How to choose a knife for a tourist. What kind of hiking knives should you have for a hike? Can opener

Knife device

The knife consists of blade (1 ) And handles (2 ).

the tip of the blade (3 ).

blade (4 ) or cutting edge.

descents (5 ).

butt of the blade (6 ).

Holomeni7

fifth of the blade (8 ).

cross(limiter) (9

head (10 ).

lanyard (11

AND according to the shape of the blade section.

Finka

Drop-point

Trailing point

Clip-point or Bowie

Blade type " scramasax" or " goat leg

Tanto

Spear-point

1. Straight wedge from the butt

Tree

Leather

Metals

Thermoplastics

Elastomers

Sheath

The sheath is designed to provide:

Types of knives

Fishing knives

Cook food;

open canned food and bottles;

cut or cut down branches;

Travel knives

• Produce and prepare food.
• Make a shelter.

folding,

Machete knives

Machete(Spanish) machete

These actions include:

• making and making fire;
• production and repair of clothing;
• terrain orientation;
• basic medical care.

Usually, basic set

Case

Now about blades

Length

Sharpening.

Sore spot

Lever.

Knives you can buy in our online store.

If you decide to purchase a knife, first of all, Van needs to decide what it is for and what it will have to do.

Fishing, hunting or active recreation a knife may be needed to perform a variety of operations: cutting a carcass, cleaning fish, cooking, cutting thin trees, sharpening stakes, etc. In this case, it is better for you to choose a hunting or carving knife. If you most often go on organized hikes or tours, then folding multifunctional knives are ideal for these purposes.

The second thing you need to know is, of course, the material of the blade of the knife you are choosing and the material of the handle. The third thing to consider is the sheath.

But let's start from the beginning. Let us first consider the device (structure) of the knife.

Knife device

At first glance, it seems that such a simple product as a knife has little components- blade and hilt! But each separate part consists of several sections with different names.

Structure of the knife: 1 - blade, 2 - handle, 3 - tip, 4 - blade (cutting edge), 5 - slopes, 6 - blade spine, 7 - fullers, 8 - blade heel, 9 - cross (limiter), 10 - head, 11 - lanyard.

The knife consists of blade (1 ) And handles (2 ).

If the blade converges wedge-shaped at one point towards its end, then this point is called the tip of the blade (3 ).

The sharpened side of the blade is called blade (4 ) or cutting edge.

The surface of the part of the blade that tapers towards the blade is called descents (5 ).

The side opposite the blade is called butt of the blade (6 ).

Sometimes on the lateral surface ( Holomeni) of the blade are filled with grooves - valleys ( 7 ), which lighten the blade. On combat knives, they are designed to allow faster blood loss when the knife remains in the wound.

The unsharpened part of the blade adjacent to the handle is called fifth of the blade (8 ).

On many knives, between the blade and the handle there is cross(limiter) (9 ). Sometimes the crosspiece is incorrectly called a guard, because a guard is a part of the handle of a long-bladed bladed weapon that protects the hand from being hit by an enemy weapon. In this case, the crosspiece is intended mainly to prevent the hand from slipping from the handle to the blade during stabbing movements.

The part of the handle farthest from the blade is called head (10 ).

Sometimes a hole is made in the head of the handle through which lanyard (11 ). A lanyard is a cord that is worn on the hand and serves to prevent the loss of the weapon when releasing it from the hand.

When assessing a blade, you should pay attention to the following: strength, corrosion resistance, ability to hold an edge. Ideally, a reasonable combination of all indicators, although much of this is not dogma. Thus, the northern hunting peoples of Russia prefer a knife made of soft steel, since it can be sharpened on a stone, and it is desirable that the steel of the blade has minimal elasticity.

Blades can be classified according to the following characteristics: according to the shape of the side profile of the blade And according to the shape of the blade section.

The shape of the side profile of the blade plays a decisive role in choosing a knife, since depending on the shape of the blade, knives serve different purposes.

Based on the side profile of the blade, the following main types of blades can be distinguished:

Finka- this type of blade has a straight spine and is capable of piercing with its tip.

Drop-point- a blade of this shape has a lowered spine line. The tip is located on the axis of application of force when thrusting, the blade cuts and stabs equally well. On the front part of the butt, there is sometimes either a “false blade” formed by slopes without sharpening, or a second full-fledged blade (one-and-a-half sharpening), which helps the blade to enter the material being cut when thrusting.

Trailing point- a blade of this shape has an increased spine line. This type of blade has the longest blade length, which is convenient when cutting soft materials. Some national knives with a blade of this type have a sharpened spine.

Clip-point or Bowie- named after Texas national hero James Bowie. It was developed in the 19th century for combat knives and has a beveled butt in the form of a duck's nose, but it can also be straight. As a rule, there is also a sharpening on the butt. A blade of this shape is equally good for cutting and thrusting, due to the location of the tip on the axis of application of force upon impact. Knives with blades of this type are especially popular in the USA.

Blade type " scramasax" or " goat leg» has a straight blade, which makes the blade suitable for precise, controlled cutting. The absence of a point makes piercing impossible, but the knife becomes safer. Professional knives have this shape: a rigging knife, an electrician’s knife, a garden knife, etc. Sometimes a similar shape is found in folding multi-item knives.

Tanto- the shape of the blade was born in the fascinating world of Japanese edged weapons, according to some sources, and according to others, it appeared quite recently in an American knife manufacturing company. A blade of this shape has extreme stability of the tip due to the fact that the massiveness of the blade is maintained right up to the tip. Most often used for combat knives, but sometimes found on other types. One can argue for a very long time about the convenience of this blade shape for various cuts.

Spear-point has a spear-shaped blade. Most often used on daggers and combat knives, which are better suited for thrusting than cutting. Usually has a double-sided sharpening.

Based on the cross-sectional shape, the following main types can be distinguished:

1. Straight wedge from the butt(triangular blade in cross-section, more often called the Scandinavian type of sharpening). Quite durable and sharp sharpening, most often used on knives that are used as a lever. Well suited for cutting. It is poorly suited for chopping actions due to the lower strength of the thin cutting edge.

