I live on salt water. Things do rust more easily here than some places, but I use carbon steel knives all the time. They do require some care, though. I just thought that the best choice might be a stainless one for his trek.
Oh I agree, stainless is an excellent choice for sticking around salt water. Especially a short trip of only a few days, where you don't have to worry about field sharpening <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
I personally wouldn't decide based on blade material at all - I'd take the knife that I felt best fit my needs for the type of use it would be getting...
And then I'd take two or three more. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />
