That's the crux of it: needs may vary depending on where we'll be using a knife and how we personally anticipate possibly needing to use it.

I wonder how many of us on ETS actually spend much time in wilderness. Where I do most of my camping and hiking these days is not "wilderness" (Virginia's Shenandoah National Park) compared to what I was accustomed to growing up in Oregon's Cascade mountains. If you are able to walk in Shenandoah NP, you have only to pick a direction east or west and stick with it and you're not going to be more than 10 miles from a paved road. Of course, if you've badly sprained ligaments or a leg fracture then that 10 miles may as well be 1000.

Some people will have greater strength and willingness to carry heavier gear, including heavier tools such as knives, axe, etc., than others who place a premium on lightweight items.

My longest day hikes are typically 7-9 miles, entail 2000-2400 elevation gain and require 4-5 hours to complete. We make a point of being on the trail at sunrise in the summer months to be off it before afternoon thunderstorms. We always see other people on the trail, maybe just a few but always some others. SAR - a lot of resources - is not far away.

For our typical hikes, the priority packing list puts a knife quite a ways down - underneath cell phone, compass, Bic lighter/matches/firesteel, First Aid, Micropur tabs, bug repellant, hiking pole, etc.

But a knife is still wise for me to have so I seek the happy medium on the continuums of capability, weight and price. Moras are so fondly regarded by so many because not only are they capable and lightweight but they are very inexpensive so scuffing or losing them is not disturbing.

I have a couple beefier knives (Becker BK7 and 9) in the SUV, where weight is not an issue.