TOPS Knives Camp Creek
This was my first TOPS knife and falls squarely under the heading of “Where have you been all my life?” The Camp Creek model was actually made for TOPS’ president Leo Espinosa as a one-off hunting knife but the design proved so popular they added it to the TOPS lineup. It’s a high-end hunting/camp knife built from uncommon CMP S35VN steel, chosen for superior edge retention and stainless qualities.
The handle has 3-color camo G10 scales and a tan Kydex holster but what obviously sets it apart is the unique “Nessmuk-like” profile designed for hunting and camp chores such as skinning animals, cutting wood and prepping food. I haven’t yet caped a grizzly or performed an emergency backcountry appendectomy but for slicing both summer sausage and kindling, it has performed exceptionally well. At the reasonable MSRP of $220, I’ve owned far more expensive knives with far less performance!