Suggest a medium sized Spyderco FB for hiking & camping

[vivi]

EDIT: I've chosen a knife. I'll post impression once I get it.

My small fixed blade collection is pretty much complete, save for the upcoming Swick Salt.

I have a 9" chopper that's served me well for years and years, plus I just got some machetes in the mail today. So I'm pretty good on the large end of things.

Which brings me to medium sized fixed blades for hiking & camping use.

For me, that's 4-6.5" blades, with my personal sweet spot being 4.5-5".

For a while I've used the Aqua Salt in this role. I love how light it is, how tough the steel is, and the general handle shape.

What I'm not wild about is the saber grind, no smooth transition from spine to handle, and the fairly abrasive handle texture.

I also employed a Street Bowie in this role in the past, but have since sold it. It too was nice and light, and featured a full flat grind. I felt like the handle, while very comfortable, wasn't quite what I was looking for. The blade stock is also a tad thicker than I want, and the swedge chewed up batons.

I've tried the ESEE 4. Another high quality design, but simply too heavy for my preferences.

In the spirit of Mr. Glessers recent post on considering the design of the knife, I thought I should look at medium sized fixed blades designed primarily as hiking & camping knives, rather than employing marine knives and self defense designs as woods knives. :rolleyes:

The one currently catching my eye is the Junction. I know it will only be available for a limited amount of time, it's rather light, and I love the fact that it is less than 3mm thick at the spine. I have no idea what to expect from PSF-27 though, and I wonder how grippy the scale texture is.

The Sustain also looks nice, but I'd prefer a full flat grind.

Lastly, the Landi Bushcrafter is a knife I've owned and enjoyed using, but mine was Scandi grind. I've thought about picking up a FFG version of it. My only reservation is he grinds his edges incredibly thick, and I don't look forward to the reprofiling I know I'll have to do.

Some design preferences I have in this style knife are....

- No thumb ramp. I want a flat, smooth transition from scales to spine, like the Junction.
- Full flat grind.
- Drop point.
- No swedge, sharpened or not.
- Thin blade stock. 2.5-3mm is my preference, 4mm is the thickest I'd consider.
- Micarta or G10 scales with a rough texture.
- Tough carbon steels preferred, as this will see some batoning etc., but I'm open to stainless. This knife will cut few abrasive materials, so toughness is a much higher priority than edge holding.
- A design that lets me grip right next to the cutting edge for optimal leverage while carving wood. It can utilize a choil or not, either is fine.
- No sharpening notch.
- Under $200

I nearly impulse purchased a Junction this afternoon after seeing Holland's beautiful photos of his, but thought it would be wiser to seek input on what I'm looking for first.

Thanks.

[Extra330SC]

My small fixed blade collection is pretty much complete, save for the upcoming Swick Salt.

I have a 9" chopper that's served me well for years and years, plus I just got some machetes in the mail today. So I'm pretty good on the large end of things.

Which brings me to medium sized fixed blades for hiking & camping use.

For me, that's 4-6.5" blades, with my personal sweet spot being 4.5-5".

For a while I've used the Aqua Salt in this role. I love how light it is, how tough the steel is, and the general handle shape.

What I'm not wild about is the saber grind, no smooth transition from spine to handle, and the fairly abrasive handle texture.

I also employed a Street Bowie in this role in the past, but have since sold it. It too was nice and light, and featured a full flat grind. I felt like the handle, while very comfortable, wasn't quite what I was looking for. The blade stock is also a tad thicker than I want, and the swedge chewed up batons.

I've tried the ESEE 4. Another high quality design, but simply too heavy for my preferences.

In the spirit of Mr. Glessers recent post on considering the design of the knife, I thought I should look at medium sized fixed blades designed primarily as hiking & camping knives, rather than employing marine knives and self defense designs as woods knives. :rolleyes:

The one currently catching my eye is the Junction. I know it will only be available for a limited amount of time, it's rather light, and I love the fact that it is less than 3mm thick at the spine. I have no idea what to expect from PSF-27 though, and I wonder how grippy the scale texture is.

