Recommended knife?

“Hi eveyrone. It's been years since I've been hiking, but as soon as winter is over I plan on starting up again.

I've been reading various reviews on gear - hiking boots, sleeping bags, etc. I think I have most of the gear covered in terms of what I can afford and what I'm going to buy. The only piece of gear I'm not sure on is a good knife. Recommendations?

I'll be hiking up in the New Hampshire White Mountains mostly. Mainly day trips.”

“Spyderco. Lightweight ,compact, hard blade that keeps great edge.

Another option is to seek out a custom knife-maker and have a small field knife crafted to your specs. My girlfriend surprised me with this for Christmas (excellent gift idea). Mine has a 6 inch damascus steel blade and a synthetic handle. Super lightweight and seems indestructible. Will probably last for centuries. Free sharpenings for life too, try to get your knife-maker to throw that in.”

“I'll vouch for Spyderco too. I got mine through a military friend, but I think they are readily available.

Great knife! Has a clip-it feature so it is easily carried, easily accessible, and it has a one-handed mechanism, which is handy.”

“Are you looking for a pocket knife or a fixed blade? I have been using folding knives for years and just recently switched over to fixed blades. The folder I used was a berreta ulta-light. It was pretty small, had an aluminum outer, and had a skeletonized blade. Perfect for opening food bags. For my last trip I brought along a spec+ USAF survival knife. I picked it up at a surplus store for about $30 and absolutly love it. You can do just about anything you want with this knife and it wil take it. A better version is the Kabar Marine fighting knife. The main difference is that it's a tad longer and had a metal cap on the end of the handle allowing it to be used as a hammer as well. It's a little more expensive though.”

“I love my Swiss Army knife. I must have a half dozen of them.
I like the one with two blades, awl, can opener, screwdriver AND corkscrew.
You never know when you'll meet some cute person on the trail who needs to have you open a nice bottle of wine.”

“If you are asking about what kind of knife to take backpacking, then I usually carry a Swiss Army Tinker and a Swiss Army Classic. The scissors on the classic come in real handy for cutting out moleskin, etc. They are both actually very light.

Sometimes I carry my Leatherman instead of the tinker, but rarely use anything other than the knife blade and tiny screw driver.

I must admit I not sure what the best answer is. But for what it is worth, I do know that I use my tiny Swiss Army Classic more than all my other knives combined. I have a micro-leatherman which has scissors also, but still seem to take the classic instead.

The last time this topic came up, the Spyderco seemed to have a lot of fans also.”

“I recommend Victorinox swiss army brand for a folding knife and Cold Steel in a fixed blade.

More importantly get a knife that meets your needs. Try to figure the situations you will use your knife in. Practically speaking a 6 inch blade is too big for most anything other than pigsticking.Heck my deer guttin knife isnt but 4 inches long and that is a bit long. A smaller blade is easier to use as a tool,more control. A "swiss" type knife is great because of the utility of having scissors,a few blades a punch etc...plus the weight is much lower. Here's another plug for Victorinox knives. I had one for 5 years,the "swisschamp". I broke the pliers (dont ask). I sent it to the company and was given the newest version of the knife plus postage was paid,that was 7 years ago. The swisschamp is around $65 and is 7 or so ounces. It has two blades,a woodsaw and hacksaw,small pliers and scissors plus more. I personally try to have gear etc with as many uses as possible. You get more use per ounce of weight carried. Get a Lansky brand sharpener makes an edge like a razor.”

“cold steel gun sight”

“m-nutz & Amy,

I looked at the spyderco knives and they all seem to have that serrated edge. I like to sharpen my own knives and I always assumed that there was no way to sharpen a serrated edge without some fancy equipment. How do you keep these things sharp?”

“I've had my leatherman (origninal model) for quite a while and really like it. The issue is that I don't normally use all of the stuff on it. I do like having a pliers, blade, screwdrivers, can opener along with me; but is having all that stuff worth the weight (hell, I'm starting to sound like an ultralighter, and I'm nowhere near that) since I probably won't use most of it. I'll stick with it for now, maybe I'll get a different knife in the future.”

