Recommendation for TRADITIONAL fixed-blade to use camping hiking

A

AC_23

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My wife and have begun hiking quite a bit, & are considering some camping. I'd like to find a small fixed blade to use while camping/hiking. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for exactly. general utility I suppose, but nothing too large. Sorry for being vague.

Thanks for the help,
A.C.
 
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Bark River makes a nice knife and a lot of models. There are a ton of great fixed blades out there. Fiddleback forge has some great looking offerings that are well received. can't go wrong with a small KaBar or a Becker either.


And you can buy half a dozen Moras for the price of a Barkie.
 
Eww, stay away from bark river knives...

Fallkniven F1 ... only if your rich.... as this blade is overpriced to death...

... Blind horse knives actually make some good blades...

May I suggest a KA-BAR heavy-bowie model.. its about $50 and you can baton wood with it REALLY WELL and it'll hold up... and any problems with it you can send it in to ka-bar and they'll help you out..

My belt-knife... for when i go out into the bush in a GSO 4.1 Its more of a general purpose/survival knife more then a specialized knife... its a "jack of all trades".. dosn't do anything AMAZING.. but it can do EVERYTHING...

If your doing wood work the ka-bar heavy-bowie should be good for batoning.. its what I use...
 
Sorry if this is overwhelming, but here is a reasonable guess at a few that might work: (First, Esee) Esee Izula 2, Esee 3 or 4; (Second, Becker) Becker 11, 14, 24, 16 or 17. These blades range from a just over a couple of inches to about 4 inches, and all are proven knives. Happy trails! My personal favorites are the Esee Izula 2, the Esee 4, and the Becker 17.
 
I think this might be better suited to the Outdoor Gear sub-forum.

Keeping my recommendations to traditionals only...

If you are doing car camping and short day hikes, you can take any knife that makes you happy. I find a small hatchet is more useful for splitting wood for camp fires, so the knife is more about kitchen duty/food prep and general utility cutting. For general utility, I like something light enough to carry in my pocket. For kitchen use, I like something with a blade in the 3" range. An Opinel #8 or #9 does just fine.

If you are set on a fixed blade, something like a Buck 105 or the Case 316-5 will do fine. Here is my slightly modified Case.

Case 316-5 (drop point) by Pinnah, on Flickr

If you don't mind shopping, plenty of older Schrade and Western fixed blades on the auction sites. Here is a modified Schrade.

H-15 Drop-point by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
Howdy AC,

I'll second the Buck 105 Pathfinder
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and add a Buck 102 Woodsman.
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You might also consider a Mora.
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I have changed the title to make it clear that this thread is in the Traditional Forum, where we only talk about TRADITIONAL DESIGNS.

Some of the earlier posters apparently did not notice in which forum they were posting.
 
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Another vote for Mora here. For the price you can't beat it. Carbon steel + Scandi grind = wicked easy to maintain edge. I use a mora as my camp knife, but use them at home around the house all the time. Pair it with an opinel and you have a serious set of steel for camping, hiking, bushcrafting, and just plain living!

Oh yeah, and you can pick up the pair for under $30! Great starter kit

Here is my classic no. 2. I prefer the no.1 for most day to day tasks, but this is a great camper.
 
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For smaller fixed bladed knives I would look at the Scandanavian Knives, from Norway, Sweden and Finland
They are lovely wooden full sized handled knives with many different blade lengths

Being a purist...
I do not consider the Plastic handled and plastic sheathed Mora knives as traditional
They make plenty of wooden handled and some even with leather or fiber sheaths

Both Case and Kabar make leather handled smaller knives, the Little Finn being a classic (as shown above)

If you want a full tang knife that you can baton with, then go to the Outdoor Forum for more advice
 
There are several Nordic makers which may provide a traditional puukko or brukskniv.

Iisakki Järvenpää does a lovely classic birch bark handled knife the 'Aito' - Its very nice.

Marttiini offer some nice puukko the 'Kiehinen' and the 'Black Lumberjack' are very nice offerings for the price point.

The BF registered dealer 'Lamina.fi' offers a wide range of such knives.

There are of course plenty of US brands, and on top of the suggestions above, I'd also like to recommend something by Russell Green River, maybe their 'Camp' knife. You can buy the blade for around $10 and have the pleasure of handling and toting a homemade knife for around $20-30, and only need very minimal tools.


Here's one I prepared earlier :)

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In my opinion, a classic Mora would be a great option. It's an inexpensive and versatile knife. I took mine with me on several camping trips and it was perfectly fine for most cutting tasks.
 
Condor Nessmuk or Bushlore would be my suggestion. Solid, old school, full tang knives. Buy from Baryonyx to make sure the QC is acceptable. I'm assuming these knives would qualify for the traditional heading, but I don't frequent this branch of the BF tree often, so my apologies if I'm wrong. I love my Nessmuk. Really comfy in hand, great leather sheath, easy to sharpen. The Bushlore would be the better option if you wanted something similar but pointier.
 
Always go custom, twice the knife for the same money IMO.

Bradshaw Ultralight Bushcraft
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I checked this post specifically to vote for a Sharpfinger, and was pleasantly surprised someone beat me to it. I bring a big fixed blade camping but never use it. A small fixed blade is handier in my experience than a big chopper, but I'm not out building shelters or chopping firewood with my knife.
 
Look at the Scandinavian brands in addition to Mora. Mora is a great knife for the money, but other brands are nicer. Of course they're priced accordingly. Helle, Karesuando, Ahti, Marttiini...

For a traditional American-style knife, I'm a fan of the Lite Hunters from Queen. Bone handles, D2 steel, beautifully made.
73ASB.jpg


Be sure to check out the For Sale by Maker forum area and see if anything catches your eye. Something like this perhaps? Well, you can't actually have this one 'cause I already bought it, but you get the idea. ;)
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Here's one that's listed now. Very reasonably priced, IMO.
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I have been eyeing up the Bark River Trailmate. Has a 3" blade. Lots of Bark River knives to choose from. They are generally all good if you like the size and design. I find that I USE a 3-4" knife the most. The Blackjack 125 below is about the longest blade I am comfortable carrying unless I intend to do chopping with a knife.

Blackjack Classic 125 would be a good choice (also made by Bark River for Blackjack).

I like the Kabar Becker BK-16. I believe this is a traditional knife and I certainly don't consider it tactical. But it is black. I really like this knife!

Condor makes a number of inexpensive traditional knives. I like the Hudson Bay and Kephart. Really like the Kephart for the price.
 
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