The Sustain also looks nice, but I'd prefer a full flat grind.

Lastly, the Landi Bushcrafter is a knife I've owned and enjoyed using, but mine was Scandi grind. I've thought about picking up a FFG version of it. My only reservation is he grinds his edges incredibly thick, and I don't look forward to the reprofiling I know I'll have to do.

Some design preferences I have in this style knife are....

- No thumb ramp. I want a flat, smooth transition from scales to spine, like the Junction.
- Full flat grind.
- Drop point.
- No swedge, sharpened or not.
- Thin blade stock. 2.5-3mm is my preference, 4mm is the thickest I'd consider.
- Micarta or G10 scales with a rough texture.
- Tough carbon steels preferred, as this will see some batoning etc., but I'm open to stainless. This knife will cut few abrasive materials, so toughness is a much higher priority than edge holding.
- A design that lets me grip right next to the cutting edge for optimal leverage while carving wood. It can utilize a choil or not, either is fine.
- No sharpening notch.
- Under $200

I nearly impulse purchased a Junction this afternoon after seeing Holland's beautiful photos of his, but thought it would be wiser to seek input on what I'm looking for first.

Thanks.

I say the Junction (especially on clearance ) is the way to go . I haven't been able to take it camping since I just purchased it last month...but the knife is very impressive.
The Bradley Bowie is another good option (even though it's over $200 and has a swedge ) as it looks to be a bigger /stronger blade with similar design. ...it's definitely on my short list!

James

[SF Native]

As much as I like the junction, it’s a purpose built back packing knife. The handle is thin and not particularly long. It does have a little choil but without a ramp there is nothing to keep your finger from moving onto the cutting edge. I think you have bigger hands than me. I don’t think you need to worry about psf27. It’s good. I’m guessing it’s just not a good fit for you.
Honestly, I suggest you get a mule. The cutting edge is almost the same. Pick your steel, buy or make some scales, and you are on your way.

[vivi]

I've ownd a mule and with how long my thumbs are I found the thumb ramp was too close to where the rest of my hand goes. Other than that I really like the design. I've thought about grinding the thumb ramp off on one.

Regarding the Junction handle, that was a mild concern of mine....it being a bit too short. The guard is good though. I use a lot of knives with a real minimal guard, like this:



When I'm choked up on the choil I'm carving wood, pushing straight into it. Any time I slice I use the regular grip. I don't like using index choils for general purpose cutting, just a few specific tasks.

[Bloke]

Vivi, have a look at a Roselli Hunter. I’ve had one for about a decade and can’t say enough good things about the knife. :)

[Bloke]

Whoops! :o

[Bloke]

Whoops! :o

[The Meat man]

What about the recently discontinued Sprig?

[vivi]

What about the recently discontinued Sprig?

I like the design, and I love the handle color, but the steel isn't quite what I'm looking for.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

What about the Spyderco Fred Perrin collaborations such as the Street Beat?

[Doc Dan]

The Waterway will be the way to go. Till then, the Junction gets my vote. I was going to buy the Junction, myself, but then the Waterway was announced and it is exactly what I am looking for.

[Sumdumguy]

Junction.

It is everything you are asking for at a more than reasonable price. I bought one through KC and while I havent really carried it yet, it is a great knife in the hand.

I'm surprised it hasn't sold out yet.

[vivi]

The Waterway will be the way to go. Till then, the Junction gets my vote. I was going to buy the Junction, myself, but then the Waterway was announced and it is exactly what I am looking for.

I forgot about the waterway. I'll be looking out for that release in 2019 for sure.

[Tucson Tom]

I have my Junction (recently received) sitting right on the table next to me. It is a knife I expect to learn to like more and more, but my initial impressions were varied.

The scales are as smooth as they can possibly be. I still have an Amazon tab open and I am thinking of ordering and then putting a patch of skateboard tape on the handles between the big holes. The handle is thin and slick. It is the thing I am having my issues with, but I like the knife. I can do the skateboard tape as a hobo experiment and if I don't like it, peel it off and clean everything up with some solvent. Having said all of that, I am thinking I may come to embrace this as a minimalist knife thing.

