The essential knife | The Press

It can be small and used mainly for cutting sausage. But it can also be massive and used to saw wood, remove splinters, screw in spare parts, straighten tent poles, open a can of salmon and uncork a bottle of wine. It is the camping knife, which is available between the fixed blade knife, the penknife and the multifunction tool.

“It’s a vital element,” says Pierre Laliberté, senior advisor at La Cordée.

In the community of outdoor enthusiasts, we find Opinel fans, Victorinox fans and Leatherman supporters. In fact, all of these types of knives have their place.

“It always depends on what we want to use it for,” says Mr. Laliberté.

There are the foresighted, who want to be able to repair a backpack, a tent pole, a bicycle.

“These people will rather go with the Swiss penknife or the multifunction tool,” says Mr. Laliberté. On the other hand, the hiker who doesn’t care about these things and who just wants to have a knife to cut rope, his sausage, his tomato, his cheese, this one will go with an Opinel. This is one of the best knives available in terms of value for money. »

Most models have a beech wood handle. A ferrule keeps the blade in the closed or open position.

“It’s a champion locking system, it’s super simple. »

There are different blade sizes, and even a children’s model, with a rounded tip.

“They also released a model for mycology enthusiasts, the mushroom knife, with the slightly curved blade, and the boar hair brush at the end to clean the base of the mushroom. »

Opinel is a company that dates back to the 19th^e century, just like Laguiole, another French manufacturer of single-blade knives.

“The difference with Opinel is that there is a spring to close the blade,” says Mr. Laliberté.

We find another great classic on the other side of the border, the famous pocketknife of the Swiss army.

“There were two companies that supplied the army with knives, Victorinox and Wenger,” indicates Pierre Laliberté. Victorinox bought Wenger in 2005, but it kept certain models, including those that had a safety catch. »

Outdoor enthusiasts are familiar with Victorinox pocket knives, which include a number of tools, depending on the model.

“The Spartan model is a classic,” says Mr. Laliberté. It has a standard blade, a small blade, a corkscrew, an awl, a toothpick, a splinter tweezer, a can opener with a small screwdriver. »

Long hiking experts, like Catherine Turgy and Hugo Drouin, have a weakness for the Swiss penknife.

“I have a mini Victorinox that follows me on my adventures,” says Catherine Turgy, who has notably hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Quebec National Trail. The most used tools: the micro scissors and the nail clipper. »

“I have an Opinel, but it’s not for hiking, it’s for picking mushrooms in the land behind the chalet,” she adds.

Hugo Drouin, who completed the 1,200 kilometers of the Arizona Trail, also has a very small Victorinox penknife.

“I use the smallest and lightest multi-purpose knife I found, the Victorinox Classic SD, at 21 grams,” he notes. It fits in the palm of my hand and meets almost all the needs one could have on the trail. On the other hand, it would not allow me to screw certain screws on snowshoes or skis in winter. »

Columnist Alexis Nantel has owned the Victorinox Hiker model for years.

“Minimum useful tools, compact and light,” he says. [L’aventurier québécois] Fred Dion would tell me that it’s missing a saw, but I’ve never needed one and in survival, I’d manage just fine regardless. »

The other major category of camping knives is the multifunction tool, offered in particular by the American manufacturers Leatherman and Gerber.

“These are two very good companies,” says Pierre Laliberté, of La Cordée. There are different models, but you’re always going to have the standard blade, the serrated blade, the can opener, the file, the wood saw. The big difference with penknives is the pliers. When I go cycling, it’s not a Swiss army knife that I put in my pocket, it’s my Leatherman, because I know I have good pliers for tightening nuts. »

Whatever the type of knife, you must take care to maintain it well.

“You have to keep it sharp,” recalls Mr. Laliberté. It doesn’t go in the dishwasher, and you have to add a little oil from time to time. »