The Coolest Pieces of Gear We Tested This Week

Looking for the perfect knife for all your summertime adventures? Look no further than the newly released 317-1 Weekender from the fine folks at Benchmade. Just released earlier this week, this is one of the finest examples of a do-it-all everyman’s knife that we’ve ever seen. This traditional folder pocket knife features two impressive blades and a bottle opener—everything you need to accommodate your weekend outdoors excursions. The larger blade is nearly 3-inches long, the smaller blade is almost 2-inches long and they’re both satin-finish clip-point style made from ultra durable CPM-S30V (58-60) steel… all packed into a really nicely textured Micarta handle.

This knife simply feels so solid in-hand, and the blade performance is nothing less than you’d expect from a legacy brand like Benchmade. This is the type of knife that you pull out as you sit down with your kids around the campfire. In fact, this the very first blade that we’d given our 9-year-old son on a recent trip to Yosemite for some good ol’ father-son knife safety talks, as well as some priceless whittling time together with the walking sticks we’d collected earlier that day.

The handle is textured just right for not only your hands, but also your little explorer’s hands. It held its edge remarkably well during our week-long excursion, and the patina that this handle will develop over time is surely to be on that’ll tell the stories of our time together outdoors.

For all camp chores (including cracking open that beer), this is the best knife we’ve used this year. And the best part? It’s built so well that it’ll likely be the knife that my son sits with his kid one day and shares some epic moments in the Great Outdoors. You can’t put a price on that.—Jon Perino, senior editor

[$250; benchmade.com]

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