There are only a few things that you carry with you on a hunt that can either enhance the experience — making it one for the books — or make it a painful memory that you’d rather just forget. Your boots, pack, and weapon are the easy answer; however, when the work really begins, your knife can truly make or break your hunt.

Replaceable blade knives have been the rage for quite a few years because they offer the easy button of a brand-new, sharp blade with very little effort. At the same time, a lot of hunters love having a fixed blade knife to make those tough cuts and eliminate the danger of having to change blades with dirty, wet hands. For a couple of years, I’ve carried both because I see the benefit of each style. This year, however, I only carried one and it was the new Day Six Gear Dragonfly.

The term “game changer” is thrown around way too often in my opinion, but in the case of the Dragonfly, it might be applicable. Tipping the scales at only 3 oz (knife – 1.8 oz; sheath with integrated tool – 1.2 oz) with two razor-sharp fixed blades made my decision to only carry the Dragonfly a no-brainer. I was able to fully process a bull elk this year, including removing and skinning the skull for a euro mount, with absolutely no issues. The carbon fiber handle that sandwiches the dual blade gave me the ultimate grip on what is basically a full-tang knife.

The dual-blade system is one of those things that I kick myself for not developing years ago! One thing I don’t like about replaceable blade knives is the actual blades. I don’t like the flex I feel in them, so that’s why I’ve always carried a fixed blade. With the Dragonfly, there is no flex to the blade and I was able to very easily remove legs, skull and debone quarters in preparation for the pack out. One thing that initially worried me about using the Dragonfly in the field, especially in deep snow, was losing the hardware when I needed to flip the blade. However, with captive titanium hardware, that fear was quickly eliminated. And with the embedded hardware key in the sheath, it was very quick and easy to swap the blade around and have a fresh, razor-sharp blade to use.

The bottom line: the Dragonfly earned its spot in my kit and will be in my pack on every hunt going forward. If you love the ease of changing blades on a replaceable blade knife, but want the toughness and durability of a fixed blade, look no further.

Check out the Dragonfly knife here

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