Recommendation for a female friend of mine. Inputs are highly appreciated!!!

M

Mathieu85

Joined
Jun 14, 2010
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Hello everybody!

I need a bit of help here and I would very much appreciate your thoughts and inputs. BOTH folders and fixed blades are an option.

A female friend of mine will be doing the pacific crest trail from Mexico to Canada. Of course I had to ask her if she has a good blade and she told me not yet but she plans on getting a "very good one" and asked me to help her choose a blade. I asked her what she is looking for and her answer was: "it has to be very good and light". :rolleyes:
I have known her for a long time and here is my interpretation of what she means:

- very good corrosion resistance
- should hold an edge for as long as possible
- weight is extremely important for her (she is 5'2 and 110 pounds and she will be hiking for 4 month non stop I think)

She is a complete outdoor nut (camping, trecking, hiking, climbing and whatnot) but I highly doubt that she will ever be battoning with that knife. That beeing said, knowing her, I am pretty sure that she will sometimes use the knife for things that are not ideal (using the tip to pry open a can comes to mind). Oh and she has small hands!
Due to my explanations I ruled out all blades in 1095 (i.e. ESEE, KA-BAR) and also the Busse-kin family.

I have taken the following knives into consideration:
Fallkniven F1
Bark River Gunny (3V, S35VN or Elmax)
Bark River Liten Bror (3V, S35VN or Elmax)

Do you guys have any other suggestions?

Thank you in advance!
 
you need smaller than an F1, I'd think. If you are looking at barkies (which would be easy to maintain, as a mousepad and sandpaper weigh nothing) I'd look at something like the bravo necker, ultralite or mini-bushcrafter, or any of the other little ones. Another good and cheap option would be a Becker Bk13. I'd do a comby as a small fixed and a 84mm Sak.

Leave self defense to friends, and situational awareness. I'm sure she knows how to keep the creeps away.

To give you an idea, I get by leading fairly large groups of kids, with a Vic Farmer. Of course I carry more steel, but I'm insane and don't walk that far. I recently got a barkie mini-bushcrafter because I like having a fixed blade with a handle, but also do some carving when I get the chance. my BK13 has been a great little blade.
 
Isn't 3v a non-stainless?

I never suggest this but in this case maybe a Mora in stainless would be ideal. Almost weights nothing and would still provide adequate toughness and length. Companion models come in at under a $20 bill..Benchmade has a few smaller fixed blades in their Hunt series made of s30v and come in fairly light, I'd personally take a Saddle Mountain Kkinner over a Mora.

For a Folder and a lot more class the Benchmade 940 is a fantastic knife and provides a good bit of blade in a super small and light package.

Then there is always the Spyderco models people will be sure to mention Delica, Endura, Paramilitary 2, I'm not a fan but they do have a rabid following.

Being that she will be on a super long hike I'd say a 2 knife system would be ideal, perhaps the best combo for ultralight would be a Mora Companion and a Spyderco Delica that would come in at 7oz combined weight.
 
My pics: two blades

Any of the Spyderco Salt series (really lightweight, corrosion proof, tough as nails, many sizes to chose from and serrated or plain edge) either a folder or a fixed blade like the Aqua Salt

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and/or a Mora, I'd recommend the companion stainless. Brutal performer, cheap and she could have 2 or 3 backups in the bag, car, etc.

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Fallkniven WM1

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If you really like her ditch the rubber handle and get her some custom scales. Or paint or engrave the knife or something.
 
I won't speculate on a fixed blade other to say I love puukko. But be sure she also packs a SAK (Tinker or Deluxe Tinker) for fixing things and doing small tasks.
Rich
 
Victorinox one hand Trekker non serrated sounds perfect Very corrosion resistant, easy to maintain and sharpen blade, and has tools to use for prying while keeping the blade sharp.

I could do just about any outdoors trip with that blade and not feel under knifed.

If you want a fixed blade the Mora Companion SS would be a good choice. I don't care much for the sheath but there are plenty of aftermarket ones.

