# Backpacking knife suggestions



## Nigeyy (1 Jun 2021)

So does anybody have any suggestions for a backpacking knife? I'm doing a bit of backpacking and I'd like to take a knife. Keep in mind the following:

i. I'm in the US so not too many restrictions (do like the idea of a locking mechanism)
ii. I'm not bothered about anything over ~8cm blade length (this isn't for personal protection* or a "tactical" knife -whatever that is)
iii. I'd like a folding knife
iv. single blade only -no multiple blades as I just don't need them
v. I'm going to be using this pretty much for whittling wood to start fires (almost anywhere in New England is trees when you go hiking)
vi. Not made in China, thanks

At the moment I've been using my grandfather's old Richmond works made in Sheffield pen knife with a 9 cm blade, which is fine, but I'm reticent to keep taking it out with me for fear of losing it as it's too much of a sentimental attachment. At the moment I'm thinking of a MAM with a liner lock or an Opinel -both of which are cheap enough that if I lose them, I won't be too worried. Any one had any experience with these?

*I was all alone in the woods on a single camp and had a black bear right outside my tent once, and believe me, I wasn't going out to confront it no matter how big of a knife I might have with me! And yes, rather stupidly I realized I had a Marmite sandwich in the tent I'd forgotten about... Mind you if it was a brown bear I'd have needed a personal toilet in my tent.


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## rikki (1 Jun 2021)

Opinel are good. The wooden handles mean they are lighter* than some other knives and they come in a range of sizes. I have one with a rounded end (like kindergarten scissors) which is very sharp but is obviously not intended to be used as a weapon.

* no doubt there are titanium and carbon fiber handles which are slightly lighter and way more expensive.


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## raleighnut (1 Jun 2021)

Another vote for an Opinel, great knife but they do need maintanence if you go for the 'Carbon Steel' version, upside is these hold an edge better than the Stainless version.


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## DCBassman (1 Jun 2021)

Another vote for Opinel Carbonne


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## battered (1 Jun 2021)

Opinel

Edit - the Opinel meets the OP's brief, but when I am backpacking I take a Swiss Army knife. Just a basic one, the Climber, or is it Spartan. Either way, 2 blades, tin opener, bottle opener, corkscrew are all very handy. The screwdriver gets a remarkable amount of use too. The Opinel lives in the cook bag, it's a better blade for food prep, but the Swissy is the one that lives in my pocket and gets reached for several times every day. They do one with a split ring, this is handy for a lanyard so you can't drop it. Once a climber...


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## Drago (1 Jun 2021)

A sensible answer depends entirely upon the use to which you intend to put it. For general purpose use the USMC 'Semper Fi' Rescue Knife is a good tool, and even the old Ka Bar is inexpensive and effective.

As for bear, you really need a big ol' forty-five, or a Glock 32 chambered for .357 SIG if you want something with a more compact frame. Anything less is liable to aggravate them rather than stop them.


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## Randomnerd (1 Jun 2021)

For a camp knife on the cheap you simply can’t beat Mora. Fixed blade rather than folder too, so that you can baton kindling. The Opinel lockring has been known to ping off under heavy load (DAMNIKT)
Mora make a good range of bushcraft knives, often supplied with a sheath, ferrocerium rod and diamond stone in one package. Carbon steel if you can remember to wipe and oil; or stainless, which needs a little more work when honing


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## Blue Hills (1 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> A sensible answer depends entirely upon the use to which you intend to put it. For general purpose use the USMC 'Semper Fi' Rescue Knife is a good tool, and even the old Ka Bar is inexpensive and effective.
> 
> As for bear, you really need a big ol' forty-five, or a Glock 32 chambered for .357 SIG if you want something with a more compact frame. Anything less is liable to aggravate them rather than stop them.


Do you get a lot of bears round your way drago?


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## Drago (1 Jun 2021)

Fortunately, no bears up my end. 

However, chatting on Skype the other day to an ex workmate in Pennsylvania from my time BG'ing over there and he was moaning that a bear has been through his dustbins - sorry, trash cans - and made a right mess. I tried to persuade him it was Bigfoot, but was wasn't having it.


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## wheresthetorch (1 Jun 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> Do you get a lot of bears round your way drago?


One of the astronomy forums I frequent is based in the USA, and there's regular discussion on there about the best way to deal with bears when out in the wilds observing. Makes me relieved the worst I need to worry about is tripping over a hedgehog in the back garden.


