Folding knife best suited for outdoors/backpacking?

T

TheMonsterTruk

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Aug 13, 2012
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Okay so I'm on a quest: a quest for the perfect folding knife for like a backpacking trip or something like that. I've been considering something along the lines of Delica/Endura/Manix XL but I'm trying to branch out a little bit. Gimme whatcha got; if you have a recommendation don't hesitate to reply here :D
Also, weight isn't much of an issue. It's gotta have a pocket clip though; I have this weird thing with knives devoid of clips. It just bugs me for some reason. So if you have a knife that you just swear by, I want to know what it is.

Thanks guys!
 
i enjoyed the adamas and the zt 0200 backpacking. the zt0200 is with me still because its a little more stain resistant.


but honestly get a fixed blade lol. they are lighter, stronger, cheaper, well pretty much better in every way for backpacking :p



might i recommend the esee 3. its one of my best light duty backpacking knifes as well as my edc 90% of the time
 
Personally I would go with the; Manix XL, it's a boss level blade...

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I have an endura 4 and a delica both would be great knives however my endura gets more ride time in my pocket as my state allows for the length. The delica and the sak are my sheeple friendly knives. Both of these would suffice, there are many great options such as a buck 110, buck 55 and of course the One handed SAK.
 
I think an Endura would be a very good choice. I picked it because it is a good knife but very light weight. You said that weight doesn't matter but if you are backpacking then weight does matter. Another good lightweight choice would be a Cold Steel Voyager.

If you really don't think that weight matters, and you want a tougher knife, then I think a Manix 2 XL , a ZT 0550, or even a Benchmade Adamas would be good choices. The only reason I can see for buying one of these over a Delica or Endura is because it is significantly tougher.
 
If it's a folder a manix is nice and beefy relative to a delica or caly.

But honestly for real outdoors use I would recommend you get a fixed blade. Izula is a pretty good one for a minimalist fixed blade.
 
If I've got a substantial fixed blade with me, I tend to carry lighter use folders, like this Spyderco Stretch, which I feel sports an incredibly versatile blade profile. It's not a hard use folder though. But even at that it has sufficed by itself on shorter woods bumming adventures.
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My logical choice would be something from the Spyderco Salt series? Having a knife that is impossible to corrode without industrial chemicals can be pretty nice.
As a knife nut I do love the ZT0200 though.
 
Orange or Venom Green Ontario RAT 1. Good solid folder, great price, good blade for outdoors work, and easy to find if you drop either!
 
gregorio said:
But honestly for real outdoors use I would recommend you get a fixed blade. Izula is a pretty good one for a minimalist fixed blade.
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I've been backpacking on about 12 or 13 trips and never needed anything more than my old lightweight Gerber LST, but if I felt the need for a heavy duty knife I think I would go ahead and pick a fixed blade, maybe an ESEE 3 or 4 or a Becker tweener. I'm not sure that there is a reason to pick a folder over a fixed blade for backpacking.
 
If you are planning on doing any outdoorsy type stuff with the knife, you need a fixed blade. An Izula is just about perfect, and they come in two flavors (sizes). You can split wood with it, make kindling, and any of outdoorsy thing a knife could be needed for. A folder just makes the knife have a huge structural weak point for hard use. Granted, the blade pivot will fail before the lock, a solid piece of steel will fail much much later.
 
My hiking choice is a Doug Ritter Griptilian. While I usually don't use it for much more than food prep, it can handle almost anything else that gets thrown at you.
 
I only carry folders in the city, whenever I'm outdoors or at my ranch I carry a fixed blade. Nothing huge, I like small Scandi knives. There are some pretty affordable ones that work great and aren't heavy.

Add a SAK (Farmer, Hiker, Huntsman, OHT, etc.) and you've got a pretty capable combo.
 
Oh did anybody mention Mora? If not, get a Mora. Get a bunch of them. They are dirt cheap and easily worth thrice their price. Nothing else is a more perfect outdoor knife (although the Izula is pretty close).
 
I've got a few knives in my outdoors EDC. First and foremost is my Manix lightweight. I've found the CTS-BD1 steel to be excellent and the ball-bearing lock fantastic. The Ontario RAT 1 is also a fantastic knife. It is just over 3.5 inches, thick, FFG, and has strong lockup. The $30 price tag is pretty good too. The Benchmade Griptilian is also a fantastic knife. They have pretty much any variation that you can imagine including rust-proof. The only failure I've seen with the Axis lock is from batoning through a thick log. And the Axis is fun to play with. The Spydie Endura is also in my lineup, as well as a SOG Aegis. I haven't tested it, but I believe my Microtech SOCOM would preform well in the outdoors, as well as the Select Fire and Whaleshark. I don't have any Cold Steel, but they have a very good reputation. I heard that the Spartan is basically a folding Kuhkri.
 
I have a G-10 Endura with a ZDP-189 FFG blade, a Titanium Military with a CPM S-90-V blade, and an Al/SS Shallot with a CPM S-110-V blade. I think that any one of these would perform admirably.
 
My favorite knife for backpacking and hiking is the AG Russell Hunters Scalpel. Lanyard makes it nearly impossible to lose, locking sheath is safe and secure, and it's super lightweight. If you prefer a larger knife (handier for food prep, for example) there's the similar Bird and Trout model.

bdmicarta said:
I've been backpacking on about 12 or 13 trips and never needed anything more than my old lightweight Gerber LST, but if I felt the need for a heavy duty knife I think I would go ahead and pick a fixed blade, maybe an ESEE 3 or 4 or a Becker tweener.
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There's no reason why a fixed blade has to be more heavy-duty than a typical folding knife. In fact many fixed blades are lighter weight than many of the folders discussed here regularly. Mora, already recommended, is an excellent suggestion.

I'm not sure that there is a reason to pick a folder over a fixed blade for backpacking.
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Hygiene / food safety is a big advantage of fixed blades too. :thumbup:
 
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