To say that this set is superb for any kitchen is an understatement. The knives are unbelievably sharp, right out of the box. They are made from 440C stainless steel, a good quality blade material, with a design that makes them easy to resharpen with a diamond dust honing steel or whet stone.

If you think about all the knives that most of us have purchased and discarded over the years, it makes a lot of sense to get a single set which will last a lifetime that is easy to clean and resharpen. As great as these are for the home, our primary focus here is the benefit these knives offer to backpackers and RV users.

For those of us who backpack into the mountains, it has always been a problem to properly store kitchen knives so that we don't poke holes in our packs or hands. Since the New Age knives nest in their box, they can safely be stored in a backpack without worry.

Once your base camp has been established, you have the same selection of knives that are available at home. Gone are the days when we have to use our belt knives for kitchen duty or risk ruining a Kelty pack with a loose blade.

Which brings us to those who use camper trailers or RVs, I cannot tell you how many times we have searched through the drawers in our camper, looking for the proper knife and nicked ourselves on one of the others. For some unknown reason, most of us don't put our best knives in the camper. We commonly load the camper up with the orphans and odd balls from the kitchen.

If you think about that, it doesn't make sense. If we are going to use the camper for an extended hunt or vacation, we really should have proper kitchen utensils, including first-rate knives. We are as guilty of that as the next person. However, no more! The New Age cutlery gift box fits neatly in the top drawer below the counter, keeping the sharp edges away from Jim's hands. When dinner time rolls around, the box is placed on the counter and everything is within easy reach.

If we had a suggestion for this set, it would be to put a latch on the lid or magnetic strip to secure the top for the outdoor uses we outlined above. However, that is a minor issue compared to the usefulness of this set. With an MSRP of $89.95, it is more than competitive with any other set of four quality knives. You can order these knives directly from Stone River at www.stoneriveroutdoors.com