Beautiful Blade, Curious Handle: CRKT Minimalist Nessmuk

For anyone hiking, trekking, camping, and exploring in the 1990s, Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) was the go-to knife brand. From price to reliability, CRKT knives got the job done without breaking the bank. And while that position hasn’t changed in the last 30 years, the brand has consistently experimented with materials and shapes in the name of higher-performance knives.

For 2025, CRKT adds a Nessmuk version to its 16-year-old Minimalist line. The brainchild of knifemaker Alan Folts, the Minimalist line started with a Wharncliffe blade design and has been iterated over the years to include a Bowie, cleaver, spear point, katana, Persian, and drop point.

I’ve been carrying the latest Minimalist around my neck and on my belt since early spring. I admit, I am already a big fan of Nessmuk-shaped blades, but the size and stature of the CRKT Minimalist make it an entirely different experience.

But in the course of this review, other GearJunkie editors and I found this design very polarizing. While many folks (myself included) really love this knife, others found the distinctive handle shape unwieldy and inefficient — especially for tasks like skinning and game processing. Your experience with this knife will likely hinge on how it feels in your grip your ability to adapt with it in the moment.

In short: Everyone needs a reliable knife they can carry with them nearly anywhere. The CRKT Minimalist blends size and capability together nicely, and can go from cutting down cardboard boxes to rough outdoor use without hiccup. Its handle shape works great for many situations, but it’s not terribly versatile if you want to hold it any other way. Still, if I were stranded on a desert island and could only take one knife, this is that knife.

CRKT Minimalist Nessmuk Review

Design & Features

The Nessmuk version of the Minimalist is offered with both Ivory Micarta scales with 12C27 steel ($75) and Green G10 scales with D2 steel ($45).

Both versions are designed to be workhorse outdoor survival knives. I just happen to like D2 steel more. Yes, 12C27 has a higher level of corrosion resistance, but D2 is a beast. Where 12C27 is stainless, D2 is tool steel, and therefore meant to be used hard over and over again.

So that’s the version I’ll focus on for this review.

With an overall length of 6 inches, the Nessmuk is a perfect size for neck, belt, or in-pocket wear. The included thermoplastic sheath is ready for neck and belt wear out of the box, and can easily be adapted for in-pocket wear with the right pocket clip. Based on my use, I think you’ll find yourself doing both depending on how creative you get in your surroundings.

Like all of the Minimalist knives, the handle is slender and ergonomic, designed to have a place for three fingers. This offers solid control over the knife while the G10 amplifies the overall grip. For those of you who are worried about what to do with your floating pinkie finger, the included lanyard acts as a handle extension and an easy way to retrieve the knife from storage.

First Impressions

In the early 2000s, CRKT teamed up with survivalist, writer, and fighter for knife rights across the land, Doug Ritter, to create the CRKT Ritter RSK Mk5 survival tin. I’ve been thinking a lot about the knife that came in that Altoid-sized tin while wrapping my head around the Minimalist Nessmuk.

The two are entirely unrelated, but it’s that feeling of what these knives are made for that creates the common ground between them for me: surviving. 

I’ve been so impressed with the way the Nessmuk blade shape works and plays on other knives that I needed to see its impact on a knife like the Minimalist. Not only is the knife small, but it’s also specific.

The handle is designed so that your first three or last three fingers sit in a predetermined position. This allows for total control of the knife when performing both precision and utility tasks — both of which a Nessmuk blade was designed to excel at. 

I really like how exaggerated the blade is overall. It has a large, swooping belly for slicing, shaving, and spreading as well as a swedged tip for piercing.

That being said, where the drop-point blade is highly regarded as the most universal of blade shapes for the outdoors, this Nessmuk variant takes the crown. I feel like it will be highly adaptable as well as able, due to its strong blade shape.

In the Field

I’m going to get my one complaint about the Minimalist Nessmuk out of the way up front so we can focus on the positives: there’s no real way to use it as a neck knife and a belt knife optimally.

This really isn’t a big deal — I just played it up to wake you up. However, you’re going to end up removing the neck cordage if you want to wear it on your belt, and the belt clip might annoy you if you want to wear it as a neck knife.

This is the same reason why I don’t own a Jeep Wrangler.

That said, the Minimalist Nessmuk — or “Minmuk” as I’ve been referring to it as — is great for a lot of things, but it shines bright in outdoor adventure situations when you’re keeping your gear minimal.

Floating down a river on a summer day? Take this knife and wear it around your neck. Looking to make a gourmet meal on the trail? It’s your favorite prep knife. It’s even great for getting down to shaving down bark and branches for a tinder bundle to start your campfire.

When I wear it as a neck knife, it’s usually for easy access while hiking and roaming around. I like to wander off trail, down at the bases of waterfalls, and in fields full of wildflowers. In those instances, I usually leave my pack behind. However, even if I do bring it with me, the knife is right there around my neck for easy access.

I’m wearing it now as a belt knife that tucks under my T-shirt, so no one knows about it. I’m heading out to pick berries, and then going grocery shopping, and then who knows — maybe Home Depot? Not sure if I’ll have enough time. But I’ll have this knife on me. You never know when shit will hit the fan, or you just need a knife as a tool.

Conclusion

I grew up in the outdoors and still spend a lot of my free time out there. It’s not uncommon for me to have a little dirt under my nails and a couple of knives on me at all times. That said, over the years, I have learned that discretion is one of the most important things you can practice in society. Where I still carry a larger belt knife on me when I am on the trail, I lean toward keeping something smaller and more inconspicuous on me whenever I am out and about.

CRKT’s Minimalist Nessmuk is a pocket-sized taskmaster that will make for the only knife, or a backup knife, for anyone spending their fair share of time in the outdoors. Additionally, I think it’s a fantastic everyday carry that can tuck away on your belt or around your neck until you need it. You’re not going to need a full-sized belt knife at the bookstore or even your local brewery. But, it is nice to have something dependable on you. This knife fills that void.

Smaller fixed blades are very popular right now due to the fact that they can easily go unnoticed on your person. That means there are a growing number of options out there for you. I have a handful of favorites that I’ve worked with in the last couple of years. The CRKT Minimalist Nessmuk just climbed to the top of the hill.