Knife to bring while camping?

Question

I'm going camping with a few friends this summer, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of any good cheap knives to bring.

Also, do you think a State park ranger would frown upon taking a 15" bowie knife with me? It's a park in Wisconsin. Yes, I'm aware that's unnecessarily large but they're really cheap on amazon.

Answer 1

what would you need with a 15" blade in wisconsin?  Its not like there are many jungles in WI.  anyway, i would stay away from any cheap imported blades from places like amazon and walmart. cheap yes, but they are cheap for a reason.save your money and buy something nice.

Answer 2

Remember a couple of things when looking at knives. First you get what you pay for, and in knives that is huge. Cheap knives are usually made of cheap steel, not very strong and will not hold an edge well. There are several decent knives in the $35-$60 range. Names like Buck, Case, Kershaw, Schrade and Gerber. There are others but those I have direct knowledge of and they are wonderful tools. Second is the blade must be sharp, it will come pre-sharpened but a quick finish with a fine grit arkansas stone would be nice. Also carry a diamond sharpener to keep the edge while you use it. More injuries come from a dull knife rather than a sharp one

Answer 3

It depends on what you are needing it for. You get what you pay for although some cheap knives will do the job. Kershaw, SOG, columbia river are good name brands.  I particulary like the Cold Steel brand. They are sharpened to the extreme from the factory.  Here are several to compare to.....

http://www.beebusyoutdoors.com/knives.ht...

Answer 4

Pick up a multi tool. You can get decent Gerber ones at WalMart for about $20. You can also get high quality Leatherman ones for around $50.

They come in handy for all kinds of tasks.

As for your cheap 15" Bowie knife, don't waste your money. Chances are it's low quality and will cause more headaches than it's worth. A knife is something you may end up depending on, as in life or death. You don't want a crappy knife when it comes down to that.

Answer 5

a multitool/ knife would be what I would bring.. there are some made in china  that  cost little.. The 15 " knife is a little excessive unless you have to chop down a tree. It's ok just don't go craZy with it.

Answer 6

It all depends on what you are needing a knife for.

I carry a Buck 110 folding hunter given to me 30 years ago as a gift, a Finland 7" fillet knife, a campkit butter knife and a Leatherman Supertool. The only one I really need and actually use for almost everything is the Leatherman. I bring the other knives because I "need" them.

Answer 7

I was totally going to tell you to bring a plastic butter knife but then I read the first answer and LOL!

I've made the mistake for years of thinking a knife is merely a tool, and that a simple, cheap knife is good enough, while an arty, fancy knife is useless, but what I've discovered lately is that a well made knife, in a classic style, hand crafted with top quality materials is both beautiful, useful and could actually mean something to you, either being the knife of your father, or the knife of your ancestors, or at least a knife that defines a culture you admire.

I'd like you to consider that a cheap "bowie" knife isn't a Bowie knife at all, but a cheap imitation, lacking the history that is defined by its strength and craftsmanship.

Similarly a multi-tool, while perhaps useful and well made, means nothing and comes from nowhere.

Imagine carrying your father's knife, handed down, a knife that served him well, top quality then, well cared for, and now it's yours. Would you really replace that with a multi-tool so you could have a screwdriver on it?

Sadly, my father, and probably yours didn't hand you down any top quality knives because they didn't have the sensibilities I've spent my life developing any more than you do.

But luckily, they still make top quality knives that are made in classic styles and will last for many years if well cared for.

Check out these examples:

http://cgi.ebay.com/John-Greco-Custom-Bo...

http://cgi.ebay.com/John-Greco-Custom-No...

http://www.wrcase.com/knives/pocket_kniv...

Answer 8

When I camp ( and I do it a lot ) I carry two knives. A large single blade folding knife on my belt and a swiss army knife. For the belt knife, I have a Case that is about 40 years old. I use it for anything from splitting kindling off of small pieces of firewood by tapping it with another log to cutting up melons for breakfast.

The swiss army knife is mostly carried for the tools on it like the can opener and scissors. As everyone has mentioned, don't skimp on a knife. A good one will last you a lifetime and a cheap one will probably not last through the weekend.

Some good brands are Case, SOG, Wenger, Victotionox and Queen Cutlery.