I don't get the fascination with big knives for backpacking. For more than twenty years all I have carried is a little 3-inch Buck knife that has two blades. One is pointy and sharp, and does a good job cleaning fish. That's the only time it is ever used. The other blade is more rounded on the tip, and it gets used for everything else, which is usually limited to slicing salami and cheese, and occasionally cutting a piece of line for the tent.
So what's the deal with the JIm Bowie 11-inch machete blade? Or the USMC special Ops drop forged all black bayonet? I really do wonder what people use these knives to do. They certainly aren't backpacking where we go. Track down and hunt a mule deer? Create a bivouac out of a cedar tree? Those things would be illegal in a National Park--and unnecessary just about anywhere else.
Or are these knives for self-defense? Are they expecting to meet rebellious native peoples? Defend themselves from fellow campers? Give you a chance in an encounter with a furious bear? Good luck with that one. The bear will outweigh you by 200 pounds, have nine more knives (claws) than you do, and can rip open the door of a Ford 150 pickup. You take that knife...and run like hell when you see a bear.
Splitting wood? We make small fires from time to time...but I learned a long time ago (back when the only cooking we did was on an open fire) that smaller wood burns better, hotter, and more controllably, than big logs. And there is always more smaller wood on the ground than large logs that need splitting. I mean really--if you need a knife to split your firewood, maybe you are making the wrong kind of fire. Or camping in a group with twenty people, in which case your ex-wife's new boyfriend should carry the ax.
I suspect that these deadly looking blades appeal to the survivalist dreamer...the one who watches Man Vs. Wild and believes those idiotic capers are necessary. He'll spend two days trying to catch 200 calories worth of food. And he'll use his knife to cut up the vegetation to make a rope from lianas. It will take him most of the day. He wouldn't need the damn rope if he just hiked down the other side of the hill. Which would take about 45 mintes.
But then he couldn't justify that really cool looking black steel knife that he has carried for seven years, and never used except to spread peanut butter.
It's all just a bit too "Tom Sawyer" for me--I don't need to pretend there are pirates in the forest to have a good time. Some people do.
I suspect that there is a bit of "Walter Mitty" in many of the fans of big knives. I look at it as sort of a harmless affectation.
I have made and sold a lot of knives. The big ones consistently sold better than did the small, more useful knives. My personal favorite sheath knife has a 3 1/2" blade and a simple round mesquite handle without a bolster. I have used it for dressing and skinning deer and elk as well as whittling kindling. I find that small blades are much more controllable than are large ones.
I have a light-weight axe that I used when I was working as a timber cruiser. It serves me better for wood chopping, when I need to chop, than any of the so-called survival knives. It is only marginally heavier also. Actually, I prefer my lightweight pruning saw for most such chores.
For backpacking I carry a modest SAK Classic at 0.8 oz. I do keep it sharp though: Sorry Jimshaw!
I'll bet if you did a study you'd find that the more miles you are from the trailhead the fewer Rambo knives you'll see. I know the breed of dude that you describe and they're more the car-campin' sort than the dozen miles a day sort.
Knives can be something folks develop an emotional attachment to, and I understand that...to a point. 99% of my knife use is when cooking so I make sure I have one that works well for that, and that means something smallish and simple.
I've never been a fan of big knives either. The only one I've ever bought is a 9" fillet knife. It's useful when camping, but I don't bring it anymore. I have a tiny pocket knife I bring.
I did become fascinated with how machetes were used in Mexico and Belize. They cut brush, cinder block, hammered nails, and more with them.
I bought one and tried hacking my way through some thick bramble here but it just bent it over. Now it hangs on the wall in my garage.
I have watched hunters field dress deer with big knives made just for that and used properly they are a very good tool for the purpose.
Bill Its funny that the big "huntin knives" are not what hunters really carry. A skinning knife, or as you allude to, a fillet knife,are pretty specialised and not a Bowie knife at all. You might carry a "huntin knife" to slit a deers throat, but most hunters have a gutting knife or Wyoming knife, which is a misnomer because it cuts the belly without cutting the guts, and a very rounded blade for actual skinning. My DH Russel dear skiiner is so specialised for skinning that it serves little utility for camping and has never been taken camping. Jim
I have tried alot of different knives and i have to say my favorite knife i use for every thing is a k-bar with a fairly small blade it is made of high quaity steel with stacked leather handle and leather sheath and is not only confortable but practicly indestructable ,best 85 bucks i ever spent. Korea
I just use a leatherman micra for packing. I have nice big knives that are just not practical to carry. I hike with a guy that carries the big sheath knife, hatchet, and shovel, "just in case".
