Stainless or Carbon for bushcraft knife

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Ghost93

Joined
Nov 30, 2004
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Hi all, Im am going to buy my self a bushcraft knife for of my birthday ( In July, but the erdge is itching) and was wondering should i get a stainless blade such as CPM S30V or a carbon tool steel like
O-1. I would be taking it with me on my Appalachain Trail thru-hike in 07 so i dont know how often i can wipe it down, and on some some parts the trail is a long bog like the smokies. I know i could get it coated, but would like some in put before i decide. Thanks for any insight. (Before anyone one asks I was look at R. Linger's Spear Point and Hoodo Voodo knives to carry.)
 
If you need it to be worry free, I'd go with S30V. O1 would be fine too but you would have to keep it as dry as possible. It tends to rust easily if not cared for.
Scott
 
it is the tempering process that is the soul of the blade, and we have a few very talented knife makers here that can set you up with a pretty nice woodslore type knife. if you percieve that moisture is a problem by all means go with a stainless steel. the makers here do a great job on their custom knives, so i am sure you will not be dissapointed.

alex
 
I don't know if there is a really big difference anymore between the stainless and carbon. I've used carbon opinels and stainless in the same models, as well as carbon and stainless Frosts mora knives. In a day to day using situation, I doubt you will notice, but if you are going to be out on the trail for a thru hike, I'd go with the stainless.
 
If you have thru-hiked anywhere before, you know what gets wet and stays wet......everything at some point. Id certainly want stainless. A leatherman may be more useful than anything else....a knife doesnt help as much when your stove gets clogged and its raining and you are stavin' mahvin'....

Weight is a huge issue, as well. When I did the Long Train (paltry 300+ miles in comparison), I ended up cutting all the straps off my pack to conserve weight. They say you can hike the whole AT on gear people throw to the side of the trail in the first 10 miles. Stick below 25% of your body weight o you won't make it past the babyhead rock strtches in PA!!!
 
On a through hike I would probably keep a knife in my pack. So anything would work.

I usualy don't carry anything more than a Spyderco plastic handled folder on a hiking trip. In the real world trail hiking shouldn't require a big knife. If I carry anything else it is usualy a Cold Steel spike.

I think it partly depends on your attitude towards rust. I make my own knives so if some O1 got a little rust on it I would just polish it off. I would probably leave the blade black and put beeswax in the oxide. I would probably buy a knife in stainless, but all my axes are actually carbon, same with my bush saws. So what is the difference there even on a canoe trip.

Interestingly no greater authority on the forged carbon knife than Bill Moran recomended that it be a fully hardened blade for survival which can just as easily be a stainless blade as anything else.

I don't carry stoves any more, but when I did I carried replacement part kits. All the O-rings, and needles and such, weighs about as much as a quarter, I don't think a leatherman is needed, anyway, that is usually a crowded trail, why be the one carrying it.
 
jackknife said:
I don't know if there is a really big difference anymore between the stainless and carbon. I've used carbon opinels and stainless in the same models, as well as carbon and stainless Frosts mora knives. In a day to day using situation, I doubt you will notice...
Click to expand...

A lot of this depends on what two you are comparing, if for example you were to use 440B and O1 both hardened to 55 HRC you would notice almost identical behavior across the board except 440B would have better corrosion resistance and thus you might conclude that stainless was the better choice. However if you compared AEB-L and D2 there would be some immediate very large differences differences. S30V and O1 are very different steels. I'd take O1 there easily, A2 better still. How you harden it would depend on how much you plan to impact/pry with it. O1 makes a very nice knife if you want a pure cutting tool, not such a great one otherwise unless you look to bainite.

-Cliff
 
I don't even own a stainless steel fixed blade. I usually backpack or camp with two A2 BRKT knives, a Gameskeeper and a Mini-Canadian. A LM Wave normally rounds out my edged tools in the field. If I leave the BRKTs its for a mood change to a black carbon Jarvenpaa puukko and leuku.

I do most of my tripping in the infamously wet Pacific Northwest. I carry a small spritzer can of olive oil with me too. A squirt on my thumb and finger every morning, smeared on each blade, has protected them quite adequately, while leaving each available for food prep if necessary. Never a problem. The carbon black Finnish knives only need a smear along the bare metal of the edge bevel usually.

