CRKT – The Bear Claw

Made by CRKT and designed by knife maker Russ Kommer the Bear Claw is a rescue knife like no other.

Specs –

Full tang taper ground AUS 6M stainless steel blade with a fine bead blast finish.
Finger hole and friction grooves located on blade spine, choil and near tip for maximum blade control and safety.
The handle is contoured black Zytel.
Includes a injection molded black Zytel sheath that has seven lanyard holes and belting slots with lanyard and black stainless steel Teflon plated pocket clip.
AUS 6M stainless steel blade hardened to 55-57HRC, Blade length: 2″.

I picked up one of these knives from a climbing shop in Hailey, Idaho. I had been after a decent knife for kayaking for some time and was probably going to pick up a Gerber on my return to the UK. However after checking the Bear Claw out for a few minutes I decided it was going to be a better choice.

It’s name says it all really. The knife is similar in shape to a claw and carries a blunt nose and extremely sharp serrated blade. This in itself is sharp enough to cut easily through 11mm spectra climbing rope. The grip of the knife is probably what sets it apart. When holding the knife the natural positioning of the hand means that the trigger finger sits in the hole which results in an extremely strong grip. The knife comes supplied with a lanyard, and sheath. The latter can be attached to a belt via a removable metal clip or threaded onto the belt or strap itself.

In the past I have used a freestyle BA (PFD) for my ww rafting exploits and have had the sheath fastened to the side cinch straps under my left arm. The knife sits there securely and comfortably and to be honest I don’t even notice it is there. As far as I’m concerned it has been a fantastic buy that represents a minimal and functional design, which isn’t “in your face” and doesn’t impede movement or paddler function.

After years of being attached to different PFDs the Bear Claw remains one of my favourite bits of kit. There is no sign of wear or corrosion and the blade has remained super sharp.

If you are after something a little less hard core and that can also be popped away in a pocket check out the Spyderco Salt series. These great blades are made from H1 steel which is highly resistant to corrosion.