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## MichaelW2 (1 Jun 2021)

Swiss Army knife with a saw blade is quite capable . The opinel is nice but the hinge and lock is not as strong as a modern lock knife. I make a lot of use of a Buck Lite (422), plastic handle, strong lock, good steel. Official knife of the US Scout movement.
In the fixed blade dept, Moras do most of what you need.
My most useful blade on extended tour is a dedicated kitchen knife,Kuhon Rikon paring size, bright yellow handle and sheath.

Regarding bears, stats show that bear-grade spray is more effective than anything else. I have camped on a mountainside with bears around and didnt get much sleep.


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## rockyroller (1 Jun 2021)

got one of these as a hand-me-down from my Dad
Buck 110™ Folding Hunter Wooden Pocket Knife
not mine, photo from internet


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## raleighnut (1 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> Fortunately, no bears up my end.
> 
> However, chatting on Skype the other day to an ex workmate in Pennsylvania from my time BG'ing over there and he was moaning that a bear has been through his dustbins - sorry, trash cans - and made a right mess. I tried to persuade him it was Bigfoot, but was wasn't having it.



View: https://youtu.be/57q6TUMTS_M


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## numbnuts (1 Jun 2021)

Opinel are good


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## Deleted member 23692 (1 Jun 2021)

Seeing a you're in the US, check out Spyderco. I have a few and they are superb design and quality... even their cheaper Byrd brand range


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## MichaelW2 (1 Jun 2021)

The point of my Buck has been worn down by serious abuse on DIY materials. Some people collect these, I use them.


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## glasgowcyclist (1 Jun 2021)

Try Knives and Tools, they’re great. Something for every budget and style but be prepared to get carried away!

EDIT: Sorry, just remembered your in the US so there may be additional taxes. It’s still worth a look, even for ideas.


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## Nigeyy (1 Jun 2021)

Thanks for all the replies.... I'm ordering an Opinel No 6 (like I said, I don't need a bigger knife than that for a bit of wood whittling). Based on price, I'm also going for a MAM liner lock as well. It will be interesting to compare them. I was looking around and a Mercator K55K looks intriguing too.

Just following on from a couple of suggestions: I'm really open to be persuaded, but I just don't see a need for any multiple blades. I did have a genuine Swiss Army knife -though sadly one of the handle sides came off -and I realized that I never used anything except the big blade on it. I don't drink wine (and besides which I certainly wouldn't be lugging a bottle of the stuff in my backpack) so a corkscrew is a waste of time. Similarly, if I take a beer, I wouldn't be lugging glass bottles but rather cans with a pull tab (and even then, you can make a bottle opener out of a piece of wood anyway. And a screw driver? My tent doesn't have screws and neither does any of my equipment, so again, I just can't see the need for a backpacker.

I have various stoves, but my favourite is a Tomshoo little wood gasifier that I take a Bahco Laplander saw with so I don't need any kind of cutting function for wood from a folding knife. I soon have a series of wood hockey pucks for old branches burning nicely for a cup of tea. By the way, I can't recommend the Bahco Laplander enough; absolutely fantastic!


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## Nigeyy (2 Jun 2021)

Thanks, but I looked at Spiderco and the lower end knives are made in China. I'm trying to keep my budget to around 30-40 quid tops so didn't look at the more expensive ones.



Ffoeg said:


> Seeing a you're in the US, check out Spyderco. I have a few and they are superb design and quality... even their cheaper Byrd brand range


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## Drago (2 Jun 2021)

MichaelW2 said:


> Regarding bears, stats show that bear-grade spray is more effective than anything else. I have camped on a mountainside with bears around and didnt get much sleep.


Thats only because the stats lump 'guns' in as one homogenous lump. Shoot a bear of any size with a .32 or .38 and you're very likely to be making up a large volume of his faeces for the next few days.

Use a more appropriate round and provided you get closeish to centre-mass you're good. Remember, the sprays are simply incapacitants, a secomdary control skill, not an actual weapon - a bear that is not behaving normally due to hunger, injury or illness is liable to be able to continue its attack, in much the same way that humans who are drunk, high or suffering an acute mental health episode are also able to continue their attack following the deployment of an incapacitant. A bear with a .45ACP hole in it is liable to be able to do nothing ever again, other than make a nice rug, albeit one with a big hole.

