a short hello and a question

[shark]

hello, after reading for some time i decided to participate in this forum.

at first some informations about myself:

i come from bavaria in germany, i work as a journalist and i am 30 years old.

i am interessted in knifes since i was a kid, myfirst knife was, as usual over here, a sak, my first real knife was a fully serrated ss police model, i still like it a lot...

at this time i own several spydercos:

2 fb01 morans, one mirror polished and numbered (396) nib, an upgraded vg 10 viele,

a starmate and a plain chinnok.

i own knifes from other companies as well, but thats another story...



ok, the main reason for this first post is the following:

i am going on a camping trip to southern europe (france, italy, spain, switzerland), for about 6 weeks.

Most of the time I will spent at the mediterranien coast.

now i am looking for the right knife zo take with me.

i will take a small fiskars camp axe and a leatherman wave for shure, a sak is lying in my car anyway, so all i need more is a good knife for usual camping chores.

i do not want to buy something new as long as i can use one of the knifes i allready have, i need my money for my hollidays...

ok i am sure i has to be a spydie (a question of trust) and i narrowed it down on moran or chinnok?

i think the chinnok is easier to carry and it has the steel with better edge holding, but on the other hand there will be a lot of sand and saltwater and the moran is easier to be kept clean under bad circumstances, and the blade shape seems to be better for kitchen work.

i normally carry the moran around my neck in that great kydex sheath, so maybe its more comfortable while walking arround in shorts.

on the other hand the chinnok seems to stand more abuse because of its thicker blade.

is the moran not to weak?, sorry i am a bit critical, because i know it isn`t a full tang construction, but im not a professional...

you see i am not sure what to take with me and i don`t want to take both, simple because in some of the countries i will visit, there are knife laws that don`t allow me to carry a knife at all, so i can hopefully explain one blade, but no "normal" person will understand my need for two spydercos...

thanks for your help, and don`t worry if it takes sometime until i can answer, i am at work, and i can only surf the net from time to time.

again thanks and sorry for my bad english...



bye,

christian



I am not a knife collector, i am just looking for the perfect knife, wich I haven`t found yet - but I got a lot of fun with all the knifes I bought during my search...and it is a perfect excuse to get more blades...

[CalypsoKid]

Only God has the perfect knife. Be happy with what you have. JMO.

~C

[Lsaulog]

Welcome to the Forum, Shark.

I wholeheartedly agree with CalypsoKid.<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle><img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle><img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

But, since we don't have a perfect knife, let's discuss the differences between the FB Moran and the Chinook.

I love the Chinook and don't doubt it's strength, utility, or durability. Going camping requires a blade that is easily accessible and low maintenance. Because the Moran is a fixed blade, you don't have to reach in to your pocket to access it. Just pull it from the sheath. Also, let's say you are cutting up freshly caught fish. With the Chinook, it requires more work to clean out all the guts &amp; scales from between the liners and the pivot area. And, if you're not too careful, a dirty folder going back into your pocket will eventually cause a terrible smell. You mentioned saltwater. Again, the fixed blade would be easier to keep clean than a folder. With the Moran, all you need to do is rinse the blade and the handle and wipe dry. The Chinook would again, require more work. Lastly, the Moran looks more like a camping knife than the Chinook. If you were stopped by authorities in a particular country, I would imagine that they would find the Moran more acceptable than the Chinook as a camping knife. The Moran looks less intimidating.

And so, if I were going for six weeks, I'd take both. I would want the flexibility to choose between the two. However, because you mentioned certain carry restrictions, I would definitely recommend taking the Moran.

Best wishes on your journey.

"Hope for the best. Be prepared for the worst. You'll never be disappointed."

[Rookie]

Welcome to the forums Shark.

In the land of knives, Spyderco is king.

[J Smith]

Welcome I would go with the chinnok or the starmate.Both easy to carry.

Jeff

[tbarahon]

Hello Shark:
I can’t say anything about the other countries in your trip, but I am from Spain, and also an avid camper. Never, ever flash your pieces. Do NOT carry your knives openly when you are not in your camping site, and if you are staying at a paid camping ground, forget about it. Laws in Spain regarding knives are very complex, and the local LEOs might have different understanding of those laws.
Talking about what to use or what to carry, carry whatever you are comfortable with, always bearing in mind the different uses for the different blades. I usually carry a big fixed blade, like a Ka-Bar, for general use; a small fixed blade, very sharp, for some special tasks, like cooking or rope cutting; a skinner; a pocket tool, normally a Leatherman Supertool and two other folders. In my last camping trip, I went to the mountains in the northern part of Spain with ten other friends. There were 4.5 knifes per person, and some were not carrying any…

I hope you enjoy the experience,

Teo

[shark]

hi, thanx a lot for the input.
sure it is easier to clean the moran, and for hidden carry the neck knife option will work quite well.
and also thanks for the hint not to open carry the knife in spain and maybe the other countries- if people and officials are this difficult there i think my chinnok would be a bit &quot;too much knife&quot; for them.
it is also a good point to take different knifes for different tasks, surely this gives you options but i will have to carry all the stuff in my backpack, when i go to the mountains. and of course i do not want to leave my knifes in my car alone in the middle of nowhere... i mean i would miss them...
so i think i will take the moran as a neckknife with the tek lok somewhere in my pockets, just to have more carry options.
ok another question, what are your ideas of a good sharpening device for outdoors? is there anything that spyderco has?
thanx for your input again, it is great to have a lot of specialists you can ask, i have not seen somrthing comparable with any other company or product, spyderco seems to be something special with special costumers - happy to be part of it,

bye
christian

[Sword and Shield]

Hi Shark! Welcome to the forums! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

For a good versatile sharpener, I would go for a 204. Find a reasonably sturdy stump or rock, set it up, and roll. It'll sharpen anything at all, once you practice a mite.

Throw a small steel in your pack as well as a way to place a quick edge on a knife for when you are working.

Keepin' it real...real sharp, that is.

[Pachucko]

Good evening, and welcome---Pachucks

[Blades]

Shark,
Welcome to the Spydie forum!!

Blades

[sam the man..]

Howdy Shark!
Welcome aboard! Have a good hiking trip! <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Sam

have spydies will travel

[shark]

thank you all for your kind words and good information, this is really a great forum,

christian