2. Blade with straight bevels. Similar to the first type of blade, but the cutting edge is formed at a more obtuse angle, which gives greater strength and wear resistance while the quality of the cut deteriorates.

3. Blade with concave (razor) slopes- ideally suited for cutting. Helps achieve a particularly thin cutting edge with a thick and durable spine.

4. Blade with convex (lenticular) slopes. The blade is especially durable for chopping blows.

5. Straight wedge with leads to the cutting edge(often called the European type of sharpening). In terms of their characteristics, blades with this sharpening are identical to number one, the only difference is that the cutting edge has a more obtuse angle due to the leads.

The quality of any knife, and therefore its characteristics and ability to perfectly perform the functions assigned to it, directly depend on the material from which the knife blade is made.

Currently, most often, in the production of blades, carbon or alloy steel is used, subjected to special thermomechanical treatment. For blade steel, properties such as hardness, impact strength, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, etc. are important.

IN Lately There is noticeable interest in the use of steels with a particularly uniform structure (for example, “powder” CPM steels), which leads to greater strength of the material, or vice versa to the formation of unevenness - solid structures in the viscous “matrix” of the material (damask steel and damask steel - “patterned steels” ).

The most essential requirements are imposed on knife handles, since the strength and reliability of the handles is the most important thing.

A solid knife handle and a shank passing through it are an ideal option. Riveted linings can chip, so they are not entirely suitable for a high-quality handle. Also, the handle should fit comfortably in the hand, not slip out of a wet and dirty palm, and not cause bloody calluses during prolonged use.

You should not choose a handle with deep grooves for the fingers, since any specific action with a knife requires an individual arrangement of the fingers on the handle. The handle of the knife must fit comfortably in your hand and correspond to its size.

Choosing the optimal material for the handle is quite problematic. When planning a trip to warm latitudes, metal is a logical choice, but if there is a need to use a knife at temperatures below zero, it is definitely not the best choice.

If your preference is in favor of wood, you should seriously consider choosing a specific species, and even when choosing the best wood, do not forget about the moisture-resistant coating. The wooden handles of many homemade knives are soaked in vegetable oil and dried for a long time - a well-proven, elementary method.

Today manufacturers offer big choice handles made of polymer materials. When testing such a handle, pay attention to its resistance to organic solvents, such as diesel fuel and gasoline, as well as its resistance to cracks and chips. Don't forget that any polymer becomes brittle over time. Leather handles, even very well soaked ones, get wet over time. And, perhaps, handles wrapped in nylon cord are absolutely unsuitable.

Listed below are the main handle materials used in the production of knives. In fact there are a huge number of them.

Tree- a very common material for making handles. Most often they are made with overhead shanks, less often with a mounted shank. Of course, the tree itself can be absolutely anything - bird cherry, birch, walnut, cedar, beech, etc., but any one is far from the best material. No matter how you treat it, what you impregnate it with, and still, little by little, the wood will become saturated with moisture and dry out. And so many times. In connection with this, the handle will soon dry out and burst in the very weak point. Also, wooden handles cannot be tolerated more or less strong blows. Plus, or rather minus, the wooden handles are “cold” to such an extent that the temperature of the hand is not enough to warm it up. The real benefit is that you can make almost any handle shape without much effort.

Leather- an excellent material for making inlaid handles. The properties of a leather handle are superior to many natural materials. It does not absorb enough moisture and is “warm”. The downside is that making and processing such a handle at home is quite labor-intensive.

Metals- mainly used for making handles of folding knives. Titanium, steel, aluminum and some others. This is due to the fact that the handles are very strong and are capable of experiencing quite large forces in the area of ​​the blade’s rotation axis. Titanium is famous for its properties such as lightness (40% lighter than steel), strength and corrosion resistance, and antimagnetism. Aluminum has the same properties as titanium, with the exception of strength, but this does not prevent it from being used as a material for handles; moreover, with certain processing, the aluminum surface becomes more wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant.

Thermoplastics- used in the manufacture of handles using injection molding. The handle can be given almost any shape. The most common and most used is polyamide. This is due to the fact that, created back in the 30s, this material remains the most wear-resistant, with excellent dielectric and fire-resistant properties, and has high mechanical strength, even when exposed to relatively high temperatures.

Elastomers- synthetic material that allows you to create handles that are softer, and at the same time capable of withstanding quite large mechanical loads. The handles are made by injection molding. In general, elastomers in their properties resemble rubber, which is why when you grip a handle made of this material, you get a feeling of sticking to your hand, which is generally a positive quality. High properties are achieved by mixing different elastomers and adding various "filler" materials during manufacture. The most well-known elastomers include kraton and santoprene.

Sheath– a necessary attribute of a knife, a home for a knife. Many people believe that the sheath of a hunting knife must be made of thick, natural, well-treated leather. However, even the best blade can darken in a leather sheath and become corroded. This is due to the effect on the metal of the substances used in tanning.

Regarding the design of the scabbard, opinions are generally clear. Inside, it is desirable to have a plastic or wooden insert that will protect the seams from cuts, a strap or a valve that completely covers the handle. The belt loop should be mounted high, allowing as much rotation as possible.

The sheath is designed to provide:

• the ability to carry, store and transport a knife without the possibility of losing it;
• user safety when carrying a knife;
• protecting the knife from damage;
• comfort of carrying the knife and the ability to quickly bring it into working position.

The sheath may include the following components:

• a sheath open on one side (this end of the sheath is called the mouth;
• a loop, hook, clip, cord or other part that provides suspension (fastening) of the sheath when carrying, storing or transporting the knife;
• a sheath set, usually made of metal and including a holder and a tip;
• a hard insert that guides the blade when inserting the knife into the sheath, protecting the material of the sheath walls from being cut by the inserted blade, preventing the sheath from bending;
• fastening with a button, Velcro fasteners, etc., fixing the knife in the sheath.

