I’d like to tap in ETS collective wisdom for help in a task that will surely delight most of this forum members: choosing a good knife.

It’ a tradition among me and my friends to go, twice or thrice a year, on a weekend trip to a friend’s mountain house. There, we would usually go on a short hike or two, but basically the entire trip is an excuse to make a big barbecue that lasts for the better part of a day…

Each member of the group has his own duties, and I’m in charge of food preparation. My friend’s house is not very well stocked in terms of cutlery or other kitchen implements, so I got the habit of bringing some basic tools with me. Here I must stress that weight and space are an issue: we are four people traveling in a medium sized car, and every time is a hard task to cram all the supplies in the trunk: clothes, sleeping bags, food (and beer! ) for a few days etc. Therefore, I can’t bring a whole set of kitchen knives, and even a full sized chef knife is little too much in my opinion, especially because the one I have at home doesn’t come with a sheath.

So, I’m looking for a very sharp knife to handle basic “camp kitchen” tasks: slicing meat, boning and dicing a chicken breast or a turkey leg, chopping vegetables e so on. It shouldn’t be too big (max 10 inches in length, I think), but must be sufficiently “hefty” to be a good chopper.

But here comes the additional requirement: I mentioned we use to go on short hikes on these occasions, so it would be nice to be able to carry that very same knife for basic field duties: cutting cordage, clearing branches, building a camp fire in case of emergency etc.

Initially I thought a good basic Mora would be perfect for the job, but I confess that I would like something a bit more substantial for chopping… and a tad better looking! I never owned a classic bushcraft knife (something along the lines of a Buck Selkirk or a Helle), with wooden scales, and I like their look very much. The question is: can they fulfill the job of a good kitchen knife for food preparation?

My budget is around 100 USD. I’m from Italy, so I would prefer European brands or US brands that sell internationally.

I would like to hear your suggestions, please!

Thank you very much.

albusgrammaticus