Recommendation? hiking knife

Benchmade Grizzley Ridge or PM2 is my preferred pocket folder for hiking.
 
If I was in a t-shirt and jogging shorts, this is how I'd roll.
xdOChBI.jpg
 
JParanee said:
Get new shorts with belt loops and all your problems are solved you can carry your buck in a belt sheath and keep your pants up
Click to expand...

I was trying not to say this but I thought it. Lol!

I wouldn’t leave the house without pants / shorts with a belt with atleast a 110 hanging from it. I don’t always carry a gun but I always have a knife. I consider the 110 to be a small knife, but it is a great striking weapon.

I think it’s a generational thing my kids like stretchy pants too. They don’t carry knives. Except my littlest one he carries a fluorescent green Mora every chance he gets. The sheath clips to his shorts pretty good. So maybe that’s an option for the OP?

When I hike I carry a walking cane with a brass horse hame head. It s a formidable weapon for sure.
 
I never hike without a simple Mora Companion, lightweight and super capable fixed blade scandi. I attach it to a water bottle holder that has Molle attachments and the knife / sheath slots nicely in behind them.

A funky and even lighter weight alternative is the Cold Steel Canadian Belt Knife - AMAZING slicer out of the box!! Really worth considering!

I also carry gear on a Mercharness setup on both sides, although I don't normally carry a knife there.

A Spyderco Delica or Endura is amazingly light with FRN handles and perfect for IWB carry while jogging or wearing lightweight pants.

An Ontario Rat 1 is a large folder like the 110, but lighter and with a good, low-riding pocket clip for IWB carry.

If you insist on the 110 (or even a lighter 112?), consider a kydex sheath and an IWB clip for the sheath. IWB is great, because it pins the weight between your shorts and your skin. It won't bounce around like when it's loose in your pockets.

You could even wear a colour-matching Mora Companion (black, blue, grey or tan, depending on clothing) IWB and it would be very secure and largely concealed.
 
Last edited:
I also hike with a 6' walking stick (a branch I found one day) super useful every time I hike and would also help keep a perimeter if a misbehaving off-leash dog got aggressive, or even a coyote or cougar you run across on the trail.

Re: a PO'd momma bear or a pouncing cougar... A sharp, easy to access, fixed-blade Mora MIGHT act as a deterrent once you're already in too deep...
 
White River makes a nice small, stainless fixed blade (backpacker pro) kydex sheath that could be adapted to an IWB clip.
 
Given your budget, the lightweight versions of the 110 might be just what you need. And if you want to upgrade the steel, SK Blades (A BF supporting dealer) offers a couple with CPM-154 blades, both drop point and clip point, and still within your budget.

The Ontario Rat line could be a possibility. The Rat 1 is a little larger than the 110, but is heavier than the lightweight 110. The Rat 2 is a little smaller than the 110, and is pretty light.

If you could use a fixed blade, a Mora is light and inexpensive.
 
eveled said:
I was trying not to say this but I thought it. Lol!

I wouldn’t leave the house without pants / shorts with a belt with atleast a 110 hanging from it. I don’t always carry a gun but I always have a knife. I consider the 110 to be a small knife, but it is a great striking weapon.

I think it’s a generational thing my kids like stretchy pants too. They don’t carry knives. Except my littlest one he carries a fluorescent green Mora every chance he gets. The sheath clips to his shorts pretty good. So maybe that’s an option for the OP?

When I hike I carry a walking cane with a brass horse hame head. It s a formidable weapon for sure.
Click to expand...


Like I said get a pair of shorts with a belt ....... the world of carrying knives will be your oyster :)
 
22-rimfire said:
I like that one too. Probably a bit out of budget unfortunately. That is when I would defer to the BK-14 with scales if thinking strictly budget and usefulness.
Click to expand...

I carry a BK14 daily, everywhere I go, except to bed and the shower.

I use a pocket sheath, mostly... But a horizontal kydex sheath on your belt at 11:30 is MAGIC in terms on accessibility and discretion.

No one has ever noticed it. The black zytel handle overlaps my belt buckle and I can reach it with either hand.

I have small hands, so it's a 4-finger knife for me!..love it!
 
JParanee said:
Like I said get a pair of shorts with a belt ....... the world of carrying knives will be your oyster :)
Click to expand...

