The best assistant in the wild: TOP 5 knives for hunting and hiking

Before you is a classic field knife, made in the traditional style of the Swedish manufacturer Mora. There are no decorations, decorative elements or additional functions here - harsh (one might even say Nordic) functionality and only practical elements. This is a Scandinavian knife of a universal form, which can be used both to sharpen a tent peg and to skin game caught on a hunt. The only complaint is a rather impressive price tag, because even the metal here, albeit good (stainless steel Sandvik 12C27), is very common, and does not belong to the class of top knife steels. So there is a slight overestimation of the cost just for the brand.

An interesting feature that brings the model closer to hiking tools is observed on the butt. Actually, this part of the blade is not processed, and is quite wide and angular. This is done to use the butt as an armchair. Yes, with it you can easily strike a spark from a suitable material, and light a fire in the absence of matches or a lighter.

The cutting edge also has a distinctive feature - a micro-inlet. This is an additional sharpening line above the main one, necessary to increase the angle of the sharpened edge. On the one hand, this technology allows you to keep the factory sharpening longer. On the other hand, it significantly complicates the process of self-improvement of sharpness. First you have to sharpen the main blade, and then bring out this micro-inlet, and doing it manually is not easy.

In fact, this is a classic knife from Mora, with a slight bias towards field use. The blade, hilt and scabbard are standard for the product of this brand, and can boast of a fairly high quality.

The first thing that catches your eye is the massiveness of the blade. And this is not an optical illusion, it is really impressive thickness, as much as 5 mm, against the standard 3 - 3.5 mm for most knives. Of course, this adds weight (total weight 356 g), but it also makes the blade more reliable. So, it can be used for any work, from chopping wood for a fire to self-defense, and at the same time put it into action without fear of breaking the blade.

The blade is made of steel with a high carbon content, which ensures its high strength. In fact, they can open cans of stew and split logs by hitting the butt without consequences for integrity - chips or dents will not appear. The blade is black, but it's just a matte finish to avoid glare. It looks, of course, beautiful, but it does not have protective functions (for example, increasing anti-corrosion properties).

Pay attention to the bright stripes on the handle, near the blade and at the end. They are reflective and light-accumulative, i.e. in addition to the fact that the sheath gleams when you shine a lantern on them, they also glow in the dark for a while, so it is difficult to lose the knife. And the handle itself is interesting: with deep finger grooves and an anti-slip texture that will prevent you from accidentally dropping the knife. At the end, by the way, is a cullet.

The scabbard is worth a special mention. They are equipped with a sling cutter, a diamond-coated whetstone (which, by the way, can be used as a belt loop if you remove the standard one) and a flint. The latter is removable, and strikes sparks when held over it with the butt of a knife. In the sheath, the blade is fixed both with a regular clip and Hook-and-loop, so that even with strong shaking it will not fall out.

A full-fledged field knife with a thick blade and the ability to perform work with a very high load. Convenient, reliable and useful model for tourists and hunters.

The author of this knife is Bear Grylls, a well-known prepper. In his opinion, the most useful blade should look like this. In general, it is logical - on the one hand, the model is light (weight is only 107 g) and compact (total length is 198 mm, and the blades are 86.4 mm), and on the other hand, it is equipped with a rather massive blade of a universal shape, an ergonomic non-slip handle and is equipped with a convenient belt sheath . Moreover, the kit comes with instructions for survival (getting water, creating traps for animals, setting up a tent from improvised materials), each item of which can be implemented using the Gerber Bear Grylls Compact Fixed.

First of all, we note that the knife can be carried with you in any situation. Its dimensions clearly do not fit the title of edged weapons, so no permits from law enforcement agencies are required. But the blade is wide and thick enough to cope with any task. So, it is easy for them to chop dry wood for a fire, skin and butcher game and fish, strike sparks and even defend themselves in case of an unexpected attack, and, it doesn’t matter, from wolves or hooligans. In fact, in front of you is one of the most versatile knives in the world, which is useful both in urban environments and in nature. And thanks to the one-piece design (the so-called fulltang, in which the polymer handle is welded onto the steel shank of the blade), it will not let you down even when wringing out skirting boards during household repairs.

