are a different story.
The Elite's handle is supposed to be better but both Pups seem very comfortable!
Normally, I'd second PatrickJames' suggestion of the SEAL 2000. But since you said you're going to use it for camping, that's a very different story. First, the SEAL Pup is a smaller, handier knife if you're using it for chores around camp. Second, you live in California which is not a knife-friendly state (it isn't a "gun-friendly" state either). The SEAL Pup is smaller and more "legitimate" if another camper or a park ranger spots it on your belt.
SPX Trader raised a very good point. Both the SEAL Pup and the "Elite" can be purchased from certain sellers with a fantastic nylon sheath that completely covers over the handle. It doesn't look like an "edged weapon" because there's no knife handle sticking out. Your knife looks like just another piece of pack gear on your belt (especially if you're clever and you cut off that
SOG Knives label). That can mean the difference between "just a few questions" and a lot of hassles!
This seller has the "Elite" and the SEAL Pup classic in all its finishes, the knives come with the good nylon sheath,
annnnnnd they even sell the nylon sheath by itself as an accessory!
Well, that's my (slightly more than) 2 cents. Hope it helps!
