Spyderco Forums

Guys,i need your help:i love to go hiking with my dog in the woods,and i need a fixed blade.
What do you think it will be the best?
Thanks in advance.

Sorry for the double post

The Bradley Junction. Slim and lightweight. Can still be had at knifecenter for $139.

A Mule or the Bradley Junction are both lightweight fixed blades and are both great for hiking. I carry a Street Beat hiking a lot.

The Waterway was designed with a little of that in mind. It is an all around knife and is at the perfect weight and blade length for a hiking knife.

I second the Wateway. Basically corrosion-proof, so very low maintenance required. Very grippy handle scale and a nice sheath and clip.

If it were me, I’d carry a Waterway.

Hi Spyderwolf,

I spend a lot of time hiking in the woods as well. Backpacking and wilderness exploration have been a passion of mine for 35 years. I have designed and currently make a couple of fixed blades that are specifically intended to be hiking companions. Spyderco has a few such options that are very worthy of your consideration. I own almost all of them.

But in order to really offer a good suggestion, I have a couple of questions for you...

1. What's the distance of your typical hike?
2. What predators and/or other dangers (if any) might you encounter on your typical hike?
3. What is your main reason for needing or wanting a fixed blade knife while you hike?

Best regards,
CK

the problem with asking this question on a spyderco forum is that no one will tell you you should just get a mora.

ladybug93 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:39 am

the problem with asking this question on a spyderco forum is that no one will tell you you should just get a mora.

If someone asks the question on a Spyderco Forum it is assumed they are asking about a Spyderco product and it would also be needlessly rude (to the host of the forum Spyderco) to suggest another brand in this context. If he asks for other brand suggestions, that's different. So far he didn't.

If it has to be Spyderco then Waterway.

What do you expect to need a knife for on these hikes? Are you concerned with actual survival situations or just need an edge in a lightweight package for random uses? There are a lot of good options but being realistic with your needs will narrow down what suits you best, so we need more info or you'll just get everyone's favorite models.

So, if you need just the absolute basic and lightest option then maybe an Ark is enough for your needs.

Or, if you think shelter making and camp chores are a possibility maybe an Enuff or Moran would be a better option.

I carry a 20CV Mule with great scales compliments of a couple of good guys in this thread.... In all seriousness, get a Mule in a steel that you like and put some nice scales on it. It can't be beat.

If you just want a simple cutting tool I'd go as lightweight as possible. Chap LW, or Manix LW if you want bigger.

If you want a fixed blade, it's probably because you have heavier cutting tasks you want to accomplish while you're out? If that's the case, I'd probably go with the Junction.

Xplorer wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 22, 2019 11:08 am

ladybug93 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:39 am

the problem with asking this question on a spyderco forum is that no one will tell you you should just get a mora.

If someone asks the question on a Spyderco Forum it is assumed they are asking about a Spyderco product and it would also be needlessly rude (to the host of the forum Spyderco) to suggest another brand in this context. If he asks for other brand suggestions, that one thing. So far he didn't.

one could choose to see it that way. in my view, i gave an honest and valid opinion with an appropriate recommendation for the request. the question was what we think would be the best. the most appropriate spyderco is probably the bow river, which is not available, has inferior steel, and costs as much as almost three moras. the waterway would be a great choice, but it’s ten moras and i prefer cheaper tools (as long as they can do the job) when i’m in the woods. the proficient could be a good option, but that’s about twenty-five moras. do i need to go on here? even the bug costs more than a mora. moras are excellent knives for walking in the woods and you don’t have to worry about them rusting or getting lost because they are so inexpensive.

i’ve sold my fair share of spydercos by showing off my own and recommending them as edc knives where appropriate. i love all of mine. i’m more than happy to suggest one to anyone looking for a great knife. that doesn’t mean they always have the best option for every scenario.

for example, it doesn’t look like spyderco is even trying to compete for this place in the market. even the bushcraft, which was really the closest contender with a lot of woods knives, was discontinued. so, i don’t think i’m hurting spyderco’s sales by recommending a mora to someone that wants a fixed blade knife for hiking, and if he wants a spyderco specifically, i very much doubt my recommendation will deter him.

i don’t mean any disrespect to spyderco. i just gave my opinion.

Hiking and fishing are important hobbies of mine, so I’ve come across this issue before. From Spyderco, the Bradley Junction, mule-team, and waterway are hard to beat.

