Picking a go-to knife for outdoor

M

MattBlade

Joined
Mar 14, 2012
Messages
41
Hi all I would like to get a knife to bring during hikes and camps. I would like it to be tough, it should be able to do a large variety of tasks like batoning, chopping and even make feather stick. I know that one knife cannot specialize in so many tasks but it doesn't have to, it just need to get the job down. I already have a Mora so no need to recommend it to me, I would like a knife that I can do some fairly heavy duty stuff with. Thanks in advance for your help :)

Preferences:
- Lightweight for long hikes, heavy enough for very mild chopping (maybe around 10 ounces)
- Around 5 inches
- Able to retain a good edge
- Around $100 but I'm willing to change this for a little more, don't let this be a limiting factor
- Comfortable and grippy handle
- Full tang, prefer protrusion at the bottom
- Reliable carbon or stainless steel
- Around 3/16'' thickness, below 1/4''

EDIT
Some of my early choices:
1) Becker BK-10 (I like the size and toughness. I like the thickness and weight compared to the BK-2) I would prefer it to be a little lighter though, I stress on 'little'.
2) Fallkniven S1 (I like the size and toughness as well. It is also stainless but I hear it chips after a simple drop on rocks noticeably easier than other knives.
 
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MattBlade said:
It is also stainless but I hear it chips on rocks noticeably easier than other knives.
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I've never had a knife that would not chip on a rock.

If you want a 5" general use knife, I can't think of anything better than an ESEE LaserStrike in your price range.
 
MatthewSB said:
I've never had a knife that would not chip on a rock.

If you want a 5" general use knife, I can't think of anything better than an ESEE LaserStrike in your price range.
Click to expand...

Sorry about the misunderstanding but I was talking about a simple drop. I will take note of the LaserStrike though. Looks great but I will prefer an exposed tang on the pommel.
 
Esee 6

Blade length 5 3/4"
Thickness 3/16"
Weight 12oz
1095 Carbon Steel
Around $100

Esee is pretty highly rated on BF, the only thing you can say against it is just from personal preference. The quality is rock solid, and comes with the best kind of warranty you can find.

http://theknifeconnection.net/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=321

edit: I don't know about the blackbird but it looks good.
 
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n7titan said:
Esee 6

Blade length 5 3/4"
Thickness 3/16"
Weight 12oz
1095 Carbon Steel
Around $100

Esee is pretty highly rated on BF, the only thing you can say against it is just from personal preference. The quality is rock solid, and comes with the best kind of warranty you can find.

http://theknifeconnection.net/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=321

edit: I don't know about the blackbird but it looks good.
Click to expand...

How does the Esee 6 compare to the Bk-10? The look very similar :) Also, how does the BK-15 compare to the BK-10, is the thickness on the Bk-15 enough for some heavy duty stuff?
 
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The biggest FB I've taken with me outdoors is an ESEE 4. I've never needed anything bigger. I've also taken a BRKT mini-FR in 3V and it did well at the things I needed to do, even batoning, though it isn't the ideal size for that. I guess it depends onw hat you plan to do outdoors, but for me, the E4 is all I'll ever need camping or hiking.

Bark River does a nice job on 3V and it comes in their larger models as well, if you need the size. It's a very tough steel with decent edge retention, though not the best for refurbishing in the field unless you have your sharpening technique down pretty well.
 
MattBlade said:
Hi all I would like to get a knife to bring during hikes and camps. I would like it to be tough, it should be able to do a large variety of tasks like batoning, chopping and even make feather stick. I know that one knife cannot specialize in so many tasks but it doesn't have to, it just need to get the job down. I already have a Mora so no need to recommend it to me, I would like a knife that I can do some fairly heavy duty stuff with. Thanks in advance for your help :)

Preferences:
- Lightweight for long hikes, heavy enough for very mild chopping (maybe around 10 ounces)
- Around 5 inches
(snip....)
Click to expand...

