Best Spyderco folder for outdoors?

[A-Ro]

I'm in need of the experts (yours) help on what a good Spyderco folder would be for outdoor use. By outdoor use, it could be: hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, etc...

It's ok to list a few options but, please specify if you had to choose only ONE option which one it would be.

Thanks in advance!

[jmh58]

WOW!! All of them!! LOL!! For me it is an orange Delica.. Orange in case I drop it and do like the FFG blade and FRN handle textureing.. JMO!!

Dont know if it the best but works for me.. I am sure you will get LOTS of suggestions/opinions from all!! John

[Holland]

you'll want a rather large blade for hunting and fishing, and light for hiking, and sturdy for camping. this points me to the military

[Officer Gigglez]

Depends on what you intend on doing with it I guess. But really, there are a large amount of Spydies that can fill that role very easily. I use a Tenacious Combo Edge. Mainly because I don't like to use the more expensive knives for utility stuff. I used the Pacific Salt quite a bit too, to the point of the coating being scratched to ****.

[MatthewSB]

The only thing I've ever done with a long (3.5"+) blade, where the length didn't get in my way and make things difficult, is processing wood for a fire or shelter building but those were 3/16" to 1/4" thick fixed blades.

I'm not sure why people recommend long blades for hunting or fishing, I've never felt the need for a long bladed knife for cutting fishing lines, paracord, food, packaging, etc. Skinning a deer can be done with a box cutter. Filleting fish requires a fillet knife, even as thin as a Military is it would be too thick and stiff for that. I wouldn't use a folder for shelter building, there are ways to bust wood into smaller pieces that don't require the destruction of my weaker cutting tools. If you are "hunting" with your knife, I'd recommend using it to sharpen a long stick to a point, it will work better

I bring a ParaMilitary 2 or Military when I venture off of the pavement and into the woods or onto a lake, but that is only because it was already in my pocket. For real outdoors use, a 2" bladed Dragonfly will do 99% of your cutting chores, just be sure to bring an axe for anything the pocketknife can't handle, because an extra 2" of blade on a folding knife probably won't make any difference :)

[eric m.]

Out on the woods, hunting, camping, or fishing I always carry a fixed blade of 5"-6" and either a leatherman or my swiss army knife for utility work! Along with these I would choose my Military or Stretch combo-edge without a doubt! Love the combo-edge for harder cutting tasks! :D

[NoFair]

Military. Light, large handle that is easy to use when cold or wearing gloves and it is easy to clean. It has a thin tip for delicate work while still being large enough for food prep. The PM2 is as good for people who prefer the comp lock.

A Stretch isn't as easy to use with gloves and is harder to clean, but is otherwise great (better for skinning/game prep than the pointier Millie and PM2). Apart from battoning (shouldn't be done with folders imho) outdoor use isn't really hard on a knife so anything with a comfortable handle works great.

[Parhelion]

Superleaf maybe?

- thick 4mm full flat grind blade of VG-10, which is good all around steel, stainless and easy to sharpen
- open construction to clean
- very reliable compression lock
- big choil for delicate work grip
- comfy handle that allows many different grips
- kind of hook at the end of handle you can grab it and chop small branches

[mikerestivo]

My choice is the Military. It has a large handle, allowing for great leverage, and a lot of cutting edge on the blade. I find it more comfortable to use for actual work than most smaller knives. The flow-through design allows for easy cleaning.

[ChapmanPreferred]

Military

[Evil D]

Superleaf maybe?

- thick 4mm full flat grind blade of VG-10, which is good all around steel, stainless and easy to sharpen
- open construction to clean
- very reliable compression lock
- big choil for delicate work grip
- comfy handle that allows many different grips
- kind of hook at the end of handle you can grab it and chop small branches

Superleaf is one of the better, and more often than not overlooked options out there, better than a Military IMO, even though I really love the Military. My reasoning is that I would trust the compression lock just a bit more than a liner lock for hard use, especially if I ended up having to baton some wood, and the blade shape would be much better suited for skinning if you're into hunting.

Beyond all that, I would also look into the Bradley, even though it's not stainless, the steel is great for this kind of work and again the blade is well suited for a variety of tasks, and as far as liner locks go it's up there with the beefiest you'll find in the catalog. Otherwise if you can afford it, the Lionspy would be outstanding for all of this, it's just really expensive.

[Blerv]

Salts can't rust so if that is one of your needs they are pretty amazing. :) .

[ad4re]

WOW!! All of them!! LOL!! For me it is an orange Delica.. Orange in case I drop it and do like the FFG blade and FRN handle textureing.. JMO!!

Dont know if it the best but works for me.. I am sure you will get LOTS of suggestions/opinions from all!! John

Yup, exactly the reasons I bought an orange Delica for hiking and camping.

[A-Ro]

Anyone know why the Superleaf was discontinued?

[Holland]

Anyone know why the Superleaf was discontinued?

didnt sell well enough. I can see why, VG10 isnt very exciting, imo its not the most attractive knife, and 4mm blade isnt going to cut as well as a 3mm blade. just my opinion

[tvenuto]

To add to Hollands post, it was slightly more expensive with less edge and more handle than the Manix XL. Speaking of which, I'd probably take either my Manix XL or Southard. If it were cold, the extra handle of the XL would be easier to work with gloves, so XL is my answer.

[Evil D]

The Superleaf needs to come back in 3V.

[eric m.]

The Superleaf needs to come back in 3V.

I'm definitely in the minority here but I prefer the Superleaf to the Para2 and the Manix2! I like the leaf-shaped blade over the para2, and I prefer it's handle profile to the wide Manix2! :D

[Blerv]

The Superleaf likely failed due to cost relative to the Para2 and Manix2. While this was mainly a yen vs dollar problem I have to think it was competing for the same pockets.

If they make a leaf-blade Lil Temp2 (or rhino!) I hope for a tool steel version.

[Screwdriver]

I'd use a Gayle Bradley.......Military second.