A ways back I tossed out a thread asking what knives y'all used while out backpacking. The thread turned into an interesting discussion on the mentality of a backpacking knife and ran the gamut from big ol' survival blades to small folding SAKs. Now personally, the White River Knives Backpacker and L.T. Wright Next Gen (Scandi) would be the smallest I'd usually go for in a genuine backpacking/hiking knife. Well...that would be until this past August.
Two years ago I bit the bullet and picked up a Spyderco Native 5 Salt, complete with a blue MXG aftermarket pocket clip, to add to my collection. It was meant to be my work knife and beater, replacing my much loved Paramilitary 2 and Pacific Salt. LC200N offered a rust-free option while providing oodles, oh yeah oodles, more edge retention when compared to H1. My job takes me in the water frequently, training lifeguards, setting boating buoys, cutting polypro rope and cardboard boxes, etc. Admittedly, the PM2 and Pacific Salt got the job done well but I always felt nervous tucking my PM2 into my shorts when hopping in the water to anchor a buoy and the Pacific Salt's edge would need constant touching up after a day of use. Additionally, my job and schooling would occasionally take me in and around Rochester where 3" knives were frowned upon (not really a major concern but a consideration nonetheless). Now this my sound hyperbolic but sitting here now two years from the day I purchased it, it has become my go-to knife for virtually all occasions. It has now replaced my Mantra 2 and Paramilitary 2 (customized with a Lynchclip and RGT Micarta Scales) as my everyday EDC folder, my Pacific Salt I gave away to my brother, and most recently it replaced my White River Backpacker during a five day trek in the Adirondacks.
https://imgur.com/a/GFimNmc
That all being said, saying this knife replaced my small fixed blade on a backpacking trip does not mean that I used this folder identically to the way I'd use a fixed blade knife. It certainly has many limitations but there are many things that I love about this knife.
First is its size. The Native 5 disappears in the pocket yet, when deployed, fills the hand nicely and provides great control when using the forward choil. And when I say it fills the hand I am saying that as somebody whose hand width is 10.5" and length is 9" approx. Second, the materials used. Now you're going to need to embrace that this knife has yellow plastic handles. Once that happens you'll find that they're excellently visible and have saved me an untold number of minutes of diving down to the bottom of a lake or searching aimlessly in the grass for my knife. A yellow handled knife is also beneficial when working with and around the public as well as something that is not intimidating at all to take out and use. Quite frankly, with the blue pocket clip, I really enjoy the look but your mileage will obviously vary. Additionally the FRN is plenty textured and locks in well even when wet. Spyderco's latest iteration of bi-directional texturing is simply awesome. Third, the back lock has really been executed well. It's no compression lock to be sure, but after tweaking the pivot slightly it is readily flickable, drops easily when the lock is compressed and has absolutely zero blade play. For a knife with no washers, color me impressed. Fourth, LC200N is just an awesome rust-free steel. Credit really should be paid to Cedric and Ada Gear and Outdoors for showing me just how amazing a quality heat-treated piece of LC200N steel can perform. There is no perceptible difference, for me, between my Native 5 in LC200N and my Mantra 2 in CPM M4. That being said, I hand sharpen all my knives on Sharpening Supplies brand water stones up to 10,000 grit and will touch the edge up with occasional stropping and/or a DMT Diafold. I'm no professional by any means, but if I had to eyeball it edge is probably in the 14-17 degrees realm. With this level of edge retention in a steel that I do not need to worry about rusting is what keeps me putting this piece of steel and plastic in my pocket.
https://imgur.com/xp4yz16
This has fast become my do-it-all folding knife, accompanying me everywhere from the office to the tree-stand. The final frontier was finally abstaining from carrying a fixed blade on a short backpacking trip and I honestly did not it miss much. Having a knife that I can dunk in the stream, wipe off on my shorts and toss back into my pocket without the worry of rust forming up is just a great feeling. It also performed admirably whittling, albeit with a slight hotspot on my palm, and for general tasks like cutting cordage, opening food packets and the like it is excellent.
After two years of use I can report back that there isn't much I do not like and it will continue making it's way into my pocket for the foreseeable future. That is until Spydero comes out with a LC200N Shaman or Paramilitary series, maybe even with some of those sexy micarta scales they've been doing?
