Choosing a Hiking and Every day Use Knife

H

hiker91

Joined
Oct 18, 2015
Messages
17
Hola all. So I am just trying to get opinions on a knife choice before I buy. I primarily need a knife for hiking, camping, exploring so I need something that basically my life can depend on and can endure a good bit of wear and tear. I also need something that I can use every day, but obviously I am assuming that if I purchase a good outdoor knife I should have no issue with it working for every day things (except it perhaps being slightly bigger than most people would carry every day). I've quite a liking for the blades measuring around 3.5 to 3.8.

Anyways, getting down to the nitty gritty, I have been mostly looking at steel alloy types since this is what makes or breaks the blade. Last knife I had was a CRKT M16-10KZ which I did enjoy very much. A very nice, on the smaller end knife. It's blade used AUS-8 steel which did hold up quite well, but I definitely see where people says it doesn't hold its edge as well as other steels.

I am limited in buying to around 50 dollars because of budget and so currently I have several knives I am looking at. Considering the CRKT M21-04 (Slightly bigger, still uses AUS 8), the SOG Trident Elite (also uses AUS 8), or an Ontario RAT knife. I would love opinions on these blades and/or suggestions on better blades within the price range. Thanks all!

Oh i should add i am looking for a folding knife this time around but would definitely take suggestions for a stationary knife for the future as well. Thanks again!
 
Last edited:
Look at the Kershaw Piston . Great knife for the price lot of blade . A Spyderco Endura just save 10 more bucks .
 
Mora No. 1. And you can find them for as little as $16. Don't say it's not for you until you try it, and at $14 a pop there's not a single reason not to try it. It's an excellent "a knife for hiking, camping, exploring".
 
Last edited:
Great thank you. So ibe actually decided id be willing to spend more as long as its for a great blade that will last me years. Would those blades still be your suggestions or would you guys have better suggestions?
 
Just get a nice fixxie for a brush knife and get a SAK for everyday and brush. 1 knife won't do it all, so be a little specialized. You didn't mention what you'd do with it everyday hence the SAK.
 
leghog said:
Mora No. 1. And you can find them for as little as $16. Don't say it's not for you until you try it, and at $14 a pop there's not a single reason to try it. It's an excellent "a knife for hiking, camping, exploring".
Click to expand...

Add the word NOT after reason and you are on to something. Me being a WA :)
 
+1 for a mora,,, such a great knife!
For a folding,, everyone says Opinel/SAK,, which are great,, for me personally I have to be able to open it one handed,, so I would say Rat 1, Tenacious, Avispa
 
For your needs you might want to check out a Cold Steel Large Voyager.
 
Duh,, and the Kabar BK 14!!! Well, any of the Beckers really,,, great knives
 
Welcome to BF!

I have Mora 2000 that would certainly suit the needs (even of the blade is a little longer). The steel (12c27) is great, the knife is a workhorse. Excellent value.
 
Welcome, fellow hiker-dude!

I have hiked thousands of miles on the A.T., and weight is the paramount consideration. My favorite combo has long been a Spyderco Delica (these days it's the Delica 4 FFG) and a Mora Companion. On occasion I have carried the Delica along with an Endura 4 FFG instead of the Mora. Truth be told, though, on a trail like the A.T. you could get away with just the Delica (perhaps even just a SAK Cadet!). But, I do like having the ability to do some firecraft at camp, so the Mora is worth the extra weight for me.
 
As others have stated, can't go wrong with a Mora. My Mora bushcraft was had for $33. With Cold Steel now offering Cts-Xhp steel coupled with the triad lock, it's a great combo if a folder is your preference. I just bought a Recon 1 for under $100.
 
Can you say more what you mean by hiking, camping and exploring?

If you are doing car camping and then day hiking from that, then you need:
a) something to split purchased firewood
b) something to handle food prep
c) something to make wood shavings for emergency fire starting while hiking
d) something to handle emergency repairs and 1st aid bandage prep while hiking

If you are backpacking, you don't need something to split wood, assuming you are relying on a backpacking stove to cook.