I always expect to cut myself badly pulling it out of the sheath. The sheath has a lot of retention and I really have to yank on it. This would be a non-problem and a total good thing with it on the belt. But holding the sheath with one hand and pulling the knife with the other is sketchy.

The blade though is a work of art, and sharp as heck. I don't think you will find anything not to like about PSF27. As I am sure you know, it is D2 just manufactured by this snazzy "spray formed" process. You know D2 is not fully stainless, having only 12 percent chromium, but from all I read it does very well at resisting corrosion.

The workmanship on the blade is fantastic. The shape is a classical shape with a lot of belly, which is something I am warming up to.

I have yet to get it out in the field (or even carry it for that matter), so I can't say a thing about real use. But I am very glad I picked one up. It is unique and very high quality.

Beyond the Junction, how about a nicely done up Mule team? This is a route I also intend to explore (honest I do, I don't have all these mule blades in boxes just to collect them!).

[murphjd25]

I’m not sure any Spyderco fixed blades jump out at me with your want list...their is a lot of other awesome makers out their..

[vivi]

I have my Junction (recently received) sitting right on the table next to me. It is a knife I expect to learn to like more and more, but my initial impressions were varied.

The scales are as smooth as they can possibly be. I still have an Amazon tab open and I am thinking of ordering and then putting a patch of skateboard tape on the handles between the big holes. The handle is thin and slick. It is the thing I am having my issues with, but I like the knife. I can do the skateboard tape as a hobo experiment and if I don't like it, peel it off and clean everything up with some solvent. Having said all of that, I am thinking I may come to embrace this as a minimalist knife thing.

I always expect to cut myself badly pulling it out of the sheath. The sheath has a lot of retention and I really have to yank on it. This would be a non-problem and a total good thing with it on the belt. But holding the sheath with one hand and pulling the knife with the other is sketchy.

The blade though is a work of art, and sharp as heck. I don't think you will find anything not to like about PSF27. As I am sure you know, it is D2 just manufactured by this snazzy "spray formed" process. You know D2 is not fully stainless, having only 12 percent chromium, but from all I read it does very well at resisting corrosion.

The workmanship on the blade is fantastic. The shape is a classical shape with a lot of belly, which is something I am warming up to.

I have yet to get it out in the field (or even carry it for that matter), so I can't say a thing about real use. But I am very glad I picked one up. It is unique and very high quality.

Beyond the Junction, how about a nicely done up Mule team? This is a route I also intend to explore (honest I do, I don't have all these mule blades in boxes just to collect them!).

Thanks for the feedback.

I've always had good results with D2, takes a very nice edge for me.

Strong sheath retention is a big plus in my book.

[murphjd25]

I still think you should try the Junction though Vivi. Tomorrow will be Day 7 on my belt. It hasn’t refused to do any task yet, and like Tom said, the retention is strong but I’ve been wearing it on my belt and it is perfecto!

[foofie]

Probably not a helpful suggestion, but the upcoming bow river will check most of your boxes. Not quite a drop point, and no batonning... but it fits everything else. I have one from Phil Wilson, and the ergonomics and ability to choke up is a bit better than the Southfork design (in my opinion) despite the absence of a choil. Something like this in 4v would be about perfect for you.

[vivi]

Probably not a helpful suggestion, but the upcoming bow river will check most of your boxes. Not quite a drop point, and no batonning... but it fits everything else. I have one from Phil Wilson, and the ergonomics and ability to choke up is a bit better than the Southfork design (in my opinion) despite the absence of a choil. Something like this in 4v would be about perfect for you.

At the price they'll be selling for I'm definitely picking one up regardless of what I buyin the mean time.

Really leaning towards going with the Junction.

[knivesandbooks]

I'd grab that Junction. Looks thin too. Hate bulky knives for hiking.
I've got a thing for the Moran, but that isn't what you're after.

Could try the Contego fixed blade for hiking. Doubt it would be awesome for your purposes but you'd look good using it and that's a lot of M4 steel.