What Camping/EDC to get?

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SharpestToolintheShed

SharpestToolintheShed

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Location
Canada
Summer is fast approaching. i'm looking for a camp knife that might function as an EDC.
I have a $140 Giftcard at Knifewear so I would ideally get one there.

Country: Canada
Knife Type: Camp/Hunting/EDC I'm open to any one of them
Right handed
Blade length... 3-5 inches or bigger if it's a camp knife
Stainless - preferred but not mandatory
Max? USD 300 (converting to make it easier)

Knife use: Camping...cutting food, whatever it is people do when camping

So far I've looked at Helle and the James Company.
James knives are pretty but holy hell are they expensive.
The James Hell Gap looks perfect...except for the price
TJB_20_HellGap_PDP_BlackStainless_01_5000x.jpg

the Helle Bleja is another contender
Bleja.jpg


Does anyone have an opinion about these knives or anything else they recommend?
They might have Spyderco at the store and some Kershaw knives too.
If there's nothing good in my list, I'd just ditch it and get something else at KnifeWear.
 
Not an expert on EDC/camping stuff but I would argue that there thousands of knife just like the James Hell Gap
which are much cheaper.
Had a Helle knife and they are super thick.
Anything like onions or even denser stuff won´t be ANY fun to cut.

And yes, rather get a big opinel for your food at least.
Or buy a mini santoku/nakiri/gyuto and make a Kydex sheet yourself. Fun and easy DIY project!
 
A lot of the outdoor knives that are meant to also cut wood are horrible for cutting food since the kind of grind you want for the different jobs are are the complete opposite. So just getting a cheap Opinel + cheap Mora will do better than the sheer majority of 'compromise' knives that try to do both jobs.
Though for doing wood stuff nothing beats a proper axe.
 
I'm no fan of Knifewear or the James Brand so I'll refrain on that.

Helle is good but as said, that scandi grind will be thick. But that is benefit depending on use case.

My recommendation is just get a Spyderco in K390. Model being your pick but the Endela or Endura would be a top choice. The mid-back lock is plenty safe, the K390, although not stainless, is quite resilient and is excellently well executed, the grind is very versatile and the knives take a beating.

For reference:

https://www.dlttrading.com/searchresults.html?search_query=spyderco+k390

Add in a small diamond stone in the 300-600 range and you're good to go.
 
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HumbleHomeCook said:
I'm no fan of Knifewear or the James Brand so I'll refrain on that.

Helle is good but as said, that scandi grind will be thick. But that is benefit depending on use case.

My recommendation is just get a Spyderco in K390. Model being your pick but the Endela or Endura would be a top choice. The mid-back lock is plenty safe, the K390 although not stainless is quite resilient and is excellently executed, the grind is very versatile and the knives take a beating.

For reference:

https://www.dlttrading.com/searchresults.html?search_query=spyderco+k390

Add in a small diamond stone in the 300-600 range and you're good to go.
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I’ll have to make a trip to the store. Knifewear’s website doesn’t list their Spyderco.
What’s it with the James Brand? Knife folk seem to hate them.
Ok a small blade for that kinda money is folly. Artisan prices for a designer knife is a bit lame. It’s not the money but the sense of being ripped off that annoys me.
 
SharpestToolintheShed said:
I’ll have to make a trip to the store. Knifewear’s website doesn’t list their Spyderco.
What’s it with the James Brand? Knife folk seem to hate them.
Ok a small blade for that kinda money is folly. Artisan prices for a designer knife is a bit lame. It’s not the money but the sense of being ripped off that annoys me.
Click to expand...

James Brand is just a gimmick in my opinion. They seem to want to position their brand as a some kinda boogey, those-in-the-know, bro, EDC brand and charge those kind of prices. They also don't expressly state where their products are made but don't seem to mind at all if you believe they are made in Portland Oregon.

There's nothing much innovative in their knives.

Reeves Integral Locks and Axis locks have been around a long time and M390 as well. They also don't tell you the HT of the M390 and the knife community knows all too well just how varied M390 can be out there, like as low as 56-58HRC. VG10 is a dime a dozen.

Their knives are also not what I'd consider for outdoor use.

