Ultralight Knives

[Jaxx]

I just got done reviewing one of these knives. I had never heard of the company before until I read an article in backpacking light. Your not going to chop or baton wood with it but if you're into the minimalist thing it might of interest to you. The testing I've done so far is all positive.

[Gambit McCrae]

That's a pretty knife, I've been carrying a razor blade in a little plastic reversible handle for about 300 miles now, probably need to replace it, with that other razor blade that came in the pack lol I am a knife hoarder though lol I only mention due to the sense of ultra light being used here, wont be doing any feather sticking, Ferro-rodding or battening with a razor blade

[CalebJ]

That's a neat looking knife. I've been happy with the Derma-safe knives for a while now, but that definitely offers a more stout alternative at a reasonable weight.

Derma-safe knife.jpg

[Jaxx]

That's a pretty knife, I've been carrying a razor blade in a little plastic reversible handle for about 300 miles now, probably need to replace it, with that other razor blade that came in the pack lol I am a knife hoarder though lol I only mention due to the sense of ultra light being used here, won't be doing any feather sticking, Ferro-rodding or battening with a razor blade

Haha that's hardcore but a great idea. I'd have to bring extra bandaids though because I would surely cut myself.

That's a neat looking knife. I've been happy with the Derma-safe knives for a while now, but that definitely offers a more stout alternative at a reasonable weight.

Derma-safe knife.jpg

What's the weight on the Derma-safe? of course I guess I could google it. I'll check it out

[CalebJ]

Less than 8 grams, or about a quarter of an ounce.

[-Rush-]

A simple Swiss Army Classic weighs nothing and has everything required for backpacking. I'd rather have the tweezers, toothpick and other tools for a few extra grams. The Leatherman Micra weighs 1.4oz and has a ton of utlility.

[colorado_rob]

A simple Swiss Army Classic weighs nothing and has everything required for backpacking. I'd rather have the tweezers, toothpick and other tools for a few extra grams. The Leatherman Micra weighs 1.4oz and has a ton of utlility.

Yeah, this. 0.7 ounces for a small swiss, you're good to go for 99.99% of your backpacking. Bigger knives just aren't really useful, except to whittle and make fuzz-sticks, which really aren't needed these days with all the high-tech and UL fire starting material out there.

I carried a bigger knife in the boy scouts in the late 60's, haven't since, never missed having one.

that being said... for technical climbing, where having a real knife is important, that knife looks SA-weeeeeeeet.....

[Rain Man]

When I hear "ultra-light" I tend to think a single-edge razor blade. Doesn't get much more UL.

[Engine]

Gerber LST.jpg Gerber LST, I think mine weighs 0.6 ounces and it has never failed to cut anything yet. I could probably even defend myself from a rabid chipmunk if needed.

[cmoulder]

When I hear "ultra-light" I tend to think a single-edge razor blade. Doesn't get much more UL.

Nothing against razor blades, but these little seam rippers (lower middle red thingy) is great because it's retractable... weighs 3g IIRC. The others are the Squirt PS4 obviously (don't know the weight) and the SAK Classic at 21g. The PS4 is nice for winter when you might actually have to fix something such as snowshoes or microspikes, etc
miniknife01_edited-1.jpg
However, the one I've settled upon for almost all the time is the SAK Classic with nail clips. On a longer trip I'm going to need them, so might as well take this.
SAK Clipper.jpg

[AfterParty]

Pretty cool knife they have steak knife sets on amazon pretty cool I think

[swjohnsey]

Gerber LST.jpg Gerber LST, I think mine weighs 0.6 ounces and it has never failed to cut anything yet. I could probably even defend myself from a rabid chipmunk if needed.

About all the knife you need!

[MuddyWaters]

That's a neat looking knife. I've been happy with the Derma-safe knives for a while now, but that definitely offers a more stout alternative at a reasonable weight.

Derma-safe knife.jpg

0.27 oz. I usually cant bring myself to carry anything lighter. The dermasafe is a good mix of light and useful .
Then again, I never cut anything more than a piece of guyline cord, or a defective food wrapper or ducttape. And thats really rare.

[madgoat]

I do have to admit a desire to take larger/heavier knives when I go backpacking. I'm confident in my skills that I don't really need much more than a razor blade, but having usable, useful, and safe tools at hand for various tasks trumps my desire to drop an ounce or two from my pack. Further, as an adult Scouter, I am constantly learning more about wilderness safety, emergency preparedness, first aid, etc so my first aid kit has a bit more in it than most backpackers (because I know how to use those items) and I lean towards a good blade.... be prepared and all that.

To each their own

[clusterone]

While I prefer a solid fixed blade, I can highly recommend this CRKT. It has a double locking system so you can aggressively engage the knife as you might a fixed blade without worry. The knife has stayed extremely sharp after one year of daily abuse, without any stone work. It is only 4oz! Sure some UL guys will find this too heavy. In my opinion "UL" only goes so far should you actual end up in a survival situation... I tend to aim for gear somewhere in between actual survival gear and UL gear. This knife does just that. Anyway, we all have opinions... ; )

http://www.crkt.com/M16-13-Special-F...eff-Combo-Edge

[CalebJ]

In my opinion "UL" only goes so far should you actual end up in a survival situation... I tend to aim for gear somewhere in between actual survival gear and UL gear. This knife does just that. Anyway, we all have opinions... ; )

What sort of survival situations did you have in mind?

[clusterone]

Building a shelter, making tools, processing game, building a trap to catch the Predator... not your standard trail hike activities.

[MuddyWaters]

Building a shelter, making tools, processing game, building a trap to catch the Predator... not your standard trail hike activities.

I tend to think of my pack as survival kit, and treat it as such.

You can be enamored with the idea of bushcraft. Its a fantasy as it pertains to hiking with full kit. If you lose the pack, likely lost knife too.

[MtDoraDave]

I appreciate a quality blade, but for hiking - where I have a better than average chance of losing it - I went with cheap and light.
Ozark Trail from wallyworld. $2, and very light weight. It cuts paracord, opens food packets, and is pretty sharp.

[onelighthiker]

First post
I use A foldable credit card knife I purchased from AGG for 4.00 and also A micro victorknox with scissors and toothpick and tweezers.