Then again, stainless hasn't been around long either in terms of the history of steel. A patina was never worth mentioning and some cosmetic surface rust has never been difficult to deal with or correct. Only in this day and age it seems, is proper care for one's gear seen as a drawback to be avoided if one can buy something that allows them the comfort of negligence.:rolleyes:
 
As of right now i carry my BRKT Northstar, which keeps weight down. So no worries there as my "tent" is a Hannessy Hammock Exp. Asym. Ill be getting a super lightweight 20 down sleeping bag, since synthetic is heavier. My bse load is around 18-20 lbs and will be lighter once i get the time to go through everything, but i really want a good knife. So i guess my steel choices of my preference are S30V, and Maybe A2. Could a scandi grind blade be coated due to they way you sharpen it?
 
I have never really understood the flap about rust. Its not like its a biscuit dropped into a cup of coffee. Quality steel takes a while to rust, a wipe in the morning and evening is enough. If you cant manage that then....

Get whatever you like, in the grand scheme of things it wont matter much whichever way you go.
 
Ghost93 said:
As of right now i carry my BRKT Northstar, which keeps weight down. So no worries there as my "tent" is a Hannessy Hammock Exp. Asym. Ill be getting a super lightweight 20 down sleeping bag, since synthetic is heavier. My bse load is around 18-20 lbs and will be lighter once i get the time to go through everything, but i really want a good knife. So i guess my steel choices of my preference are S30V, and Maybe A2. Could a scandi grind blade be coated due to they way you sharpen it?
Click to expand...
SO funny! I spent about 30 nights in a Hennessy Hammock on my thru hike, with a 20 degree down bag that weighedsub-2 pounds. Had an Osprey Aether pack...I was around 26 pounds, but I dont like hitting town much. Learning to appreciate reydrated hamburger is such a blessing....

Life changing trip you're about to go on...you WILL want to stop more than once. Keep remembering...you just have to walk, it could be worse.

TikTock is the thru hiking trail name i was given about 6 years ago....i still use it for everything. Ive been wanting to put a clock on my makers mark for some a while....on the trail, all you've got is time....Lemmie know if you want me to make that knife for you.... :D
 
TikTock I too have an ospery aether pack, and 75 M in fact and lov it. thanks for the offer, ill shoot you an email latter, and if i can find a scanner, some sketches i have.
 
Ha! We sound like clones. Yeah, shoot me an email if you want...I could do anything. Integral can opener at the tang? Integral stake hammer? Damascus micarta matching your pack and a vertical carry sheath that will attach to the pack directly? We could have fun with it....if not, thats cool too, but lemmie know what you end up with...i have such wanderlust these days.....wish i could go back in time and set aside 6 months before I got a good job, and a good woman who I couldnt abandon for that long.....You going North to south, or south to north? I'd love to meet up for a section hike once you hit the whites...but by then you'll be in such good shape, youll blow me off the trail!
 
Have you sharpened S30V in the field? Something you will have to do on this trip. I agree with Cliff and the others, look at A2. Bark River makes some great fixed blades in A2 with a very forgiving convex grind that is easy to sharpen. And A2 relatively speaking does not corrode as easily as other non-stainless. Good luck!
 
Agreed. A huge factor on a six month trip during which the knife will be used pretty heavily on a daily basis will be ease of resharpening with minimal effort and without having to waste weight on a multi-stone sharpening system. 10XX i find to be the easiest to sharpen on the go. No knife is going to be a disaster...I would decide on a steel first, based on edge retention and how pretty you want it looking after 3 months and ease of care, then decide how long and thick you want that blade depending on how often you will be shopping vs fine work.....and then move on to handle (id highly reccommend synthetics for a trip like this...g10, micarta, etc....I'd go kydex on the sheath if you dont want to worry about leather retaining moisture on the blade, preferable a takedown kydex sheath that can be dismantled and wiped down....man, i wish i was going...
 
TicTock im going south to north ending up a Baxter State Park, and sure, ill meet up with you somewhere in the whites if you want, know i got to wait for tax return for the money. Hurry up mail man so i can fulfill my steel craving.
 
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