Recommendation? What knife for hiking, foodprep and light bushcraft

Which knife for hiking, foodprep, light bushcaft

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sabre cat said:
[QUOTE="Keyopp, post: 20104192, member: 343044]

...P.S. if you’re progressing to overnights, consider a small folding saw and maybe an axe. Your knife is not always the right tool for the job (it pains me to say that :))
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Agreed. An axe and/or saw will make things much easier.

I picked a saw that disassembles and the blade is stored in the handle. I think it is called a Sven folding saw. You can get it at REI.com or Amazon. Still in the market for an axe.
.[/QUOTE]

Big fan of carrying a saw (currently carrying a Silkyboy gomtaro (part coarse teeth, part fine teeth)). Tried carrying a Gransfors small hatchet once but it was too light to be effective. Prefer to avoid the extra weight of a larger hatchet/axe. Guess it depends what you need to do.
 
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A mora is a great diet cheap and light option (backup knife)

And a Becker BK-16 is an amazing carbon steel knife and the best way to maintain it is to just smear a thin wipe of coconut oil on the cutting surface, with paper towel.
 
Bigfattyt said:
Im going to recommend a limited time knife, because it is available right now.

Scrapyard Knives WS-1020.

Satin finish for 89. Only $114 with a sheath right now.

Only $79 for coated blade.

Steel is Sr101 (52100 ball bearing steel with proprietary heat treat). Made by Busse Combat. Absutely stellar warranty.

Thin, light, tough. Amazingly comfortable handle. Resiprine C is the handle material. I've never found a tougher "soft material". Head and shoulders above krayton and other rubber handles I've used over rhe years.



Head and shoulders tougher steel than 1095 or 440C.


Will only be available for a short time.

Esse has a stellar warranty as well. So they are not a bad choice. I have many knives in 1095 (by other companies) and enjoy the steel.

440c is also a great user steel.


Let us know what you choose.
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Every so often a post strikes a chord with me that triggers the impulse to buy. Sometimes I act on it immediately; sometimes I sleep on it. If the impulse persists, I just might go ahead and buy. I slept on it. My knife came today.

My first impressions are: 1) it came quite sharp, and 2) the handle material is very comfortable, but I am going to have to round off the corners on the flared pommel, which digs into my palm painfully. There is plenty of handle there. I don’t have to hold the knife that way, but I do. Apart from that, it’s a beauty.
 
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IMG_0194.JPG IMG_0192.JPG IMG_0193.JPG Someone mentioned the ESEE 3 and 4, and that the handles were short, this can be solved by getting extended handles. I did that to my RAT 3 and it feels like a different knife with the longer handle.
 
Ah, the first knife question...

I am heavily biased towards Becker knives, especially the ergos of the tweener handles are so amazing that you will not want to lay it out of your hand.
However, all recommendations here are good, the most important thing is that you buy the knife you WANT most. That'll will trigger the rewards part of your brain:)
So as you will use it and baby it and handle it ALL THE TIME, you can use stainless steels and carbon steels alike, as the maintenance is part of the fun.

If you take a liking to it, that's great.
If it isn't 100% you'll start on the journey like we all did. You will go down the rabbit hole and end up with quite a collection to choose from...

The most important part isn't the knife - it's that you use it:) Even as a desk jockey myself, I'll cook with my knives, split my grilling wood and I am completely overknifed on any hike, stroll or just going to the bakery:)
 
The right geometry for the job and a good tough heat treatment are more important than thickness alone. Even a relatively thin knife like the Mora can hold up to some rough use.

The way I see it, it's the primary bevel that does the work when batoning, not the edge. The edge may not even make contact after you get into the wood a little ways. The higher up the primary grind goes, the more stress a knot or a twist in the grain puts on the edge. This is why saber or scandi grinds hold up so well and hollow grinds tend to snap at the edge.

In any case I've never stood behind batoning anything bigger than about wrist sized. Bigger than that is hatchet or wedge territory.
 
Real Steel Pointman, Bushcrater Plus, or Forager are great budget knives.
Becker BK16
The blademaker for sale area here also has great deals!
 
Another vote for Mora, either companion HD, bushcraft survival or Garberg.

In terms of value, lightweight and doing wood craft, it's hard to beat a stainless companion HD. Not only it's a perfect starter, it will probably continue to severe you well in wet environment and not too expensive to practice sharpening with.
 
One thing jumps out at me. Multi day backpacking trips are very different than hiking. If you are going to be covering any real distance with a backpack, in even moderate terrain, weight is a factor. Suggest a ss mora and a multi tool for equipment repairs. The mora is an awesome bushcraft knife and super affordable.

If your want something larger for the aesthetic, then have at it.
 
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