There are lots of great knives out there and they vary in price tremendously, but you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a good quality lightweight knife. Using the knife that comes on your multi-tool is one option, but there are a few disadvantages to doing so. For thing, these knives are usually quite, but more importantly, most of them do not feature locking blades.

A locking blade will prevent your knife from folding closed when you’re using it. This is the most important safety feature in knives and should not be overlooked. There are several different types of locking mechanisms and some are better than others. One of the most elegant is the Axis system found on some Benchmade knives.

I looked at a lot of different options, but ultimately I decided on the Gerber 6024. It features a 2.6 inch locking blade and weighs only 1.3 oz. Gerber also makes a mini version of this knife that weighs only .6oz! Both feature a lanyard hole through the knife’s body so that you can attach it to a keychain of a piece of string and hopefully not lose it when hiking.

Other knives worth considering include:

• Benchmade 556 Mini Griptilian 2.56oz., 2.9” blade, Axis lock, $85
• A.G. Russel Featherlite 1.5oz., 3” blade, locking, $35
• CRKT Mirage Titanium 1.4oz., 2.5” blade, frame lock, $50

Doug Ritter has published some great information on selecting the best knife for a survival situation. So, if you want to learn more about what to look for in a knife, read his guide to selecting the proper knife.