Knife advice for new survival and backcountry camping enthusiast

uyotg

uyotg

Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
1,998
Hi all,
I'm looking for a good knife or two for backcountry camping and, as someone new to this, would like some specialized advice from you guys. Here I've listed my knife choices and what features I like about them.

My main knife choices
SOG CD01-L or 02-L (Creed): big for chopping and I can grip the fullers for detail work. I like the blade profile - I'm not fond of clip points as they just "seem" weaker, but there's lots of backing behind the USMC and Buck 119 special.
Also, any preference over a regular finish and a matte black finish? I figure the regular finish could be used as to reflect light in rescue situations. The TiNi finish can't so it possibly won't scare away game (seems negligible, though), but I hear the TiNi finish increases hardness and durability as well (noticeably?).

Buck 119 Special or Ka-Bar USMC: Plain, round, nondescript handle - although I'm highly adaptable, many handles seem too long and too thin for my small hands and long fingers, so finger grooves are a bit of a generalized inconvenience. Similar to the SOG Creed, but with a clip point. Any reason I'd want a clip over a drop or normal?

Ka-Bar BK7 or BK9: They hefty and strong.

Gerber LMF II: Looks sturdy and practical, but doesn't look like enough heft for chopping wood. Again, I like the nondescript handle.

RAT, Fallkniven: not really considering them too much because of the price tags. I know the prices are comparable to SOG's, but they don't seem hefty enough for effortless chopping. Convince me and one will definitely be on my list.

My backup/neck knife choices
SOG M14 (Mini Pentagon): Has a serrated edge, which isn't available on all of my main knife choices.

Ka-Bar BK11 Becker Necker knife: Small. That's inherent, though - I don't see any other advantages to this, but a search on "neck knife" does not yield much and this is the only one I'd consider.

I'm open to suggestions of knives with similar features I've highlighted, and even arguments against them.

Lastly, as a general statement here, I find a lot of little features and things really do not make such a big difference, e.g., as a restaurant chef, my line cooks and I do everything with a single, otherwise cheap chef's knife, mincing to butchering and skinning; I don't need stretch jeans to be active; I can game effectively without a gaming keyboard. I do realize when it comes to survival, I've got to be critical of these things, but are metal types, blade profiles, etc. complete dealbreakers with noticeable flaws, or are they just for the nitpicky and perfectionists?

Thanks - really appreciate it. I do have a few blades already can disclose those if it's necessary to know, but would rather hear your advice as if I were starting from scratch.
 
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That SOG Creed is gonna cost you around $160. If you're going to drop that kind of money on a knife, might as well get something from ESEE or Fallkniven. A knife that can chop like a hatchet will weigh like a hatchet, you're better off with something sturdy enough to baton with and use the weight difference for other supplies.
 
Sep said:
That SOG Creed is gonna cost you around $160. If you're going to drop that kind of money on a knife, might as well get something from ESEE or Fallkniven.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the ESEE lead. Was having trouble finding non-Ontario "rats."
I'm sure I'm mistaken here, but the Fallkniven and ESEE knives look like they have less heft at the tip, and therefore less unassisted chopping power. Am I wrong about that?
 
uyotg said:
Thanks for the ESEE lead. Was having trouble finding non-Ontario "rats."
I'm sure I'm mistaken here, but the Fallkniven and ESEE knives look like they have less heft at the tip, and therefore less unassisted chopping power. Am I wrong about that?
Click to expand...



You wouldn't want to chop with anything less than 6" Blade length. If you're going to chop down a tree, might as well look at dedicated choppers. Look into the ESEE Junglas
 
uyotg , welcome to BF.

There are tons of threads on this subject , if you search.. ;)

If you want a knife that chops 'like a hatchet' , in your price range , that will do whatever you ask it to do.
Get a BK-9 , it even comes with a smaller knife for small tasks. :D

1exyo.jpg


This knife will not fail you.

Tostig
 
There are two schools of campers here. One (survivalist) likes a single hefty knife that can baton through wood all day, the other (bushcrafter) likes a light knife and use machete or ax for chopping work.

Those who like heavy knives think very highly of ESEE, and that is a very good indication of their utility.
 
Tostig is right on.

The BK-9 is the only one you've listed that's even close to being a realistic chopper.
 
Hi Tostig, thanks for the welcome :) My searches were limited I admit, but I did find lot of anti-SOGness. Unfortunately they were my starting point and I didn't know where else to go. Expect me around, though - I'm building a genuine interest here.

Thanks for pointing that out, Sep. I don't have enough experience to know which one I am or like (didn't even know the different approaches existed).

Nice to have my options narrowed down!
 
Look at ESEE they're great and come in several sizes so you can cover all youre bases (I like the Izula and the 4 personally, but for a chopper look at the junglasd). Alternatively, if you want something less expensive but pretty much similar to the ESEE knives, don't be afraid to try ontario's version (The RAT knives). These were the precursors to the ESEE knives and all will serve you well. The Only downside to the Ontario knives is that you don't get ESEE wonderful waranty, and the fit and finnish may be slightly less than that of an ESEE. Good luck knife hunting!
Ryan
 
If you want a chopper get an esse junglas or the bk9 but the esse has a no questions asked warranty, even if you brake it on purpose they will replace it any company that stands behind their product like that And isn't bankrupt obviously makes tough products. as for a smaller knife the bk11 is grate but so is the esse iS the izula. I would stay away from sog anymore just my opinion though good luck and welcome to BF!.
 