“The best knife for the money IMHO is a Gerber!”

“I got an imitation Swiss Army knife from Wal-Mart for about $3. It does anything I may ever need it to. And that ain't much.”

“bacpac - I've had my Spyderco a year and a half and it hasn't seemed to have lost it's edge. All I've cut with it is cordage, moleskin, and sticks for snow pegs. I suppose I will take it to the guy who made my other knife, if it starts to lose it's edge. So, to answer your question, I don't know if a serrated edge can be sharpened. Anybody else?”

“O.K. I just found the answer. On Spyderco's website they sell the equipment to sharpen their knives, including the serrations. They appear to be triangular and round ceramic rods at varying angles. Cut and paste and check it out:
http://www.spyderco.com/online_product_info.asp?sts=3%2F4%2F2001+7%3A43%3A44+PM&pfid=204MF&deptId=1030&mscssid=QNJHN8RGUDDH8JTUXK155RSW2Q8W9140”

“The only problem with the imitation SAK is that they break.
I've had a couple imitations sent to me from different magazines for placing an order.
The assembly is chintzy. Parts fall off when you have a tough job to tackle.
My SAK's are easy to sharpen, and I have used all the features on the knife with two blades, awl, CORKSCREW (a LOT with the corkscrew), can opener, and screwdriver.
I like the one that has the saw blade, but now that I have the llamas, I can carry a small folding saw instead.”

“bacpac,

My Spyderco(Endura ATS-55) has a 50/50 "SpyderEdge" (serrated)/straight edge blade. You can get them however you want(full straight or full serration). The tip and distal portion are straight, so I sharpen the blade as normal...I have never needed to worry about the spyderedge portion needing any help.

It's been a great knife for me and I put it through hell...
Like Hyper said though, it depends on what ya want it for. Since I solo a lot, I like the fact that my Spyder's got a big ol' blade for skeerin' people with!
moohahahaaaaa
=:0”

“I also have a kershaw knife that is wonderful. It has a teflon coated blade withspring assist opening. It's one of those purchases that you think is way to expensive for just a stupid knife, but once you have you're thankfull you got it.”

“I carry a Leatherman "Supertool". A bit on the heavy side but I believe I have used everything on it when on the trail at some time or another. Broke one of the slot heads a few years back but other than that its a dream to have. A valuable piece of equipment that I never hit the trail without.”

“Gerber with 2.5" half-serrated blade.”

“I have used the Swiss Army knife until I wore it out. Love the new multi tool knives, (Gerber is good), that are out now. The only other knife to carry, IMHO, is a good filleting knife. You ain't gonna kill no bear with a hunting knife.”

“SOG Navy Seal isue 2001”

“I've destroyed too many fake Swiss Armys to know when to spend the extra dough on the real thing. You're NEVER somewhere convenient when your fake breaks.

That being said, I can even top Mel...my current SAK has a cigar cutter. Sweet...”

“I've got several spyderco's they are nice, lightweight and solid. Also look into benchmade.”

“If the main blade locked, I'd rely more on my Swiss Army Spartan (Mel, corkscrew is a big plus -- it has saved at least one professional seminar cocktail hour). It's always been a drawback of "jacknives." They fold on your fingers at the wrong time.

I have a variety of knives and pocket tools, but I can always look to my Western brand sheath knife with a slender fixed blade about 4 1/2 inches that I've had since I was about 14 and realize it does most of what I want. It's such a sentimental keepsake now though, that I don't usually carry it for fear of losing it in the woods. I wish my Navy UDT Mk III wasn't so heavy, it has great features. That's usually in the emergency box in the back of the car. I've got a new Glock field knife, but no hammer butt and the blade is a bit long for backpacking use. Great saw back though, and very light for how well made and tough it seems to be. Might be good for AmyG's image enhancement -- carry the ol' BFK (big f@#!$%& knife) if you want to be left alone. The USAF survival knife (available through US Cavalry or Brigade Quartermaster) is compact in size, and the ones I've seen have a hammer butt, even a sharpening stone. The price isn't bad either, probably $39 or so. Look for the U.S. made. originals (by Ontario Knife?).

