Help pick an outdoors knife?

How about a Ranger TFI
tfi1.jpg

With or without a lanyard hole, customized anyway you want it as far as blade steel, blade thickness, handle material or anything else you can imagine and all at a price that is less than a lot of production knives. Oh yeah, I warranty that can't be beat by a Top Shelf Guy who is one of the easiest guys to work with you will ever talk to and an amazingly fast turn around to boot!
 
First of all, LOOK UP TEXAS KNIFE LAWS FOR YOURSELF. No disrespect to police officers or you, but when it comes to guns and knives I have seen and heard of a lot of missinformation given to people from LEO's. I have heard of them telling people that something isn't illegal that actually is and even worse, telling someone that something is legal that actually isn't. Please do your self a favor and look at the laws for yourself or have someone show them to you and explain them.

Secondly, If I was looking to pass a knife down to my children, grandchildren, or grandchildrens children, I think I would want something with natural handle materials on it. But that's just my opinion. A couple of others have mentioned looking at the Makers For Sale area, and I would have to whole hartedly agree. You can get yourself a handmade, heirloom worthy knife for about the same or near the same price as a good production knife that will perform just as well if not better than any production knife. Here's a link: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=754
Look around and check out some of the offerings they have, take some time to look through all the pages to see what has been sold in the past. Chances are that if you find something you like you can contact the maker and request one, or most of the makers have links to there websites in their signatures.

For what you discribed, I think that you would want to look for something with a 3"-4" blade. I have never used a knife with more than a 4" blade for any camping, fishing, or hunting chores, and don't feel the need to ever get anything with more than a 4" blade. I do bring a hatchet camping though for splitting firewood, I think you would be better served with a 3-4" blade knife that rides on your belt and a hatchet, matchete, golok, etc. to stay at camp or in/on your pack for the large camp chores. Not that you can't baton a 4" knife if you need to. I could bring a single telescoping fishing rod on my camping trips and still catch fish, but since I have room in the truck I might as well bring a couple different nice rods for different situations and actually enjoy fishing. Of course not everyone will see it the way I do. Of course I could bring only one 5 1/2" knife to do everything and have knife that is just a little too small for chopping and spliting wood and too big for cleaning fish and game, but at least it will get the job done. Or I can take a 3 1/2" knife that is the perfect size for cleaning fish and game and making marshmellow sticks AND a hatchet or very large knife that is perfect for splitting firewood and cutting tree limbs etc. But like I said, if you were in a survival situation that 3 1/2" knife on your belt will still be able to do just about everything you need it to to survive, but while you're not surviving and your at camp you might as well enjoy haveing a second blade.

Just my .02 cents, a long winded .02 cents at that.
 
Myakka said:
one of the bladeforum knives either maker would work fine for you :D
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Shameless plug for the BF survival kife.... just shameless:o ;) :D

However Myakka is very correct. Other than that, a Fallkniven F1 is one of the best all around outdoor blades I have had the pleasure to use. :thumbup:
 
Some examples of what can be had from the makers here at BF:

Some nice little knives for only $68:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=476989

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=476990
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=476042

This ones really nice:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=475875

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=474878
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=470818
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467887
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=466367

Some of these are even smaller than 3" but I'm just trying to give you an idea of what there is out there.

BTW: good luck on your decision and future purchase, your great-grandchildren are likely to enjoy inherating any one of the knives that have been suggested so far, I don't think you can go wrong.
 
The Busse gamewarden is a great suggestion (have it, love it), but I find that a pointier tip is really handy for cutting out the rectum of a deer (for those that don't know, this is a required step in cleaning a deer, and you have to get pretty deep within a rather small channel). You can get around this step bu carrying a saw, or hammering your knife through the pelvis, but then you have to carry a saw or pound on your heirloom knife. For me, a caping knife fills the bill perfectly. Slim and pointy. In my opinion, "skinner blades" are overrated. You can do pretty much anything a skinner can do with a caping knife or a paring knife, and you have the added benefit of a sharp point. The game warden is also a bit spendy and can be hard to find (except here on the boards).

I am not a big fan of gut hooks. It is a good thought, but you are basically putting a very limited use tool (gut hook) on the end of a general purpose tool (knife blade). My experience has been that the gut hooks works okay for what it is intended (although you still have to make that first incision with a knife point and once you get that done, why not finish the job?), but then it gets in the way of everything else. If you must have a gut hook, look at gerber (gerber EZ gut hook) the stand alone gut hook and not the knife per se) or benchmade (rescue hook) for stand alone options that do not get in the way of your knife.

I've never owned a falknivin or a bark river, but they both have excellent reputations, and strong followings here on the boards. My recommendtions are made solely on my personal experience and what has worked for me. Your mileage may (and probably will) vary.

Looking up the knife laws is a good suggestion as well. There is a knife laws forum right here on blade forums with a sticky that lists the applicable laws. But, once you have read up here, go and find the applicable statutes for yourself and verify what you have learned.
 
