Recommend a folder for an outdoor adventurer

[Spygineer]

Thanks all for the recommendations! Since I was looking for something lightweight and durable (and I think the Captian may be a bit specialized as far as blade shape), I am leaning towards the salt, delica/endura, para.

Not familiar with H1 steel, but sounds like he salt is a good fit especially in damp environments. The yellow handle is great too. Great pics, BTW, Lighthearted.

I own a delica myself and love it. Not sure why I didnt think of that as an option.

The millie might be too big, but the para might work. I'll have to handle one to see just how big this thing is.

One thing I forgot to ask, should I be considering the mini manix at all? Would you guys recommend this?

edit: As far as fixed vs. folder, my thought was that this would be his one and only knife. So I wanted something he can use as an EDC after his outdoor trips.

[LowSpeedHighDrag]

Honestly, if he isnt big into knives, Id get him an Endura 4 SE and let him beat on that for awhile untile he gets hooked on spydies. The E4 is a beast of a knife and the thick Vg10 blade just isnt going to snap.

[MLR]

if you want the knife to be his first edc, then think twice about getting the para.

i'd recommend going for something a bit more pocket friendly or discreet.

[LeeCQC]

if you want the knife to be his first edc, then think twice about getting the para.

I'm not sure I understand this clearly. Are you recommending the para or suggesting against it?

Personally, I love my para, and wouldnt hesitate, at all, to use it as my primary outdoors blade. But, YMMV. :spyder:

[Joshua J.]

I'd go with one of the Salts. Not having to worry about rust is a pretty big deal for most people, especially if he's only using the knife casually.

[RIOT]

Pacific Salt Looks right at home in that pic.

I just officially gave my yellow Tasman Salt SE the title of my deep sea fishing knife, couldnt have asked for more

[stap2211]

In this case, the end-user is your brother (not you) ... described as a simple guy ... as yet not tuned in to high-performance knives. Presumably, this means he's not yet aware of high-end sharpening either. And outdoors plus edc is where the knife will see action.

All these factors point to either a Salt I or Pacific Salt PE.

So ... first, it's important that he not lose it if he's not yet used to carrying. Therefore ... if he can tolerate YELLOW, that's what he should get.

PE vs SE? PE wins out for a newbie sharpener ... who'll probably want to do a little whittling, shaving and food prep ... all of which are complicated by SE.

Rustproofness is good if near salty air or water ... otherwise, VG-10 just as good or better than H-1 ... except it's a touch more demanding to sharpen.

Lightweight and simple pin construction ... plenty tough enough and no need for fancy screwdrivers.

Price ? Moderate ... 60 to 70 bucks or so for either Salt I or Pacific Salt.

If he get's into knives as he uses his first really good one ... well, then he has a whole universe of more specialized knives to choose from as he learns what his needs and preferences are. What you don't want to do is give him a knife that he (for whatever reason) can't relate to enough to use regularly (too hard too sharpen, requires too many accessories to maintain, too weird looking or the wrong color or size for his newbie perception to accomodate, etc.) If that happens, he'll revert back to lousy $5-10 knives because the really good ones seem "too complicated" to own, use and maintain. If he feels obligated to go where he doesn't want to, he'll drop the learning curve and regress to using poorly designed, cheaper, throw-away tools.

A plain-edged Pacific Salt or FRN Cara Cara (great handle ergos) ... with a triangle sharpener seem to be the most appropriate gifts for your brother ... in that they are gifts that keep on giving.

[LeeCQC]

In this case, the end-user is your brother (not you) ... described as a simple guy ... as yet not tuned in to high-performance knives. Presumably, this means he's not yet aware of high-end sharpening either. And outdoors plus edc is where the knife will see action.

All these factors point to either a Salt I or Pacific Salt PE.

So ... first, it's important that he not lose it if he's not yet used to carrying. Therefore ... if he can tolerate YELLOW, that's what he should get.

PE vs SE? PE wins out for a newbie sharpener ... who'll probably want to do a little whittling, shaving and food prep ... all of which are complicated by SE.