On the river I carry an original model Gerber River Master, all stainless, double edge, quick release thermoplastic sheath. Wicked sharp, pretty indestructible. Not a camp cooking knife, though.”

“pekka,
The USAF survival knife you are reffering to is the old style. They just switched over to a new longer blade with a fully rubberized handle. No more hammer butt, so if you see the old style, buy it while you can.”

“I carry my leatherman backpacking, mostly for the pliers and not any other features. They're great for removing cactus spines! I'm looking to buy a Spyderco for climbing, I like the idea of one handed operation and locking blade.”

“i carry the leatherman WAVE. it has one handed opening and locking blades, a smooth one and a serrated one.”

“A CIGAR cutter?
That feature on a SAK would seem more suited to rich, urban car campers.
I don't remember ever having seen that available option on a SAK before.
Tommy?
Did you order that special??
Hmmmmmmm?”

“!
You're sporting a stogie in your pic on Phill's page! I'da thought you'd like the idea.

No special order...it's one of the Wenger SAKs (as opposed to Victorinox) and has leather inlay on the grip, and is called the Executive, and is available at Brookstone...
You're right. Does sound suited to rich urban car campers. But "What good's a car if you can't go camping with it?" ;)

My bro was managing a Brookstone when I broke my fake SAK and he surprised me with this one. I've gotten MILES of use out of it.”

“Here's what I carry. People think it's my hiking staff!”

“Two Bowie knives, one on each hip, a Leatherman super tool, three lock blade kershaws and my favorite a gerber gator. The two bowies look good with my crossing bandoliers of shotgun shells and the sawed off twelve gauge double. The gerber gator can be a bit small. I only sink to my waist in mud.”

“SpyderCo makes great knives. They're simple and well made. When the blade is fully extended the locking action feels solid.

Mine has been with me just about every day now for well over a year. It even goes to the office with me. hmmm...I even open my mail with it! It serves me well.

I made the mistake of going for the fully serrated blade. If given another opportunity, I'd go half and half.
Between the SpyderCo, Leatherman Micra, or Swiss Army Knives, the Micra goes with me into the back country everytime, hands down. Need the scissors, tweezers, and such.”

“I carry my diving knife--Kershaw Sea Hunter blunt tip.

*simplify*”

“Anyone familiar with Masters of Defense or Microtech Knives? Anyone into Automatics?”

“Buddur, I have the same problem, when I hike in the Buff”

“Leatherman Microtool

The scissors are unbelievably useful. I have a Leatherman Supertool but couldn't justify the weight.”

“The weight of the microtool is appealing, but how can you really cut anything with that knife -- like a steak?”

“Puma White Hunter & a leatherman micra”

“You know, I have that little microtool as well, and I think it was the sharpest out-of-the-box knife I've ever used. Small blade, but I'd put it against any steak out there.”

“deathmarch, thanks for the tip. Now I have an excuse to buy one. "Honest honey, it's a collector's item." lol”

“Then I got home and a new Russell Knives catalog was in the mail. Some are even affordable! I covet the stainless folding chef's knife.”

“Things have changed since the thread was first posted. May have a new pocket knife on the Christmas list:
http://www.minitools.co.uk/index.htm?url=products/victorinox/swissmemory.htm”

“LOL! I know some people who could use a "smart" knife---and they have the scars to prove it!”

“What exactly would one use to get your own blood out of your USB port? LOL!”

“Maybe it just makes me feel like 007 or The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”

“I carry a Leatherman Micra and that's about it. 1.75 oz. It isn't much good for self defense, but for backpacking it has always been really solid. I use about everything on it, which to me is a good sign.

http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/micra/default.asp
last edited: 10/23/05 10:11:07 PM”

“

I know, I know, this belongs in Feugo, but sorry, it's just too dang funny to pass up.”

“haha, "Whine Cork"!

Very funny!”

“Fuego or otherwise, we should all eventually reach a point when we have to admit that something is funny. THAT'S Funny GGGGS! Thanks for sharing!”

“While it's fun to laugh at the current French, most of us do know this country would just be another Canada without French aid, troops, and ships during our War of Independence with King George.”