The handle is made of polymer materials (that is, it is not afraid of moisture, frost, or falls), has an ergonomic bend, finger grooves and anti-slip notches along the entire length. It is very difficult to accidentally drop a knife even when working under water, and the installation of a lanyard completely eliminates the possibility of loss. By the way, at the end of the handle, the blade shank protrudes noticeably, but this is how it is conceived - it can be used as a hammer or glass breaker. This fact also means that the blade has a solid structure, i. forged from a single bar of steel, and it is very difficult to break it with a side load. And in general, to separate the blade from the handle, you will have to make a lot of effort.

A classic survival knife that can be used for hunting, fishing, at home and for self-defense.

Designed and assembled in the USA, the knife looks unusual and aggressive. Mainly due to the design of the handle and blade. The latter is both the main advantage of the model and the main disadvantage, paradoxically. The fact is that it has strongly concave descents with thin convergence. This provides close to perfect cutting performance, but significantly reduces the cutting quality. The blade is good at cutting anything from meat to rubber, even hard materials like wood or soft metals. But it is strictly not recommended to cut them - with a high probability the cutting edge will suffer, and severely, up to the chipping of impressive pieces. By the way, you can prick. Drop-point blade shape, i.e. the tip is at the level of the handle and, therefore, coincides with the force application vector during stabbing. Penetrates the blade well and goes deep. Quite suitable for finishing off wounded animals.

The design is reliable - fulltang. This means that the knife is forged from a single piece of metal, and the handle is pressed onto a steel shank. It is difficult to break such a blade, both with vertical and lateral loads. The handle is also worth a look. It is made of rubber with deep finger grooves and anti-slip notches. And the ergonomic curve serves to improve grip comfort and act as a natural stop to keep your hand from slipping.

Not the strongest side of the model can be considered a scabbard. They are made of nylon, a dense and durable material. There are no complaints about him. And there is a way to attach the knife and design. Firstly, a regular clip is used, which is easy to touch with a hand, or it can become loose from frequent use, and the blade will simply fall out. Secondly, the waist loop is sewn on the back and is designed for narrow belts, which is not suitable for everyone. And thirdly, the sheath is solid and does not have holes to remove moisture, which means that it will accumulate inside and lead to damage to the blade.

A good knife for hunting and hiking, but given its only cutting specialization, and uncomfortable sheath, the price can be called too high. Although the model looks interesting, well, do not forget about the assembly in the USA.

The model is initially positioned as a hunting knife. It's built to handle any job that animal shooting enthusiasts might face. Indeed, with the help of a blade, you can set up a camp, and skin the prey, and open a can of stew, and even butcher the carcass, including the bones. The blade made of S30V steel (one of the best for knives) and a comfortable handle help in this. In fact, in front of you is a classic camping knife with which you can chop, cut and prick.

The main thing to note is the presence of special stops for using the knife when skinning. Firstly, there are notches on the handle for a side grip. Secondly, additional notches on the blade near the tip. The descents of the cutting edge are straight and the convergence is narrow enough to cut effectively. At the same time, the blade cannot be called thin or light, but rather massive and wide, which also helps with skinning.

The handle is made of plastic with a clear non-slip texture, a wide guard and notches along the entire length. It lies comfortably in the hand, and it is difficult to drop it even when cutting the carcass, and getting blood, fat or other substances on the handle. The same can be said about water - even when fully immersed, the blade does not slip. The blade, by the way, is not afraid of moisture at all.

The design was assembled according to the fulltang system, i.e. The handle is simply pressed onto the blade shank. This makes it almost impossible to break the knife. And note the steel bulges on the upper edge of the handle. They are part of the shank and form a beautiful ridge that makes the look of the knife stylish and eye-catching. This element can also be used as an additional finger rest, although the edges of each scallop are well licked.