Recommend best model for a backpacker

Bladenoobie1

Bladenoobie1

Joined
Jul 20, 2012
Messages
1,261
Hi,

I'm an avid backpacker and would like to have a dedicated fixed blade knife for my outdoor excursions. I'm planning some trips in the Sierras this summer and would like to have a knife to bring by then. I can't afford or justify purchasing one of these knives at the moment, but I have plenty of time to save before summer. That said I'm not hacking up chunks of wood nor batonning sizable limbs. I just want something that can split small sticks/limbs, whittle/carve wood really smoothly (for feathersticks or things of that nature), and to cut cord/rope. When possible, I also fish in the high sierras so something that is capable of gutting and descaling a fish would be nice too.

To sum up, my preferences or requirements for this knife are:

-Comfortable/ergonomic handle (dislike blocky handles, must fit hand well)
-Good cutting performance, able slicer
-Handle basic cutting, carving, and splitting of small sticks/limbs without chipping
-Prefer something with a sharpening choil, but can do without
-Steel preferences: O1, cpm 154
-4 inch handle preffered, but smaller is fine as long as comfortable
Thanks,
Julian
 
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Hi Julian,

From the uses and criteria you have stated, I would recommend a Patch or Hiking Buddy with a synthetic handle that suits your taste. I think a SFT 3/32" CPM 154 or 1/8" tapered tang O-1 in either model would serve you well for what you have described. If you want to move up a little bit in size, consider a Monarch or Arête in 1/8" thick O-1 or CPM 154.

Good luck in your search and acquisition.

Phil
 
I'd recommend a Hiking Buddy as well. It's my backpacking knife. In 3/32" it's really light, but still enough blade for what I need. In scandi it makes a great carver.
 
Hiking buddy seems pretty interesting. Scandi grinds are nice for carving, but I want the knife to be an able slicer too. Something with a tall full height flat grind would be nice. Also does Andy do custom orders? I have a really nice piece of old growth redwood burl I've had for almost a year now and would like to use it on a knife I described. The "custom" order would just be based off his currently available models, except just utilizing a piece of wood I would provide.
 
Sounds like the job for a Bushraptor IMO. I have a hiking buddy and a bushraptor.....bushraptor does everything I ask of a knife in the woods better than the hiking buddy for me. 1/8" tapered 01 scandi grind in a synthetic handle.
 
A full height convex grind on a 3/32" or 1/8" thickness blade is very adept at slicing. You won't have any issues there.
 
Hiking buddy. The mrs and I have each carried one throughout the Sierras for several years now. Hiking, camping and fishing. Never felt wanting for more, or different.
 
As a rule we don't take custom orders
The way the shop runs... It's not designed for custom orders. That why Andy describes himself as a "handmade knife maker" and not a custom knife maker

His words exactly
Fiddleback said:
Whether or not another maker has been successful with custom options/order taking is irrelevant. We are horrible at it. Horrible. We loose customers over this. In addition it is not profitable, from experience. We make handmade knives. We don't make custom knives either before or after the sale.
Click to expand...
 
VANCE said:
As a rule we don't take custom orders
The way the shop runs... It's not designed for custom orders. That why Andy describes himself as a "handmade knife maker" and not a custom knife maker

His words exactly
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Its understandable if he doesn't want to do custom orders. Anyhow looks like I'll be searching for a hiking buddy.
 
Fiddleback is releasing a line of bushfingers that looks like they have removable handles. This template may be your best bet for having a custom maker fit the grips to a Fiddleback. There are capable folks out there who can do the work! Don't quote me on it yet though. Stay tuned!
 
Take a look at the KE Bushie as well. About 1" more OAL than the Hiking Buddy. Good all around blade profile, but it's narrower than most of the other 4" models and should generally come in at a lighter weight. Would guess a tapered tang 1/8" KE Bushie would be in the 4 to 5 oz range.

For reference, check out thurin's pic from his comparison thread. The Hiking buddy is 5th from the left, and the KE Bushie is 5th from the right.

IMG_6560_zps3a65b1b8.jpg~original
 
Thanks for the shots. The KE bushie is a bit on the large side though. I'm looking at 8 inches and under. A 4 inch handle 3-3.5 inch blade is a nice configuration for me. A perfect handle combination for me would be a rich light colored hardwood like lignum vitae, natural micarta pins, natural micarta and orange g-10 liners. Does anyone have any pictures of something like this?
 
Don't overlook the Arete. It has a 4" blade, usually in 1/8" stock. With a high grind and a tapered tang, it's light and very nimble in hand. At the same time, it's big enough for serious work. The Arete would be my choice for a backpacking blade.
 
While I also would recommend the Hiking Buddy, If you go up to the FiddleBack Forge website you can see all the models sorted by blade lengths.
Also Mistwalker did a nice review on the hiking buddy you might want to check out. I am sure it is around here somewhere but I always just Google Hiking Buddy review to find it.
 
I'll include some pics after some analysis.

Looking at your requirements:

-Comfortable/ergonomic handle (dislike blocky handles, must fit hand well)
Click to expand...

The knives that fit this in the Fiddleback stable are the Hiking Buddy based knives, Arete, KE Bushie, Bushcrafter as they all have nicely rounded butts.

-Good cutting performance, able slicer
-Handle basic cutting, carving, and splitting of small sticks/limbs without chipping
-Steel preferences: O1, cpm 154
Click to expand...

Any Fiddleback

-Prefer something with a sharpening choil, but can do without
Click to expand...

No Fiddleback fits this one.

-4 inch handle preffered, but smaller is fine as long as comfortable
Click to expand...

You're looking at the Hiking Buddy or smaller in this category. Getting into the Arete, Bushcrafter, KE Bushie, etc, all mean going to 4.5" handles.

In the below pic you'll find 3 of the ones I mentioned above, however, the KE Bushie and Arete both have 4.5" handles so might be out of your requirements.

Arete, Kephart, KE Bushie, Hiking Buddy:
IMG_4165_zps575b096f.jpg~original


Here are some additional ones that fit the not "blocky handles" requirement, although even the ones that some folks might consider blocky are still very comfortable.

Bushcrafter, Arete, KE Bushie, Hiking Buddy, EDCII:

972fc0ef-1398-4f4a-9c42-17674897cd07_zps5c215f79.jpg~original


Some blades that fit into your 4" handle requirement:

Bushraptor, Patch, EDKarda, Hiking Buddy
e7683299-ce5b-48d0-baa8-7c02fa6cdc90_zps544c7ddc.jpg~original


I think you'll notice one knife keeps popping up. The Hiking Buddy.

That being said, any of them will do what you need. They're not going to break, chip, let you down. Even the "blocky" ones are comfortable.

You can't order one to your specs, but you can find one that meets your needs. And if you get it and don't like it, it's very easy to sell and buy another to try out.
 
Take a look at the bushcraft Karda. Wonderful handle, utilitarian blade. Perfect size for backpacking.
 
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