Knife Suggestions?

The time has come, my friends, for me to purchase a new blade. My husband and I already have a couple of pocket knives, but there’s just something about working at Blade HQ that makes you realize what a good knife looks like, and that you need to buy one.
While I have learned a ton about knives since I started working here, I still wanted to get opinions on what knife I should get. And who better to ask than you? To help you understand my needs a little better, here’s a bit of background on my preferences and what I’ll be doing this summer.

Summer Activities

This summer, I’ll be hiking, camping, and backpacking a lot. Although the air here is really dry, there will be some times when my blade might get wet, too. For example, there are some waterfalls and rivers around some of the places I’ll be going, and it is likely that I’ll have a knife on me when I’m exploring those areas. I would prefer to have a knife that won’t rust the first chance it gets because of that, but also because I might not always be able to dry off my blade right away.
When I’m camping and backpacking, I will likely have a hatchet or a larger knife with me, so my new knife won’t need to be a primary cutting/chopping tool. However, I do want something that will be able to take a fair amount of abuse.

My Preferences

I wouldn’t say that I have tiny hands, but in comparison to a man, I guess I kind of do. I would prefer to have a knife that won’t be too big for me to handle. I’m flexible on the locking mechanism for folding knives, but I really, really like liner locks and thumb studs. They are easy to use, and I feel like I have more control when using them. That being said, I’ve also liked the Spyderco knives I’ve handled, so like I said—I’m flexible.
Let’s talk money. It’s often hard for me to spend money on anything I don’t “need,” but I do want to get a quality knife. My budget is somewhere in the region of $50. Slightly above might be alright for a truly awesome knife, but I’d prefer to stay as close to my $50 budget as possible.
Color is, unfortunately, too big of a determining factor for me. I really like lots of color, and my favorite is orange (bonus points if you can find me an awesome knife that is also orange). I would love having a knife that was also an awesome color, but functionality does come first.

Information overload? I hope not! Any recommendations you can give me really are much appreciated. I hope you’re making time to go enjoy the outdoors with your blade as well, and I hope you have a great weekend!