Knives from modern manufacturers most often have leather sheaths and plastic sheaths. But there are also wooden, metal, combined, fabric......

Types of knives

In this article, we will not consider kitchen and utility knives, but will focus on knives that are intended for fishing, hunting and tourism.

Fishing knives

Fishing knives are designed mainly to perform the following operations:

finish, clean and gut fish;

Cook food;

open canned food and bottles;

cut or cut down branches;

use a knife as scissors, a screwdriver or an awl;

cut fishing line, rope, etc.;

sharpen something, such as sticks;

open packages, pry something off.

Sometimes it may be necessary to cut down trees, dig the ground, collect firewood or cut through reeds, as well as provide medical assistance. In such cases, it is more advisable to use more suitable tools: a shovel, an ax, a machete or a sterile scalpel from the first aid kit.

Based on the operations listed above, it is worth acquiring a set of two knives in one sheath. A universal, large knife designed for chopping and significant loads, which is placed in the main mouth of the sheath and a small one, in a separate pocket, for cutting and cleaning fish, as well as for small work.

Instead of a universal set, as a required minimum, you can get one large knife, colloquially called a cleaver, and one small one. The first knife is for chopping wood or chopping ice, the second is for cleaning fish and vegetables.

Often a fishing store sells a fillet knife, positioning it as a fishing knife. In practice, such a knife is not very suitable for fishing, due to the specific shape and size of the blade. You can separate fish fillets at home, but in fishing conditions a more universal knife will do.

As for the size and shape of the knife, as a rule, the same recommendations are followed as for hunting knives, but the climatic conditions of the region must be taken into account.

So, when going on winter fishing, a knife with a wooden handle is better suited. A warm, comfortable handle in northern latitudes may be a priority in choice compared to a high-quality blade. Bone hilts are more often used by the peoples of the far north, where walruses and deer are the main prey of fishermen and hunters. Knives with plastic handles produced in countries with warm climates are not always suitable for winter fishing and quickly lose their original appearance. For the warm season, the buoyancy and unsinkability of a knife is very important, since a knife accidentally dropped into the water can quickly sink to the bottom.

For fishing, many people use folding knives that do not require a case or sheath and take up minimal space. Such knives have a wide range of capabilities; it can consist of several blades and objects (awl, corkscrew, scissors). In some ways they may seem more convenient, but they have a number of significant drawbacks. They are difficult to clean from fish slime and dirt, and moving parts are more vulnerable to breakage.

Many fishermen choose a practical and convenient knife that they can use not only for fishing. Which knife to buy for fishing is everyone’s business. The main thing is to decide exactly what tasks it will perform.

Hunting knives - a large group of knives used in hunting, may include such varieties as a knife for finishing game, a skinner knife, a camp knife, etc.

A knife must be present in hunting equipment. When hunting, it is not the main weapon, and, nevertheless, it performs its functions. A knife is used not only in preparing food for a hunter, it can be used to cut up prey, perform various household tasks, and in an extreme situation it can be effective means protection. With a hunting knife, the lines between household or tourist-expeditionary varieties, national or military weapons are blurred. But so that the knife does not become a burden in difficult conditions, its choice must be treated with special care.

Modern hunting blades have different models, designs and purposes, and are made from different materials. Models of knives differ in the climatic and geographical conditions in which the knife will be used, as well as in the purpose of their use. Thus, in Europe the so-called “deer” hunting daggers are popular, in America – bowie-type blades. IN middle lane Russia prefers large knives and daggers with elements of oriental weapons, such as Caucasian daggers. In taiga areas, a Yakut knife is indispensable. This knife is quite massive, the blade is narrow and long, the tip of its blade is curved upward.

And yet, despite the wide range, a hunting knife must be durable and versatile. The length of the blade should not exceed 20cm, the width should not exceed 3.5cm, and the thickness of the blade should not be less than 3-4mm. The blade must be elastic enough not to break, and at the same time hard. The blade should not need constant editing and sharpening, so the composition of the steel alloy is important for a hunting blade. The weight of the knife should be approximately 250 g, but this is purely individual, since although the weight of each item in the equipment plays a role, the knife in the hand should be noticeable.

Particular attention should be paid to the handle. It should be made of warm wooden materials, ideally this is birch bark. A leather handle also retains the warmth of a human hand, but you should know that it absorbs moisture, fat and blood and rots over time. A rubber handle will also work, but it is not fireproof. The bone handle has a beautiful, presentable appearance, but is heavy and cuts into the hand.

Volume is important in the thickness of the handle; it should be noticeable in the hand, and the knife should not jump out of your hands. Although, when hunting game birds, the handle can be narrower for compactness.

The sheath in hunting equipment is not only a beautiful accessory, it securely secures the knife, since the loss of a knife while hunting is comparable to a tragedy. Ideally, all sorts of decorative elements in the form of clasps, buttons and straps on the sheath are not needed; they only cling to everything and do not perform the functions necessary for hunting. The sheath must be securely attached to the hunter's boot or belt; usually it is made of leather. The knife in the sheath is recessed 2/3 and held by friction.

A hunting knife requires careful care; each time after work is completed, it should be washed and wiped dry. At home, after hunting, the knife should be lubricated with gun oil or wax; for a handle made of natural materials, linseed oil is suitable.

Travel knives

Camping knives are a group of dissimilar knives, united by the possibility of being used outdoors. With their help you can:

• Produce and prepare food.
• Make a shelter.
• Use to start a fire.
• Repair or make clothes.
• Use as self-defense.

Of course, attributing the knife to tourist view is relative, since by and large, hunting, fishing and camping knives are very similar to each other and classifying them into one category or another can be problematic.

The best tourist knife is a compact, small-sized knife without a guard (a separator between the blade and the handle).

All tourist knives are divided into three main types of design - folding, awkward, non-collapsible and collapsible. Collapsible non-folding camping knives are usually made with removable blades and other removable items and structural elements.

