A common item people ask us about is knives. There are a million knives out there, and in a perfect world everyone would have Bark River Bravo knives in S3v. But money is a factor. If we look at the requirements for a good, durable, well built knife for bushcrafting, self defense, food prep, skinning, and general use, one knife always comes out on top. The Mora Companion Heavy Duty. At a whopping 20$ it performs 95% as good as 200$ blades at a great price. You can't break it, the steel is superb, it is comfortable to use, it's lightweight. For basic kits I recommend a companion HAD in carbon steel, and a backup regular companion in stainless steel for food prep tasks. A whopping 35$ for both knives. They are tried, true, and proven knives you can depend on. Pick up a pack of 2000-4000 grit sandpaper and a piece of leather to sharpen it. Two swipes on each side once in a while is enough to keep them razor sharp.