Which ESEE is best for general purpose camping/hiking?

OliverH

OliverH

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Sep 6, 2008
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I'm not going to be able to hold out much longer against my strong desire to pick up an ESEE, but I'm wondering which one is going to be most useful (aside from most beautiful and coolest).

The primary use I would have for it would be light general-purpose outdoorsy stuff. I'm not going to be hacking my way through dense rain forest or anything like that. Just maybe knocking around in the mountains on well-worn trails for a couple of days, car camping, hiking, etc. The RC-3 seems enormously popular, but is a 3-inch blade big enough? Would the RC-4 have me covered a bit better?

Yes, I know one of the standard responses is to just go ahead and get both, not to mention an Izula, just in case, but what we're talking about here is a FIRST knife. I'm quite prepared to become an addict if my experience is like that of many other posters.

Thanks in advance for all opinions.
 
I'd probably start with the 3, especially if you're going to have a saw/axe/machete or the like. It carries really well, is plenty sturdy and is probably the best slicer in the lineup.
 
the ESEE3 would probably fit the bill

and dont let the numbers fool you, the ESEE3 has about a 4" blade.
 
The RC4 would cover your bases better, and I believe the RC3's handle is too short for my comfort (I have small/medium hands) for extended use. That said, I don't think the handle on the RC4 is perfect either, but I believe the RC5 and 6 both offer spectacular full grips. If you are going to go with a smaller blade I'd recommend the HEST-it gives you the most guts in the smallest package and is perfectly, completely ergonomic. It's really up to you though, what you are going to use the blade for. Generally there's a 2 blade philosophy for camping/hiking/backpacking, a longer thicker knife for chopping and battoning wood, and a smaller blade for companion cutting, slicing, skinning, filleting, cooking etc.
 
ESEE-4. Not too big but still big enough to baton.

Gave an orange G10 one to my dad for backpacking and such... he loves it. :thumbup:
 
The 3 & 4 handles/slabs/grips are 100% the same size.

The only difference would be in the thickness, being slightly wider with the 4 due to the blade stock being a bit thicker. Other than that they are the same.
 
My first was the 3. I had bigger knives, hatchets, and wanted a smaller fixed blade that could function as an edc etc...

Of course this absolutely triggered my addictive personality, ff to present, I've got them all minus the 5, HEST. These are great knives and if you buy one, it will most likely happen to you too!

If I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same way. The 3 is still one of my favorites and tends to get used the most after my Izula.

Hope this helps!!
 
The ESEE-3 or ESEE-4 are both great, I have both!

It kinda depends on use and how much weight you want to pack.

More slicing, fine cutting, light weight hiking - the thinner, lighter 3

Heavy duty, jack of all trades, good all around - the thicker, longer, heavier 4

Either works great, I don't think you could make a bad choice picking between those two.
 
I vote -4: just a little more blade, and slightly thicker handles (due to blade thickness) make it feel that much better in hand than the -3.

OTOH, the Izula will do just about anything you need a knife for if you have a saw and/or hatchet for processing firewood.
 
i vote for the esee-4. the extra thickness of the 4 over the 3 is noticeable when i'm doing feather sticks and general bushcraft. the 4 fills the hand better. i only use the 3 for gutting fish when i'm fishing.

also, the 4 has a way better sheath than the 3's molded plastic. the 3's sheath is starting to become too loose but there's no way for me to adjust the tension. the 4 has an awesome kydex sheath with a screw-adjustable tension. the 4" blade is a sweet spot for an all-around hiking knife imho.
 
Depends on your hands and grip. For me I've realized the smallest ESEE (other than the izula :) ) will have to be a 5 or 6. I'm trying to figure out whether to sell my 4 or give it to my brother. The handle just doesn't work for me. Blade size is great and ESEE quality is excellent but for my mitts the handle is just to big of a shortcoming.
 
JV3 said:
also, the 4 has a way better sheath than the 3's molded plastic. the 3's sheath is starting to become too loose but there's no way for me to adjust the tension. the 4 has an awesome kydex sheath with a screw-adjustable tension.
Click to expand...

I like the kydex better. I've always wondered why the RC4 and RC5 include a kydex sheath where as the RC3 and RC 6 come with the molded plastic. Anyone know the reason for this?
 
I'd suggest a 4 + SAK (saw, file, can opener, bottle opener, blade).

If it were me it would be a 4 + SAK + Opinel + Mora. But I am just someone that doesn't like to go under-knifed.
 
a 4 seems to be the right choice for what you have planned. Should you go for longer time where you would need morre fire wood handy, I would then go for the 6
 
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