In case we have to fight off wild indians, fight a forest fire, or skin out a yeti...
I carry a puukko with a 3" blade. Sharp as hell and extremely useful for a wide array of chores around the campsite, but definitely NOTa "fightin" knife.
I carry an Ontario 499. I guess you could call it a "big knife" but it doesn't compare to anything like a Ka-Bar...
1095 Carbon steel, Full tang, Leather sheath and handle wrap. The pouch in the photo originally came with a small sharpening stone, but I replaced it with a magnesium fire starter block. I also keep about 10ft of para-chord wrapped neatly around the sheath.
I don't feel like i'm over doing it at all, its only a 5 inch blade. I can spread peanut butter, cut salami, clean a trout (i keep it razor sharp), and if need be, split wood for a fire or for making a shelter. I don't see what the issue is.
I can go on a day hike with just a water bottle and this knife on my belt and know that if need be I can build a shelter and start a fire with out having to bring anything else with me.
Did I mention its made in america and only costs 40$?
Hmmm, not sure on this, and I haven't been around enough serious backpackers to find out. I have had a trusty Gerber folding knife for a bit over a year now, and it has helped me while packing and in everyday life.
I had a really cheap fixed blade knife that was oversized as you describe. I used it to practice ceramic mug honing, and then I just left it at my mom's house and have never missed it.
Been contemplating getting a good fixed blade, as I sometimes worry about the locking mechanism on the Gerber, but I recently got a SOG S-60 powerlock, so I might delay that further.
Will admit it, I'd say I'm a bit of a minor knife addict and yeah some knives are bought for some of the cool factor/collection purpose than just strictly utility use on the trail.
As far as the big knives for backpacking, I'd say they're most useful for wood splitting as you can split faster and also thicker logs with a knife with a bit of size and heft. This would mostly come into play I think in wet conditions if you're needing to split bigger stuff to get to the dry wood. If it's dry, you probably can go with a smaller blade and be fine with firemaking.
Something of the 11 inch machete range, i would agree that's definately on the excessive side. My range of knives is pretty much a range of sizes and weights that I choose from depending on the trip. -Biggest/heaviest: Cold Steel recon scout (7.5" blade) -Medium: kabar short (5.5" blade) -small: cold steel roach belly or SAK -even smaller: SOG Aegis, Leatherman Juice
I don't really see anything wrong with the slightly large variety of knives, Man vs. Wild guy uses a 5 inch blade I think? No doubt about it though there's knife enthusiasts such who'll consider buyin certain knives though just for fun anyways.
I carry a small folding knife rather than a large fixed-blade as that is what suits MY needs. That said, I find denigrating someone else's knife/pack/boot/stove/tent/etc. choices reminiscent of six year olds in a sand box.
If someone chooses to carry a smaller/larger or lighter/heavier version of what I do, that's their choice, and has no real impact on my enjoyment of the outdoors.
Many here would likely rant onward for many paragraphs about how much photo gear I carry into the mountains. However, it's MY back that's carrying it: don't get too fatigued worrying about someone else's gear list
I don't think that Man vs. Wild is a good reference for this board. The man deliberately looks for dangerous things to do so he can show you how clever he is to have brought one tool or another. And then solve the "should never have existed" problem.
It's smarter not to get into trouble, and you can't always pick the trouble you get into.
Nor the helicopter to rescue you when the film crew calls for help.
I don't think that Man vs. Wild is a good reference for this board. The man deliberately looks for dangerous things to do so he can show you how clever he is to have brought one tool or another. And then solve the "should never have existed" problem.
It's smarter not to get into trouble, and you can't always pick the trouble you get into.
Nor the helicopter to rescue you when the film crew calls for help.