My recommendation would be to augment your current CRKT with a Leatherman Squirt PS4. The pliers are just robust enough to do most zipper repairs and to drive a needle through heavy pack cloth. The scissors can handle bandage prep and the screw drivers and file will handle 99.99% of the equipment repairs you'll face with modern backpacking gear.

Your current CRKT is more than adequate for modern backpacking. Most AT thru-hikers I talk to will do the AT with nothing more than a Victorinox Classic (the key ring tool) or something like the PS4. Despite all the knife hype, you generally don't *NEED* a big knife for modern hiking.

If you want a knife for food prep (I do) and to handle emergency fire making, then in 90% of the cases, you can get a fire started with any pocket knife. If you really feel the need for more knife while hiking, then I second the recommendation of the Mora. IMO, the Mora Companion is the best $15 you can spend on a knife.


FWIW, here is my most common backpacking carry
Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

And here is my most common EDC carry
EDC Pair by Pinnah, on Flickr

You'll see a pattern.

If you are car camping, a small axe is my preferred way to split wood.

In terms of steel... I'm going to crudely simplify the discussion. There are fine grained steels like Aus8, 420HC, Sandvick 12C27, 1095 Carbon steel and many others. And then there are steels with larger carbides that are abrasion resitent but harder to sharpen. IMO, fine grained steels are ideal backpacking steels. They sharpen easily and tend to be tough. All of this to say, I wouldn't worry about steel so long as you get the knife from a decent company that does a good job with heat treat.

Lastly, knowledge trumps a knife. I highly recommend "The Backpackers Handbook" by Chris Townsend.
 
you all are awesome! Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. Will definitely be getting a mora since so many find it to be so helpful...still trying to decide on a primary folding knife, but the suggestions are definitely helping. and @pinnah thanks for the book suggestion along with the knife suggestions. Been looking for a backpacking handbook. Will definitely check it out.
 
another question about the mora: do you all suggest the carbon steel version or do yall go with the sandvik stainless steel?
 
hiker91 said:
I primarily need a knife for hiking, camping, exploring so I need something that basically my life can depend on and can endure a good bit of wear and tear.
Click to expand...
I know a lot of people really like their Moras and I think they are good knives as I own a few myself. However, given those requirements you listed above I would probably look at something else. Craytab mentioned an Esee 3 and I think that is a great choice. I would feel much more comfortable with a full tang knife (like the Esee) than I would a Mora. Pair a knife like that with a Victorinox SAK like some others have already suggested and you'll be good to go.
 
I think you might need two knives. In my opinion thentype of knife better suited to your outdoors needs would be a medium sized fixed blade, while a lightweight folder would be best for EDC.

There are lots of options for both. Mora of Sweden and Condor, for example offer several budget oriented fixed blades that hold up quite well. Ka-Bar's Becker line is excellent as well, they're tough and won't break the bank (there are several models and sizes to choose from). There's also ESEE (Imloventhe ESEEE3, quite capablemfor such a small knife), Fallkniven (the F1 is a favourite of mine) and so on. For a folder, a Spyderco Endura or a Cold Steel Voyager can work as an urban EDC and handle some light outdoors use as well.
 
Mora No 1 and Victorinox Farmer. Hard to find a good outdoors "life depends on" knife that is a folder. I would carry both in the woods and and just the Victorinox in the city.
 
Agree with the comments on weight for multi day trips. My folder for edc and hiking is a rat 1, When I do backpacking trips, I also bring a Leatherman PST for equipment repairs.
As the other poster suggested, when car camping, I bring larger fixed blades

Edit: I dont have one but am getting a mora soon. It and my Leatherman will be my backpacking combo. The folders are great but a lightweight fixed blade will be super convenient and easy to clean.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top