need whitewater kayak vest knife

R

redman2006

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Nov 6, 2012
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My girlfriend is an avid whitewater kayaker. As such, there are times where she needs a good blade for emergencies. She used to carry a folder, but realized that was a bad plan when you are hung up underwater.

So, we need a knife suggestion.

It needs to have a good sheath with some form of a clip or tech lock that can easily attach to the shoulder harnesses of a whitewater style life vest. It must be a fixed blade with enough length to easily cut the straps of a vest. Plain is preferred over serrated. The point should not be super pointed. This is just a safety thing so you don't actually stab yourself trying to get it between your body and the vest, rope , or whatever hangs you up.

It needs to be reasonably priced so she is not crying over a lost $300 knife. You tend to drop them in the thick of things when they are really needed. Maybe a $50-75 max price?

It will be wet more than not and for long periods, so stainless is important.

Mora has been suggested, but the sheaths are worthless for this and you have more in custom sheaths than several knives at that point.

The sheath needs good retention and one handed draw and resheath.

The nylon style sheaths with a snap closure don't work so well. They tend to unsnap when you are upside down.

Double edge for safety and for legality in some areas is out.

OK, thoughts?

Thanks for the help.
 
Just a suggestion (field tested by an avid kayaker friend):

spyderco salt (the one with the 3" PE blade in H2 steel - rustproof) inserted in a kydex sheath in an open configuration.

I prefer SE for rescue applications since it will involve a bit of rope cutting, I gather?

The above configuration can be done for about $80. If you need a contact for an affordable kydex sheath, PM me.
 
I'm also a big fan of the salt series, but from what you describe, you might check the benchmade n680. Dunno, give it a look. I kind of prefer spykens idea though. Just get a spyderco pacific salt (which is a great all around folder) and have a kydex sheath made for carrying it in the "open" position if you want. Way more practical IMO.
 
I will take a look at it. I had not thought of a folder just left open.

The rescue part does involve cutting webbing and rope, so serations are good there, but there are a blue million tasks that you use that knife for while on the water, so I am not sure about the full serated blade. The shape of the tip is great though.

Thanks.
 
The h110h2o? I had missed that one.
That looks like a good possibility too, but is getting to the top end of what I had hoped to spend.
Kershaw used to have a couple less expensive dive style knives that would work, but the one we were looking for had been discontinued.


Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Blue million? I'm on the water in my kayak at least 4 days a week, 365 days a year. I would be hard pressed to name more than five. I dunno, maybe your girls experience is completely different than mine. Not trying to call bs on you or anything, but lets keep it real. You don't need a blade much out there, but I agree that when u do need it it's very important. I carry a dragonfly salt and it handles everything I need to do...i figure if your steel is sharp enough, you dont need much of it. And yes, it's handled "emergency" situations. I could be equally happy with pe or se. I use pe since its my edc knife too and i just like pe. This one doesnt need overthinking IMHO. Get her a quality knife thats rust resistant with a sharp edge that's easy to access. At the end of the day, she needs something she will CARRY! This is definitely one of those "the best knife is the one you have with you" scenarios. I think going "super specialized" is overkill.

Sorry if I got heavy handed with my opinions. That's all they are...opinions. :-)
 
She had a really bad hang up a while back that led to the loss of the knife. Long story, but kids in a raft on a river they had no business on caused a big accident. She had a hard time with the folder and luckily someone else was able to help her out. In the process, because of the sharp point, she had a fairly deep "stab" that required attention.

Anyway, we not only run rivers, but given the right river and a few days off, we will pack the boats and camp. I go up to easy class III and she runs about anything she can in the Southe East. So I was looking for something that would be an all around knife, camping, "rescue," and whatever else on the river. Since the camping gets tossed into the mix, the usual food prep, fuzz sticks for fires, etc get added to the tasks.

You are not heavy handed. And I agree, she needs whatever seh will carry.
 
Yup, you don't need it until you NEED it! But then you need it NOW! Hearing everything you described puts me even MORE in agreement with spyken. Get a spyderco salt folder and a kydex sheath for carrying it "open" if you want. The salt series knives are awesome! You'll have a hard time finding anybody with a negative opinion on them. I like the "salt 1" and the "pacific salt" the best...after the dragonfly of course. They are basically the delica and the endura designs but the blade tips are more blunted (for the very reason that you described)
 
Columbia River Knife&Tool Bear Claw, can get it multiple configurations and either black or safety orange.
 
Geber River Shorty. Best bang for the buck for a blunt pointed water knife. Has a special mounting system that has been on my Lotus PFD for 10 yrs or more. Will have to replace the vest before the knife. Spreads peanut butter and opens clams with the best.--KV
 
Thanks to everyone for the ideas so far.

Being as how I had never considered a folder carried open, we have a lot more options to consider.
 
The Kershaw Sea Hunter would seem to fit the bill, fairly cheap knife too. For what you are talking about I would get the blunt tip version and if you need a utility knife for camping get it separately. It sounds to me like your intended use for the blade in kayaking emergencies calls for a specialized blade so it might not be worth sacrificing some of its utility in this to make it more useful in general.
 
I like a good stainless steel neck knife in a Kydex sheath in that application.


I carry a BlackJack Necker that I found in your price range on the aftermarket.


p1015639.jpg

BlackJack Necker




Big Mike
 
Lol, what "utility" are you going to sacrifice?? Seriously?! Name for me one situation you are going to have on a kayak where a dive knife would be functional but a delica or an endura(ie. salt 1 and pacific salt) wouldn't! Ok, I suggested the benchmade dive knife (grudgingly) based on the op, but I think based on further information that's not the right call. Get a knife she will use, not something James Bond or Jack Cousteau would carry. You won't be giving up any "utility". If I had to quickly cut someone free in an emergency situation, I would much rather have a sharp delica than a dive knife! Just my two cents.
 
You could look at the Boker Plus Ck-1 Rescue Knife. 440C, under $50, blunt tip, kydex sheath. It has a partially serrated blade, but otherwise meets your specs.
 
Big Mike said:
I like a good stainless steel neck knife in a Kydex sheath in that application.


I carry a BlackJack Necker that I found in your price range on the aftermarket.


p1015639.jpg

BlackJack Necker




Big Mike
Click to expand...


Nice nife, but the neck idea in the water would not be something that I would think safe. The point on it would be an issue for this use too.
That looks like my Izula. Just a good general purpose fixed blade.
 
Surfingringo said:
Lol, what "utility" are you going to sacrifice?? Seriously?! Name for me one situation you are going to have on a kayak where a dive knife would be functional but a delica or an endura(ie. salt 1 and pacific salt) wouldn't! Ok, I suggested the benchmade dive knife (grudgingly) based on the op, but I think based on further information that's not the right call. Get a knife she will use, not something James Bond or Jack Cousteau would carry. You won't be giving up any "utility". If I had to quickly cut someone free in an emergency situation, I would much rather have a sharp delica than a dive knife! Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

In the OP he mentioned that in an emergency it is easy to accidentally stab oneself with a pointed knife. Hence a blunt tip knife would seem much safer in this particular application. It sounds to me like he is looking for a safety item that hopefully will not need to be used, not an all around knife. In this case it seems to me that it would be worth while to go with a more specialized tool.
 
Obviously, im still saying one of the "salts" is your knife, but..,if you're really set on fixed blade and "rescue" remains a priority, then I really like that boker that Creaky Bones suggested. That thing will do some serious slicing, and (given the blade shape and grind) it would be a lot more functional around a campsite than a dive knife IMHO.

See? I'm open minded...
Now get a pacific salt and thank me later!! ;-).
 
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