If this thread is about the joy of owning and using 5" fixed blades and the justification of that, then you might as well skip this post. Instead, find a 5" fixed blade you enjoy and enjoy using it. All I could add is please don't chop or process wood on public lands near established trails and campsites as doing so really wrecks the place for the next visitor. My rant with pictures here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-Stupid-Moronic-Firebuilding-Bushcrafter-Fail


If this thread is about effective tools for backcountry travel with an eye towards "long hikes", then I would offer the following suggestions.

READ CHRIS TOWNSEND FOR SKILLS - Townsend is a Scottish outdoor writer who picked up where Colin Fletcher left off. He's done many long distance trips and hikes year round in the Scottish highlands where the weather is generally worse than most places in the US. He has a great blog (google it) and many great books. Focus on tarp/tent skills, stove skills and clothing skills. This will functionally eliminate the "need" for destructive wood processing.

AUGMENT YOUR MORA WITH A MINI MULTI-TOOL - I find the number one need for a knife is food preparation. Second to that is cutting cordage, shaping bandages and making repairs to equipment, including driving a needle through heavy fabric. I generally carry a Opinel N9 plus a Leatherman PS4 Squirt. With prepackaged food, the PS4 alone would be enough. Seriously, people complete the AT and PCT every year with less.

IF YOU MUST HAVE A FIRE, CONSIDER A TWIG STOVE - If camping is not complete unless you smell wood smoke or if you are lucky enough to camp in places that can sustain minor wood harvesting, consider one of the many new "twig" stoves like the Emberlit or Bushbuddy. They run on wood that can be processed by hand, eliminating the need for sectioning and splitting wood, minimize wood consumption and burn cleaner eliminating the need for unsightly fire rings and scorch marks and minimizing ash creation. Good discussion of wood stove options over in the Outdoors sub-forum.

IF YOU STILL HAVE A NEED TO SECTION WOOD, GET A FOLDING SAW - On winter ski tours in valleys, I do like the ability to section and split slightly larger wood to help with my Emberlit. A folding saw like the Silky Boy with a medium tooth blade will section 3" wood easily 4 or 5 times faster and with much less effort.

I hope this helps. Again, if the issue is, that you just want a bigger knife, just get a bigger knife and enjoy it. Nothing that I've written should change that. But if the goal is to hike further with more comfort, efficiency and safety, then my experience is that a large fixed blade doesn't cut it in weight vs pay-off consideration.
 
pinnah said:
If this thread is about the joy of owning and using 5" fixed blades and the justification of that, then you might as well skip this post. Instead, find a 5" fixed blade you enjoy and enjoy using it. All I could add is please don't chop or process wood on public lands near established trails and campsites as doing so really wrecks the place for the next visitor. My rant with pictures here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-Stupid-Moronic-Firebuilding-Bushcrafter-Fail


If this thread is about effective tools for backcountry travel with an eye towards "long hikes", then I would offer the following suggestions.

READ CHRIS TOWNSEND FOR SKILLS - Townsend is a Scottish outdoor writer who picked up where Colin Fletcher left off. He's done many long distance trips and hikes year round in the Scottish highlands where the weather is generally worse than most places in the US. He has a great blog (google it) and many great books. Focus on tarp/tent skills, stove skills and clothing skills. This will functionally eliminate the "need" for destructive wood processing.

AUGMENT YOUR MORA WITH A MINI MULTI-TOOL - I find the number one need for a knife is food preparation. Second to that is cutting cordage, shaping bandages and making repairs to equipment, including driving a needle through heavy fabric. I generally carry a Opinel N9 plus a Leatherman PS4 Squirt. With prepackaged food, the PS4 alone would be enough. Seriously, people complete the AT and PCT every year with less.

IF YOU MUST HAVE A FIRE, CONSIDER A TWIG STOVE - If camping is not complete unless you smell wood smoke or if you are lucky enough to camp in places that can sustain minor wood harvesting, consider one of the many new "twig" stoves like the Emberlit or Bushbuddy. They run on wood that can be processed by hand, eliminating the need for sectioning and splitting wood, minimize wood consumption and burn cleaner eliminating the need for unsightly fire rings and scorch marks and minimizing ash creation. Good discussion of wood stove options over in the Outdoors sub-forum.