He's an idiot.
hmmm i have to disagree the point of the show is to show you techniques in extreme situations or as you put them never should have been existed...
i'll give you alot of the stuff on the show is avoidable but alot of it is interesting knowledge to have...and its entertainment!
the other show Survivorman is more reality based where he doesn't go to extremes...
i think its rather fitting for this board...and in actuality being a large fan of the show and the talent thats on it...i can tell you he rarely brings anything fixed...and they are often compact folders...and thats it...i honestly am racking my brain trying to think of other nifty tools he he has used...it was always a small to medium knife combined with a log for splitting wood/hammering
with that said i persoanlly bring a medium sized fixed blade...feels better to me than a folder...and i use it for a million other things...hammering a stake...digging in a fire...roasting a piece of fish etc....i use it dig my cat hole as well...stir my dinners...i cut n peel fruit nuts with it, and i also whittle with it at camp...honestly its an extension of me and goes with me on every expedition/day hike (i've had several over my tenure, but the SOG field pup series have lasted great for me, i do reccommend being able to maintain/repair an edge on any fixed blade...if its cheap the steel will be too and you'll end up spending the same on replacements...take the time and save up for a quailty piece of steel!)
i think with any piece of gear it comes to personal choice on the weight and the knowledge/expeirence with the gear and what to do it...i could probably skin a deer better with my sog field pup elite than a novice with his fancy skinning knife
Calling Bear an idiot is actually giving him a fair amount of credit. I have been amazed at the incredibly unsafe and hazardous stunts he performs on camera on the rare occasions when I have tuned in. It is understandable perhaps, because successful survival isn't very good fare for TV, being somewhat akin to watching paint dry.
I have often supposed that his televised antics, imitated by others, would kill someone some day. Apparently they have. Two young men drowned in the Zion Narrows recently, trying to float an improvised raft through the area. Their equipment consisted of a camcorder, and precious little else. According to the NPS report on the incident, they were recording their adventure for some sort of "Man vs Wild" competition.
There is a lot more to Bear than meets the eye. He was once in the British Special Forces. He does know how to handle himself in most any situation that he can get himself into. I don't think that it's himself that he is worried about. I think it's us and I think that he is trying (the best way he knows how)to convey a lot of that knowledge and information so that one day we might be so fortunate as to be able to use it to maybe save ourselves or some body else...sabre11004...
I think his show is entertaining to watch , But so is Porn! Porn is also more stimulating, LOL. Sorry but fact is most reality shows are so overdone it is a joke. Do you really think he is at risk? Some perhaps but not much! Enough is enough.
There is a lot more to Bear than meets the eye. He was once in the British Special Forces. He does know how to handle himself in most any situation that he can get himself into. I don't think that it's himself that he is worried about. I think it's us and I think that he is trying (the best way he knows how)to convey a lot of that knowledge and information so that one day we might be so fortunate as to be able to use it to maybe save ourselves or some body else...sabre11004...
Nope. He worries about himself being entertaining enough to stay on TV--and that's all. He looks for stupid things to do so that he can figure out some way to pull some idiotic technique out. And then he claims that it's important.
What's important in the wilderness is staying warm, not getting lost, and not taking (or faking) stupid risks.
How often does he violate those simple rules? Every show. And that does way more educational damage than showing someone how to rope and ride a supposedly wild mustang (it was tame, but they didn't tell you that!) Would you like to get severely injured in the wilderness? Then try to jump on a wild horse!
HOw about crossing a frozen lake because you are too lazy to go around it? Or jump into a waterfall because you can't be bothered to find a trail down? Make a loop snare to catch a rabbit (that doesn't work) when the food he gets doesn't even begin to compensate for the energy he wasted trying to get it.
All these are his "suggestions" on how to survive. Give me a break. I can't think of a better way to get killed.
I think there is an important point missing here....
It's a man on tv. It is a television show, where a guy entertains you by being out in the woods and pits himself against the wild. It's not reality, it's not footage taken by survivors of a gruesome plane crash, it's a television show. Sometimes he sleeps in a hotel room, sometimes when he does something stupid or contrived, it is in fact stupid or contrived.
Get over it, calm down, and if you don't enjoy it, don't tune in. I watched it for a season or two with my hiking buddies, and we loved it. We never jumped out of an airplane in the Alps and made a snow shelter - we never ate elephant poop for the moisture - and we never climbed into jungle caverns and swam in their cold subterranean streams. Instead, we hiked on the AT, explored parks near us, and learned real skills. Plus, who doesn't get butterflies watching a guy chuck a lizard tail/snake head/insect in their mouth and grimace as they say "it's good protein" I mean, come on, that's like two steps above fart humor, it's not survival wisdom, don't evaluate it as such.
Bear Grills is a joke...Les Stroud's shows are much better. The new "Dual Survival" show was originally supposed to have both Les and Bear, but neither would commit to doing a show together, so they got these guys:
I mean, come on, that's like two steps above fart humor, it's not survival wisdom, don't evaluate it as such.