Each design and material has its undeniable advantages. For example, a folding tourist knife, in terms of strength, is often inferior to a solid non-folding knife, since it is more difficult to clean it from dirt, wood and food particles. Whereas folding knives are lightweight and compact, which is an obvious advantage in difficult hiking conditions.

The best camping knife for processing branches, pegs and other wooden objects is distinguished by a large bevel of the spine and a tip lowered below the middle of the blade. A machete is also ideal for cutting branches. For repair work and food preparation, knives that provide an extended cutting edge are optimal. For serious physical activity It is necessary to select knives with a spine curved outward, as well as with a stable blade at the tip.

Machete knives

The machete is an ancient weapon used in agriculture for harvesting crops and also for clearing a path when passing through the jungle. Machete(Spanish) machete) - a long (often more than 50 cm), usually thin (up to 3 mm) and wide knife. A blade with a one-sided sharpening, a convex blade, sometimes with a tip curved towards the blade.

Despite the fact that there are no jungles in Russia, machetes have taken root in our country and enjoy good fame among tourists. Brazilian knives allow you to quickly chop wood, while the width and thickness of the blade allows you to use it like an ax, splitting thick logs.

Survival knives (NV) - universal knives for all occasions extreme life. A blade that should replace a dagger, cutter, axe, saw, machete, and shuttle, plus a hollow handle with a set of NAZ (Emergency Supply) inside.

A survival knife (SV) is a self-sufficient and key element of individual equipment under the stated equipment policy. His ideology is this: in conditions where there is nothing, with its help you can do everything necessary for survival.

These actions include:

• making and making fire;
• extraction and preparation of food (i.e. as a weapon for hunting, a tool for making traps and cutting up prey);
• production and repair of clothing;
• production and repair of shelters;
• terrain orientation;
• basic medical care.

Thus, the instrumental-applied functions of a weapon prevail over the functions of a weapon, and when choosing a weapon, it is necessary first of all to pay attention to its instrumental capabilities.

Usually, basic set The knife is located in its hollow handle: there is a place for a compass, an awl, needles, a scalpel, a lighter and/or flint, thread and fishing line with a sinker and a hook. However, sharpening pebbles and rope are most often found in its case. There is also a better location for the compass, because in the handle it can be subject to shock loads during cutting, which can damage it. Additionally, the rope can be wound around the handle.

Case The knife is also not simple: it must be made in such a way that it is attached to the body in different places, such as: on the belt traditionally, on the belt horizontally, on the leg on the shin, on the leg on the thigh, on the body from behind with the handle up, on the body from the back under the armpit with the handle down. To do all this, you need to attach additional fastening loops to the existing case: at the bottom, at the tip of the blade, in the middle on the sides, and add one to the top and at the back at the top. All other tricks are performed using the rope included with the knife. In addition, it is necessary to check whether the knife is fastened securely enough to the case - loss due to falling out is unacceptable.

Now about blades. The topic is sensitive, because it is generally accepted that for NV it should be small and wide. In addition, an NV is first and foremost a tool, and only then a weapon, but the required shape has a rather aggressive appearance, and therefore some samples are certified not as a tool, but as a bladed weapon.

The NV blade should be good at cutting common materials (paper, meat, leather, etc.), ropes and slings. Chop wood and bones (nails and metal are not necessary), saw, work as a harpoon (in case of survival at sea) and a machete, have a hook for pulling a loop when weaving nets, removing something from the fire and cutting leather. Therefore, the blade cannot be thin and short. You shouldn't skimp on thickness at all. Although a thick blade creates slight difficulties when cutting food thinly, then a small, skeletal or similar blade comes to the rescue. knife included in the standard package.

Length needed both for convenience when chopping and for sawing - you can’t cut much with a short saw, it will be easier to chop off. So if you come across an example of cabinet art with a dagger-like blade and a decorative saw, then you can only be interested in it as a material for a handle. The so-called classic of the genre. The “Rambo knife” is also only good for scaring away grannies at entrances; his saw can’t do anything other than spoil anything; the compass sticking out of the end of the handle makes it unsuitable for driving stakes or anything else at all. The blade is too wide for its length, like a harpoon in water will not work. However, for survival in forest, tundra, etc. zones, this is still better than a narrow harpoon, which is effective for survival at sea. But the ideology of using NV itself is reflected very well. A blade that is too long also creates difficulties, if not impossible, for small jobs: sharpening, cutting, etc. This is already a sword. So, we get an elongated 250-300mm. 4-6mm thick. with a thickening at the front and with the ability to grip at the back, a blade equipped with a stand-up effective saw on the butt and a sling cutter (serra sharpening) on ​​the working part of the blade (most conveniently 3-5 cm near the handle itself), and also having a small non-protruding hook closer to the tip.

Sharpening. On the main working cutting part of the knife, surgical sharpening is best, only taking into account the specifics: a wide base. Self-respecting manufacturers do it by default. It is important to take this shape into account when re-sharpening a knife for metal work. But the top from tip to hook has a rather large sharpening angle of 45-60 degrees. This is necessary for working with hard materials and forms a trajectory when sticking. A few words about "blood". As such it is not needed. But such a recess on the blade has a beneficial effect on the bending strength of the metal. In addition, if it is closer to the handle, then the center of gravity moves towards the tip of the blade, which is good for chopping.

Sore spot Most NVs are mounted with a blade in the handle. You need high strength, but how can you achieve it in a hollow handle? In fact, this problem is exaggerated by some manufacturers for economic reasons. It is possible to make a strong NV, but this greatly increases the cost of production technology - an exact fit is required, practically handmade. Most manufacturers decided to save twice: on the fastening unit - reducing reliability, and on the length of the blade - so that it would not be possible to apply a large load to the weak unit. This is where all these little “parquet” parodies of NV grew from. In fact, a fairly large knife does not have a small handle, and if the body of the blade goes there an extra 1-2 half-diameters and fits well with the rest of the parts, the user will not remember this problem.

