Knives

[bushwalker zane]

Hey everyone,

Bit interested in what type/brand of knives do you take when going out bushwalking? For both cooking/food prep and also survival. I currently have a el-cheapo Anaconda blade, cost me $10 if I remember correctly. I am in the midst of updating my bushwalking gear and a new knife is indeed in order.

I have been looking at Opinel Knives as they seem pretty sturdy, only foreseeable problem would deterioration of where the blade meets the wooden handle? I'm not sure, so if you own one, feel free to correct me!

So, any knife buffs out there?

[Kinsayder]

I've got an Opinel knife, it seemed to rust quite easily though and generally sit somewhere in my base camp duffle. For climbing/hiking I carry a Leatherman Skeletool CX. I love it. Really, really love it. I have been thinking about a fixed blade lately though, although I wouldn't take it up with me because of the weight.

[Strider]

Either one of these two...

Mora Companion (118g)


Sanrenmu 710 (92g)

[Strider]

I have been thinking about a fixed blade lately though, although I wouldn't take it up with me because of the weight.

The Mora Companion I posted above is considerably lighter than your Skeletool, and that's including the sheath

[Kinsayder]

The Mora Companion I posted above is considerably lighter than your Skeletool, and that's including the sheath

It's not a competition, Strider.

The Mora does look quite nice though. Where do you find them?

[Mark F]

zane - I am sure you can break the Opinel if you abuse is but they have a long and proud tradition and an excellent reputation. They make most of their knives with either a stainless blade or a carbon steel blade. Carbon steel blades do rust but have other good properties that stainless blades don't. The hardest part is picking the size. I have a No 7 in carbon steel (35g) and it suits me fine. Slicing cheese, onions etc, occasional bit of cord, but I don't do bushcraft - that was for my days in the scouts.

[bushwalker zane]

Mark - Thank you for the information. By the sounds of it, carbon steel would be the best way to go. As for size I guess I'll just have to see what fits my hand the best. Is there much of a price difference between carbon steel and stainless?

[David M]

I am not sure if a multi-tool should be considered in this category but I used to carry a Leatherman Charge TTi (278g in holster) but to save a little weight I now carry a Leatherman Squirt PS4 (56g). The big Leatherman had a blade suitable for cutting food etc but the small one is too small to be practical for this purpose. However, I make sure most meals I take do not need any cutting. I am considering a suitable food cutting knife of some kind however. I currently use a titanium spork (20g) as an eating implement (it has a serrated edge that could "divide" soft food but not cut something like meat.

[bushwalker zane]

Hi David,

I have considered a multi-tool, and have had one in the past. Personally I didn't find much use for things other than the blade, most of the tools were a bit pointless in my opinion. That being said, this was a few years back AND it was a pretty terrible tool anyway. I haven't really looked into a Leatherman as, from memory they are quite expensive. Next time in in the outdoor shops I'll get one out though, to have a look and see if my pre-conceptions can be swayed! A lot of people stand by them, so I can only assume they are a good product or have mind controlling abilities!

[Moondog55]

Mora

[bushwalker zane]

Mora

Short but sweet?

I'll look into these too

[Strider]

The Mora Companion I posted above is considerably lighter than your Skeletool, and that's including the sheath

It's not a competition, Strider.

The Mora does look quite nice though. Where do you find them?

Mine were work issue but heaps of them on Ebay. Cheap, strong and easy to sharpen. These knives have a cult following worldwide.

[Strider]

The Mora Companion I posted above is considerably lighter than your Skeletool, and that's including the sheath

It's not a competition, Strider.

The Mora does look quite nice though. Where do you find them?

Mine were work issue but heaps of them on Ebay. Cheap, strong and easy to sharpen. These knives have a cult following worldwide.

Light My Fire also offer a Mora with a Swedish firesteel built into the handle.

[Lindsay]

I bought a leatherman wave a few years ago. Very nice but at 240g it is heavy and many of the functions are irrelevant. I soon returned to using my old swiss army camper. It does all I need it to do and weighs only 80g.

[Moondog55]

I like knives, well actually I love them and have literally hundreds because of my trade but for all-round value for money any of the Mora line is hard to beat. I carry a Mora Clipper for my bushwaking blade.
Takes an edge like a razor and the sheath and blade combination is light enough not too notice.
my personal preference is for carbon steel blades but it makes no real difference at this price point. Get them with in bright orange too if you get the tradies version from Bahco

[Franco]

In winter I use a Mora 2000 SS blade , similar to the Companion.
Usefull to make kingdlings with and to dig pegs out of iced snow.
Otherwise I have a N6 Opinel, carbon blade.
BTW, the carbon blade is simply because I had one like that over 40 years ago, no other reason...
Franco

[David M]

This thread got me thinking about options for a "large" blade now that I have stopped carrying the Leatherman Charge TTi and just carry the small PS4. What do people think of Opinel knives which seem to be very lightweight (which is what I want)? What sizes are good? I would have thought at the minimum a No. 8 (around 8.5cm blade) would be necessary but what about larger sizes (the charge has a 7.5cm blade)? Also carbon steel (high maintenance but keener edge?) or stainless blade?

