Knife recommendation - My life may depend on it.

How about a Bark River Bravo-1, which is designed by military types as an outdoor survival knife; you can get that with an inoffensively-colored handle like blaze orange. Then for cutting wood, instead of a big chopper get a $12 folding camp saw. You won't want to be toting the extra weight of an axe or big knife since you probably won't be using either much if at all. The only time I've needed to chop wood while on ling hikes, since I was carrying a tent, was to break up firewood & a small knife can be batonned through wood for that purpose.
 
vvk said:
Check Fallkniven S1 (Forrest knife) very light and sturdy. Looks like a cheap knife (good for the sheeple) but is one mean cutting and stabbing machine):
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I second this one. Good sized blade (5.1"), laminated VG10 steel,the tang extends a bit through the handle (for hammering).
 
I am a fanatical fan of Busse and have a sizeable collection of them. However, I would never consider one of the big, thick choppers for carry while long-distance hiking. Busse does, however, make some wonderful knifes in thinner stock, although all of these would require aftermarket purchase at present.

With your set of requirements, I would hie over to the Swamprat Web Site right now and see if the Ratmandu is currently available. Reasonable thickness, reasonable size,
virtually indestructable.
 
DARKHAVEN said:
Wasn't there recently a negative review thread about the Fallkniven F1? I'll have to look it up, and thank you for the recommendation.

One knife I'm pretty interested in now, since everyone recommends Busse as top notch, Scrap Yard Knives (http://www.scrapyardknives.com/knives.htm) Street Scrapper 4 seems to be the right size and its got Busse INFI steel. How can you beat that? Maybe that's a good choice. My only question about this knife is, since they use Busse scrap, do they remelt or ruin the temper remaking these from scrap? I wonder, I'll have to email them.
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Are you being serious ? Do you think the Busse family would sell blades with ruined tempers ? The knives are perfect and even if you don't score an INFI SS4 their other knives made with SR77 are still far tougher than most other knives at any cost !
I would give the BM CSK a wide birth as there was a recent thread showing the BILT system had broken and IMHO it looked to be a very poor system.
Any Scrapyard, Ranger, Ontario RAT in 1095 or TOPS knife in your price range should perform any task you ask of them !!!

Here is a good TOPS one if you wanted stainless ( 154CM )
http://www.newgraham.com/detail.aspx?ID=7615
 
I'd go with an RD-4 or 6, contact Justin directly and get a more friendly color handle for the locals, orange or something equally "rescue" should work.
 
znode said:
fkf1blackmicartadc2.jpg

Fallkniven F1, 3.8", VG10 steel, $100.
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I'd sure like to know where you get this model of the F1 for only $100. I'll buy one.
http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=7622

This model for about a hundred.
http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1066
 
I didn't mean that the Micarta model cost $100. The picture, which I grabbed on the first site I saw, was just to show an F1 in general.
 
If I may offer an opinion, as one who has also hiked the AT. You really can get by with just a SAK (I carried a Super Tinker the whole way). Most activities appropriate for larger blades just don't come up too often. Batoning? I never saw anyone baton at a shelter I stayed at. We pretty much rifled through the local woods for deadfall, when we even built a fire (by no means an every-night occasion, most were too tired to stay up and tend the damn thing). If you feel you must carry something more, I think something like the AG Russell Woodswalker, Bark River Woodsman, or a necker-type knife (I have a Becker) would be sufficient. Anything over a 3.5" blade really is unnecessary. Also, I agree with Tomcrx, most people you come across on the trail are not really knife people, wouldn't understand the need for such a heavy piece of equipment (once you've hiked a ways, you're desperate to lighten your load in any way possible), and may cause anxiety/fear in your fellow hikers. But as they say: "hike your own hike". But I have a feeling you'd be sending that Busse home by Hot Springs.
 
don't know if you thought about this but a sharpener might come in handy since you'll be up there for a while.
 
once you've hiked a ways, you're desperate to lighten your load in any way possible
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Like pulling the cardboard tube out of the toilet paper roll, or cutting the handle off your toothbrush.