PS, sorry to go off topicish, but its a slow day and the OP has already sprted his knife question


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## Pale Rider (2 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> Thats only because the stats lump 'guns' in as one homogenous lump. Shoot a bear of any size with a .32 or .38 and you're very likely to be making up a large volume of his faeces for the next few days.
> 
> Use a more appropriate round and provided you get closeish to centre-mass you're good. Remember, the sprays are simply incapacitants, a secomdary control skill, not an actual weapon - a bear that is not behaving normally due to hunger, injury or illness is liable to be able to continue its attack, in much the same way that humans who are drunk, high or suffering an acute mental health episode are also able to continue their attack following the deployment of an incapacitant. A bear with a .45ACP hole in it is liable to be able to do nothing ever again, other than make a nice rug, albeit one with a big hole.
> 
> PS, sorry to go off topicish, but its a slow day and the OP has already sprted his knife question



Welcome to @Drago, the patron saint of killing things.

(Line nicked from a film in which Kentucky was described as the patron state of...)


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## oldwheels (2 Jun 2021)

Drago said:


> Thats only because the stats lump 'guns' in as one homogenous lump. Shoot a bear of any size with a .32 or .38 and you're very likely to be making up a large volume of his faeces for the next few days.
> 
> Use a more appropriate round and provided you get closeish to centre-mass you're good. Remember, the sprays are simply incapacitants, a secomdary control skill, not an actual weapon - a bear that is not behaving normally due to hunger, injury or illness is liable to be able to continue its attack, in much the same way that humans who are drunk, high or suffering an acute mental health episode are also able to continue their attack following the deployment of an incapacitant. A bear with a .45ACP hole in it is liable to be able to do nothing ever again, other than make a nice rug, albeit one with a big hole.
> 
> PS, sorry to go off topicish, but its a slow day and the OP has already sprted his knife question


Friend of mine was in Canada in bear country. Before he was allowed out by the relatives he had to get tuition in a large bore pistol which he had to carry in the woods. He described it as about 2 inch bore and the recoil nearly knocked him on his back on his first trial shot. He is experienced with firearms because of his job but never met anything like that before.


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## Gillstay (2 Jun 2021)

For many years I have always used an Opinel and the Swiss army plastic credit card for carrying around. If someone nicks you stuff or your tent is washed out its no big deal.


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## tribanjules (2 Jun 2021)

wheresthetorch said:


> One of the astronomy forums I frequent is based in the USA, and there's regular discussion on there about the best way to deal with bears when out in the wilds observing. Makes me relieved the worst I need to worry about is tripping over a hedgehog in the back garden.


And can the astronomers shed any light on what bears do in the woods ?


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## Gillstay (5 Jun 2021)

In the USA they always talked about what guns you needed, my son in Canada had a classmate rolled around by a bear as she played dead, they just thought it cool, and when riding through the woods near the Croatian border at dusk we were advised to go slow as if you collide with a bear you may annoy it. Says a lot about each nation.


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## Nigeyy (12 Jun 2021)

I bought the Opinel No 6 (olivewood handle) and the MAM 2137 (olivewood handle) to compare -they're hardly really expensive items, and I thought: why not? Well, then I saw a genuine Made in Sheffield British Army pocket knife and oh, let's not forget a small Czech pen knife and before I knew it, I had them all.....


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## Nigeyy (12 Jun 2021)

While I can't say the Rybicka knife is that suitable for a "proper" backpacking knife, at a price of $7 US, I just couldn't resist. It now resides on my keychain, and I love it for a little cheap knife I can keep close at hand. I'll not include it in my comments below, but wanted to show it. Apparently this little Czech knife is tradionally given to kids as a present. A bit more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rybička_(knife)


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## Nigeyy (12 Jun 2021)

So onto the knives... each one of them has its strengths and weaknesses; here's my best attempt of what I found

Opinel No 6 (Made in France, $19 US) -the olivewood makes for an attractive handle, and for anyone who is a gramme counter, this is the best of bunch. The blade is sharp, and the handle comfortable. The locking mechanism is simple and feels positive. However, on the flip side, this knife seems to be the flimisiest of all the knives. While I think I'd be OK whittling wood with this to get shavings to start a fire, the more than flexible blade doesn't fill me with confidence. Another negative is that it did not come with a lanyard hole -I had to drill my own, though of course some people aren't bothered about lanyards, but I am!


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## Nigeyy (12 Jun 2021)

MAM 2137 (Made in Portugal, $14 US) -this is just a no frills knife. I admit there's something I just like about it -the linerlock gives a very pleasing -but quiet -metallic "pop" as it locks into place. The blade is noticeably more sturdy than the Opinel, and I have confidence with this blade. The handle again is just no frills but comfortable enough. On the negative: the olivewood handle isn't half as pleasing as the Opinel offering, and I do wonder about the longevity of the shorter metal collar compared to the Opinel. Also add in the fact the liner lock causes an ever so slight up and down wobble with the blade, something the "adjustability" of the virobloc can be prevented by. Another negative: again no lanyard hole (though I think you can buy some of these knives with that, but I couldn't find one with an olivewood handle which is what I wanted.