My suggestion would be to go with a smaller knife such as an ESEE 4 or Fallkniven F1 and then get a hachet (such as a fiskers) for chopping. It is unlikely that you can find all the features you want in one knife.
 
bcornelis said:
My suggestion would be to go with a smaller knife such as an ESEE 4 or Fallkniven F1 and then get a hachet (such as a fiskers) for chopping. It is unlikely that you can find all the features you want in one knife.
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I have found that a hatchet in the hands of 'the unfamiliar' can be EXTREMELY dangerous in the outdoors. Especially if you've hiked more then a couple miles from facilities..Then again to each his own ..

Myself for 'chopping' I prefer a Khukri hands down, if I'm on a overnight hike my CS Khukri $14 knife is absolutely AWESOME.. has yet to chip.. I just chipped two yesterday, a tramotina and marbles.. no where near the 1070 CS has.. I've used and abused this knife and it loves the abuse...Longer trips I'll take a real Khukri..

NO knife under 20oz or 10" long will do you ANY service chopping.. period.. do yourself a favor to help with your decision, grab a butcher knife from your kitchen, hike a mile uphill and try to cut a 2" diameter log adn see how much energy it takes....

I vote Machetes, Real Khukris 26oz plus, or even the CS Khukri for like $14, or a heavy bowie style such as ESEE Junglas, or RTAK II...

otherwise None of them are designed to chop..

happy trails.
 
Tostig said:
If you want a knife that chops 'like a hatchet' , in your price range , that will do whatever you ask it to do.
Get a BK-9 , it even comes with a smaller knife for small tasks. :D

This knife will not fail you.
Click to expand...

I have to agree - the BK-9 is the one to go for if you want a chopper. I have a BK-7 that works well for many tasks including batoning - but it really isn't the best for serious chopping.

My BK-9 can chop:
IMG_8425.JPG


My BK-7 would take well over TWICE as long to chop that same wood, but it can baton through a lot of wood easily:
IMG_8433.JPG

IMG_8446.JPG


A BK-7 + axe/saw/machete/kukri (there are lots of suitable chopping tools that would work here) would work fine but if you want a knife for chopping I'd go with the BK-9 or if you want to spend more then the ESEE Junglas is a good choice.
 
Awesome, thanks for all the feedback. I have a Ka-Bar kukri for chopping, but was looking for a smaller, lighter alternative for one-day hikes.

I may have steered this discussion the wrong way, so I apologize for that - I'm not so concerned about chopping, but was just concerned about having a blade strong and big enough to crudely process wood, and batoning is an option.

That said, I'll settle with batoning, and am going either for an ESEE 5 or 6 (there's a already thread on that topic) paired with a Izula. Sounds like a good deal whether I carry the kukri or not. The ESEE 4 just seems too similar to the Izula to make a big difference, and if I don't bring the kukri I might be out of luck for bigger chores.

Tell me I'm wrong. I expect it. I'm new after all.

Happy trails
 
For one day hikes where weight is a real premium and the amount of wood processed is minimal, I think you're on the right track.
 
I think that you have some good choices for knives, but I would suggest that if you don't want to carry the kukri on hikes you get a folding saw. They are light, cheap, and more useful than many give them credit for. That being said, my best advice is to go on some short hikes with different setups and find what works for you.
 
Just FYI, I started this thread because of some survival expert's article. Previously I'd only ever heard one school of thought: "The bigger the knife, the bigger the fool." The guy said, however, that a smaller knife -- the 4"-5" people generally recommend -- is limiting unless you have an ax for heavy duty stuff, and that its' better to have a big knife and a small neck knife.

I can totally see the practicality in this, so I went with it. I live in NYC, where almost all knives can't be sold, bought, and carried, so it's a bit time-consuming, costly, and inconvenient to really test out all these different setups. Gotta start somewhere, though!
 
uyotg said:
I'm not so concerned about chopping, but was just concerned about having a blade strong and big enough to crudely process wood, and batoning is an option.

That said, I'll settle with batoning, and am going either for an ESEE 5 or 6 (there's a already thread on that topic) paired with a Izula. Sounds like a good deal whether I carry the kukri or not. The ESEE 4 just seems too similar to the Izula to make a big difference, and if I don't bring the kukri I might be out of luck for bigger chores.
Click to expand...

For chopping you really do need bigger - like your kukri or a BK-9 or junglas. But for batoning I would say that the ESEE 5 or 6 would do just fine. You could also chop with either, they will handle it just fine - but it would take a lot of time & effort to do much chopping so you would be OK for smaller branches or just chopping through one or 2 medium branches.

I'd prefer the ESEE 6 over the 5 - unless you need a knife so thick that it can be used as a pry bar. The ESEE 6 should still be strong enough for any normal knife tasks.
 
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