Any ideas for a versatile fixed-blade knife?

A: These days, the vast majority of knives are of the folding variety. But there are some good fixed-blade models. One is Buck's Woodsman, a classic small-blade knife that weighs 2.5 ounces and has a four-inch blade. It's $58, though, which is just out of your range (www.buckknives.com). The Buck Diamondback 4.25 sports a simpler handle and goes for $30, so that might be worth a look. Kershaw's Kaper ($60, www.kershawknives.com) is also a fixed blade, but is of a fairly specialized design for dressing game so may not be useful for you. Lastly, the Gerber Gator ($45, www.gerberblades.com) has a beefy four-inch blade available in a variety of configurations—serrated, non-serrated, or with a gut hook point.

Buck, Kershaw, and Gerber, of course, are rather traditional knife makers. For something a little different, check out Columbia Sportswear's Chimney Rock ($40, www.columbia.com). It's a fixed-blade knife with a four-inch blade that has a very interesting "skeletonized" design, meaning the handle has been drilled out in several places to reduce weight. It also has a sheath with several attachment options, including hanging it via a carabiner.

Anyway, all these knives are light, well-made tools that should have you covered. But how about just getting a multi-tool? After all, these all have a knife blade, plus lots of really handy things such as screwdriver points and pliers. Not as good in the knife function as a purpose-built knife, of course, but adequate. Leatherman's good ol' Blast ($50, www.leatherman.com) is very hard to beat.

Read "Life Savers" from the September '04 issue of Outside for the latest in next-generation blades.