Knives I Carry On An Adventure

Knives are a great topic and everybody has a favorite that is "the best".  The problem is that many folks never use theirs because the investment is so large the knife becomes a Safe Queen. The blade never sees wear, dirt or heaven forbid, a sharpening stone as the factory edge is sacred. Folks ask me about what I carry and it can vary depending on what the activity is.

I became interested in the products of ESEE Knives because of their blades' reputation and also the reasonable prices. In my post about whitewater rafting in the jungles of Costa Rica you can see my pictures of the small ESEE Izula that I carried. Rafting The Rio Pacuare!

(Please note that I paid for these knives out of my own pocket, that my blog is not monetized and ESEE has offered me nothing for this article)

I have a ESEE 6 that has seen a lot of use and was even lost out in the bush for a few months. It's a miracle that I ever found it again. It's a bit heavy for long distance hiking but the smaller model 4 is a good compromise:
 

• Overall Length: 9.0″
• Cutting Edge Length: 4.1″
• Overall Blade Length: 4.5″
• Blade Width: 1.25″
• Weight (Knife Only): 8.0 ounces
• Drop Point Blade Style
• Maximum Thickness: .188″
• 1095 Carbon Steel, 55 – 57 Rc.

Before taking the knife into the outdoors I changed out the factory handle grips, or scales for a set that I purchased from a member of a knife forum.

I went on an all day hike along the Salt Tram high above Death Valley and this was a good chance to take the ESEE 4 along. The backpack is the Khyber 50 from Arcteryx.

 

 Here is one of the tramway's amazing structures that are over 100 years old!

I am not a fan of the spring steel belt clip that comes on standard ESEE sheaths so I spent the extra cash and bought one of the MOLLE mounting adapters. The adapter kept the knife and sheath secure during my ascent and descent of the rugged terrain.

The MOLLE panel provides for far more secure mounting as the spring clip is a bit "floppy". When your knife's sheath is not well secured it makes drawing or sheathing the blade a bit more uncertain.

So far the knife has been a great companion and a second ESEE 4 is attached to my Hill People Gear Kit Bag (chest pack). The pack is a great way to keep your first line of gear with you at all times; fire starting, compass, whistle, etc. 

This picture is from a very recent adventure up on Coyote Flats, about 11,000' in elevation.

The knife is securely mounted horizontally where I can easily reach it.

Thanks for your questions on my gear! I'll have to write up a short description of the contents of the Hill People Gear Kit Bag if there is enough interest.