You don't have to look very hard to find what I consider comparable, or even better, products from overseas makers at much lower prices.

This is all my opinion of course.
 
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Can you guys EDC fixed blades up there in the great white north?

I use a mora stainless companion or classic (latter is carbon). They’re cheap and I value the scandi geometry and ease of edge taking for these tasks. Super steel for camp knife? No thanks. Been there.



Everyone needs an opinel. They cut.

Look at a Swiss Army knife with the features you desire. I use mine all the time.

I have a leatherman I keep in my truck and many times I’ve been glad it was there.

Consider a Silky brand saw, too. I use mine all the time.

You can get all of the above for your budget on Amazon.
 
James Brand is just overly expensive for what it is.

For fantastic budget options I like Civivi, Kizer, Vosteed. Hogue Deka Magnacut is also a fantastic deal and can be had for ~$130 fairly often.
 
I went "camping" last year in a cabin, if you consider that camping, and brought my Mercer chef knife, paring knife, and a Mora Garberg. The Garberg is a bit thick, but fine for kindling and even splitting smaller pieces of firewood. It's probably fine for cutting food too, but I wouldn't want to use the same knife for everything if I could help it. If you want a scandi grind knife, Moras are pretty cheap and get the job done.

There are probably a ton of knives similar to that James brand that are either better or cheaper. I'd rather have something like a Cold Steel Master Hunter. Weird marketing aside, they make pretty good stuff at reasonable prices, or at least they used to. I haven't owned anything from their recent production, but their old USA/Japan made stuff is good. If you want something a bit more upmarket like the James, check out Bark River Knife & Tool. They've got a nice convex grind to them that I haven't seen in any other outdoor production blade. Go for one of their thinner blades; I have a Bravo 1 and it's heftier than it really needs to be.

If you have the room and you're not hiking around with all your gear, I'd recommend bringing a cheap chef knife and paring knife/Opinel for food, and an outdoor fixed blade for the rest.
 
ehhh said:
I went "camping" last year in a cabin, if you consider that camping, and brought my Mercer chef knife, paring knife, and a Mora Garberg. The Garberg is a bit thick, but fine for kindling and even splitting smaller pieces of firewood. It's probably fine for cutting food too, but I wouldn't want to use the same knife for everything if I could help it. If you want a scandi grind knife, Moras are pretty cheap and get the job done.

There are probably a ton of knives similar to that James brand that are either better or cheaper. I'd rather have something like a Cold Steel Master Hunter. Weird marketing aside, they make pretty good stuff at reasonable prices, or at least they used to. I haven't owned anything from their recent production, but their old USA/Japan made stuff is good. If you want something a bit more upmarket like the James, check out Bark River Knife & Tool. They've got a nice convex grind to them that I haven't seen in any other outdoor production blade. Go for one of their thinner blades; I have a Bravo 1 and it's heftier than it really needs to be.

If you have the room and you're not hiking around with all your gear, I'd recommend bringing a cheap chef knife and paring knife/Opinel for food, and an outdoor fixed blade for the rest.
Click to expand...

To each their own but I will never own a BRK. I'm not a fan of Mike Stewart but more importantly, I've read too many significant quality issues and what I consider terrible customer service. I'm talking like the wrong steel being used. Full convex also suck to deal with in the field/outdoors.

LT Wright, Boker, Lionsteel/Viper/Maserin, even Buck in the S30V line are good fixed blade options. Many others as well, including Cold Steel.

A lot of this really depends on the actual use case for the OP.
 
Transmaster said:
Funny you should mention Civivi. I have this coming on Saturday. CIVIVI Baby Banter folding pocket knife.

​



View attachment 315853
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Baby Banter is fantastic! I have mine fitted with the limited Colorfulfilth Mars Space Kitty scales. The grip is honestly pretty terrible for sweaty hands, but I love the graphic haha.
 
False_Cast said:
Can you guys EDC fixed blades up there in the great white north?

I use a mora stainless companion or classic (latter is carbon). They’re cheap and I value the scandi geometry and ease of edge taking for these tasks. Super steel for camp knife? No thanks. Been there.



Everyone needs an opinel. They cut.

Look at a Swiss Army knife with the features you desire. I use mine all the time.