Rustproofness is good if near salty air or water ... otherwise, VG-10 just as good or better than H-1 ... except it's a touch more demanding to sharpen.

Lightweight and simple pin construction ... plenty tough enough and no need for fancy screwdrivers.

Price ? Moderate ... 60 to 70 bucks or so for either Salt I or Pacific Salt.

If he get's into knives as he uses his first really good one ... well, then he has a whole universe of more specialized knives to choose from as he learns what his needs and preferences are. What you don't want to do is give him a knife that he (for whatever reason) can't relate to enough to use regularly (too hard too sharpen, requires too many accessories to maintain, too weird looking or the wrong color or size for his newbie perception to accomodate, etc.) If that happens, he'll revert back to lousy $5-10 knives because the really good ones seem "too complicated" to own, use and maintain. If he feels obligated to go where he doesn't want to, he'll drop the learning curve and regress to using poorly designed, cheaper, throw-away tools.

A plain-edged Pacific Salt or FRN Cara Cara (great handle ergos) ... with a triangle sharpener seem to be the most appropriate gifts for your brother ... in that they are gifts that keep on giving.

That's all well and good, but the fact remains, IMO, the Para is the supierior bushcraft/outdoors blade, hence it's what I would recommend. The grind is better for slicing, it's easy to clean out, the lock is fantastic, and the steel holds an edge well. Also, it's not complicated for him to send it back to Spyderco if it gets too dull, and he can carry a cheapo blade until it gets back (which I hear the turnaround for sharpening isnt normally that bad). As for rusting, it shouldnt be too hard to keep the blade dry. Afterall, he's used to using a regular stainless steel.

[MLR]

That's all well and good, but the fact remains, IMO, the Para is the supierior bushcraft/outdoors blade

Bushcraft is more of a specialty need than general outdoors use. In fact, the OP mentioned general use in camping, skiing/boarding, and kayaking/boating.

For general outdoors use, take a look at which knives REI carries. You'll find the Delica/Enura and the Salts. Most reviewers there seem pretty stoked with these knives for general outdoor use.

I believe the Para and Military are very good knives but they are pretty spendy tools to give to a now-NKP unless their benefits will be fully realized in use.

[Sam Vimes]

So we are talking about a non-knife nut that would probably have a dickie fit if he found it was an expensive knife. If he's anything like an awful lot of folk that I know, if they were bought an expensive knife and found out how much it cost they'd end up not carrying it for fear of losing it. He probably doesn't need anything too fancy or specialised. Just a decent functional Spydie. I'm going to suggest a Native or a Tenacious. If they aren't expensive enough then buy him two or one of each. :D

[Spygineer]

In this case, the end-user is your brother (not you) ... described as a simple guy ... as yet not tuned in to high-performance knives. Presumably, this means he's not yet aware of high-end sharpening either. And outdoors plus edc is where the knife will see action.

All these factors point to either a Salt I or Pacific Salt PE.

So ... first, it's important that he not lose it if he's not yet used to carrying. Therefore ... if he can tolerate YELLOW, that's what he should get.

PE vs SE? PE wins out for a newbie sharpener ... who'll probably want to do a little whittling, shaving and food prep ... all of which are complicated by SE.

Rustproofness is good if near salty air or water ... otherwise, VG-10 just as good or better than H-1 ... except it's a touch more demanding to sharpen.

Lightweight and simple pin construction ... plenty tough enough and no need for fancy screwdrivers.

Price ? Moderate ... 60 to 70 bucks or so for either Salt I or Pacific Salt.

If he get's into knives as he uses his first really good one ... well, then he has a whole universe of more specialized knives to choose from as he learns what his needs and preferences are. What you don't want to do is give him a knife that he (for whatever reason) can't relate to enough to use regularly (too hard too sharpen, requires too many accessories to maintain, too weird looking or the wrong color or size for his newbie perception to accomodate, etc.) If that happens, he'll revert back to lousy $5-10 knives because the really good ones seem "too complicated" to own, use and maintain. If he feels obligated to go where he doesn't want to, he'll drop the learning curve and regress to using poorly designed, cheaper, throw-away tools.