Lever. There are also options here. The classic is a compass built into the lid from the inside, and a spring-loaded pencil case with all sorts of small things ("Survival Kit", pencil case with NAZ). Regarding the compass, it should be added that when it is placed in the handle, it will experience strong shock loads during operation, which is not good for it, and when positioned on the case, it enters into a magnetic connection with the metal of the blade (NV-1-01). There is no more optimal solution than a liquid miniature compass in a handle. On the outside there is a cylinder with a guard on which a rope is wound. There are options with birch bark and plastic coating. For convenience in working with the NV, an orthopedic-shaped handle is made, with protrusions for the fingers, and a compass, which can be worked with without disassembling the knife: slotted, on the side, on the bottom. It’s difficult to recommend anything here; everyone is based on their own tastes and capabilities. However, it is worth remembering that the round handle rotates in the hand during power work, which is quite uncomfortable.

RebelN 05-03-2010 09:47

quote: THE KITE'S SCABAD IS UGLY, HEALTHY, SCRATCHES THE SURFACE OF THE KNIFE

They do not scratch the surface of the knife, but the coating on the stainless steel. The coating is extremely unstable, on my Condor 3 I completely destroyed it by sanding it with a Stayer sanding sponge bought at a hardware store for 25 rubles...
So here's my set:
During my youth and stay in the region of Southern Yakutia (taiga, Neryungri - Aldan region), the outdoors was a local homemade file made from a file with a handle made of horn in a scabbard made of kamus. But now it is lost and cannot be seen in photographs. After moving to the south (Sochi region) for a long time the main camping set (13-10 years ago) consisted of a carbon machete from an unknown manufacturer bought for 300 rubles and a Tramontina Amazonas Two knife (pictured above). Tramontinka has significant advantages - a cheap price, thin concave slopes to the roller blade providing good sharpness and easy sharpening.
Condor 3 and Biker 2 of Kizlyar have not been around for very long. Among the minuses, the unstable coating on the Condor 3 (removed), thick leads to the RC (filing with a diamond needle file and pre-coating the rest of the part with electrical tape - as a result, instead of 1.2 mm we have 0.8 mm, which provides better sharpness and easier sharpening), inconvenient leather sheath - hard , the knife sits high in them, tends to dig into the side when tilted (replaced with others bought at a hunting store for 240 rubles), the absence of a sheath on the Biker 2 (a case for an additional clip was purchased for 150 rubles), high price, easy dullness of the RK. Biker 2 does not go into the forest - he is heavy, but he drags around the city on a belt. Of the advantages of Kizlyar, I see one significant one - you can take it on trips to Ukraine because... It’s easy to find Ukrainian certificates online for all their products.
"Lapland" from NOKS-Trading was purchased at a tourist goods store for 900 rubles. Steel 50Х14 MF with titanium carbide coating. A tough test with opening cans, cutting down trees and bushes showed surprisingly good maintenance of the steel (Kizlyar 65X13 also scratches), but crappy assembly, as a result, the fastening of the blade in the handle was redone (the shank was overcooked, the fastening was changed), the pommel of the handle was also replaced, cut off large ledge. The result is a truly reliable OUTDOOR inexpensive cleaver knife that cuts well thanks to the normal thickness of the blades for outdoors (0.8 mm), nails can be driven in with the top (I punched a 4.5 cm chestnut board), shrubs and 7 cm trees are easily cut down. In short, I don’t take my machete into the forest anymore. The sheath was also modified - a case from a sharpening block from "Expedition" bought for 150 rubles was riveted in - you can put it there like a 2nd sharpening knife, for example, or a cartoon Stayer 22852 (I've been using this for a long time) or something else up to 11 cm long.
I also purchased a knife from the "Vozrozhdenie" manufacturer for 1000 rubles made of U8 steel (lower left). The steel is good, the bluing is fair, does not rust, holds an edge, cuts/chops perfectly, but for now it is sitting at home, because... "Lapland" is quite enough, because... it makes stripping and chopping much more comfortable.
Sharpening is carried out mainly with a Lansky traveling tool for the bulk of knives, a diamond needle file, and on a homemade whetstone made of fine local sandstone (very well suited for the 50X14 MF "Lapland", which cannot be said about Lansky ceramics).
In general, for the majority, IMHO, of the field conditions of the Russian Federation, the optimum is a twin consisting of a large leuku and a small fin. Why I already ordered it, but haven’t received it yet. Although the modified “Lapland” with a sheath can also be called a spark, it actually turns out to be cheap and cheerful (functionally). 900 rubles (knife) (the modification cost 5 rubles to buy a bolt with a nut, because I welded it myself, but everyone has the rest of the tools on the farm) + 150 rubles + ? on opinel or vicks or a small cartoon.

Instead of advising specific models, I want to talk about selecting knives for a hike.

Types of knives.

Knives are usually divided into folding and non-folding. In folding knives (pocket, butterfly, switchblade, etc.), the blade is hidden in the knife for safe transportation. In non-folding knives (tourist, fishing, hunting, tactical) the blade is hidden in a sheath.

Based on the length, thickness of the blade and its shape, knives are also divided according to their purpose. These are very important differences. A penknife is convenient for sharpening pencils, but it is very difficult to dress deer skins, and some tactical knives can only pierce the heart. Mushroom pickers' knives have a rounded, sickle-like blade for easy cutting of the mushroom towards you. Fishing knives have thin blades for neatly separating the skin.

It is very important that all types of knives have different steel. One retains its edge longer, the other sharpens better.

Rule #1 “Use each knife for its intended purpose.”

There is no doubt: you can open cans with any knife and cut cucumbers. But a soft knife will immediately lose its sharpness after touching metal. It will take you a long time to get it in order, which is not easy during a hike. You can open a dozen cans with a carbide knife, but once it becomes dull, it will be almost impossible to sharpen it in camping conditions. That's why many knives have special openers for cans and bottles.