If you want something that is "personal" and still not too costly, how about getting a Fallkniven blade and add a handle yourself.
The best of two worlds. If you have kids you can do it together, can it be more personal?
 
+1 on the Bark Rivers- their quality is very hard to beat for the price and you're bound to find a design you like.

Considering you want an heirloom, a custom would be a nice way to go.

I'm amazed since you said skinning that nobody mentioned a Dozier- another very hand-me-down worthy knife.

Oh, yeah- Fehrman Peacemaker- another great small do everything blade. Can't wait to see what you end up with!
 
Tolly said:
How about a Ranger TFI
tfi1.jpg

With or without a lanyard hole, customized anyway you want it as far as blade steel, blade thickness, handle material or anything else you can imagine and all at a price that is less than a lot of production knives. Oh yeah, I warranty that can't be beat by a Top Shelf Guy who is one of the easiest guys to work with you will ever talk to and an amazingly fast turn around to boot!
Click to expand...

Could you give the specs on that beast? I love my Rd-4 and it might need a new companion soon. Thanks
 
I think maybe it would help if you gave us a price range !
I made my first suggestions after reading that you were considering a Pendleton Hunter.
If you are after a more classy purchase and willing to spend a few bucks then I agree with those that said a custom is the way to go and I think I would maybe look at some of Scott Gossmans offerings. Scott goes hunting and knows what works and what doesn't. Any child would be proud to be passed down one of Scotts knives !!!

Or for a production Knife maybe a Swamprat Howling Rat HRLM.....that way the warranty will extend to whoever you pass it on to !!!
 
Once again, thanks to everyone for your kind replies. :)

First of all, LOOK UP TEXAS KNIFE LAWS FOR YOURSELF. No disrespect to police officers or you, but when it comes to guns and knives I have seen and heard of a lot of missinformation given to people from LEO's. I have heard of them telling people that something isn't illegal that actually is and even worse, telling someone that something is legal that actually isn't. Please do your self a favor and look at the laws for yourself or have someone show them to you and explain them.
Click to expand...

Advice taken. I should have done this beforehand.

Also looking at all the various links...

If you want something that is "personal" and still not too costly, how about getting a Fallkniven blade and add a handle yourself.
Click to expand...

Not nearly handy enough to do this I'm afraid. It's a great suggestion, though and I sure wish I had the skills.

I think maybe it would help if you gave us a price range!
Click to expand...

Say $80 for one, maybe half again that if I find something I just have to have or go with two knives? That would have to be for both, though.

I might go double that, actually, but it would have to be two knives that were just perfect.
 
Here is my current combo if it helps I keep a fallkniven f-1 on my belt with a (light my fire army fire steel) and in my pack I keep an ontario 12 inch camp machete...and in my pocket of course is my trust sak. The F-1 as I alreadyu discussed in detail is a great belt knife....the ontario for the price is hard to beat as a chopper it's stout breezes through limbs great for shelter/fire building butchering game or limbing marauding zombies..and it sarpens easy for 20 bucks it is a keeper...so with the duo of an f1 and a ontario machete your looking at about 100 bucks total good luck in your search
 
One more vote for Bark River - they are:

-durable
-sharp and easy to keep that way
-aesthetically pleasing (The F1 is rather ... utilitarian for a potential heirloom)
-highly functional
-available in a huge variety of sizes, shapes and materials
-not cheap, but you get a lot for your cash
-gauranteed forever by Mike Stewart
 
The Cold Steel Master Hunter in Carbon V was a great knife, especially for the money. However, the supply has pretty much dried up.
If you can find one, I'd recommend you buy it. If it's not for you you can sell it in about a minute, there are plenty of fans of that blade on the lookout. ;)

BRKT, Fallkniven - terrific knives.
Cold Steel Pendleton in stainless - OK, but not in the same league as the others.

Nick Allen (NWA) made a knife for me about 8 months ago or so. It is a beauty, for sure. In fact, it's so nice I have yet to use it. Super quality workmanship!

I'd recommend a Barkie and/or the one of the Fallknivens.

I'd also recommend you look at the A.G. Russell website, www.agrussell.com.
Check out the Bob Dozier knives that A.G. keeps in stock, they're
super quality knives. (A.G. has other goodies too, of course...;))
 
I'm not sure where the question came in...but its legal to carry a fixed blade up to 5.5" in Austin, thats also the state limit. Some cities have shorter limits, SanAntonio comes to mind (5") but the state law is 5.5 . As far as how I carry, I make sure the total length of any blade I carry is well under this number..I am careful because, you never know what a questioning PO might consider the "blade"..it could mean the sharpened edge to one PO and from the handle to another...I just figure, if the total blade, from the handle is about 5" I'm good. IIRC thats concealed as well. Gotta love Texas law! Gene
 
If you can find a Master hunter in Carbon V go for it, considering there not around much anymore. I went with a master hunter over an F1, why?, carbon steel.
 
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