Most of our objections to Bear are not objections to this - *we* know this, and *you* know this.
My objection to it is that neophytes often do *not* know this, and will then end up in our stomping grounds trying to do retarded things like climbing down into a glacier crevasse unroped, building a platform 10 feet off the ground to sleep on "because of bears" or other such lunacy. At least if they were only walking around naked in a lake trying to hit fish with a club it would be amusing and probably not dangerous.
It's not that I don't realize it's just entertainment, it's that when the show attempts to present it as otherwise, people take it as real advice.
To me it's akin to having a cooking show where the chef is a rampant slob who never washes his hands, and smears raw chicken over all the ingredients as he's working, with the show presenting this as if nothing is wrong with it - because he ate it and didn't get sick.
all valid valid points...regardless of your opinion of the show, the guy does some clever and interesting things with small - medium sized knives that are practial to any one of us....
and that was the point of the thread....
I will point out that SOG knives has a really good fathers day sale...and imho they make some pretty stellar bomb proff stuff
At least if they were only walking around naked in a lake trying to hit fish with a club it would be amusing and probably not dangerous.
To me it's akin to having a cooking show where the chef is a rampant slob who never washes his hands, and smears raw chicken over all the ingredients as he's working, with the show presenting this as if nothing is wrong with it - because he ate it and didn't get sick.
Point taken. I hadn't thought of it that way. I'll have to present the "Raw chicken smear attack" next time Bear Grylls comes up in conversation and see what happens...
I think it is a confidence factor. Like, hahah my knife is bigger than yours. Cause your absolutely right. Some of the knives I have seen on the trail (and otherwise) are over kill. Though I do have to say, the one Rambo has from first blood is pretty sweet!
phat: Wow I laughed audibly at your reply! So true!
I never thought it would happen but I have recently been bitten by the knife collecting bug. I just purchased a Becker BK2. It will probably never meet my backpack. This 1/4" slab of steel is much more likely to end up as an anchor for my kayak. But it is a fun little tool and this weekend it will see its maiden car camping voyage. I plan to use it for everything from chopping vegetables to cutting firewood. I know, an axe is better for the firewood but not nearly as fun!!!
I like to carry an Opinel. Folding. Locking mechanism. Very lightweight. Very inexpensive (usually around $10). If something happens to it, no big whoop. For as often as I need a knife, this usually does the trick. They also sell a pocket saw version, which is really the only other type blade I'd like to have handy.
I used to lug around a Super Leatherman, but that is a full LB+, and the serrated blade was so sharp that I was constantly worried I'd cut a finger off when I was farting around with it on the trail.
Wow, TR, you bought a BK2. I have a cold steel SRK that I bought at the PX in Kuwait. I strapped it on my flak vest. I used it a lot to break up ice in the cooler and occasionally cut open an MRE. But, mostly I used scissors to cut open the MRE's. Anyways, my last BP trip, I didn't use a single blade. But that was only because no one got hurt, so I didn't need to use my scissors for first aid, which is unusual.
I don't buy knives - used the same swiss army for the last ten years, but I got the BK2 for a month-long trip off trail in AK this summer and it was the allstar of the trip. 1/4" is what it is - and 16oz without the sheath. But it holds an edge through skinning game, chopping wood, and then some.
I won't ever be taking it on a short or light trip as you said, but it sure is a fun knife. For me, someone who has never had a desire to own long/big knives for machismo, this knife is heavy and sturdy, you couldn't break it if you tried, yet not too long or big, I could still do reasonable whittling with it.
Best BK2 moment was when I snapped our full size ax (I didn't carry it in) blade, not the handle, and for the last 10 days we used the butt of the axe with the BK2 as the workhorse. Also, if you're not worried about the finish, it makes a reasonably effective hammer when you're setting up a more permanent camp.
Didn't mean to gush, but I love my BK2 (for what it does, it is no opinel/swiss army classic meant for long-mile days)
i only have 4 knives, an gerber suspension, essee knives rc-5(backpacking) and essee rc-6(car/backup), and a benchmade 9100sbk autostryker. looking to get a benchmade hk-14536; hk-instigator for my boot and i also have a Sog Fusion Tactical Tomahawk Knife from target.com
the gerber and benchmade rotates on my pocket depending on where i go and the rc-5 is strapped on the side of my pack in a Rat kit from essee knives
Can any of you BK2 owners talk about the history of that knife? I was surprised to see there is also a Camillus Becker BK2, and it has quite a different blade. Both government contractors (Camillus now defunct?), but I found it odd that both Ka-Bar and Camillus had Becker BK2s.
