Doug Ritter's MK3. Hands-down my favorite and must-pack for mountain hikes. Substantial but light (5.7oz). I have several Bark Rivers and a mountain of Moras - Doug's MK3 occupies the sweet spot in between for utility and value (still $165 after several years). I also have Beckers (neckers, BK2, BK7, BK9) and while a necker may also make the packing list, the 2-7-9 are too beefy and relegated to the vehicle.
Coincidentally, today a new knife arrived: the
Mora Bushcraft Survival which comes with a firesteel and diamond sharpener attached to the sheath. It is more substantial than I expected, the handle feels comfortable and secure and I love that the firesteel (very nice and good-sized) and sharpener are secured to the sheath. I have not used it yet but it is already on the short-list for the backpack simply because it is so lightweight. By the way, though a big fan of Ragweed Forge (wonderful customer service) as the supplier of Moras, I bought this latest from Amazon because I get free shipping with Amazon Prime and the knife was $61 versus $70 at Ragweed Forge.
Below are pics of Doug's MK3 beside the new Mora Bushcraft. I also took pics of part of my stable of Mora's:
http://ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.htmlThe Bushcraft Survival is the newest addition to the line. It has a 4 1/4" blade of Sandvik stainless steel about 7/8" wide and .098" thick. The sheath is provided with a firesteel as well as a diamond sharpening plate. It comes with packed with two belt clips, the new style that encircles the belt, and the old style that clips over it. (You get one sheath and two clips.) The spine of the blade is squared to provide a scraping tool for the firesteel. (Never use the edge of the knife on the firesteel.) The rubberized handle provides a high-friction grip even when wet. It's quite the piece of kit. The firesteel works exceptionally well, and I found it easy to slowly scrape off slivers, then ignite them with a quick stroke. The diamond plate makes touch ups quick and easy. The knife and sheath weigh just over seven ounces. $70.
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