The winter "adventure" pushed me to buy a quality knive

[Raymond1000]

Hi everybody,
This is my first post. I did not give much thought about the quality of knives before and the $20 Walmart’s junk Made in China was enough for me, in the past. Now, I am here on this forum pondering for the last couple days what would be my first quality toy. I’m looking for folder EDC knife but, occasionally, as work’s schedule allows, I’d go in the summer for 1-2 days Sierra’s hiking and once a year for 4 weeks skiing vacation in Colorado. So I’d describe myself rather a weekend warrior than “survival wanna be.” This year in February me and my buddy took a hike in the snowy day. We did not expect anything unusual because snow was light at the beginning of the day so I’ve taken only small flashlight with me, just in case. Late afternoon, on the way back we’ve got lost in the woods because tracks were completely covered by the fresh and heavy snow which started heavy around the noon. We just knew we have to go down but with no sense of direction. At this moment I wished I had a knife to make a good long-thick stick, easy to hold to probe the ground ahead of me and to support myself. Each of us dropped in the “hidden snow holes” waist deep at least once, tripping over branches hidden under the snow every couple minutes causing both of us cursing at Life in general. We had a “fun” until around midnight when finally we hit the fire road. Next day I was so exhausted I could not ski. In circumstances like this what you guys think which EDC folded knife would be the most appropriate. I am looking at Fallkniven 35 PXL and ZT 03031 Ranger Green. I have to admit, I started to admire esthetics of knives and those two look very cool (I’m tired of utility/Walmart esthetics). How the quality of blade’s steel compare between those two? Does anyone own both knives and would share personal experiences with those two beauties? How is the grip for heavy use like making a walking stick from frozen wood? I have medium size hands. The only inconvenience of ZT is metallic alloy handle which can stick to your skin in very low temperatures in the winter, so probably I’d have to take with me small cotton gloves for winter hiking, every time I’d carry ZT with me. The warm skiing mittens I have, they are too big and unwieldy for fine hand’s movements.

In my write up about an emergency kit, in the Map and Compass section, I included this advice:

What’s the first thing to do when you realize you are lost? Make a cup of tea. Say what? You heard me. Make a cup of tea. By the time you light a fire, heat some water, steep the tea, drink a cuppa, you’ve calmed down. You can assess your situation. Stop blaming the damn compass.

About getting lost…Things look different between coming and going. Walking a new trail, stop frequently. Turn round and examine the path. Learn the territory in both directions. When returning, the whole way should look familiar. Once it doesn’t? Stop and brew some tea.

I didn’t quite have a blizzard in mind with the tea advice. But the principle holds true.

 

[savage99]

I love the above statement.

For the op I would suggest 2 different knives as others have said. For edc its hard to beat the spyderco delica and for hiking a Mora companion would serve you well. Both those knives together would cost $ 75 give or take $5, and handle any cutting situation you could get into.

 

[xyknife]

A lot of good info and suggestions. Thanks everybody. I'm still learning, so I have to search BladeForum or Google for other knives to see what some posts are talking about, hehe... Morakniv with red handle was delivered yesterday, diabolically sharp. It will have permanent residence in my car but it is not EDC for me. I'm still searching for folding one which is tough but esthetically pleasing and it gives the comfort of being there in the pocket, so when I need it, I can use it.

 

[59Bassman]

A lot of good info and suggestions. Thanks everybody. I'm still learning, so I have to search BladeForum or Google for other knives to see what some posts are talking about, hehe... Morakniv with red handle was delivered yesterday, diabolically sharp. It will have permanent residence in my car but it is not EDC for me. I'm still searching for folding one which is tough but esthetically pleasing and it gives the comfort of being there in the pocket, so when I need it, I can use it.

The best knife is the one you have with you. I've carried a Victorinox Swiss Army knife daily for the past 25 years, except when I have to get on an airplane (grrrrrrrr). A Tinker, Cadet, Farmer, or Spartan could have easily cut the stick you desired for testing ahead of you. However, if you're going to be hiking in the snow, I think you need to go a bit further.

I have set up a backpack just for random walks. It's also my daypack for hike-in fishing, but changes a bit. In the backpack right now are a couple of bandannas, 50 feet of paracord, a Mora Companion knife, a few Cliff bars, a Mountain House meal, two Nalgene bottles with water nesting in a stainless cup from Wal-Mart, and my "WTF?" kit. That kit is a MOLLE admin panel that rides in my pack and carries a small 1 AA flashlight, a couple spare batteries, two sporks, a small Leatherman multi-tool, 25 feet of twine, a film canister with vaseline-soaked cotton balls, a whistle, a tube of Vaseline lip balm, small notebook, golf pencil, a mini-Bic lighter, a modified Ronson Jet-Flame lighter, some matches, zip ties, tea packages, and a few other odds and ends. The thought is that if I had to be out overnight, the tools in my pack and kit could at least allow me to rig up some semblance of shelter, make fire, and have some food and water. It wouldn't be comfortable, but I'd survive. This is a "get through one night until day gets here" pack, not a bug-out bag.

Perhaps something similar would work for you the next time you go hiking in the mountains?