For lightweight back packing I never really needed much knife. I always had something just in case, but a Leatherman PST or a Vic Tinker was always enough for me.
 
How about ESEE Izula in stainless (with scales)? Lightweight and compact.
 
She's gonna be on the trail for about 4 months, she doesn't have a blade yet. That tells us that she'll be gone a while and that she's probably not a real knife person... yet. So, I'd recommend a stainless FB that she can touch up on the trail. And, I'd suggest she get a sharpener of some sort and use it a bit to get used to it before she goes out. Anything she uses for 4 months is gonna need some kind of attention before she gets back home.

Some good recommendations have already been made. I know you said you're not interested in 1095 (edge holding and corrosion can be issues for an NKP), but 154CM might be a good alternative in SS. It's tough, relatively easy to sharpen, and pretty corrosion resistant. S35VN is another good alternative to non-SS knives. With just minimal care, CPM-3V would probably work for her and Bark River has quite a few models in 3V that fit your needs. I'd recommend their Northstar EDC or their Bravo Necker 2. And I'd also suggest a good folder in SS as a backup.

For sharpeners, you might look at the ERU that Fred Rowe makes. That may have the smallest learning curve and it looks like it'd be easy to pack. Another good option for field use is one of the DMT sharpeners... either a dia-fold or a keychain sharpener.
 
+ 1 for the WM1 (which has been made with women in mind...) but the Fällkniven Kolt is hardly bigger / heavier and offers a little more blade. Both can be neck carried and that's quite convenient when hiking. Another one, light, thin and beautiful : the Moki Banff. This said, a Victorinox with the useful blades (spear, pen, can opener, cap lifter, saw, scissors, tweezers...) is a must for every hiker and would be the reasonable choice.
 
Fallkniven F1, S1, or kolt would be my first choice followed by DPX HEST, HEST II, or their 4" model. I would also add a Swiss army knife to that too.
 
I actually thought of Busse, even after you ruled them out.

Busse knives are not stainless, true. But 52100 steel is considered a semi-stainless. It will stay clean and shiny with regular use and regular cleaning.

There are a lot of people who consider a patina a badge of ownership, and a little surface discoloration does not affect the function of the knife.

You could also get her a Swamprat knife. They come with a surface coating.

Having gotten that out of the way, a Bussekin knife will stand up to the kind of can-opening, all-purpose tool use that you hinted might happen, and may actually tolerate it better than a stainless steel would. Depending on what knives we're comparing a Busse will hold it's edge longer, too. And when it finally does begin to slow down, 52100 has a reputation for being easy to sharpen.

My opinion. Free advice is worth what you pay for it.
 
I would recommend 3 "blades":
- nail clippers
- Leatherman PS4 Squirt
- Spoon or spork (lexan or titanium)

Optional luxuries she might consider adding:
- Narrow pointed splinter tweezers
- Light folding food knife such an Opinel 8, 9 or 10 or a Mora Classic
- Medium grit DMT "credit card" sharpening tool
- Edited to add: an army style, folding can opener

My thinking...

Long distance trips of this nature tends to drive a person to a lightweight or ultralight approach that's hard to comprehend if you haven't been there/done that.

As Harvey Manning noted, backpacking is really footpacking. Care for feet, and in particular, care for toe nails is critical. IME, nail clippers are a must have.

The Leatherman PS4 Squirt is a nearly ideal tool for modern backpacking repair work. The pliers can be used to drive a needle through webbing and tough nylon and can be used to deal with most zipper jams and repairs. Little in a modern backpacking kit demands screws or adjustments. One exception is hiking pole straps. The screw driver blades on the PS4 are sufficient or easily cut off with a dremmel if judged to be not needed. The scissors are useful for sewing repairs and 1st aid bandage prep. The knife blade is sufficient for cutting what little cordage is cut (not often, paracord is typically the heaviest she'll deal with) and can be used to open food packages.

90% of backpacking food can be handled with a spoon/spork. Foods that need to be spread can spread with the spoon handle.

