Every year someone buys a stainless knife because they heard carbon rusts, and every year someone buys a carbon knife because they heard stainless won't hold an edge. Both are right, and both are missing the point.

The honest trade

Carbon takes a keener edge and resharpens in minutes on a pocket stone. Stainless shrugs off rain and salt. That's it. Pick the one that matches how you'll treat it.

What actually matters

The steel matters less than the habit. A cheap knife sharpened every trip out-cuts an expensive one sharpened never. Ten minutes on a stone beats a thousand dollars on a shelf.

My answer

In the woods, I carry carbon, because I like the ritual of caring for it. At the coast, I carry stainless, because salt is a patient thief. Own both, sharpen both, and stop arguing about which is better.