I'm no expert but as far as I know, Ethan Becker designed only one BK2. He founded Becker Knife and Tool in 1980 to make his knives. He sold the BK2 design to Camillus which made them until they went belly up in '07. Ka-Bar took over from there. Becker is an interesting guy. He is an accomplished chef and his grandmother wrote The Joy of Cooking. He edited the 1997 version of that book.
Here is a picture of a Camillus BK2 which looks exactly like my Ka-Bar made example except the tang on mine is slightly exposed at the end. The sheath is slightly different but the blade looks the same. The only variation on the design I have seen was a Camillus with a partially serrated blade.
I used my BK2 last weekend for car camping. It did everything from chopping firewood to slicing cheese to opening packages. Now........if it only weighed a pound less LOL. At least I have a boat anchor too.
It's interesting to see the name of this knife so often misspelled. It's called the "Campanion" by the manufacturer. Maybe to market it as a camping tool and not a weapon. But many spell it with an "o" as the second letter.
Here is a vid of Becker himself talking about the BK2.
I'm disappointed I can't find a big bargain on the BK2. You folks have me hooked, and now I want one for the next car camping excursion.
Those TV "survival" shows are some of the worst programs on TV. All of them. The one with the ex-special forces and his journalist wife has the personality of a wet sandwich bag. I had hopes for the newer one with the minimalist barefoot outdoor school instructor and the ex-military guy, but even that is terrible. I watch some crap TV, but I haven't dropped to this level quite yet.
I've had the same Gerber LST since 1986... I've tried to lose it more times than I can remember, but can't seem to do so! It's in my pocket as I type this.
However, in the last few years, the CRKT Wrangler has begun to replace the LST on BP trips... I like it's design slightly better and the steel quality is higher than the Gerber. Go figure.
I seem to have collected a drawer full of knives and multitools (exaggerating... probably about 10 total).
That said, I seem to use my Gerber LST (0.6 oz) and my swiss army waiter (0.9oz, 2.5" blade, can/bottle opener) most often. I prefer the locking blade and the weight on the LST, but i usually bring canned meat instead of the foil pack baggies since it is far cheaper... i have a few of the p-51 can openers, but i prefer not having another loose item in my bag.
I like the durability of my fixed blade but theres a fine line between usefulness and a waste of space. I use a Becker BK11. Sure its almost 7 inches, which is a bit large but with the skeltonized handle, high carbon 1095 Cro-Van steel, and a lightweight some kinda fancy hard plastic sheath it does me real good. I actually cut down a small tree with it in my yard, took me an hour though.
I started chipping away a ring around it and kind of shaped it into a wedge until I could push it down. If I wanted to cut that into sections with the knife it would have taken many a hours and many a blisters. I'll see if I can find the pictures on my phone.
I carry a small folding knife rather than a large fixed-blade as that is what suits MY needs. That said, I find denigrating someone else's knife/pack/boot/stove/tent/etc. choices reminiscent of six year olds in a sand box.
If someone chooses to carry a smaller/larger or lighter/heavier version of what I do, that's their choice, and has no real impact on my enjoyment of the outdoors.
Many here would likely rant onward for many paragraphs about how much photo gear I carry into the mountains. However, it's MY back that's carrying it: don't get too fatigued worrying about someone else's gear list
I couldnt agree more. I personally prefer to carry a larger fixed blade as well as a smaller fixed blade. My system allows for the weight and I find wood processing to be a joyous activity that is therapeutic when in the wilderness vs. just wood gathering. I also enjoy practicing various woods crafting skills that are made easier with a large or medium sized fixed blade, just as some individuals probably enjoy bird watching or fishing as camp activities. Gimme a large blade and some dead wood and I could easily kill just as many hours as a catch and release fisherman. Large blades are rarely useful as defensive blades (+6 inches) without the proper training, but are quite useful for batoning wood, a back up for felling dead wood if your saw fails, useful for digging cat holes (if your willing to abuse your blade - as I am), shelter making, etc. I find that it is an excellent all around tool, jack of all trades and master of none serving as a back up for a large part of my primary system if various parts of it begin to fail. YMMV - just because its not your choice, doesnt make it a poor choice.
I love knives...I guess I even sorta like knife forums although this isn't one...The knife is the most basic of tools, possibly 'the basic tool'...I wouldn't go into the woods without one, even if I thought I might not use it. Of all the stuff I have decided to leave at home, TV, computer, car, shower etc., I am not leaving a knife at home...and I don't mean a knife that you can only spread mayo with either. This year it's a Gerber Gator serrated...all the rest of my stuff is as slimmed down as I can get it. I am not sacrficing my life for 3oz. of piece of mind, in exchange for a "tool" that can't do anything more than extract a splinter. If I gotta fight off a bear at least I'm gonna die with my boots on!
I'm the same way I want somthing with a backbone. I use either my Kershaw Vapor which is flat and light, but easy on the hands. It holds a nice edge and is easy to sharpen. I did pick up a Buck Rush at a store closing sale for 30 bucks, I'm starting to like as my daily pocket knife. Neither of these are overly large but they are enough to do just about everything with
I look for something functional that holds a good edge. That being said, I don't want to pay a lot. My compromise is buying helle blade blanks and making my own handles. I make them to be used though.
Mind you I also will be carrying a leatherman with me this summer for the multifunctional aspect.
quote from Balzaccom "if you need a knife to split your firewood, maybe you are making the wrong kind of fire. Or camping in a group with twenty people, in which case your ex-wife's new boyfriend should carry the ax."
The boyfriend of the ex-wife carries the heavy, unnecessary gear... GENIUS!!!!
Apologies insofar as I haven't read this thread --- the recurring knife theme on various backpacking forums is pretty amazing for just one small gear item that I, at least, don't use very often. For those who regularly build campfires and base camp and the like, my comments below might not apply so well; for those seeking to limit total pack weight, however ...
IMO if you feel the need for some sort of backup survival knife, or if you just like to whittle, look at backpackinglight.com and consider one of the very light knives they sell. The particular situation I think this might be worth while would be for someone who uses a wood burning cook stove, perhaps the Bushbuddy or Tri Ti Caldera, something like that.
But in particular if you're male (even more so if a fairly young male), cut way back on the size and weight of default knife that you think you might want to carry (I don't exclude myself in this in my youth). Rather than a large "I'm a tough guy who can slay bears in single combat" kind of knife, think minimal utility tool that will do the job(s). If you want to demonstrate that you're tough, consider a scary tattoo instead, as it weighs nothing. Maybe try henna first, however. And if you're thinking in terms of personal protection, a mini can of mace is better, to include the fact that when literally "push comes to shove" a lot of us city raised folk will hesitate to shove a length of sharp steel into flesh to sever veins and arteries of a fellow human being --- I think we might hesitate a bit less to use the lighter and handier mace spray.
Among a lot of thru-hikers I've known and walked with, I can't think of any that carried a knife of any size. After camping many nights with thru-hikers, I don't recall ever even seeing a knife come out, mine included. The most useful part of my very small Swiss Army type of knife is the scissors.
A related incident early on the Appalachian Trail last year: Just out of Neel's Gap I found a big honking buck knife on the trail, and picked it up to return it to its owner. Why did I reckon I would encounter (inevitably a) him? My immediate thought was "Anyone carrying a knife this big is someone I'll catch up to". And so it was, a couple hours later I caught up to this fellow about half my age struggling up a hill and returned his knife.
I bought a good knife about two years ago. Its lasted me through two years of moderate abuse and will probably last me another 20. This is why I like Leatherman.
After camping many nights with thru-hikers, I don't recall ever even seeing a knife come out, mine included. The most useful part of my very small Swiss Army type of knife is the scissors.
Agree. A Swiss Army "Classic" (the itty bitty one) is usually all I carry and find the scissors and tweezers get used the most. A Leatherman Squirt P1 if I want to haul a multi tool. For trail work, the P-1 screwdriver/pliers gets used to tune and repair chainsaws mostly. The blade almost never comes out. I can't think of a time in recent history where I couldn't make plenty of fire (i do cookfires) using dead-fall or needed to split out heartwood. I suppose if I were going to live in the woods, a hatchet or ax makes more sense then a honkin' big knife.
For sail boating/kayaking, the story is different. A small, fixed blade, blunt nosed, divers knife, with wrist lanyard, works best for rigging or snag emergencies. Stays on my PFD with whistle.
You are absolutely 100% correct. A knife is handy on land; on the water it is essential, even on a power boat - best way to deal with snagged lines (as in around the prop) in an emergency.
