Knife Recommendation

[ndeezl]

Hi All,
I'm new to this corner of BF but figured i could come here for a recommendation. I'm going on a camping/canoe trip this spring in Colorado and need to pick up my first fixed blade. I'm considering all the usual suspects; RAT, BRKT, customs, etc. I'm leaning now towards a Becker BK 7 because of the sheath and smaller fixed blade that come with, plus I've heard good things about it. So ideally that's what I would like, a combo rig with a larger and smaller fixed blade, and i'd like to carry them in the same sheath, but really I'm open to anything. I'd like to spend less than $200, and if I need to pay a little more for a sheath thats ok. Thanks for your suggestions.

Nathan

 

[TwinBlade]

I have never found a big need for a 7" knife in the field, I find that a stout 4-5" fixed blade does all I ask of it. 7" is too small to chop with (effectively) and too big to handle the far more often small camp chores. With that said, it is tough to go wrong with the Bark River Aurora. 4.5" blade, lots of comfortable handle, a well rounded and well thought out package.

That is just my opinion though. I usually carry 3...a small fixed blade, a medium like an Aurora and a large chopper like a Bark River Golok. All my bases are covered, but I rarely ever need the small and large knives.

 

[mcjhrobinson]

id say get a hatchet and a enzo or even a mora depending how how you treat your knives...but anything 3-5" would work.

ive never really canoed so im no authority but i would think canoeing with a big knife might get in the way....

 

[nodh]

My usual suggestion is a 4" blade. Bark River, Fallkniven, RAT, Mora.
If you want to chop something bigger I suggest a folding saw or that you baton on the knife. It is a lot safer than weilding a huge knife around. Also you will probably carry it around instead of leaving it lying about.

 

[bkduckworth]

Check out off the map outfitters. You could get a modified Ontario 12" machete and a Breeded KAT knife for under $170.00. Honestly though, its just what you like. Can't go wrong with Bark River, ENZO, Fallkniven, Rat, Mora, Becker, ect, ect. Or you might want to look into some of the custom makers here.

Good Luck!

Brandon

 

[Don Rearic]

Get an RC-3 from RAT Cutlery and a Corona Brand Folding/Locking Saw from Lowe's and see how that works for you to start.

 

[Fieldtestornothing]

Three Mora Clippers in Stainless

A rat 3

A F1

Bark River Bravo 1

Those are my favorite knives on the water. Add a Gerber Axe and your good to go.

 

[pitdog]

Not only is carrying two knives in the same rig bulky but if your canoe were to capsize and you somehow became seperated from your gear, both knives would be lost.
I'd take a larger knife that could attach to your backpack and wear a smaller knife around your neck.
As to who to get these from I'd take a look at JK Knives, Breeden Knives, ML Knives to name 3 that may be able to set you up with both for around that budget ( Maybe not 7" blade though but you should get a 5" blade and Necker for close).

 

[baldtaco-II]

I'm not into piggyback sheaths for a couple of reasons:

To carry the smaller knife you must have the larger one on you too. There are times in camp when I only want the smaller one actually on me.

The second reason is range. With a big knife like a kukri having those tiny little blades with it makes sense because the package covers a wide range. To achieve a similar amount of range with a medium size knife the smaller one must be tiny. Often those teeny weeny little FBs with room for a couple of fingers look too hideously uncomfortable to actually use for anything much compared to even a modest folder. If you don't think in terms of range you can easily end up with such an amount over overlap at what both knives are good for that for all practical purposes means you've just increased your weight without significantly expanding your capabilities. And that's going to be a path that gets you pissed at carrying the big knife, 'cos the smaller one can do that already, but you must have it because of the piggyback sheath. That's a primary reason why I have goloks, axes, and knives in separate carrying systems.

At this point I'd say that I believe a 12” Ontario machete and a good FB that suits you, in separate rigs, would be something to give strong consideration.

That said, if you are really determined to go piggyback the two I'd suggest would be an Ontario RA7 in D2 and a Benchmade Activator:

The Ontario RAT 7 in D2 I used was indistinguishable from the RAT 7 in 1095 I owned save for that it didn't go rusty really easily. If I had have had possession of it for longer I'm certain it would have totally out performed mine at edge retention. D2 is a much better steel in that respect. Doubtless mine would have held together longer in abuse tests but for proper real world use who gives a hoot about that. I would have swapped mine for the D2 one in a trice. It's a great bit of design and worthy of serious thought.

The Benchmade Activator comes in a couple of sizes. Not only do I think it is a great design but is also one that lends itself to a piggyback rig more than others. These are also in D2 but run harder [60-62]; so there's a small knife ramping up on the edge retention aspect, in a steel that whilst not stainless is very close to it, and with a geometry for cutting really well.

I'm not in the US but a quick scan showed that I could pick up both the above for a total of about $200. I'm pretty sure a good ferret on home soil could find them even better. Then I'd look at the sheath making section of this site for piggyback inspirations in Kydex. Obviously all up that might take you a tad over the $200 but I believe this would be money well spent compared to an all-in-one off the shelf solution.

 

[ZombaiO]

I would get something with 6'' blade for general chores - like a Buck 119.
For chopping and splitting wood I would take a 19'' Wetterlings hatchet.
And for them bushcrafty things I would add a SAK like the Trekker