Good camping/hunting knife gift?

C

Capibat

Joined
Jul 1, 2019
Messages
11
Hello members,

Fairly new here looking for some advise.
I'm looking for some suggestions on which brands / models of knives you would suggest that would make a memorable gift to commemorate a special birthday.
Like I mentioned on the title, I'm looking for a good quality camping/hunting knife that can be trusted to perform when needed.
 
For camping AND hunting, I would take a look at the Cold Steel Hunter with the orange scales. Really nice belly for game with contoured G10 scales to hold on to when slippery.

Love the orange. Drop mine (or set it down) in the field towards dusk and it is easy to find. Shows up great with a flashlight when someone borrows it (think kids or wife) and sets it aside.
Carries great, good SV35 steel, and rings in a little north of $100 from a Blade Forum vendor.

Not ready to spend that much, take a look at the Cold Steel Bush Ranger Lite. CS does the 8cr13 steel very well, plenty of blade sweep to avoid gut punctures and good skinning and nicely contoured GFN handles, the 3 1/2" blade is plenty big and sturdy. Great blade lock, too. In fact, two locks! You can steal one of these for about $35.

Robert
 
Kind of depends on who you plan to give it to, and whether they know how to use, sharpen and maintain it.
 
3fifty7 said:
What’s the budget ?
How soon do you need it ?
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$200. By the end of next week would be good.

@midnight-flyer, I looked for the CS website, the orange hunter looks like a good option.

I think I was mistaken and perhaps the type of knife I'm looking is more camping/outdoors, not necessarily a hunting knife.
I found a local shop (Toronto) that carries Ken Richardson knives, any thoughts on these?
 
The Buck Selkirk is pretty cool. Has a ferro rod fire starter and it is really affordable. Easy to maintain too, and has a great warranty.

Outdoor bombproof selection would be the Cold Steel SRK. I tried my damnedest and couldn't break one.

Buck Compadre 104 Camp Knife is on my list to get. I just like micarta handles, leather sheaths and Made in the U.S. of A.

But the Bradford Guardian 4 is what I'd like to put under my tree this year. With the 3D scales. Right in your price range.

Lots to look at with your budget... have fun.
 
I believe Bradford knives is having a black Friday sale this week for 24 hours. I would take a serious look at the Guardian 4.5 and the 5.5
Amazing designs and going to be about $200 during that 24 hour sale.
 
Plenty of good choices for the budget you mentioned!

Mora Garberg
Becker BK-16
ESEE 5
Bradford knives*
Bark River knives*

*Great knives, but there’s plenty of folk more knowledgeable about them than me.

For camping and hiking, I’m plenty happy with my Mora Kansbol and a kukri.
 
Capibat said:
I found a local shop (Toronto) that carries Ken Richardson knives, any thoughts on these?
Click to expand...
Although I have no experience with Ken Richardson knives, I see that on their website they indicate that their knife blades are carbon steel and they repeatedly stress the need to wipe down and oil them to prevent rusting.

A bare carbon steel blade, particularly one that will be used outdoors for camping, etc, will require diligent maintenance and attention. If it gets wet, or is exposed to humidity, and gets put back in its sheath and sits for awhile, the blade can rust. So if I were thinking of buying such a knife for someone, I would consider if they are the type of person who diligently maintains their knives/tools etc, and would take the time to perform the extra care necessary for a carbon steel blade. Or would they be better served by a more low-maintenance knife made out of stainless steel, of which there are many.
 
killgar said:
Although I have no experience with Ken Richardson knives, I see that on their website they indicate that their knife blades are carbon steel and they repeatedly stress the need to wipe down and oil them to prevent rusting.

A bare carbon steel blade, particularly one that will be used outdoors for camping, etc, will require diligent maintenance and attention. If it gets wet, or is exposed to humidity, and gets put back in its sheath and sits for awhile, the blade can rust. So if I were thinking of buying such a knife for someone, I would consider if they are the type of person who diligently maintains their knives/tools etc, and would take the time to perform the extra care necessary for a carbon steel blade. Or would they be better served by a more low-maintenance knife made out of stainless steel, of which there are many.
Click to expand...

This is a good point.

I would look again at the Ultimate Hunter by Cold Steel. That is a well made knife that feels very good in hand.
 
There is so much to choose from that unless you provide some more information we cannot make a propper suggestion. I don't think you mentioned if we are talking folder or fixed blade.

For example:

Does the receiver end hunt? Bushcraft stuff? Just long hikes? Does he belong to the ultralight crowd? Is he into military looking stuff or more traditional oriented?

Get a Becker for an ultralight hiker, or a tactical looking blade (coated, serrations, etc) to a Bushcraft fan, or an orange handled knife for a full-on-cammo guy and... it is bound for dissaster. At the very best the knife will not be used and just kept safe at home. At the worst it could even end up sold in the long run.

Tell us mooooooooooooooore!

Mikel
 
Becker and ESEE have good offerings especially ESEE in S35vn
White River is definitely another to look at but mist of their offerings will Ned a slight bump in your budget.
 
Okay turkey lovers, here are my two favorite fixed blades that will make your turkey field dressing a piece of cake, er' pumpkin pie!

I have used a Bill Moran Spyderco fixed blade since it was introduced. Bill Moran is a very famous knife maker. Reasonable cost. Not too big or heavy.

Spyderco Bill Moran Drop Point Knife Review - YouTube

Another knife I recently purchased was a great deal, it is the Spyderco Bow River, under $50. It was designed by highly regarded and successful knife maker Phil Wilson. Again, not too big or heavy so great in the field. I didn't need another fixed blade but curiosity got the best of me and for the price I couldn't pass it up.

Spyderco Bow River - More Knife Than You Pay For - YouTube
 
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Because I'm a Becker fan I second the suggestions of the Becker BK62 Kephart or Becker BK16. I also have a couple of Cold Steel Master Hunters that work very well.

In my experience, much of camp use is food prep for which a full flat grinds perform nicely. However, while chopping down trees and making log cabins is not the normal order of camping these days, splitting kindling and whittling sticks for tasty things that need fire are knife tasks. Knives like the Kephart have been doing that sort of stuff for a very long time; the Becker/KaBar iteration is very nicely done and a good value; it's more of a gift/presentation knife than the BK16 or CS Master Hunter which, IMO are great performing knives and provide good value but are more utilitarian based, not that the BK62 does not deliver utility.

Also, there are many knives that could fill your bill but with field dressing game thrown into the mix, 4 inches or maybe 5" is my preferred sweet spot if the knife has to do double duty around camp. Besides the knife, handle material and sheath are truly part of the package and that's why I referred to the BK16 and CS MH (both knives I have, use and like) as more utilitarian.
 
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