My friend is going to Alaska to work for an "adventure company" there that does orv tours, fishing tours, horsaback tours, and more.  I am going to send him off with a knife.  

I don't want to spend more than $150 and am partial to Cold Steel, but am open to other options.  

So far I like the Cold Steel Outdoorsman

Everything a guide will need.  Look at Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops and you should be able to find it

in your price range.

Outdoor Edge / Outpak

A Buck/Strider 880SP would be a good large folder for extreme use.  A Spyderco Manix would be another good big folder.

For $150, you have a few good choices. Alot better than cold steel.

#1-Fallkniven A1: Extremely tough laminated VG10 steel and an ultra durable handle material make for an incredibly strong survival knife. Mine is holding up very well after a couple years of use. Very easy to sharpen, and takes a great edge and holds it as well. Here is a link to a vendor and a link to a review by Cliff Stamp,

www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=778

www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/a1.html


#2-Swamp Rat Ratweiler:  A little more expensive than you wanted to spend ($178), but definitely worth every penny. I do not own one of these blades, but everything I have heard about any Swamp Rat blade has been %100 positive. These are very tough blades with great edgeholding properties and an extremely tough proprietary steel. Here is a link to their site (the only place you can order), and a link to a review on the Camp Tramp, the knife that the Ratweiler is replacing. They are very similar blades. The only problem would be if you needed the knife soon. Sometimes it takes a little while to receive your order from Swamp Rat.

www.swampratknifeworks.com/knives.html

www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/camp_tramp.html

#3-Himalayan Imports Chiruwa Ang Khola Khukuri:  For something slightly different , the H.I. Chiruwa Ang Khola is a near indestructible blade. Hand forged and crafted from 5160 spring steel by the Royal Kami's of Nepal in Himalayan Imports BirGhorka factory. These blades are massive and come with a lifetime warranty, if you break it or bend it, they send you two free. This company has some of the absolute best customer service I have ever encountered. These blades are considered some of the strongest, if not the strongest, in the world. Also, the Kami (Bladesmith) who forged and crafted your blade also signs it, so each blade is unique and different. They are zone hardened with a slow water quench, which leaves the cutting edge hard and the spine soft for durability and toughness. This company has a huge following over on www.bladeforums.com. Here is the link, although you might have to register an account to view,

www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=739

The owner of H.I., Yangdu, posts daily special with khukuris somtimes up to %50 off of the regular price. They ship extremely fast too. It has never taken more than three days for me to receive my order. Here is a link to their site and to their shopping page with the Chiruwa Ang Khola.

www.himalayan-imports.com/

store.yahoo.com/yhst-7333098713883/changkh.html

Good luck.

Thanks for the info!  I am looking at the Ratweiler.  I will order one when I find out when he ships out.

And I'll send a field report.

Ranger Knives RD7 can be bought here . Very tough and unconditional lifetime warranty.

Quoted: My friend is going to Alaska to work for an "adventure company" there that does orv tours, fishing tours, horsaback tours, and more.  I am going to send him off with a knife.   I don't want to spend more than $150 and am partial to Cold Steel, but am open to other options.   So far I like the Cold Steel Outdoorsman

Good choice, and believe it or not, I do carry the Outdoorsman along with my 4 inch 500 S&W Mag revolver, we have a lot of bears in SE Alaska and pretty much the norm to be armed. If I'm not carrying the Outdoorsman, I also carry the Cold Steel Tai-Pan when I'm  in the thicks of brown bear country- This knife cuts coming and going.

Use what the game service uses:

www.blade-tech.com/product.php?productid=905

and take a hatchet such as a Gransfors.