How much knife for hiking

campandtravel said:
Thanks for the suggestion and OP should look into that but for me, carrying a sharpening kit into the field is not a good choice. Too heavy, and too many ways to sharpen good steel in the field. By "good steel" I mean NOT something that needs a diamond. There's a whole thread somewhere on here of people trying to convince me to live my life different but this works for me so I'll stick with 1095.
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The worksharp field sharpener weighs 4oz total and is tiny. It has coarse and fine diamond, a leather strop, as well and a ceramic rod that can sharpen serrations, fishing hooks, scissors, and anything else. You can also just pop the fine and course sides out to carry with you and lay on something and they weigh like .5oz together and are very thin. There's literally nothing better than you can carry into the field for sharpening anything, it's an amazing little tool.
 
Depending on what the activity I plan to do in the woods I will usually change. But if "I had to choose one?" Me personally I would go with a 5" fixed blade. Its plenty big for processing fire wood and small enough to use for most detail work. I am not a "bushcrafter" and I don't carve spoons or weave baskets.
 
A fixed blade knife with a blade about as long as your palm is a solid compromise for an outdoors knife.

Small and light, but also enough tool to make building fires and small shelters much easier, which is what you need it for out hiking when you have an unexpected overnight due to weather, injury, exhaustion, good fishing, whatever.

With a budget of $30 to $100 there are many fine choices. Just get a Mora for starters.

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campandtravel said:
This might be the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever said. People who say knives are not for prying as people who think knives are not for using. A knife is the original multitool and they have been used for prying since (I assume) the first day they were invented. Anyway if you're out in the field (not just for a few days) you'll learn that you need to pry if you want to eat etc. and you don't want to carry a separate prybar.
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Wow! You must not get out much lol, cuz that isn't too far out there!

You'll notice I did not say you shouldn't pry with your knife. I did say that if you are able to break an S35vn izula while prying, you should have chosen your tool more wisely. The Izula is a very small knife and I doubt the difference in lateral forces causing a break are that different between the 1095 and S35vn versions. I've used a ton of both 1095 and S35vn in fixed blades and could not see breaking either one doing a reasonable amount of prying. If you're out in the field for months on end, better not risk breaking your one tiny knife any way. Pry more wisely.

Or better yet, take a proper size knife in an even better steel. CPK Kephart in Delta 3v for the win!

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vinprom said:
I totally agree that prying with a knife and sharpening on the field are necessary, C campandtravel . But Esee Izula is too much. Here is the only combo that any hiker will ever need, better to be prepared. And, at least a bag of in-shell walnuts of curse, for nutrition and keeping busy during rests.
https://flic.kr/p/2nhtbrx
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What's funny is that if you knew enough about being in the field you'd realize that that stockman's knife would be plenty for someone with skills in at least two seasons. I only carried my opinel and Tommy, and never unsheathed my Tommy for about a year before deciding to trade it for the Izula.

Look, if you like knives because you like them and you have your own taste for what to keep in your drawer that's great. It's like a coffee table book, for someone who doesn't really read. I hope you enjoy your hobby.
craytab said:
You'll notice I did not say you shouldn't pry with your knife. I did say that if you are able to break an S35vn izula while prying, you should have chosen your tool more wisely.
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I apologize. I misinterpreted what you said. You have a good point at that.
rhino said:
FWIW, unless you need to reprofile the edge bevel, a ceramic rod or stone is sufficient for maintaining the edge on CPM S35VN and most other steels as well.
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I thought this wasn't true based on responses I got asking basically this exact question. Everyone suggested a diamond stone as being necessary.
 
If I set out with nothing more than my yellow delrin CV peanut, I have no doubt it would do everything I needed it to do, if not quite everything I wanted it to do. I would have more fun, however, with a fixed blade of 4” to 5”. I have several knives that would fit the bill, puukkos, Carothers, SYKCO, Kepharts, Beckers, flat grinds, scandi grinds, sabre or hollow grinds. Just for now, let’s say I would bring my Green River 4 1/2” fish knife.

I would also bring my Work Sharp field sharpener. It is about the size of a large harmonica. There is no hike I could imagine taking where I would not have room for a harmonica.
 