Sharp sharpening

In general, the issue of sharpening knives is very sensitive. I have met few people who appreciate the sharpness of a blade. And the reason turned out to be ridiculously simple: almost no one had seen truly sharp knives. You can shave with a sharp knife. Such sharpening is achieved with great difficulty, and you take great care of it. But the knife cuts with a light touch. And with such a penknife you won’t be able to chop wood, but only do delicate work. On the other hand, large knives a la cleavers can be slightly adjusted as work progresses, but due to the large thickness of the blade, they are difficult to control in precise tasks.
But there are a couple of exceptions. For example, don't expect to use a saw or Swiss pliers for your tasks.

Rule No. 2 “Sharpen your knives well and keep the blade sharp.”

If you don't know how to sharpen, read about how to do it. If you don’t have the right tool, contact a specialist. To ensure the quality of sharpening by a master, read about how to distinguish between different sharpenings. Give me a not very valuable knife for testing. For example, kitchen.

I would also like to advise you to cut food only on wooden planks when working on the farm, and even when traveling. If you try to cut on ceramic, metal plates or cans, you will immediately dull the knife.

Rule #3: “Cut only on wood or other non-hard surface.”

Tourist knives.

It is customary to call rather large, awkward knives tourist knives. They are produced with different blade shapes, beautiful handles, often with engraving.

I won’t even try to argue, I agree that they are very beautiful, reliable, etc.
But there is one “but” - weight. This is a very important parameter on a hike. Of course, if you go to the mountains with only one knife, then take the so-called. tourist. But on an expedition, every gram counts. Better take an extra three hundred grams of sausage and a light knife. It’s not so often that you have to hunt and butcher game, cut spears with a knife, stakes for wolf pits, and engage in other activities unusual for a hike. But these knives do not have a regular can opener. And just try to open a couple of cans, and the knife becomes unsuitable for other tasks.

Which knife to take on a hike?

I think that my advice will be somewhat unexpected for many.

First, get a few different knives: a pocket knife with openers, another with a long blade for slicing bread and food, and perhaps a travel knife.
Secondly, take these several knives not each for yourself, but for the whole group.

I have never seen five or twenty-five people simultaneously open three cans, chop wood, fillet fish, pick mushrooms, etc.
A couple of long blades are always enough for slicing bread, meat and vegetables, one knife with openers and one camping knife if you don’t take an ax.

Here is an example of the knives that I take (for the whole group) with me on a hike: a pocket can opener, a grocery knife, a kukuri.

Lanyard

As another useful advice I recommend attaching a lanyard to the knife.
A lanyard is a strap or cord on the handle of a knife. Most often, a very long and strong cord woven into a small loop. Firstly, by putting the loop on your hand, you will never lose the knife, and secondly, if necessary, the cord can be unraveled and used for any purpose, from drying clothes to making snares.
That's it, a lanyard is simply irreplaceable on hikes!

The most important tool on any hike is a camping knife (if you don’t count axes, of course). Any knife can be useful in the forest, but it is better to have a multifunctional knife or a set of highly specialized ones. A person who knows how to handle a blade will find a use for any blade, but even the best powder steel knives will not help an inexperienced tourist.

Cold steel or not

There is an opinion that tourist knives belong to edged weapons. This is not entirely true. There is a guest who clearly defines the signs by which one or another knife can be classified as a bladed weapon. In stores, when purchasing a knife, be sure to ask for a certificate that contains a link to GOST and defines the parameters according to which this knife does not belong to a bladed weapon.

If there is no certificate for the knife (for example, you made it yourself or bought it second-hand), then you need to know the main differences between a “cold” knife and a skinning or tourist knife.

The GOST on cutting and skinning knives stipulates the signs by which a knife does not belong to a bladed weapon:

• A knife of any design, with a blade length of up to 90 millimeters, is not a bladed weapon (KW);
• With a blade thickness of less than 2.4 mm, the knife can have a blade length of up to 150 mm, while its handle can have a limiter and finger grooves;
• With a blade thickness of more than 2.6 mm, the knife can be longer than 90 mm if there is a traumatic handle (this means the absence of a limiter and finger grooves);
• Parameters related to the bending of the blade and handle. For example, the Nepalese kukri (this is a real combat knife) is classified by the guest as a household knife.

The GOST on sports and tourist knives has similar parameters, only the length of the blade in this case can be up to 220 millimeters.

How to Choose the Best Camping Knife

In order to find the optimal knife for your purposes, you need to remember what you usually do with a knife on a hike. If you are a hunter or fisherman, there is plenty of work for knives. A hunter may have axes, a knife, or a whole set of knives in his backpack. Many people carry folding knives in their pockets, a saw will find a place in their backpack, and an ordinary tourist on a hike may never get his kit.

Jobs for which a tourist may need a knife are usually the following:

• If you don’t have a saw and the knife is quite massive, you can use it to chop wood chips to start a fire. Inexpensive knives are perfect for this procedure. It’s hard to imagine a tourist who would chop logs with a good powder or damask knife for 20 thousand or more;
• You can cut out the ax handle if it is broken;
• Cutting food for lunch;
• If you manage to catch fish, the knife will be useful for cleaning it. In this case, the quality of the blade does not play any role at all; even Chinese multifunctional ones (which are a knife, fork, spoon) or dull kitchen ones will do.

That's all the basic work; for them, a simple knife with a blade length of about 15 centimeters and steel 65x13 or 95x18 will be enough. The parameters of such a tourist knife are perfect for a novice traveler. It’s not scary to lose it, you can give it into the inept hands of your comrades, sharpen it by rubbing it on a sharpening stone a couple of times.

In general, when setting up a camp, most of the work on setting it up is done by an ax and a saw, but often the ax is thrown into a backpack for show, and the saw has never been sharpened since the moment of purchase.

A very important quality for camping knives is the simplicity of their design and general “indestructibility”. You will have to open cans with a knife and dig the ground, so it must have a fairly thick and strong blade. The quality of the steel is not particularly important. Chances are you'll lose this knife after a few trips. The next blade will be purchased more thoughtfully; it will be worn in a good leather sheath and will not be handed to everyone. It’s better to choose an all-metal handle with pads; you can even hang from such a knife without doing anything to it.

If you are already an experienced hiker, then you will definitely have a sharp ax in your backpack, and a sharp finka from Swedish manufacturers will replace the clumsy camp knife. A set of two MORA CLASSIC, large and small, will handle all the camp jobs that an ax can't finish. Moravian carbon steel has a very aggressive cut and can be easily sharpened with a cheap whetstone.

Folding or non-folding knife - which is better?

Despite the advantages of fixed blade knives, the main advantage of a folding knife is its light weight and compactness. Many models are also multifunctional, representing a whole set of tools.

If a hunter needs a serious knife that can be used to cut up prey, and a fisherman needs a long and thin fillet knife, then a tourist can get by with a folding blade. When working with a folding knife, you should consider the following nuances:

• The folding structure is less reliable than the fixed one, so power work should be performed with caution. It’s better to immediately forget about chopping wood for the fire. Some even manage to throw folding knives into trees, which usually ends in breakage and injury;
• The blade of a folding knife may not lock and, if not handled carefully, can easily fold onto your fingers;
• It should be remembered that for the compactness of a folding knife you have to pay for the small size of the blade. Bread or boiled sausage will have to be cut in a circle;
• The folding knife mechanism is very sensitive to dirt. After the hike, you need to clean it and rinse it under running water. In case of severe contamination, a complete cleaning will be required by disassembling the folding knife and lubricating the hinges.

Do not attempt to crack nuts or pound anything with the handle of a pocketknife. When used for such work, even a high-quality and expensive knife will not last more than one season. Choose either multifunctional knives like VICTORINOX or knives with a lock that firmly fixes the blade. The most common types of locks are liner lock and axis lock. Axis is more complex structurally, but the reliability of fixation is superior to a liner-type lock. You should immediately stop buying single-piece knives without locking.

Types of shanks for tourist knives

The tang is the back part of the blade, which is hidden in the handle and serves to secure the blade. There are two types of shanks:

• Through installation, when the shank passes through the entire handle and is secured with a nut on the reverse side;
• Mounted installation, when the shank enters the handle approximately two-thirds of its length.

There is another type of blade mounting, when the shank is the middle of the handle, and pads are attached to the sides (full tang system). A blade with such a shank is called a “blank”.

Many companies produce so-called survival knives, which do not have a tang as such. But in the hollow handle you can store various necessary little things. The reliability of such a knife is highly questionable and it is definitely not worth buying as a tourist knife. These knives are designed as part of an emergency supply (for pilots, sailors or travelers), and should be used in emergency situations. For example, in a crash. In such a situation, needles, hooks and flint from the handle will be very useful.

Mounting the shank is quite reliable, but only if you are sure that it goes two-thirds of the way through the handle. It’s quite difficult to say when buying such a knife from hand or in stores. We can recommend inexpensive Swedish knives for purchase; the manufacturer monitors the quality of its products. Of course, you shouldn’t stick it with all your might into a tree and hang on a knife, but it will do most of the work. It is worth noting that most traditional knives are made using mounting technology.

Through installation is a more reliable design; often the nut on the back of the handle is polished or a plug is inserted on top. Despite this, many manufacturers, in order to save metal, make such a shank in two parts. A regular pin is welded to the short shank of the knife. Moreover, often the shank is no more than two centimeters. It is impossible to check how the through installation is made without disassembling the handle, so such knives should be purchased from well-known companies that will give a guarantee or from trusted knife makers.

The most reliable blade mounting is the full tang system. Unfortunately, such knives are rather inconspicuous in appearance and are not very popular.

Sharpening a tourist knife

Sharpening of any blade must be done at a certain angle, and this depends on the tasks that the knife will perform on a hike. For example, for cutting fish and skinning, the optimal sharpening angle will be 10-15 degrees. If you plan to cut soft materials and food with a knife, then you should choose an angle of 15-20 degrees (by the way, the famous Japanese katanas were sharpened at exactly this angle). Universal tourist knives can be sharpened at an angle of 20-25 degrees. If you plan to use a knife to open cans and chop wood chips, the sharpening angle can reach 40 degrees.

The sharpening process itself is a fairly simple procedure. You should start with coarse-grained stones, gradually moving to smoother stones. After sharpening, it is advisable to fine-tune (grind) the cutting edge on the leather with GOI paste. Sharpening solves the following problems:

• Restores the shape of the cutting edge (or changes it to the desired angle);
• Sands the edge to the desired smoothness.

In order to sharpen the blade to the desired degree, you need to hold the blade at this angle while sharpening. If the knife has already been sharpened to the desired angle, this will not be difficult. To change the sharpening angle to a smaller one, you can use special devices. For example, a sharpening angle holder or sharpening systems such as “Lansky” or “Apex”.

The main lesson when sharpening is to not press too hard on the knife. This can damage the sharpening stone, and quality stones are quite expensive.

Knife blade shape

For a tourist knife, the blade shape should be universal. The time-tested form with a straight spine is best suited. You should not chase elaborate forms such as tanto or skramasax; this will only be a hindrance in your work.

The following blade shapes are often found:

• Clip point or finnish;
• Spear point, spear-shaped blade;
• Drop point, with a lowering of the butt line;
• Various tantoids (Japanese or American tanto);
• Trailing point – with a raised butt (perfect for cutting fish).

Everyone can choose the form that suits them. If you want a serrated blade, remember that it is almost impossible to sharpen it in the field.

Knife handle

A lot of different materials are used for the handles of tourist knives. Conventionally, they can be divided into two large groups:

• Natural materials;
• Materials of artificial origin.

Natural materials most often used are wood, leather, bone, horn, or combinations thereof. Among artificial materials, rubber and various plastics are most often used. The combination of rubber and plastic is durable and does not slip in the hand.

Handles made from natural materials look beautiful, but require care. For a camp knife, the main criterion when choosing a handle material is the ease of holding it in the hand. You should not take a knife with a metal handle; in winter it will freeze your hand. Also, avoid using slippery handles. If you are not sure how to hold the knife firmly, you can provide it with a loop to secure it on your wrist.

Choosing steel for a knife

There are a great variety of knife steels. You should not choose expensive steel for a tourist knife. It is better to choose either stainless steel type 95x18 or carbon steel. Carbon has a more aggressive cut, but is susceptible to corrosion. 95Х18 is enough good steel, does not rust, but is more expensive than carbon. If you use knives carefully, you can buy an expensive powder steel blade.

• High-quality multi-subject courses “Victorinox” and “Lazerman”;
• Inexpensive Chinese or Russian sets with spoon, fork, corkscrew and blade.

Choosing a camping knife is quite a responsible procedure. Buy a knife that will do most of the camp work, and not hang like a useless weight on your belt.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

I'm interested in martial arts with weapons, historical fencing. I write about weapons and military equipment because it is interesting and familiar to me. I often learn a lot of new things and want to share these facts with people who are interested in military issues.

Is it possible to go camping without a knife? A resident of a modern metropolis will think and confidently say that it is possible. You can pre-cut your food, or you can even buy pre-cuts from the supermarket, ideally packaged in plastic. Instead of firewood and fuel, use a camping burner that runs on gasoline or gas. It seems that the need for a knife can be reduced to zero. Moreover, a camp knife is not a cheap pleasure.

And if you ask the question differently. Is it reasonable for a person to go on a hike without a knife? Hardly. If we discard the stories of craftsmen who write fairy tales about defense against wild animals with the help of a knife, then the fact still remains that it is necessary to perform some basic functions with its help - the most ancient tool, perhaps after a digging stick.

Why do you need a knife on a hike?

Let's consider what functions a knife performs in a modern hike:

• the first thing that comes to mind is cutting products. Although, you can cut the sausage or cheese in advance in the supermarket, but this is suitable for a barbecue trip within the urban area. And it’s no secret that ready-cut products (even in vacuum packaging) are stored worse and lose their taste and nutritional qualities faster than whole pieces. Therefore, it is better to cut lard, sausage, cheese, bread (if you do not take only crackers) as you consume. Well, it’s better to chop fresh mushrooms or gut fish with a knife than with fingernails or rock fragments

• the second, no less important role of the knife is to cooking and maintaining fire One might argue - why a primitive hearth - after all, there are gas (gasoline, multi-fuel) burners. Of course they are. And I advise you to always take them with you. But! With such a burner, your clothes are not drier, you won’t keep warm, you won’t be able to drive away mosquitoes (and other things), and you won’t be able to give a signal (if necessary). Therefore, the hearth will accompany us on our hikes for a long time, reminding us that it is the ability to use fire for one’s benefit that distinguishes a person from other inhabitants of planet Earth. So, with a knife we ​​can trim dry kindling for ignition and make slingshot crossbars for hanging dishes, clothes, etc.
• function - repair or production of necessary tools and devices. The list here is long - from a stick and utensils to a wire rack for drying mushrooms, from cutting ropes to repairing a zipper. This is all, so to speak, in cases where the campaign goes according to plan. But there are situations when our modern and predicted campaign suddenly begins to deviate sharply from this convenient plan.

After all, there is always a risk of getting lost or getting injured, even very close to home or camp. For example, imagine a simple and typical situation - a sprained or dislocated leg by one of the participants. At a minimum, you need to cut out a stick or make a crutch (this is if the injured person can move on his own). And in case of severe injury, a stretcher will have to be made. And here the experience of using disposable tableware or packaged products will not help. But a knife and the ability to use it will be very useful.

How to choose a knife for a hike

Now, let’s try to describe the knife that will be most suitable for the role of a camp knife. Main criteria

Permit to carry a knife

Our knife, no matter how it appears from other sides, must correspond to this parameter. Remember that carrying (manufacturing, selling, etc.) bladed weapons is a crime under the criminal code of many countries. But, if you don’t chase the “ribbon shape,” then there are two absolute signs of a “safe” knife. This is a blade length of less than 90 mm and a blade thickness of less than 2.6 mm. One of these signs is enough to remove a knife from the dangerous “Melee weapon” category.

There are also other parameters that allow, even if the length exceeds 90 mm or thickness 2.6 mm, to classify the knife as a commercial knife. But if you are not an expert, then it’s better not to take risks, especially since a knife with the given parameters is quite enough for us for a hike.

Knife types

Folding or fixed blade? It's probably better to have both. Folding will never get in the way in your pocket, but what more complex design- the less reliability. Therefore, an ordinary knife with a blade tightly fixed into the handle will always give a head start to other knives when strength work. I repeat - a complex one with all sorts of useful additional functions (scissors, can opener, awl, tweezers, corkscrew, etc.) will not be superfluous, but it will not be able to perform power work.

Materials for a camp knife

Blade - stainless steel type 60x13 (425, 440A, Z60 and the like). Advantages: it is resistant to corrosion, has good cutting properties, and can be easily edited without special stones or tools.

Dimensions and weight of hiking knives

A hiking knife should have a high-quality, reliable handle. Which allows you to firmly hold the knife in your hand and control it. The length of a man's palm is on average about 12 cm. The length of the blade is also taken into account: 10-15 cm. The most convenient weight for a camping knife is considered to be up to 200g, with a sheath.

Case or scabbard?

Now a few words about the place where we will carry the camp knife - about the sheath or sheath. Their most important function is to ensure safe carrying of the knife combined with the ability to quickly use it if necessary. The sheath is primarily attached to the waist belt, although the knife is also carried in a backpack. The disadvantage of the latter method is the long time required to remove the knife and the risk of losing it along with the backpack in a critical situation.

It is preferable to wear it on the belt, and the sheath has a long enough suspension so that it does not interfere with the waist belt of the backpack. The sheath is made of leather or synthetic materials. Leather has the advantage of being “warmer”, does not rattle, and is resistant to temperature changes or mechanical deformation. Regarding the mounting of the knife in the sheath itself, you should choose one that will securely fix the knife and not interfere with the free removal of the knife with one hand in the right situation.