Good food prep camp knife

[Ruger 44 Redhawk]

Curious is anyone has some comments on general use camp/food prep knives. I'm doing planning for camp trips already and making hearty meals at the campsite is always nice (better than poisoned packaged grocery store food). So, I'm looking through my blades and I don't really have many stainless steel fixed blades. I have plenty of folders in stainless and powder steels. But I want to get a dedicated food prep fixed blade knife. I do have a Buck Nighthawk in 425M but that is a little large and hollow ground. I've been searching for an inexpensive flat grind 4" blade with some belly for this purpose. I have found a couple of options like the 5" Ontario Bushcraft Field Knife, Ontario HK, Ontario Hunt Plus Drop Point 4", Buck large Pursuit and Buck Skinner to name a few. The Ontario Bushcraft Field doesn't have much belly but is 420HC flat grind. The Ontario HK has a nice 420HC belly to it with flat grind and micarta scales but is only 3.75" and is going to be more in price than the others. The Ontario Hunt Plus Drop Point is 420HC with a nice belly and 4" with a rubber handle which might be nice for traction with messy food prep and blood. The Buck large Pursuit is also 420HC and had a nice belly but is a recurve with hollow grind. The Buck Skinner also 420HC and nice belly. I'm kind of leaning towards that Ontario Hunt Plus Drop Point because of the price point but I also dig that Ontario HK hiking blade. Or I could just say screw it all and use my Cold Steel Pocket Bushman with it's 4" 4116 flat grind (but slippery and potentially dangerous to close). Anyone have a dedicated stainless camping food prep blade?

 

[Arathol]

The latest ongoing discussion......

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/recommendations-for-camping-and-cooking-knife.1967031/

 

[Tafkaag]

Inexpensively, I recommend the Mora Flex (model 12248) or the Cold Steel Pendleton Lite as long as the latter is still made in Taiwan (if it's marked China, send it back for refund). More expensively, I recommend the TOPS Pasayten Lite Traveler.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I'd go for the Buck Skinner. Lots of belly, spreads peanut butter beautifully.

 

[Tidbit]

The Tops Frogmarket Special has become my favorite blade for camp food prep.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

The Tops Frogmarket Special has become my favorite blade for camp food prep.

Please keep us informed, and maybe do a review with lots of pictures....
That knife has Always interest me since it came out.

Nobody really talks about them, I think the price (at the time) scared people away.
I think they would be Awesome.

 

[eveled]

My advise is to find a kitchen knife you like and make or find a sheath for it.

Or as A Alberta Ed pointed out the Buck 103 skinner is a good choice. Pretty much any 100 series Buck is a good choice.
View attachment 2465966
But maybe seek out one of the flat ground limited editions? This one would be a good choice but hard to find now. View attachment 2465965
A flat ground 104.

 

[ScarFoot]

Honestly a cheap Dexter boning knife will beat anything anyone on here is going to post for overall usefulness. Get one with a sheath or get some Kydex and make one. you‘ll be able to buy 5-10 of them before you can replace anything else that will be recommended before this gets locked.

 

[Ruari]

Cold Steel Master Hunter has to be a contender as well.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Honestly a cheap Dexter boning knife will beat anything anyone on here is going to post for overall usefulness. Get one with a sheath or get some Kydex and make one. you‘ll be able to buy 5-10 of them before you can replace anything else that will be recommended before this gets locked.

I like Dicks......

 

[ScarFoot]

I like Dicks......

Well…ok.

 

[Old Biker]

I use one of these. Doesn't cost much, and comes with it own sheath.

O.B.

 

[luethge]

Not trying to put anyone on front street .. there is a certain maker that lurks these parts, might make a perfect camp / cook knife.

 

[Boattale]

View attachment 2466138

 

[Rupestris]

Honestly a cheap Dexter boning knife will beat anything anyone on here is going to post for overall usefulness. Get one with a sheath or get some Kydex and make one. you‘ll be able to buy 5-10 of them before you can replace anything else that will be recommended before this gets locked.

This. A Dexter breaking knife if you’d like something larger than a boning knife. Their Sani-Safe line has some nice grips.

If kydex isn’t easy enough you can check out some YouTube videos on “PVC knife sheath” .

 

[rlewpolar]

How about a Spyderco Waterway? Slicey and won’t rust.

 

[NapalmCheese]

My favorite camp cooking knife is my favorite kitchen knife, I just bring slip to cover the blade. A 10 inch carbon steel K Sabatier.

My next favorite camp cooking knife is my 8 inch Leuku, but it makes a mess of hard vegetables if you're trying for anything finer than a dice.

My third favorite is my Becker Kephart. The only place the Kephart exceeds the other two knives is prepping avocados, it's like it was made for it!

So I guess I wasn't any help because none of these are stainless and they're all over 4 inches in length.

Though this one has been gaining a little traction with me for food prep. Made from 1080 barstock and heat treated by myself after seeing a Condor Libertariat and thinking it was cool.

 

[beeinak]

Cold Steel Master Hunter has to be a contender as well.

That is a very under appreciated model imo. It is a great design that works for just about everything. I have a vintage Carbon V and one in 3V.

 

[Henry Beige]

You lost me at “ stainless”. None of my top choices would fit that bill. Obviously a lot of knives would work. Here’s what I have:

BPS Savage
BK 162 Kephart
Carothers Kephart
Condor Kephart
Busse Crab Drop
Dexter-Russell 4”:sheath knife
Dexter-Russell Green River 4215 fish knife
Mora Flex

The Dexter Russell 4215 would probably be my first pick.

 

[DaleS]

I can’t believe no one has mentioned Opinel, any size you like, carbon or stainless and no sheath required.