With this set up I would have some limited multitool functionality with the PS4 (56g) and the blade capability of the Charge (278g) using the 50g no.8 Opinel so my tool/blade package would weigh 106g vs 278g. I think both of these items together would be less functional than the Charge but there is also a weight saving of 172g (which I accept would not bother a lot of people). The 172g weight saving almost "pays for" a 190 g Bahco Laplander saw I may consider carrying (see other thread "Wood Saws on the Trail".

Is it necessary to have a "survival" knife with a thick spine that is super strong and can be used (e.g.) with an improvised hammer to split or cut wood or perform other heavy duty tasks? I don't have a problem with that except for the weight penalty. The Opinel only has a thin approx. 2mm spine so I expect is good for general cutting but not abuse of this nature like a survival knife (but it doesn't claim to be one).

[Strider]

Is it necessary to have a "survival" knife with a thick spine that is super strong and can be used (e.g.) with an improvised hammer to split or cut wood or perform other heavy duty tasks? I don't have a problem with that except for the weight penalty. The Opinel only has a thin approx. 2mm spine so I expect is good for general cutting but not abuse of this nature like a survival knife (but it doesn't claim to be one).

Most folding knives will not withstand tough use/abuse. The Opinel will almost certainly not

IMO it doesn't hurt to over-spec a little. Fixed blade at minimum.

*EDIT*

Had a poke around Ebay - hard to say no at these prices!

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mora-CLIPPER ... 564wt_1186

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mora-Gurtelm ... 4821wt_906

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MORA-SWEDEN- ... 1445wt_952

[cjhfield]

My requirement for a bushwalking knife is a folding cooks knife. 95% of the time I use the knife for preparing meals such as slicing onions garlic ginger or cutting salami and camembert or apples for lunch. I have a small Spyderco. It weighs 35g and has a blade of reasonable steel. Though the blade is short it is quite wide which is good for controlling the knife. I like its locking blade, good grip and it can be opened one handed. I have a larger stronger one of similar design at 65g but the small one works as well. I used it to debone a leg of lamb at a hostel in New Zealand last year pre-cooking a tagine for the Milford walk. In an emergency it could feather twigs to get a fire going. Not sure about a knife that could double as a small axe - that sounds a bit OTT to me. I have the small knife on an orange loop of guy line so that I can loop it over my neck if needed and if I drop it on the ground next to the stove or at a lunch stop it is easy to see and not leave behind.

HTH

Chris

[Beacon Hill Ben]

Mark - Thank you for the information. By the sounds of it, carbon steel would be the best way to go. As for size I guess I'll just have to see what fits my hand the best. Is there much of a price difference between carbon steel and stainless?

Sorry, but I disagree. I am a knife nut... sigh... and the old adage that carbon is better is just not true any more.

Carbon is easy to sharpen - so is good Stainless, in either case you need to learn how to do this and spend some money on buying the right sharpening kit . Entire forums are filled with this...
Carbon holds a good edge - so does good stainless, in fact better, if you neglegt a carbon knive it will rust!
Carbon rusts - Stainless does not (or nowhere near as much, is the correct answer).
Carbon rusts - immediately, when cutting acid things like fruit, wood, any food.
Carbon knives make your food taste like iron! Yuk!
You live in Australia. Been to the beach lately? Or on the sea? Stainless rules in Australia!

Bottom line, carbon is a cheap material and easy to process in manufacturing, which is why several manufacturers will tell you that Carbon is Good. In fact, in 2012, Stainless is better.

Good stainless: Look at Mora, Bark River, Fallkniven, SpiderCo, they all use good stainless for great knives.

[Beacon Hill Ben]

[quote="Strider"]Either one of these two...

Mora Companion (118g)


Yes, I support this knife choice, the Mora Companion F. Cheap ($15-ish on eBay), very light, strong enough, great stainless steel (Sandvik 12C27), proven Scandi edge that will cut wood/food/chord, ideal size with its 4.5" handle and 4" blade. AND IT IS ORANGE, which means you can find it in the dark, in the leaves, when you drop it!! Make no mistake, your knife should NOT be green/black/camo. You will loose it! For a fixed blade knife, this should be high on your short list.