I recently purchased a junction on sale and hope to test it as a short-distance hiking and fishing knife. It’s made from PSF-27, which is similar (if not identical) to D2. I’ve grown to love tool-steels because of their ability to keep a razor edge when whittling/torqueing on hardwoods (likely from the higher hardness?). Their downside is the potential to rust. PSF-27 has a relatively large percentage of chromium and will probably only stain / rust with serious neglect. As such, it should work well for fresh-water fishing and summer hiking with appropriate care. Additionally, the manufacturing process may make PSF-27 a little tougher than ingot based D2 at the same hardness. The sheath is very well-designed and while excellent, I still prefer a taco style sheath for the smaller profile when attached horizontally to a belt. The thinness of the junction may compensate and make it ride unnoticed.

The mule-team project was a fantastic opportunity for many to get a fixed blade with exotic steels for practically a steal. You’d be hard pressed to find a fixed blade of equal value for the cost. I’m sad to see it go, but I think it was more of a gift to the knife community from Spyderco from the beginning. Likely, it just became too expensive to maintain. That project is the only reason I own a PD1 fixed-blade, which is similar to cruwear. Spyderco also sells nice G10 handes and boltaron sheaths. Again, the sheath is very well done, but I find it a little large on a belt. It’s perfect for strapping to the outside of a bag. They still have two stainless models composed of RWL34 (similar to cpm154) and cts-b70p. They also have the pma11 tool steel (similar to 10V). I’ve been thinking about purchasing one, but I’m worried that the high hardness and carbide content will make it more likely to chip if whittling or torqueing on wood when making tinder or feather-sticks. Any feedback on the subject is welcome (but probably not in this thread). The PD1 appears to still be in stock and has my vote as the best outdoor mule option. I’d probably give the second to RWL34 because 154cm is a known well-rounded performer.

The waterway is likely going to be my perfect fishing (and possibly hiking?) knife once I purchase one. The practically corrosion-proof steel makes it ideal for placing it on my belt and just forgetting about it when wading into the water when fishing or sweating on a hot day. I’m not sure how well LC200N will take whittling before the edge rolls though. It’s supposed to be a tough steel, so I’ll have to wait and see. The design is ideal for an outdoors knife and the sheath is taco-style with a thumb-ramp for easy one-hand extraction. Additionally, the spine should work well with a ferrocerium rod. The whole package is well designed. I’m a little surprised I don’t own one already…

For ultralight backpacking, the best knife I have found is a little elmax fixed blade from Rainer knives. It’s likely too small for seriously rough usage. It requires a paracord wrap (making it less than ideal for fishing) and has a minimalist, lightweight, horizontal-carry sheath. Being a fixed blade, I’m not afraid to subject it to some light abuse that would likely destroy the pivot on a folder. The sheath is a big decision-maker for me and is the only reason I never bring a mora along. The waterway and junction meet my minimalist-size horizontal-carry sheath requirement. I rarely need a knife when I’m backpacking and only bring one as a precaution in case I need to make some dry kindling if it rains. I value my spydercos more, but they are heavier. If (and when) I throw fishing into the backpacking mix, I’ll likely bring either the junction or waterway (once I get one) with me and decide later if I mind carrying a quarter-pound tool + a fishing rod around.

For short hikes, I usually have an s110v military or serrated pacific salt in my back pocket for reference.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,

Hiking could mean just normal EDC sorts of things. In which case most choices will work fine. Something in a CPM M4 would be pretty tough as well as giving you the edge holding. If you also seek the ability to build some shelter, hack some wood, and generally be tough on a knife, the upcoming Province in 4V would be a great tool.

I really like the Junction as well, I just wish the handle wasn’t so skinny. If it was a little bit thicker with a hand swell it would be perfect because that 4” blade length and blade thickness is perfect for a backpacking knife. I’m still trying to find the ultimate backpacking knife, it never stops.

Waterway, Sprig or Junction would fit the bill. :)



Edit: What I probably should have added is, I’d carry any one of the knives above if I was also carrying a rifle.

If I was carrying a rod and reel I’d carry a Waterway or Sprig and a Tasman Salt HB.

If I was simply going for a day hike I’d carry a zero ground Scandinavian, Roselli Hunter.

Spyderco seems to make knives for everything and everyone with one execution. They don’t make a traditional Bushcraft knife with simple carbon steel blade. Personally it doesn’t matter two bob to me and I understand that competing with the likes of Mora and the myriad of quality manufacturers making such knives would not be a viable proposition. :)