I've included a quick poll on when you would feel under-gunned only carrying a pocketknife. I do not intend on retiring my fixed blades anytime soon and depending on where I'm heading and what I'm doing a fixed blade would definitely find its way into my backpack, but let me know what your cut-off point would be! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Cheers y'all.
Two years ago I bit the bullet and picked up a Spyderco Native 5 Salt, complete with a blue MXG aftermarket pocket clip, to add to my collection. It was meant to be my work knife and beater, replacing my much loved Paramilitary 2 and Pacific Salt. LC200N offered a rust-free option while providing oodles, oh yeah oodles, more edge retention when compared to H1. My job takes me in the water frequently, training lifeguards, setting boating buoys, cutting polypro rope and cardboard boxes, etc. Admittedly, the PM2 and Pacific Salt got the job done well but I always felt nervous tucking my PM2 into my shorts when hopping in the water to anchor a buoy and the Pacific Salt's edge would need constant touching up after a day of use. Additionally, my job and schooling would occasionally take me in and around Rochester where 3" knives were frowned upon (not really a major concern but a consideration nonetheless). Now this my sound hyperbolic but sitting here now two years from the day I purchased it, it has become my go-to knife for virtually all occasions. It has now replaced my Mantra 2 and Paramilitary 2 (customized with a Lynchclip and RGT Micarta Scales) as my everyday EDC folder, my Pacific Salt I gave away to my brother, and most recently it replaced my White River Backpacker during a five day trek in the Adirondacks.
https://imgur.com/a/GFimNmc
That all being said, saying this knife replaced my small fixed blade on a backpacking trip does not mean that I used this folder identically to the way I'd use a fixed blade knife. It certainly has many limitations but there are many things that I love about this knife.
First is its size. The Native 5 disappears in the pocket yet, when deployed, fills the hand nicely and provides great control when using the forward choil. And when I say it fills the hand I am saying that as somebody whose hand width is 10.5" and length is 9" approx. Second, the materials used. Now you're going to need to embrace that this knife has yellow plastic handles. Once that happens you'll find that they're excellently visible and have saved me an untold number of minutes of diving down to the bottom of a lake or searching aimlessly in the grass for my knife. A yellow handled knife is also beneficial when working with and around the public as well as something that is not intimidating at all to take out and use. Quite frankly, with the blue pocket clip, I really enjoy the look but your mileage will obviously vary. Additionally the FRN is plenty textured and locks in well even when wet. Spyderco's latest iteration of bi-directional texturing is simply awesome. Third, the back lock has really been executed well. It's no compression lock to be sure, but after tweaking the pivot slightly it is readily flickable, drops easily when the lock is compressed and has absolutely zero blade play. For a knife with no washers, color me impressed. Fourth, LC200N is just an awesome rust-free steel. Credit really should be paid to Cedric and Ada Gear and Outdoors for showing me just how amazing a quality heat-treated piece of LC200N steel can perform. There is no perceptible difference, for me, between my Native 5 in LC200N and my Mantra 2 in CPM M4. That being said, I hand sharpen all my knives on Sharpening Supplies brand water stones up to 10,000 grit and will touch the edge up with occasional stropping and/or a DMT Diafold. I'm no professional by any means, but if I had to eyeball it edge is probably in the 14-17 degrees realm. With this level of edge retention in a steel that I do not need to worry about rusting is what keeps me putting this piece of steel and plastic in my pocket.
https://imgur.com/xp4yz16
This has fast become my do-it-all folding knife, accompanying me everywhere from the office to the tree-stand. The final frontier was finally abstaining from carrying a fixed blade on a short backpacking trip and I honestly did not it miss much. Having a knife that I can dunk in the stream, wipe off on my shorts and toss back into my pocket without the worry of rust forming up is just a great feeling. It also performed admirably whittling, albeit with a slight hotspot on my palm, and for general tasks like cutting cordage, opening food packets and the like it is excellent.
After two years of use I can report back that there isn't much I do not like and it will continue making it's way into my pocket for the foreseeable future. That is until Spydero comes out with a LC200N Shaman or Paramilitary series, maybe even with some of those sexy micarta scales they've been doing?
I've included a quick poll on when you would feel under-gunned only carrying a pocketknife. I do not intend on retiring my fixed blades anytime soon and depending on where I'm heading and what I'm doing a fixed blade would definitely find its way into my backpack, but let me know what your cut-off point would be! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Cheers y'all.
Last edited:
