Buck Knives 105 Pathfinder Fixed Blade Knife with Leather Sheath - Hunting, Camping & Outdoor Survival Knife for Bushcraft, Hiking & Wilderness Adventures

The Pathfinder is a great mid-size knife with a 5-inch blade that weighs a mere 4 1/2 ounces. It is plenty of knife for most of the tasks you might encounter camping and hiking. It works well for fish cleaning, does fine as a hunting knife if you know your business, and has a handy, easily controlled blade that is very versatile. The handle is a good fit for mid-to small sized hands, but still works in bigger paws as well.The guard keeps fingers off the blade but doesn't interfere when you want to choke up for finer work or to brace your thumb on the spine of the blade for more powerful push cuts. Place your index along the spine towards the blade tip for precise detail cuts. The Pathfinder is a great knife because it offers excellent capabilities for its weight, has a low entry price, holds an edge well, is easy to sharpen and maintain (stainless steel, aluminum, and phenolic), and is simply a knife you come to appreciate more with use. Between my wife and I, we have 4 or 5 of them.Ultra-light backpackers are always pulling out the postal scale and weighing everything to the nearest 10th of an ounce. As the most essential tool, a knife is not something you want to skimp on. The leather sheath adds additional ounces, but the svelt, capable Pathfinder is a sensible investment in both utility and bad-breaks insurance when things don't go as planned. It is worth its weight in gold in the backcountry.The other great thing about the Pathfinder is the company that makes it. Buck produces a very good product for a fair price. Their blades are predictable, reliable, and reasonably priced. They deliver excellent bang for the buck, round for round and pound for pound. You can't really put a price on that reliability when you are dependent on the few ounces you carry on your back or on your belt. Pathfinder = woods savvy.