First off, my knife buying experience has been limited to cheap Moras, a Ka-Bar, and Kershaw pocket knives.

I'm looking for a quality backpacking/camping knife, not a full on survival knife. A 5" blade would be nice +/- 1/2" or so. Weight I would like to keep under 10 oz. for the knife only. Made in USA for sure and comes with Kydex sheath a plus.

I have my eye on a Bradford/Beyond Guardian 5. I think this looks like a damn fine knife. Bradford+Beyond here

Is there anything else I should consider for at or under it's price point? ESEE 4 is a touch short and ESEE 5 is 16 oz, so that is why I am asking for opinions. Of those two, I would rather have the shorter blade than the heavier weight.





I was batoning some pretty thick pieces of wood you can see in the background. 4" diameter logs were no problem.

Ontario Blackbird SK5

No kydex sheath. But with the $$$ you'd be saving over the Bradford, you could get one made and still be ahead.

What are you planning on doing with the knife, is always the first question?

Since you're worried about ounces, is it backpacking a long ways, or just camping, or just for pleasure?

That knife looks quite nice, but it's not inexpensive by any stretch.

I went with an Esee 4 for price consideration, ease of sharpening in the field and the venom green/orange combo, but I'm mostly just a city slicker.  I have the VG Izula for smaller stuff, if I need it.  Both would be far less money than the knife you're looking at and both would be easy to sharpen in the field.  CPM-3V, maybe not so much so?

I've read where BUSSE INFI steel is chemically similar to CPM 3V, so that's a good steel for bruisers, all other things being equal, but I don't think that your knife is that.

Maybe something from Fallkniven, or Helle for bushcrafting, if you like the Scandi knives?

Chris

That is a very nice looking option at quite a savings

I lucked up and got a "blemished" one during a sale at Midway.com

Needless to say, I could hardly notice the blem (on the handle) and it didn't affect the function/performance of the blade.

IIRC, it was between $50 to $65.

ETA:  I also have an ESEE-4, which is a good knife too. If you need a 5 inch blade, you can't go wrong with the Blackbird SK5.

Well after a ton of research, I ended up picking up the Bradford Guardian 6, and this knife is awesome! It is a six inch com 3v blade still coming in under 10 ounces. I ended up getting it cheaper than the one in my op. I am heading out camping this weekend and I will grab some pics with it in its environment!

I was going to suggest the TOPS B.O.B. but I'm too late. Looks like you picked up a pretty good looking knife. 

Damn that thing is hot.

Nice pick up

Pics posted in the OP. This thing was awesome batoning 4" logs. I processed a pile of wood. I did not do any cross grain batoning as I had a saw with me. Very happy with my purchase!