I had a buddy with an external knife who was very good at getting back in the boat catch his knife on the perimeter line and snap it off. It’s at the bottom of the snake river now. I’ve since taken mine off the outside of my PFD.

Great points! Never considered neck injury while yanking these blades out. The CRKT M16-13ZLEK might be worth considering as well. It has a seat belt cutter built into the flipper tab, so rope on skin cuts can be made without even opening the blade. The spear point makes a great bleeding knife for anglers.

I appreciate the insight. I have a handful of seasons on whitewater as a rafter. At first I wore external knives (NRS knife more similar to dive knives then the CRT Bear Claw). When externally mounted knives would occasional get hung up when getting into the raft (less knife dependent and more PFD mount dependent) and eventually fell out (knife dependent). I replaced the Bear claw with another because of the decent rope cutting ability and cheap cost and now keep it in the PDF pocket. The holster clips into my PFD inside the pocket. I would also consider Spyderco folding knives or that Gerber knive inside a PFD pocket in the future. All choices depend on intended use, but for me personally on class 2--4 rafting, I've seen that ropes are rarely deployed and (so far) never had to be cut in an emergency situation. I've definitely swam and appreciate the lack of hang up or knife losses that result from keeping the knive in a PFD pocket. Thanks for the discussion.

G'day Mate excellent vid. I just purchased a fishing kayak mainly because a cant really stalk any more due to manyArmy injuries and older age lol so I have been searching the net looking for people that know what the are talking about within this genre. One of the main considerations that I have been thinking about is having a knife on me that is used ONLY, God forbid, for me cutting away ropes etc if I go over. You have given me a lot to think about. Maybe I will go with a folding knife in a pocked of my multi pocket PDF for back up and a fixed blade as my initial grab. Thanks for all the info, thumbs up and subscribed from Perth Australia.

I have carried many river knives, starting with a tekna from back in the day, a bunch of gerbers and now I have a Benchmade SH20 on one pfd and the spyderco atlantic salt on the other. A good folder that can be accessed eyes closed is a very good option. Spyderco recently released the Byrd line and it has less expensive scales and lower quality steel, but the cara cara and the meadowlark will check most of the boxes with a positive opening, sheepsfoot, and full serrations. It is a great knife to have as a spare on longer trips, and to give to your kids as their first river knife. This was a great video, and really dug into the available options!

Hi Zach, when people are exchanging river rescue horror/war stories, I've heard a couple accounts of guides cutting through boat floors to access a victim trapped underneath a stuck raft. Does this application factor into your knife selection/do you know if a blunt tip serrated edge would still work for cutting through a boat? Thank you

Firefighter, rescue guy, and whitewater SUP and I second the spyderco. Its expensive but I even carry one on duty.

Just found your channel and can't believe I haven't before. Great content and good, well-considered opinions. Applicable even for non-rafty people like me!

For a fixed blade I'd recommend the Mora floating knife with the serrated blade and blunt tip. I carry one when I'm kayaking and it's super light and super sharp. The sheath is a bit bulky so I made a kydex one for it.

Good points Zach.

Spyderco has it's byrd line of knives, and in that they have the byrd cara Cara 2 rescue. It's bright orange and basically a cheaper version of the Atlantic salt.

I have tethers on a lot of my stuff. Prefer external because if i need a knife fast i want it fast. On my pfd and boat i have removable blade utility type knives. All kinds of blade shapes available.

great video. I stay away from knives that clip onto a vest because it is a major hang up hazard and ive had problems in the past with that setup. I prefer a simple fold out knife either in a pocket or tucked away somewhere. Also i dont run high dollar expensive knives because it sucks to lose a good knife.

I prefer folders too. One must-have for me is the ability to move the clip to be lefty. Many knives have that, but not all. Great review as always Zach.

Excellent video

FYI the Spyderco Cara Cara 2 Rescue is a budget version of the Atlantic Salt!

I always just carry a mora 546(stainless steel version of the 511) it's super cheap and comes insanely sharp. Sure it's a little thick but I don't do anything that really requires a thin knife.

There is the ease of pulling a knife from a sheath, but there is the consideration of putting it back into the sheath amid a possibly dynamic situation. It's easy to pull a needle and syringe free of the cap on the needle, but, if you want an excited discussion, ask an EMS provider about "recapping" a needle. The point is, "recapping" a needle can provide a great opportunity to injure oneself. Similarly, I think it's worth considering the environment in which one might be attempting to put a knife safely back into the sheath (w/o stabbing oneself or dropping it). I'll spare you the "no-shit-there-I-was" details, but the one time I had to use my knife in a consequential situation, it was in a raft mid-negotiation of a steep drop. I had actually rehearsed putting it back into the sheath before prepping my crew and cutting us free. My alternative would have been simply to toss the knife, after having used it, and grab the oars. A folding knife in a PFD pocket could well alleviate the need to re-sheath the knife quickly and accurately, if that's a concern.

Awesome video, thank you for the review! Subbing to your channel

Wish there was a good, floating river knife. I’ve lost a couple in last two years to the river. I know about the Mora but it’s too long and flexible for river rescue::: any suggestions?

What's your opinion on using trauma shears in stead of a knife? Leatherman Raptor.

Victorinox folding serrated paring knife in orange is my go to pfd pocket knife, 4in blade with rounded blunt tip at 44grams its pefect

One issue to be careful of, regarding flip knives, is how well they stay closed, and how your PFD is designed to carry a knife!! my dad was carrying a flip knife on his PFD front externally. A couple of times he knocked the opening trigger while fishing on the river, and the blade opened up on his PFD, edge toward his neck and face! so you really need to knock your knife around a bit, to test how it might accidentally open, and manage the blade direction when attached externally to the PFD.

Guilty of buying a knife from a non-knife company: Got the Palm folding knife. Ticks a lot of boxes mentioned in the video. But while the blade could very well be made of stainless steel, some part around the hinge isn't: It has never been near salt water, still there was some rust in there ... The other lesson: Inspect your gear every now and then.

The knife you mentioned with a big handle you like to grab . . . it sounds like you're saying the brand is witcher? I assume I just keep hearting that wrong?

rope under tension will cut vey easy no? so doesn’t have to be razor sharp

Kayakers are the cheapest people i know.