Most dedicated hiking shorts and pants don't have a belt, at least not in the traditional sense and traditional belts generally don't play well with pack hip belts. I know tons of folks who hike in nylon running shorts.

Sounds to me that the OP is discovering the wonderful world of hiking and my hunch is that he'll eventually embrace solutions that most hikers arrive at in some form or another. In particular, I suspect that by the end of the summer he'll have figured out a way to carry basic supplies such as water and a knife and once he does, pocket carry, belts and short styles won't matter so much.

For that matter, once he decides on a way to carry a small kit with him, his knife choice won't matter that much either. If he likes his Buck 110, that would do fine.

OP, it occurs to me that another carry option that hasn't been mentioned is a utility or photographers vest.
 
Benchmade bugout seems super lightweight and allows for discrete IWB carry.

Apparantly, lightweight hikers tend to like it.

I'm not a lightweight guy. I wear tactical cargo pants, have a BK15 on my hip, a bk14 on the front of my belt, a backup Mora on my "lightweight" 14lb day-hike pack :eek::p:D and I think there's a SwissChamp in there as well. :confused:
 
pinnah said:
Most dedicated hiking shorts and pants don't have a belt, at least not in the traditional sense and traditional belts generally don't play well with pack hip belts. I know tons of folks who hike in nylon running shorts.

Sounds to me that the OP is discovering the wonderful world of hiking and my hunch is that he'll eventually embrace solutions that most hikers arrive at in some form or another. In particular, I suspect that by the end of the summer he'll have figured out a way to carry basic supplies such as water and a knife and once he does, pocket carry, belts and short styles won't matter so much.

For that matter, once he decides on a way to carry a small kit with him, his knife choice won't matter that much either. If he likes his Buck 110, that would do fine.

OP, it occurs to me that another carry option that hasn't been mentioned is a utility or photographers vest.
Click to expand...


I know a thing or two about hiking and backpacking and I never did it in gym shorts :)

The best hiking shorts I’ve encountered are from KUIU and they certainly have belt loops






 
JParanee said:
I know a thing or two about hiking and backpacking and I never did it in gym shorts :)

The best hiking shorts I’ve encountered are from KUIU and they certainly have belt loops
Click to expand...
I just picked up a pair of Coleman branded nylon shorts with BELT LOOPS ($15) at Sam's Club. My first thought was they would be quite useful for summer hiking in the woods. I'm not much for fanny packs/pouches on my waist although I have considered them a time or two. I prefer a sling type shoulder bag (modest sized 5.11 bag) that I can carry some water, extra socks, basic field supplies, small flash light, a knife, perhaps a poncho, and often my little Ruger 22 revolver in a holster (so I can switch it to belt carry if I choose). Yeah, I know it isn't exactly instantly available for use stashed in there. Like my knife, it is mostly there for slow developing emergencies.

Tomorrow's outdoor effort will include my Small Tinker and a Kephart. Probably won't use either knife.
 
22-rimfire said:
I just picked up a pair of Coleman branded nylon shorts with BELT LOOPS ($15) at Sam's Club. My first thought was they would be quite useful for summer hiking in the woods. I'm not much for fanny packs/pouches on my waist although I have considered them a time or two. I prefer a sling type shoulder bag (modest sized 5.11 bag) that I can carry some water, extra socks, basic field supplies, small flash light, a knife, perhaps a poncho, and often my little Ruger 22 revolver in a holster (so I can switch it to belt carry if I choose). Yeah, I know it isn't exactly instantly available for use stashed in there. Like my knife, it is mostly there for slow developing emergencies.

Tomorrow's outdoor effort will include my Small Tinker and a Kephart. Probably won't use either knife.
Click to expand...


I use the maxpedition shoulder bag as a day bag for stand hunting deer

Water bottle
Binos
Saw
Grunt call and do on

Great bags
 
metulburr said:
Yeah but a fixed blade makes it much larger and bulkier. The one thing i like about the folder is it is able to be concealed easily.
Click to expand...

There are some pretty small fixed blades out there. As some people have recommended, a neck knife might do the trick. Even a small fixed blade, neck knife or otherwise, could be better than a folder for defense. If just for cutting things, then go with one of the many lightweight folders that have come up.

The walking stick idea is probably going to serve you well. Does anyone have a good resource for that? I'm familiar with guns, knives, and some other types of gear. Aside from making a few walking sticks for myself, I really don't know where the best place is to start exploring that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top