Spyderco for Kayaking

S

Shann

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Sep 2, 2004
Messages
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I just bought a kayak solely to appease my wife, who unlike me likes to kayak. However, the good part is that I now "have" to buy a couple of knives appropriate for boating! I won't be doing any saltwater kayaking, but since I'm buying a knife basically to keep with the kayak, I might as well get something very corrosion resistant.

I'm thinking of a rescue, atlantic salt or pacific salt to attach to my life vest. Could anyone comment on the relative merits? I've searched the forums and I'm sure any of them will be fine, but was wondering if you had preferences.
 
consider a snap-it, or any that you mentioned, maybe with a lanyard.
 
If the knife is going to see very little maintenence and repeated exposure to water, heat, and humidity, I'd go for one of the H-1 salts. Since it's freshwater rusting shouldn't be a problem with any of the knives you mentioned unless they're severely neglected, but it never hurts to be safe.
 
Last summer I simply clipped my FRN Delica on the strap on the life jacket, near the chest.
 
My father is an avid seakayker and sailer and the knife I purchased for him was a snap-it EMT with a fully serrated edge. These aren't made anymore but are around here and there. This seemed to be a great knife for the purpose, this type of knife in H1 I think would be ideal. For you in a fresh water environment I think any of the FRN models would serve admirably. The Psalt, Asalt, and rescue have the added safety feature of the less then pointy tip but depending on what you are doing this might not be very important. If the knife is primarily for self or partner rescue and heavy water is likely then it is definetly an advantage.
 
What these guys have said about the H1's, get the one that 'floats your boat' the most. Mine is a P salt. I paddle out, check for sharks (yeah right as if I'll ever see the one that gets me), dive down, achor the boat, snorkel around for a while, catch the occasional cray fish (lobster), freak out about sharks, swim back to the ski (sea kayak) then paddle home. The P-Salt is a good dive/kayaking knife and get's used as a probe/finger saver as much as a knife.

Plus - I've been sea and river kayaking for years and trolling my memory banks for the times I was really glad I had a knife I've come up with a stout fixed blade saving the day a few times.
 
As much as I love and carry folders, i would suggest a fixed blade for this task, as i do for anyone who asks me about dive knives (Always carry a couple when I dive). Concealment and laws are not really an issue in these endeavors so better to have the most easily accessible, deployable and strongest type of knife availible (the first two are immensely important.)

I know you might want a new syderco. If that is the case here is what i would suggest. Get a Salt or pacific salt depending on your preference. Then get a blunt tipped knife fixed blade. Here is my rationale.

My full sized dive knife is pointed. I really see little downside to it in a diving situation. I do not pry with my knife, if i am going to pry I bring the right tool and if it is an emergency I don't much care about busting the tip. But that is for diving.

For kayaking, the quick access knife will most likely be to cut someone free in a hurry. i would go with a blut point to minimize stab wound possibility (still a small, and less significant risk than drwoning). if you should need a point for something you will probably not be in an emergency type situation and will then have the time to deply the folder.

Hope this makes some sense.
 
You could also consider the Assist.

If you're whitewater kayaking, I would second the fixed-blade suggestion, and probably go with a spydie in H1 as a backup. In whitewater, you can get into trouble real quick, and you're more likely to get wet. If you're doing more touring, where you tend to stay in the boat and relatively dry, any of the spydies would probably fill all your needs.
 
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