White River Small Game — 2.62 inch drop point blade in CPM-S35VN

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White River Small Game · Drop Point
2.62″ blade · 0.13″ spine · 2.75 oz · ~0.66″ tall

Spine thickness, same scale

0.13″

Length and spine thickness drawn to true scale from published specs. Outline traced from the maker's side-profile photo.

White River

White River Small Game

Hunting FixedFixed Blade

The White River Small Game is a 2.62" drop point fixed blade in CPM-S35VN, flat ground. The handle is Linen Micarta. It is the shortest-bladed of the 22 fixed-blade hunters here, at 2.62".

Blade: 2.62″
Weight: 2.75 oz
Steel: CPM-S35VN
Price band: Premium

Best for

Skinning and breaking down game

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Specifications

Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against whiteriverknives.com, knifecenter.

Blade length: 2.62″
Spine thickness: 0.13″
Blade shape: Drop Point
Grind: Flat
Steel: CPM-S35VN
Overall length: 7.25″
Weight: 2.75 oz
Lock: Fixed
Handle material: Linen Micarta
Country of origin: USA

Why a drop point

The default hunting and EDC shape, and the safest general answer. The spine curves down to the tip in a convex line, which keeps the point low and strong and leaves plenty of belly for skinning. It is hard to make a drop point bad at anything.

Every drop point here →

About CPM-S35VN

S30V with niobium swapped in for some vanadium: slightly tougher, noticeably easier to sharpen, marginally less edge retention.

Edge retention

3/5

Toughness

4/5

Corrosion resistance

4/5

Ease of sharpening

3/5

1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All CPM-S35VN knives

What owners say

Drawn from 19 owner discussions of the White River Small Game since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.

What owners like

It wins pocket and belt time over other small fixed blades: one owner who rotates it with a Bradford Guardian 3 bets the Small Game gets more carry, and another lists it as one of their three most-carried knives.
Fish, deer and elk have all gone under it for one owner, who says it works fine with no issues, and another uses it as their pocket razor for gutting brook trout on fishing, hunting and camping trips.
Food work suits the 2.62 in blade: owners use it for trimming mushroom stems, as a paring knife and for cutting up salsa ingredients.
The handle fills the hand despite the short blade: a new owner says it fits their hand very nicely and that the handle is about as long as a Mora Companion's.
Thin enough to slice: asked whether it was thick for its size, an owner called it a good all-around cutter and said they would not call it thick.

What owners flag

One owner calls it a fine utility blade, not a workhorse.
The design is not everyone's pick for field dressing: the owner who has used it on fish, deer and elk says it is not their preferred design, and two people worried the choil and ricasso could snag while gutting or wiping the blade.
Pocket carry is snug: one owner who finds it nice to carry says it takes up most of the pocket in joggers, so they belt it when wearing jeans.
On the small side for big game, in one knife user's view: they call it a little small for elk or moose and like something bigger as their main knife even for deer, though they would lean toward it for fish and birds.
Price keeps one shopper out: looking for a small pocket fixed blade, they found it a little out of their price range and asked for something similar under $100.

A 2.62 in S35VN blade on a Linen Micarta handle makes the Small Game a small fixed blade that owners use for a lot: one rotates it for everyday carry on the belt, one guts brook trout with it, one has used it on fish, deer and elk, and another calls it a great paring knife. One owner bets it out-carries their Bradford Guardian 3.

The reservations come from single voices: one owner calls it a fine utility blade rather than a workhorse, another prefers other designs for field dressing, and a third says it takes up most of a joggers pocket. Buyers weigh it against the M1 Caper for hunting and the Moki Banff for a smaller gentleman's fixed blade, and one buyer looking for something similar under $100 found it out of their price range.

White River Small Game or M1 Caper for field dressing?

One owner who has used the Small Game on fish, deer and elk says it works fine, and another who owns both carries the M1 every day but takes the Small Game hunting for its straighter blade and extra handle length. Two other answers lean toward the M1, one for larger game and one as the better general carry, and one knife user worried that the Small Game's choil could snag while gutting.

White River Small Game or Moki Banff?

Three answers called the White River the better knife, one saying it is the pick if you want a user with more handle to grip, while the Moki was seen as slimmer and more of a gentleman's knife. One Small Game owner admitted the Moki tempted them too, and a later update says the Moki won.

How do people carry it?

One owner wears it upside down on the belt at about 4 o'clock on a leather backer, which they find slimmer and less stiff than the typical clips on kydex sheaths. Another carries it tip up on the belt at about 3:15.

Is it too thick to slice well?

An owner who was asked this says no: it is a good all-around cutter and not thick. The blade is 0.13 in thick on a 2.62 in blade.