A plain-edged Pacific Salt or FRN Cara Cara (great handle ergos) ... with a triangle sharpener seem to be the most appropriate gifts for your brother ... in that they are gifts that keep on giving.

Wow! Thanks for breaking it down. I think I will end up getting the salt! Your descripotion sounds like my brother. Plus it is decently priced, wont rust, easy to find. May be a good starter for him. He is an adventure nut, but not a knife nut...yet. Hopefully this will change things.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Unfortunately for me, the para now intrigues me...I may save this one for me!!! :D

[LowSpeedHighDrag]

Wow! Thanks for breaking it down. I think I will end up getting the salt! Your descripotion sounds like my brother. Plus it is decently priced, wont rust, easy to find. May be a good starter for him. He is an adventure nut, but not a knife nut...yet. Hopefully this will change things.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Unfortunately for me, the para now intrigues me...I may save this one for me!!! :D

Well, the para usually visits the mountains with me and it does very well!

[Murdoc]

Pacific Salt in PE is a very good choice for all the reasons already mentioned. One of these will serve your brother well.

Now, you will only have to decide between yellow and black. the bright yellow is a very good color for SALT knives and their intended use, so go with that

UNLESS

your brother could possibly be turned off by this color so much that he won't EDC it after his trip. You know him, so you will have to decide...

If there's a chance that he's ok with a yellow knife, get one of these. SALTs are supposed to be in that color :)

Dennis

[gaj999]

... I want to get him an all purpose outdoor knife (folder).

I know that this is way outside your request, but I spend a *lot* of time outdoors and if I could only take only one knife, it would be a swiss army knife, a Victorinox specifically. Fortunately there's no rule that says you can only take one, so I always have two and usually three knives with me when I'm out in the woods - a SAK, a folder, and a fixed blade. I can't emphasize enough how often you use the screwdriver, can opener, scissors, tweezers, etc. They have a thin blade which still cuts pretty well when it's dull and are easy to sharpen. If I have to pick a Spydie, I'll vote for a yellow handled Salt, PE.

Gordon

[gandalfe]

If he's a cheapscate anything over 30 dollars will be left at home.He will be too cheap to carry it.I suggest a Byrd G10 Cara Cara.Cheap enough for him to truly admire.I'm also too cheap to bring an expensive knife into the wilderness.Lost too many out there.

[wescobts]

As an outdoorsman myself, I would be concerned with the Captain as my first good knife. First of all they're a little more money than other good options, secondly the shape of the blade might throw him for a loop. IMHO I would stick with a non-serrated blade, a blade no longer than 3.5, and lightweight. I say this because he was using a cheap $10.00 dollar knife, his mindset was not how important a knife is; is those conditions, on how it might be the only tool saving his bacon. I applaud you for seeing this a stepping up, but start with a solid good knife and let him see the value of this tool and then maybe down the road a Captain. I would love a Captain, if you are so inclined. :D

[carrot]

Para. It is shorter and stouter than the Military, which IMHO would give it the edge for outdoor use. The Military is a fine choice, but I think in this case the shorter and stouter blade of the Para makes it slightly tougher.

[A.P.F.]

Speaking as a person that literally grew up in the woods, a Military would be my first choice and a Para-Military my second choice.

[Mr Blonde]

Since your brother is an experienced outdoorsman, I'd recommend a more refined design. Something flat ground. Although I dislike the Paramillie, once opened and in the hand it's a fine folder. I have great experience with a Military, Caly III and the Moran drop point for camping use.

The Moran especially is an excellent little camping/hiking/backpacking blade. It's a great performer, "strong lock", excellent in the hand and very very lightweight. Add a Duckfoot or 'golden stone' to keep the edge sharp.

Wouter

[R.S.R]

What about the Spyderco "Stretch"(Original)
Flat ground and "solid" in its build.
You could put your brothers initials on it (it has a stainless handle)
Check it out.