IF YOU STILL HAVE A NEED TO SECTION WOOD, GET A FOLDING SAW - On winter ski tours in valleys, I do like the ability to section and split slightly larger wood to help with my Emberlit. A folding saw like the Silky Boy with a medium tooth blade will section 3" wood easily 4 or 5 times faster and with much less effort.

I hope this helps. Again, if the issue is, that you just want a bigger knife, just get a bigger knife and enjoy it. Nothing that I've written should change that. But if the goal is to hike further with more comfort, efficiency and safety, then my experience is that a large fixed blade doesn't cut it in weight vs pay-off consideration.
Click to expand...

No need to worry, I only pick up dead stuff on the ground. I use a fairly large multi tool (Leatherman Wave) as backup. Personally, I don't feel the weight too much since I carry it everyday. A folding saw sounds nice, I was already considering it :) . I still prefer to carry a ~5'' blade for most tasks though, my Mora really isn't that much shorter. I prefer the slightly longer length for slightly more versatility (I don't bring a machete or hatchet everywhere) without sacrificing too much.. I do intend to bring my Mora sometimes though, it's awesome :D
 
Mora and folding saw. I have my eye on the Laplander and mora package, plus a firesteel thrown in. All for under 100.
 
MattBlade said:
No need to worry, I only pick up dead stuff on the ground. I use a fairly large multi tool (Leatherman Wave) as backup. Personally, I don't feel the weight too much since I carry it everyday. A folding saw sounds nice, I was already considering it :) . I still prefer to carry a ~5'' blade for most tasks though, my Mora really isn't that much shorter. I prefer the slightly longer length for slightly more versatility (I don't bring a machete or hatchet everywhere) without sacrificing too much.. I do intend to bring my Mora sometimes though, it's awesome :D
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're on the right path.

One of the things I find fascinating about backcountry travel is how varied the approaches we use are. In terms of reading, I'm something of an omnivore in that I like to read from as wide of a variety of sources as possible. Each approach has it's blind spots. Hunting and backcountry skiing taught me to be comfortable off trail. The emphasis on trail hiking is a blind spot in backpacking literature. You get my point. In this vein, you might find the literature on ultra-light backpacking interesting and challenging. My SOG Paratool and Wave no longer make the cut, but that's just me and my pack. As they say on the AT, we all need to "Hike Your Own Hike" (HYOH).

Here are my winter "fire tools". The knife is an old Schrade H-15 reground to a drop point. 5" blade. Old Schrade-Walden just makes me happy. The Silky Boy saw is fantastic. But... after getting the Emberlit, it get's carried less often.

Winter fire tools by Pinnah, on Flickr

Hot Chocolate by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
When packing, if I am in a 'general use, robust' kind of mood, I take the Fallkniven H1 :)

Usually though, its a TK1, a Serrata or a tough puukko. Of which (the latter) I have a number, all good, but the Enzos are worth looking at specially.
 
MattBlade said:
All excellent knives, how does it compare to the BK-10 though, I do appreciate the extra inch and slight increase in thickness. But then again, I actually find it heavy for the size. Oh and I can't seem to find the BK-12 anymore.
Click to expand...

That's what she said! Sorry, I couldn't resist. My brain is still that of a 15 year old!!! :p
 
When reading your post initially, the knife that came to mind was the Kabar Becker BK-10 or BK-2. Then I read a bit further and you wanted thinner steel than the 1/4" used in the BK-2. I agree with that totally. Have a BK-2 and it mostly just sits at home. The BK-10 was my default choice and you mentioned that it is too heavy...... chopping and heavy (a relative term) go together....

So, my practical suggestion is a Kabar Becker BK-16, BK-17, or ESEE 4 which are not choppers at all but would work nicely for some batonning. I do suggest a good small folding saw like the Silky and you will likely never need to chop anything unless it is for fun. If you want to go less expensive, look at the Condor line. I do really like the Bushlore knife. I find the 4-5" knives the most useful in the woods overall (weight, ease of carry, and flexibility of use).
 
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