This covers the "must haves" of my lightweight kit. Now, for the optional items...

Deep splinters can fester and left untreated, can force you off the trail. SAK or Leatherman Micra style tweezers just aren't enough. For short trips, I am comfortable forgoing tweezers. For a long trip, I would definitely carry them. They are standard part of my "10 essentials" kit.

A food/wood knife isn't needed for modern backpacking. It just isn't. Literally, thousands of people complete the major trails every year with nothing more than a Squirt or Victorinox Classic. Still, some foods are just easier to deal with with a proper knife and if you're going to carry a knife, it might as well be great at food prep. The Opinel 8, 9 and 10 and the classic wood handled Mora Classics (both in stainless) are both insanely tough and light enough to be reasonable luxuries. I have huge XL hands and prefer the Opinel 10 for 3 seasons and I carry a Mora Companion in the winter, when I carry a wood stove. I'll be getting a Mora Classic soon to drop weight.

Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

Speaking of stoves and fires... She may consider a "multi-fuel" stove capable of burning twigs, such as one of the Caldera Cone variants. I've been using a twig stove (most in the winter) for several years (Emberlit) and generally you don't need to batton wood to feed them and if you do, an Opinel 9 is enough knife for the small wood these stoves are made for. Larger fires on the trail just aren't that common or needed. EDITED TO ADD: I'm not advocating for a wood stove. I think their horribly fiddly and prefer alcohol for a multifuel stove can extend range between alcohol resupplies on long sections of the PCT or AT. Main point to make here is that a diminutive Opinel 9 is sufficient to feed these stoves (I prefer the 10 or a Mora). Nothing more than a Mora is needed.

Both the Opinels and Moras use Sandvick 12C27. IMO, this is the nicest fine carbide steel I've used. I . it over "carbon steel" now. Both companies harden it in the 58Rc range, which seems like the sweet spot. Softer similar stainless (Case SS, or Victorinox Inox) dulls noticeably faster for me.

This steel sharpens easily in the field. I can't imagine a knife that will make the trip without being sharpened. The DMT "credit card" sharpener is my favorite lightweight stone. Some people just pack sections of wet/dry paper but I find that to be less durable and a lot more "fiddly".

edited to add:
Regarding opening cans, 99% of trail food is not canned and increasingly, that which is has easy opening tops. If a can opener is really deemed needed, an army style folding can opener can be tied to the draw cord of the food or stove stuff sack. Weighs a matter of grams, won't get lost and easily jettisoned when deemed extra weight. When, not if. ;)

Hope this helps,
 
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I would get her a Victorinox S111 or some similar light but useful SAK. I would also get her a Spyderco serrated Salt as they are extremely light weight and the H1 serrated blade will really hold an edge. I would take a hard look at the Cold Steel Pendtleton Mini Hunter at 2.4 oz and full tang. Instead of a fixed blade she might could use a very light hatchet such as the Outdoor Edge Wood Devil, the Mora Outdoor Axe, or the Gerber BG Survival Hatchet (I have this one and it is good).
 
If she seems willing to spend the money I would look long and hard at the production run Fiddleback Forge knives. I love my Hiking Buddy and it's small enough to carry without noticing the weight at all.
 
A Victorinox SAK. WEIGHT IS EVERYTHING, and it adds up quickly. So I suggest one knife only, and that suggestion is the Victorinox Tinker. Multi-purpose/multi-use is best.

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I'd recommend a two-layer 111mm Vic SAK or maybe the Vic Trekker (three layer) worn in a pouch. Big enough for most things and certainly very usable for knife tasks. If she wants a fixed blade, I'd go with a Mora Companion in stainless or both depending on how much she thinks she might use a knife. My guess is, not much except for food prep especially since she doesn't already have a knife for such a trip.
 
Cannot go wrong with the SA and a stainless Mora, affordable, handly, and light weight and easy to replace if lost. +1 on an extra Moras as backups or in another bag.
 
The Mora 2000 is an excellent blade and meets all criteria you listed ( I think! LOL)

Not my pic but for reference:

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