The nice thing about knives is that, over time, you can accumulate a lot of them without going broke. I see no reason to choose between carbon and stainless. I'll buy both and switch 'em up as the mood strikes me. With only minimal care, I have never had a carbon steel knife rust in the field, but admittedly I live in the middle of a large continent, far from salt water.

I really like Barbarians comment about carbon steel seeming to be alive. It really does seem to grow old with you as it ages.

I will, however, always choose stainless for knives that I tuck away for emergencies and don't look at often....car trunk, mountain bike, tackle box, FAK etc.