I recently wrote an updated blog post about this knife, and it can be read here: Rangergrip 78 Review.
TD
Best Swiss Army Knife For Camping
Seek & Explore, Find Adventure!
I recently wrote an updated blog post about this knife, and it can be read here: Rangergrip 78 Review.
TD
Great timing. Thanks for your article.
I love the outdoors and am fortunate to be enjoying nearly every day.
Although my activities are fairly benign there is always the possibility of needing a knife along the way. Why I have neglected taking one regularly I did not think about till your article. I need to carry a knife.
The knives I have a overkill on my day to day adventures so something life you proposed in your article is more suitable.
I will do just that. Thank you for waking me up!
Do you have more favorites?
Hi Robert,
Yeah, I too wold typically carry a large heavy knife into the woods on my belt. But for routine treks and light camping it was always overkill. Having something a little more camp friendly has been a big help to me. I usually carry a twig stove with me on my outings… I don’t need a large knife for battoning fire wood for my twig stove, but the little saw that comes with the Rangergrip 78 is sure handy.
When I hunt I carry a Gerber Premium Gator with SV30 stainless steel… the most expensive knife I own.
TD
Thanks!! I was camping 2 weekends ago up in Minnesota and I came so ill prepared because I didn’t didn’t want any problems with the TSA. I wanted to find a multipurpose tool that would be easy to travel and the Victorinox would’ve done the job.
I was hoping to find a multipurpose tool for another camping trip closer to home, so I think I’m going to hold off on this Rangergrip 78 for something a little bigger. Do you have a specific one towards the 5.9 range you’d suggest that is ideal for camping/fishing?
Hi Simon,
It all depends on what you do when camping. The Rangergrip 78 is great for a general camp use knife. I use mine for everything except using the blade for batoning, which I rarely do anyways. I’ve found that I usually only use a larger blade and heavier knife for things like field dressing large game or batoning.
For that type of work I use this knife here, the Gerber Gator Premium with S30V Steel: https://tdalloutdoors.com/gatorpremium
Glad to have run across this site.
I had one similar when I was growing up, it may be time to find one for my son. I had tons of fun with my knives and perhaps my son will do the same.
The one you are holding in your had looks so much better than the one I had, I guess technology has changed for the better. At what age do you recommend a boy getting his first knife?
Hi,
My nephew, who is in Cub Scouts, got a pocket knife when he was eight. There was a class that he and his fellow Cub Scouts took together that was put together by the Scouts about using a pocket knife safely. I suppose that is a good age to learn about knives and their basic uses.
I like the Swiss Army knives, they make good pocket knives. You can get them with lots of tools on them or just a couple knife blades. And they are sharp, and easy to maintain. They also come in all different sizes. The big Swiss Army Ranger Grip 78 is one of the biggest they make. I have a smaller version of that knife that is more pocket friendly that I carry around every day. They make them now with locking blades, which are safer in many regards, especially for kids.
TD
I do a lot of lightweight backpacking and am starting to get into alpine climbing. I need a new emergency knife but want it pretty minimalist. I’m a female so I have small hands and I don’t want a lot of extra weight. I think the Rangergrip 78 is a bit overkill for me, do you have any recommendations for the purposes I mentioned?
Hi Katie,
While I carry and use the Rangergrip 78 when I am camping or canoe tripping, my everyday pocket knife is the smaller version of the Rangergrip style of knives. For many years I carried Gerber pocket knives, but over the last year or so I switched over to Victorinox knives (Swiss Army Knives).
My pocket knife that I carry is about half the size of the Rangergrip, and is called the Swiss Army Trekker. Here is a link of you want to check it out: http://amzn.to/2CL9yrA
TD