I have a leatherman I keep in my truck and many times I’ve been glad it was there.

Consider a Silky brand saw, too. I use mine all the time.

You can get all of the above for your budget on Amazon.
Click to expand...
I have a $140 Trade in Gift Certificate at KnifeWear that I am trying to use. Maybe I'll get some stuff on Amazon and burn that GiftCard on something else like a Hasegawa board.

My cousin almost took off his finger on an Opinel when he was a teenager *LOL*

My current camp knife is a Gerber
1713373257885.png
 
My camping knife:

1713373179560.png


Has since been discontinued, but has served me well for 10+ years.

If I am backpacking, I dont bring any kitchen knives since whatever I'm cooking will likely not require a knife. If I am car camping, I will bring my entire travel kit, fully stocked with my beaters and woodland gyutos.
 
Has anyone checked out the Buck 110 Folding Hunter. the one I have is at least 50 years old, inherited it from my Grandfather John Jernberg. I don't use it today because of its heirloom status but I was just looking at the 110 that Buck is making today. They have custom shop where you can have one built to order. This one with a drop point blade is calling to me. I have always liked the blade lock on the 110.

Screenshot 2024-04-17 at 11.05.07.png
 
ehhh said:
I went "camping" last year in a cabin, if you consider that camping, and brought my Mercer chef knife, paring knife, and a Mora Garberg. The Garberg is a bit thick, but fine for kindling and even splitting smaller pieces of firewood. It's probably fine for cutting food too, but I wouldn't want to use the same knife for everything if I could help it. If you want a scandi grind knife, Moras are pretty cheap and get the job done.

There are probably a ton of knives similar to that James brand that are either better or cheaper. I'd rather have something like a Cold Steel Master Hunter. Weird marketing aside, they make pretty good stuff at reasonable prices, or at least they used to. I haven't owned anything from their recent production, but their old USA/Japan made stuff is good. If you want something a bit more upmarket like the James, check out Bark River Knife & Tool. They've got a nice convex grind to them that I haven't seen in any other outdoor production blade. Go for one of their thinner blades; I have a Bravo 1 and it's heftier than it really needs to be.

If you have the room and you're not hiking around with all your gear, I'd recommend bringing a cheap chef knife and paring knife/Opinel for food, and an outdoor fixed blade for the rest.
Click to expand...
the guy at knifewear was pushing the James Hell Gap pretty hard.
It's a very pretty knife but I could not get past the fact that it costs as much as Steelport or a Maskage Zero.
 
MowgFace said:
My camping knife:

View attachment 315858

Has since been discontinued, but has served me well for 10+ years.

If I am backpacking, I dont bring any kitchen knives since whatever I'm cooking will likely not require a knife. If I am car camping, I will bring my entire travel kit, fully stocked with my beaters and woodland gyutos.
Click to expand...
My previous CarCamping beater Gyuto was a Global G2 but I gave that away. If I'm honest with myself (and you folks), I just want an excuse to buy another knife. I just got a ZKramer earlier this month. I have a Steelport lined up in the Summer. I am mixing in an EDC because it doesn't count (in my head).
 
Simply taking regular kitchen knives isn't necessarily the worst idea depending on your definition of camping. It is worth keeping in mind though that the ergonomics of cutting on your lap or at best on a table are very different from standing in a normal kitchen. IMO longer knives suffer the most.
I wouldn't be surprised if this is part of the reason many normies prefer petties; because a good chunk of them are cutting while sitting.
 
SharpestToolintheShed said:
My previous CarCamping beater Gyuto was a Global G2 but I gave that away. If I'm honest with myself (and you folks), I just want an excuse to buy another knife. I just got a ZKramer earlier this month. I have a Steelport lined up in the Summer. I am mixing in an EDC because it doesn't count (in my head).
Click to expand...

Of the outdoor knives you could use your trade in value on, were it me I would get one of the simple Helle knives they have
 
There is a foldable Messermeister reviewed here:
Camping knives reviews
i like the off-grid grizzly but have a hard time ignoring its name.
If you want to look as cool as those guys in the instagram outdoor cooking videos, the bush slicer near the end of that page would do. This one does actually look like a good option for cooking and splitting wood with its simple carbon steel.
 
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