Spelunking survival knife
by Joel
I enjoy spelunking, but find a fixed blade can be a bit much. I've found that a fixed blade knife will get in the way. Traditionally, I would reject a folding blade for survival purposes, but I got sold on the Buck Folding Omni Hunter 12PT.
The blade, when extended, feels as solid as a fixed blade knife. There's no wiggle at all, it has held up well for me for the last few years. The 420 steel blade is strong enough to stay sharp, but easy to properly sharpen (I also carry one of those cheap two sided sharpening devices with the ceramic piece on one end). As well, it comes with a sheath that allows for either being carried vertically or horizontally (I carry it parallel to my belt). I like this, because the idea of needing to fumble for my pocket in an emergency doesn't ring well. Obviously, this is not a fixed blade knife, but it's compact size makes for a nice trade off when spelunking. One thing I have noticed: It's rusting. However, it's not the blade, or the locking mechanism, but the portion that is connecting the two halves of the handle. I'm not so sure how fatal that is, but at 50 dollars at Gander Mountain and three years of faithful service, I wouldn't flinch to replace this bad boy in a heartbeat. Like I said, for standard hiking, I generally prefer a fixed blade, but for spelunking or camping, I find my Buck knife does an excellent job.
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