You are absolutely 100% correct. A knife is handy on land; on the water it is essential, even on a power boat - best way to deal with snagged lines (as in around the prop) in an emergency.
Right...and single hand operation is also essential, when on water. Many times, especially on sail or powerboats, you're busy holding on with one hand, while working with the other. I've grown to prefer fixed blades, but as long as a knife can be deployed with one hand (the test), its good. I started single-handing sailing dinghies a couple years ago and found working with tools while under sail is a skill unto itself. A wrist lanyard keeps your knife off the bottom of the lake. When backpacking, most cutting chores were done before you left home. Today, very little needs cutting, especially food. Pouches tear open these days. Food is usually bite sized and a tiny blade takes care of any slicing/dicing.
The SpyderCo Byrd with a 2 inch blade is what I take with me most of the time. Though my bigger sheath knife saved my behind once.
I was car camping and had bought some firewood from Safeway that turned out to be completely soaked through. The knife made it possible to chop some kindling off one of the logs and dry the wood out enough to start a fire. No other kindling was available and the kindling I had brought with me had been exhausted on the wet wood.
"I suspect that these deadly looking blades appeal to the survivalist dreamer...the one who watches Man Vs. Wild and believes those idiotic capers are necessary. He'll spend two days trying to catch 200 calories worth of food. And he'll use his knife to cut up the vegetation to make a rope from lianas. It will take him most of the day. He wouldn't need the damn rope if he just hiked down the other side of the hill. Which would take about 45 mintes.
But then he couldn't justify that really cool looking black steel knife that he has carried for seven years, and never used except to spread peanut butter.
It's all just a bit too "Tom Sawyer" for me--I don't need to pretend there are pirates in the forest to have a good time. Some people do."
That is great! Those shows can be a bit too much. I typically carry a Gerber Gator, which usually only gets used to cut cheese and summer sausage, but I have been looking at a knife that could double as a spearhead for month long backpacking. I like the idea of being able to create a tool that just may be useful or even neccessary. Who knows? But I would like to have it. I would use bear spray as my family's first defence. I wouldn't be running around the sides of mountains brandishing it at every rustle.
Well thanks to one of Shugs videos on hammock forums .net I saw this knife and had to have it.
In my defence I had long lost my only good fixdblade knife and have been searching sometime for a replacement!
It's light enough! It's strong enough! With the added belt clip. It's very versatile in packing in an open carry manor! I actually prefer carrying it as a neck knife. But the fact that it quickly & securely can be connected to a pack, belt, or boot is a real nice feature!
Very well shaped very Sharp blade!
Bottom line is yes I would remand this blade to anyone. And if I end up loosing this one. I'm just going to order another!
I was until recently carrying a Becker BK-7. Yes, I know it is a large knife and probably much more than needed, but it so similar to the USMC Ka-Bar that I carried in the service that I am emotionally drawn to it.
However, I recently purchased a Mora Robust that is quite nice, although I haven't taken it afield yet. Once I get it field tested and approved, it will take over the primary knife duties.
I was until recently carrying a Becker BK-7. Yes, I know it is a large knife and probably much more than needed, but it so similar to the USMC Ka-Bar that I carried in the service that I am emotionally drawn to it.
However, I recently purchased a Mora Robust that is quite nice, although I haven't taken it afield yet. Once I get it field tested and approved, it will take over the primary knife duties.
Ellis
They're never too big, until you need a big one, and you're carrying your 1 inch ultra light folder. I have a Cold Steel Leather Neck, which is basically their take on the K-Bar w/some improvements. You can use it with a sturdy piece of hardwood to split firewood. Also, in thick brush, where vision and navigation is measured in feet. If neither one of these meet your needs, no need to carry the extra weight.
My go to knive is, well a Leatherman multi-tool. These have saved my butt many times, in the military and as a civilian. Downside - Heavy as the Leather Neck, but sit's on my belt so it's really not that noticiable.
SOG Navy SEAL PUP: This is a minature version of the actual Navy SEAL survival knife. Weighs in at ounces, will handle about any cutting/emergency most people will need in a lifetime. Pro - Very Light very versatile, with beveled and serrated blade, do anything knife. Con - blade is very hard stainless alloy. It will sharpen to laser type cutting precision, which also means if it gets dull they are a real pain to re-sharpen. Better to never let it get dull in the first place.
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