And some pics of the liner lock:


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## Nigeyy (12 Jun 2021)

Rogers British Army Knife (Made in Sheffield, England $22 US) -ahhh, here we have the "tank" of these knives. Of all the knives, this is the most solid, though it has to be said it weighs twice as much as the Opinel, so weight weenies, beware! While this knife is a pocket knife and doesn't have a lock, the spring mechanism is extremely firm, and gives confidence. Add this to the biggest blade thickness of all the knives here, and you have a knife that might -just might -be up to gentle battoning as opposed to not even thinking about it with the previous knives. And yes, it also has a lanyard loop! So the negatives? Well, it's the heaviest of the lot, and doesn't have a lock, and the knife is an all metal construction with no nice aesthetic woodwork. But then again, if you wanted a knife with a lock you wouldn't be buying this?


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## Nigeyy (12 Jun 2021)

Verdict:
None of the knives are perfect, and all had good edges on them out of the box. If I had to rank them, it would be the British Army knife, followed by the MAM and the Opinel last. But there's something so practical and appealing about the MAM knife with that lovely mechanical "pop" -this is the one I'll be taking backpacking and will be a permanent addition to my larger multi day backpack. The British Army knife is something I'll use for a day hike or general use, and the Opinel is going to be a spare I'll keep in a spare pack or lend out. Keep in mind, depending on how these knives keep an edge (which I haven't tested as I haven't had them long enough for) may change how I think about them. Aesthetically, I have to give it to the Opinel. Practically, I'll give it to the MAM. Robustness I'll give it to the British Army knife.

Thinking about it, this is what I'd love: the blade of the British Army knife, and more precise mechanism of the MAM liner lock, and the handle and collar width of the Opinel. I do think each are more than worthy additions to a backpack though, and given the costs involved, each is a very worthy addition. The MAM is just dirt cheap.

One last thing: only the British Army knife came equipped with a lanyard loop, something I personally prefer. The Opinel and MAM knives I drilled my own hole for a loop into them.


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## mickle (12 Jun 2021)

My son bought me a Schrade Imperial Sodbuster (large) one birthday. It's an honest utilitarian knife that can take a beating, keeps its edge and is cheap enough not to cry about if it gets mislaid. I lost it. I mispurchased the small version of it which is identical in all but size. So I keep the wee one in my saddlebag and the big one comes to work with me.


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## Drago (13 Jun 2021)

I guess it depends where you're going backpacking. For example, the standard panga and machete seem to be popular in London at present.


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## rikki (13 Jun 2021)

Nigeyy said:


> Rogers British Army Knife (Made in Sheffield, England $22 US) -ahhh, here we have the "tank" of these knives. Of all the knives, this is the most solid, though it has to be said it weighs twice as much as the Opinel, so weight weenies, beware! While this knife is a pocket knife and doesn't have a lock, the spring mechanism is extremely firm, and gives confidence. Add this to the biggest blade thickness of all the knives here, and you have a knife that might -just might -be up to gentle battoning as opposed to not even thinking about it with the previous knives. And yes, it also has a lanyard loop! So the negatives? Well, it's the heaviest of the lot, and doesn't have a lock, and the knife is an all metal construction with no nice aesthetic woodwork. But then again, if you wanted a knife with a lock you wouldn't be buying this?
> 
> View attachment 593492


It should certainly handle some battoning.
I have a version of this with a marlin spike. Many years ago we used it to cut a hole in the floor of a Chrysler to access the transmission. It did the job and survived the beating.
Still very sharp and used to cut rope.


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## Eziemnaik (27 Jun 2021)

Any budget Mora will do.
Good, if simple carbon steel, scandi grind and no fuss handles.
Impossible to beat value for money.
https://moraknives.eu/mora_basic


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## dretbon (6 Jul 2021)

I normally bring my Spyderco Pacific Salt 2. This knife is very handy.


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## Milkfloat (6 Jul 2021)

Eziemnaik said:


> Any budget Mora will do.
> Good, if simple carbon steel, scandi grind and no fuss handles.
> Impossible to beat value for money.
> https://moraknives.eu/mora_basic


We buy these in bulk for our scouts. A great budget knife.


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## Baldy (7 Jul 2021)

Classic Swiss Army Pen Knife (farnell.com) All I carry is one of these, it's probably got two more blades than it really needs. Doesn't get that much use but a small sharp blade can be handy. In nearly fifty years of backpacking, bikepacking, kayak camping and mountaineering I've still not found a need for a great big rambo knife.


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