[bushwalker zane]

Sorry, but I disagree. I am a knife nut... sigh... and the old adage that carbon is better is just not true any more.

Carbon is easy to sharpen - so is good Stainless, in either case you need to learn how to do this and spend some money on buying the right sharpening kit . Entire forums are filled with this...
Carbon holds a good edge - so does good stainless, in fact better, if you neglegt a carbon knive it will rust!
Carbon rusts - Stainless does not (or nowhere near as much, is the correct answer).
Carbon rusts - immediately, when cutting acid things like fruit, wood, any food.
Carbon knives make your food taste like iron! Yuk!
You live in Australia. Been to the beach lately? Or on the sea? Stainless rules in Australia!

Bottom line, carbon is a cheap material and easy to process in manufacturing, which is why several manufacturers will tell you that Carbon is Good. In fact, in 2012, Stainless is better.

Good stainless: Look at Mora, Bark River, Fallkniven, SpiderCo, they all use good stainless for great knives.

World of info there, mate! I have a good friend who is a knife nut too, but he is currently unreachable (darn telstra!) And it seems like there are more knife nuts than I though. I'll check out those brands for sure.

[Beacon Hill Ben]

...Is it necessary to have a "survival" knife with a thick spine that is super strong and can be used (e.g.) with an improvised hammer to split or cut wood or perform other heavy duty tasks?...

No. Your hiking boot can break any large branches you find for fire wood. You just collect dead leaves, branches and twigs, break them with your hands, knee or boot. Big branches you just put on your fire from one end, and keep pushing them in the fire as they burn up. Feathering? Kindling? Splitting? Cutting? Nonsense. Bring some cotton balls for kindle (tampons, cotton balls, fluff from the dryer!).

[Beacon Hill Ben]

This is all the knife most of us would need: The Wenger Ranger 78. It has a decent, big-enough knife for cutting food, wood, etc. A decent saw to cut thin branches for tent poles, hiking poles, pegs when requried. Can/bottle openers, screw drivers. Wish it had a scissors - for First Aid purposes - and it would be perfect. $50 on eBay, 160g. This is my pick for a folding knife, the Mora Compagnion F (see above) for a fixed blade knife.

Also see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKI6q3JRQQI

[tsangpo]

If it is only needed for food you can get these: http://www.scanpan.dk/Produkter/Spectru ... nife_Green or ripoffs like it for a couple of bucks. Works well with the sheath and is very light.

[Strider]

If it is only needed for food you can get these: http://www.scanpan.dk/Produkter/Spectru ... nife_Green or ripoffs like it for a couple of bucks. Works well with the sheath and is very light.

Good for picnics, but could you depend on it if you really needed to? It pays to be prepared.

[Strider]

Good stainless: Look at Mora, Bark River, Fallkniven, SpiderCo, they all use good stainless for great knives.

Also look at Sanrenmu (SRM). They manufacture knives for Spyderco, Benchmade, etc. Very good quality and can be had for under $10 posted. The 8Cr13MOV steel holds a wicked edge and is a dream to sharpen.

[Beacon Hill Ben]

Good stainless: Look at Mora, Bark River, Fallkniven, SpiderCo, they all use good stainless for great knives.

Also look at Sanrenmu (SRM). They manufacture knives for Spyderco, Benchmade, etc. Very good quality and can be had for under $10 posted. The 8Cr13MOV steel holds a wicked edge and is a dream to sharpen.

Interesting, yet darn! Now I have to buy more knives again...

[Strider]

Good stainless: Look at Mora, Bark River, Fallkniven, SpiderCo, they all use good stainless for great knives.

Also look at Sanrenmu (SRM). They manufacture knives for Spyderco, Benchmade, etc. Very good quality and can be had for under $10 posted. The 8Cr13MOV steel holds a wicked edge and is a dream to sharpen.

Interesting, yet darn! Now I have to buy more knives again...

While you're at it, get one of these!
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fallkniven-D ... 1012wt_952


I have been wanting one of these too. But I'm not brave enough to hit the "Buy it Now" button - my wife thinks I already have too many knives!
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Enlan-G10-Ha ... 636wt_1186

[David M]

I noticed that Opinel now have a specific "outdoor" model with a plastic handle and in-built emergency whistle and lanyard.
http://www.opinel.com/uk/tradition/multi-fonctions

I couldn't resist so I bought one from eBay Germany for around A$31.50. Note that the only place I could find them was on German eBay. I was going to buy a classic wooden handle model but the English eBay seller took too long to answer a simple question (and still hasn't).

I will still buy the classic model in due course as well as some of the other nice knives discussed here.

Regards,

David