The first three knives I ordered were a Gerber LMFII, Seal Pup Elite, and a Seal Team Elite. I have none of them anymore. They all had serrations...something I learned right away I didnt like. They all seem to fit more of a tactical role then bushcraft. I disliked the Seal Pup and team mostly because of the hard handle!! It is a tuning fork! It will vibrate in your hand during any striking. Plus the handles are slick and getting harder and slicker when it gets cool. The LMFII handles was better but that knife and sheath were big and heavy. I did like the LMF better than the other two for the handle was rubber and super grippy! It also had some nice things about it but overall it only comes in serration and as I stated I dont like serration. They are good for cutting cord and webbing things I do rarely. The steel in all these knives are alright the LMFII being the least desirable of the batch. The AUS8A isnt horrible and I have had good luck with it on my American Lawman (Mini and full size) but there is substantially better steel out there that isnt going to break the bank.
If you are looking at a Seal Pup I am assuming you like the size...4+". You also set your price point. The seal pup is around 62 bucks. So what is under 5" and around 62 bucks that is a good fit. You mentioned you are going to use it for camping and field dressing. So bushcraft and hunting. Since you mentioned field dressing I would avoid serrations as well as something with a handle that is grippy if you get it bloody (the seal pup even in a serrated you would have a hard time holding it if you get it wet or bloody). Serration are a love hate, they are good in some ways but will severely impair in others. And bushcraft...umm...skip the serration. So now we know you need a knife under 5" around 62 bucks or less and no serrations. Hmmm tough on for the Becker BK2 is alright but the handle isnt great for the wet and the blade thickness is not good at all for field dressing. The mora 2000 or 2010 is great for field dressing but is only good for light camp duty. You wont want to baton with it! If you bumped up in size you might want to look at the Buck Nighthawk. Grippy hand that is really shock resistant, not serrated and you could use it for more tasks. It is an awesome bushcraft blade but it is 6+ inches. I'm not nuts about this steel but Buck seems to have done something right with it for it takes a beating! 420HC seems to take impact fairly well for some reason. It is stainless so it wont rust. But I might have to go with Sam on this look at a ESEE I would say RC4. It will cost more but so utterly worth it!!! It has a great sheath tough 1095 steel (ESEE does an awesome job on this steel...they make it as good as it can be). Oh and the grand daddy of an ESEE...the warranty...it is lifetime even if you (thats right you) mess it up. There is only a few other companies that warranty against intentional damage...so beat it up as much as you can...if you break it, they replace it...FOR LIFE! Save your pennies...get the ESEE RC4! It will do everything you are looking for a quite well. Great Steel, Great sheath, great handle...great weight...the list goes on! It is also in the length of the Seal Pup