You really can get by with just a SAK (I carried a Super Tinker the whole way).
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I bet that's what the majority of the through-hikers carry. But as I mentioned before, I don't like to prepare food with a knife that can't be thoroughly cleaned. Just my preference. If you get butt problems out there, it really sucks.

by no means an every-night occasion, most were too tired to stay up and tend the damn thing
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For long distance hiking, in addition to being tired, I rarely have time to screw around with digging a no-trace fire pit, collecting fuel, and sticking around the next day long enough to burn everything to white ash. I find as I get older, I walk slower and have even less time to lose.

don't know if you thought about this but a sharpener might come in handy since you'll be up there for a while.
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Absolutely. More important than carrying a larger blade for sure. On an overnight trip a sharpener would be a waste of space and weight. But you're going to be out for weeks or months, and even a top-notch knife used only to slice onions won't stay sharp forever.

-Bob
 
Bob,
The thing about food prep for me was I found I just didn't cut much that was a problem to clean out of the guts of my SAK, if it came to that even. I think the biggest PITA was getting the cheese out of the folding joint of the larger blade (the Super tinker has a shorter blade than the OHT, which is what I would have carried if I had met you fine folks on BF about 5 years ago). A quick rinse in H20, maybe a little digging with the bandana, it's good to go. I wasn't preparing complicated meals (I was too tired most of the time anyway), and had the handle end of my spoon for any spreading or dull cutting that needed to be done (but in my whole hike, I never once thought to cut cheese with my spoon handle. What a dummy!). If sterilization is necessary, a quick dip in boiling water (boiled some every day) took care of it.
 
For any time in the woods, I like a SAK with saw, file, and scissors, which means a Victorinox Ranger at least.

But being realistic, I would be carrying my Vic. Classic for scissors and file, so my One-Hand Trekker would probably be all the big knife a long hike would need. It's true a fixed blade might be nice for food prep, so take a Mora.

Big choppers are for expeditions setting up camps, not hikers treading fast and light on a prepared trail. The only extra weight you might consider carrying is water.
 
OK, OK. A moment of honesty. I personally would take my Chris Reeve Sable III, which is a 4" fixed blade with a hollow handle.
 
The thing about food prep for me was I found I just didn't cut much that was a problem to clean out of the guts of my SAK, if it came to that even.
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I know what you're saying, and I don't exacty dissagree. I mostly carry prepared, dried, packaged food (lightweight, inexpensive, and fast) that doesn't require cutting anything at all and has very little trash or waste. But a block of cheese or fresh onion does hit the spot after a long day's hike.

You know, thinking about it, I can't actually recall the last thing I used a knife for when camping/hiking. I'm pretty sure it's never happened in the last few trips I've made. Cutting a knotted shoelace? Shortening a tarp line? Maybe cutting a piece of moleskin? Sharpening a pencil? There just aren't that many things in the woods that need cutting.

A quick online search pulled up several AT gear lists, things actually carried by successful through-hikers. If I were attempting the AT, I'd study every one of those lists I could find.

-Bob
 
vvk said:
Check Fallkniven S1 (Forrest knife) very light and sturdy. Looks like a cheap knife (good for the sheeple) but is one mean cutting and stabbing machine):
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I'd recommend the S1 as well. The F1 is another good choice which is a little smaller. Both are light and very sturdy.
 
Have to be a fix blade! Busse in my opininion and then maybe something like Spyderco or Benchmade or Emerson as a backup knife or even a small SAK
 
I've hiked several hundred miles on the AT and never needed anything more than a small Buck lockback. A lot of AT hikers like to keep total weight down as much as possible, and an ounce here and there will add up.

Richard
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone, I've got a lot to think about! Keep the recommendations coming! Also, does anyone who's hiked the AT or just taken long hikes think I should be carrying a multitool like a Leatherman IN ADDITION to my main utility knife? Is there value to be had there, or would I not really use it that much?

Thanks!
 
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