Redneckbmxer24 said:
The worksharp field sharpener weighs 4oz total and is tiny. It has coarse and fine diamond, a leather strop, as well and a ceramic rod that can sharpen serrations, fishing hooks, scissors, and anything else. You can also just pop the fine and course sides out to carry with you and lay on something and they weigh like .5oz together and are very thin. There's literally nothing better than you can carry into the field for sharpening anything, it's an amazing little tool.
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An ezy lap would also sharpen anything stainless well enough that it still cuts.

I mean if you absolutely had to make space and weight for some reason. And say for example lived in a tropical rainforest by the ocean. And really prefer stainless. Like I do.
 
Here we go, finishing thirteen pages and keep going, because as a group we are not focusing. Please somebody to correct me, but to me hiking means walking, taking a brief rest if needed, then keep walking. A small pocket knife will be the right tool to remove a splinter, or will come handy during a brief refreshment during rests. If he hiker is doing a multi-day trek, or thinking to do some hunting or trapping as well, then we go to camping /bushcraft/hunting topics. Buck 119 is cool, but during hiking turns into a toy, quite heavy toy, whereas the Peanut is a tool. Nothing wrong to have toys of course - where is the fun without them?

Somebody have ever been a shepherd? If you think wolves or bad people can come around - then a fixed blade and thick stick are justified. Otherwise, a small pocket knife and "drenovitsa" - a stick from Cornelian Cherry, a non-native for North America tree, but quite common in my native country where I grew up. In addition: a small courier type of bag, nylon sheet (a must if there is even the slightest possibility of rain), a hat, portable radio, some real food, in-shell sunflower seeds, In -shell walnuts, a (old) newspaper.
This is based from from experience, six-seven days of experience from my teenage years in the 1980's, but experience anyway. Maybe that's why I am fond of small slipjoints, and for me they are the actual tools, even outdoors, (and more universal ones) in comparison to many other knives. Please understand, and don't judge me hard. :)
 
I used to be a huge outdoorsman that took long hikes atleast once a week. During that period whenever I went out in the woods I'd carry my ESEE 4. I put a "ranger band" around the sheath and it held a Swiss Army Knife and a fire steel. I felt pretty prepared with that as I used it many times for starting fires and different woods building techniques. And then I'd also carry a kind of regular EDC folder in my pocket because I always do. What I carried most back then was an original Paramilitary (1) sprint run that had OD green g10 scales and a CPM-D2 blade.
 
Elgatodeacero said:
With a budget of $30 to $100 there are many fine choices. Just get a Mora for starters.

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I second this, although I don't like scandi grinds. But for hiking, this is great. Lightweight, usable, cheap enough to not worry about.
vinprom said:
Here we go, finishing thirteen pages and keep going, because as a group we are not focusing
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This forum isn't for serious discussion. It's a bunch of hobbyists sitting around the barber shop.
 
Redneckbmxer24 said:
The worksharp field sharpener
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Also, doesn't it force you to use 20 degrees? That's a good angle but sometimes I want more and sometimes I want less depending on the blade/use. If it was for camping it wouldn't work because I'd have my game knife at 15 degrees and my "kitchen" knife at 25 or even 30.
 
campandtravel said:
This forum isn't for serious discussion. It's a bunch of hobbyists sitting around the barber shop.
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Speak for yourself, please.

You obviously don't know many members here or their occupations, and what they use their knives for on a daily basis. There is a crapload of real-world knife experience on this forum, with no barber shop in sight.
 
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campandtravel said:
Then it's way too heavy for field use. It would be fine for a day hiker or weekend warrior camper type but when you're out there for real, 4oz is a lot to carry. Even for the OP question about hiking, it seems overkill. But excellent for a weekend camping trip!
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For camping I can even take my India IB8 (ridiculous I know, and it probably will never leave the trunk of my car parked next to the tent), plus any of these pictured: ceramic rod 4-1/2"xDIA3/8", Dan's soft 4"x1"x3/8", Dan's translucent 4"x1"x3/8", Dan's surgical black 3"x1"x1/4", and Norton India 3"x7/8"x3/8". However, my stones can not be used with water anymore. Just for fun I've practiced a lot to sharpen even kitchen knives with these by holding the stones steady between fingers and moving the knives, even though I have a few bench stones. The Work Sharp field sharpener I had was given to my son, I did not like the feeling from the diamond surfaces, and I do not have knives with super steel yet.

For hiking, just the rod for honing would be enough.

https://flic.kr/p/2nhCBcG
 
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