Recommend me a good backpacking knife.

[BravoMike]

I'm in the market for a backpacking knife that I want to use for batoning firewood and chopping my way through the thickets. It needs to be durable, have an edge that will hold well and be lightweight for its size. I'm thinking a 6" blade would suffice, would like to keep it around 8 ounces, and less than $100. I see that the Buck Punk meets those criteria, but before I buy one, I wanted to consult INGO to see what other options exist.

 

[wtfd661]

Not sure if this is what your looking for but its a good write up on two knives.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...sting-big-jk-knives-choppers-kukri-beast.html

 

[hooky]

If you're chopping your way through thickets, it sounds like you'd be better served with a machete.

 

[Manatee]

ESEE. See Brad and the Knife Lady

 

[kawtech87]

TOPS Fieldcraft B.O.B knife.

Sometimes you get a lot more knife out of a smaller blade than you might think.

TOPS Knives B.O.B. Field Test - YouTube

This is kind of a glowing review of the knife but it still shows pretty well what the knife can do, if you search you can find plenty of independent reviews. All say pretty much the same thing. It is a great knife to have with you on a hike if you can only bring one knife.

 

[wildhair]

I carried a Swiss army with one blade a pair of scissors. Weighed nothing and cuts cheese very well. You'll learn to stay out of the thicket where you can get lost or hurt. But that said the Spyderco brand knifes are the standard on the trail. Very lite and great quality. Found 2 of them out there on the trail but I still carry my old standard. Happy hiking.

 

[BravoMike]

If you're chopping your way through thickets, it sounds like you'd be better served with a machete.

I have considered a machete, but because of its size, weight and the fact that I’m not often in thickets, I would like to stay with a knife. That is a good idea if someone sees themselves going through thickets often.

I carried a Swiss army with one blade a pair of scissors. Weighed nothing and cuts cheese very well. You'll learn to stay out of the thicket where you can get lost or hurt. But that said the Spider brand knifes are the standard on the trail. Very lite and great quality. Found 2 of them out there on the trail but I still carry my old standard. Happy hiking.

When I am really trying to go light and stay on trail, I carry a 1oz Gerber folding knife that has served me well. If my trip is not mostly hiking oriented and more camping/fishing/hunting, then I don’t mind carrying some extra weight and enjoy using tools to accomplish a task. I’m not often in the thickets but there have been a couple of times that I have decided to go through a small batch when down in a valley because it was easier than climbing a hill to get around them.

ESEE. See Brad and the Knife Lady

Thank you for the suggestion and I have considered the ESEE knifes which look awesome. I would say the ESEE-4 or the Laser Strike are two that I am considering. I also like the fact that these come with kydex sheaths and really don’t want my knife to weigh much more than ½ pound.

TOPS Fieldcraft B.O.B knife.

Sometimes you get a lot more knife out of a smaller blade than you might think.

TOPS Knives B.O.B. Field Test - YouTube

This is kind of a glowing review of the knife but it still shows pretty well what the knife can do, if you search you can find plenty of independent reviews. All say pretty much the same thing. It is a great knife to have with you on a hike if you can only bring one knife.

That looks like an excellent knife, thank you for suggesting! I had never heard of tops before but they look like they make some great knives. Like the ESEEs, I like the fact that it comes with a kydex sheath.

---

I’m not a knife connoisseur and have honestly never really paid much attention to what makes a knife a good knife until recently. Anyone have experience with Condor knives? They look pretty robust and are pretty darn cheap. Any other suggestions?

Finally, has anyone had any experience with the Buck Punk that would like to chime in on how they liked or disliked the knife?

 

[chubbs]

Look into Blind horse knives

 

[Duke Short]

Cold Steel Bushman cheap you can abuse it make a spear chop hack hit the back of it with a big A$$ rock to chop heavy stuff and you can put an edge back on it. Not pretty but they work very well. Good luck with your knife quest

 

[bcannon]

ESEE. See Brad and the Knife Lady

ΔΔ THIS ΔΔ I have a ESEE LS in 1 and a ESEE 4 in the other - cant beatm - Brad & Knife lady will take good care of you

 

[7.62]

ΔΔ THIS ΔΔ I have a ESEE LS in 1 and a ESEE 4 in the other - cant beatm - Brad & Knife lady will take good care of you

Esee...contact knife lady.

 

[BravoMike]

ΔΔ THIS ΔΔ I have a ESEE LS in 1 and a ESEE 4 in the other - cant beatm - Brad & Knife lady will take good care of you

The ESEE LS is currently the runner up to the Buck Punk because the Punk is a bit longer and slightly less weight. I really like the kydex sheath that the LS comes with and in the end will probably be a cheaper option because I would have a kydex sheath made for the Punk if I were to purchase one. What has been your experience batoning with that spear point?

 

[BravoMike]

Esee...contact knife lady.

Looks like I'll have to do that!

 

[grunt soldier]

if your going to go with esee I strongly recommend the laser strike. probably the best model imo. The tops bob (Knife lady can also hook you up with this) is also a damn good knife. Maybe look into a few mora knives. they are super light weight and super cheap. Blind horse knives are also awesome and they have tons of great models. I will also throw out bark river bravo 1. it's probably one of the best all around field/woods knives you can get. Probably a bit over your budget but of all mentioned it has the best steel. a great sheath and also a great warranty.

Maybe look at the survive knives gso 4 or 5. they can be ordered in lots of great steels and are a very good company also.

 

[dlbrown75]

I love my Fallkniven s1

 

[RAMBOCAT]

I too, have given myself over to ESEE KNIVES. I have several, and use my 4 or 6 most when camping or hiking. my every day carry, replacing a pocket knife, has become one of my izulas worn as a neck knife. shop around for pricing. I have heard nothing but good remarks about "Knife Lady and Brad". go to the "Knives Ship Free" web site to see the great warranty ESEE has. they also are very competitive on pricing and when they say "Free" they mean free. also most of my orders ship same day and arrive within 3 days.

 

[LuckyLeftFoot]

+1 for anything esee, killer knives with a killer warranty. I have the esee 4 and an izula II and I love them both! As soon as I get the scratch together I'm going to be contacting the knife lady and picking up myself a junglas. Another thing to consider would be checking out condor tool & knife. Their blades are not the quality you would get with esee, but the the amount of blade you get for the money is ridiculous! Plus almost all their knives come with a decent quality leather sheath.

 

[wildhair]

Check into Spyderco...very lite and good quality.

 

[darinb]

I have used a SOG seal pup in AUS6 for 10 years as a pack and sometimes carry knife. There may be better choices out there but you could get one for $40-50 and spend the rest on gear and ammo

 

[longbarrel]

Kabar fighting knife.