I have a set of stones, but they're just too big and awkward to use in the field especially when dressing and disassembly. I've seen some pocket sharpeners like the Pocket Pal and Gerber's Pocket Sharpener, and they both get about the same level of reviews. Does anyone have a favorite portable sharpener?

DMT

I've had one for a long time works good on pretty much everything. It's not a sharpener per say but it is portable and durable.

I think of "Field" sharpening as something that you might do to bring back an edge on a knife that started out sharp but has lost some of its edge.  I find a light (edge leading) stroking of both sides on a sharpening steel or ceramic rod to work pretty well.  I like ceramic rods because they are light, available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, lengths, etc. but they are brittle so if you drop one on a hard surface or the rod impacts a hard object (like a rock or driveway), they have a tendency to break into 2 or more pieces.  You can still use the largest piece but it might not be fun...  Fortunately, using a ceramic rod for "touch up" sharpening is a quick/easy operation - usually 2 to 5 or so strokes on each side.

Sharpening steels are not as versatile in terms of availability of sizes, shapes, lengths but they are far more durable.

Depending on your skill level, you can even get good results with a small ceramic rod with a little practice.  A comfortable length for a sharpening steel or single ceramic rod is a little longer than the blade that you want to sharpen.

In a pinch, you can use the top edge of a car side window as a sharpening steel.

Depending on your taste, here are a few examples that you might like >>> Link1  Link2  Link3

Wyoming knife. Simply swap blades if needed. (Wyoming knife second from bottom.)


 
 

This http://www.dmtsharp.com/sharpeners/pocket-models/

They have one that is credit card sized. Only brand I use

I am not a fan of diamond sharpening field stones. They work really well in tandem with another sharpening system for when your edge gets chipped or damaged however I think that you should also have a finer polishing stone to polish out the aggressive scratch pattern left by the diamonds.

I recommend the DMT credit card sharpeners in the Fine grit for those who want to be able to remove any nicks or chips in their edge, but I also recommend they take with them a compact Hard Arkansas Stone, Fine Ceramic Stone, or Fine Japanese Waterstone

In 95% of your sharpening situations you will only need the polishing stone. I actually make my own field sharpening system using a Fine DMT credit card sharpener and a cut and shaped Hard Arkansas stone to match. I only use simple carbon steels in my knives so the Arkansas stones strike the best balance of cutting and polishing (probably why the straight razor guys love them so much).

Heres a photo:


You cant really see but there is a DMT credit card stone on the other side of it. I put it in a leather credit card holder and take that into the field. It my favorite system so far, but someone could easily do the same with a waterstone or ceramic stone (for those using high alloy steels).

Thanks all. I have a set of the DMT mini sharps for my router bits, but have always used a stone for knives. I not sure I want to go ceramic for backpack use, so they don't get broken.

I'll take a look at the DMT stones when I'm at Woodcraft again. They have a lot of sharpening equipment, not just the DMT stuff.

Havalon Piranta

No more sharpening ....ever.  I dressed a hog and 2 deer with the same blade and it still was shaving sharp.