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  1. #1
    Registered User tolkien's Avatar
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    Post Perfect hiking knife

    Most knives that people take hiking, for any period of time, fall into one of two categories: the overkill, giant, 2lb hunting knife, or, mostly, the 1in, 5$ walmart pocket knife. I recently found a happy medium. It's made of Givory, a type of plastic, so it's light, cheap, and won't rust, but it's still incredibly sharp and you can sharpen it with a piece of sandpaper. They're part of the Nightshade series made by Cold Steel. They're made to be compact and easy to carry. I'd recommend either the small boot knife or the karambit. Just throw it in your pocket(or boot) and forget about it until you need it. Go check it out.
    Made it down the coast in seventeen hours/ Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers

  2. #2
    Hash House Harrier
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    Interesting! I can see it being a good compromise between weight and strength. I wonder, though, how well it'll hold an edge, or if you'd be sandpapering it every time you had to take the plastic wrap off something. Some states also frown on double-edged fixed blades over a certain length, but 3.25" might be small enough to squeak under the limit.
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    Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
    One equal temper of heroic hearts.

  3. #3

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    I use the tiny Victorinox classic, but I also carry a Mora #2, with a 3" carbon steel blade. It is a sturdy fixed blade and weighs a little over 2 oz.

  4. #4
    Working on Forestry Grad schol
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    I had this guy: http://www.knife-depot.com/knife-297436.html Was pretty perfect (until I lost it)

  5. #5
    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ScottP View Post
    I had this guy: http://www.knife-depot.com/knife-297436.html Was pretty perfect (until I lost it)
    thats the knife i carry also.
    PS found it on the trail
    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  6. #6
    Flip flop, flip flopping' LASHin' 2000 miler
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    I checked out the Nightshade family and read some reviews on the FGX Skean Dhu as it was less than an ounce and looked like a single edged blade. I don't know about the rest of the series, but this one apparently comes w/ no sheath. Reviews are mixed with folks complaining of broken tips and inability to hold an edge. Not sure one could whittle a tent stake with one of these.
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  7. #7
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    Is the entire knife made out of Givory or just the handle? I'm with Trailbender- my tiny Victorinox Classic is all I've ever needed on a thru hike.
    Last edited by Spokes; 06-28-2011 at 09:23.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spokes View Post
    They do look nice but cold steel blades rust over time.
    That is a terribly wrong statement. Cold Steel as a company makes not only carbon(can rust) blades but also stainless and semi-stainless tool steel.

    If the OP is looking for the "perfect" knife for the AT your going to get thousands of replies because blade preference is as personal as food preferences. Just look for something light, stainless & if possible something in the 54-58 RC hardness. A hardness in that range will give you a blade which will hold an edge but is easily sharpened in the field also.

  9. #9

    Exclamation Better check...

    Quote Originally Posted by Jersey Tim View Post
    Interesting! I can see it being a good compromise between weight and strength. I wonder, though, how well it'll hold an edge, or if you'd be sandpapering it every time you had to take the plastic wrap off something. Some states also frown on double-edged fixed blades over a certain length, but 3.25" might be small enough to squeak under the limit.
    3" is the limit in RI, both for fixed blade and folding knives. I was told this by a LEO at a public office when I checked in a folding 4" lock-back that I used in my work. He said you could buy the longer bladed knife, but could not take it out of your house! This occurred in the city (Providence). I doubt that Fish & Game officers or rural LEOs would hassle you about a larger hunting or fishing knife.

    BTW. the cop cut me a break and let me have the knife back and suggested I get a knife with a legal sized blade for my work.

    "To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - T.S. Eliot

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by dillard View Post
    That is a terribly wrong statement. Cold Steel as a company makes not only carbon(can rust) blades but also stainless and semi-stainless tool steel.....
    Depends how you interpret it. That's the problem with naming a knife company after a metal. Cold steel metal does rust, and yes that's a problem for some people.

  11. #11
    Working on Forestry Grad schol
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    Quote Originally Posted by kayak karl View Post
    thats the knife i carry also.
    PS found it on the trail
    Glad it found a good home!

  12. #12
    Registered User tolkien's Avatar
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    The Karambit is one-sided, and they're pretty sharp. If you didn't tell anybody they were plastic, they might not figure it out for a long time.
    Made it down the coast in seventeen hours/ Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers

  13. #13
    Registered User tolkien's Avatar
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    Entire thing. I think they may be full-tang, too, but I'm not certain.
    Made it down the coast in seventeen hours/ Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers

  14. #14
    Registered User tolkien's Avatar
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    Finally back on the forum.
    I decided not to go through with this knife, and went with a 5in fixed blade Carbon-Steel KA-BAR knife. Over the length limit? Sure. Nobody's going to see it, though.
    Made it down the coast in seventeen hours/ Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers

  15. #15

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    this is what i carry
    izula6.JPG

  16. #16
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    Interesting topic. I just checked the Texas knife laws (never paid attention to them before) and need to re-evalute .
    Formerly known as Texas Phlox.

  17. #17
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    I like knives, but over the years I've found the itty-bitty Leatherman Squirt to be best for me.
    small_2760.JPG

  18. #18
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    This is my backpacking go-to knife: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00180GQWC

    A bit expensive, but lightweight (1.6 oz), made in USA, high-quality build, exceptional durability and function. Good stuff!

  19. #19
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    I've had this one for over twenty years. Haven't found anything better.

    GerberLSTbig.jpg
    "That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard View Post
    I've had this one for over twenty years. Haven't found anything better.
    That's the one I take, too. Another thumb up for it.

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    [I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35

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