View Full Version : Trail Knives and Multi-Purpose Tools
wwbriggs
10-18-2011, 04:27
What is the best / most useful "Trail" knife or Multi-Purpose Tool such as Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman Multi-Purpose Tool?
Does anyone really use all the "multi" gadgets, or are they extra weight?
Are there any Ultra-Light Options that do the same? If so, what are the compromises?
earlyriser26
10-18-2011, 05:05
I have two knifes. The swiss army variety and the smallest Buck knife they make. I never take the swiss army knife with me on the trail anymore. I just never needed the other tools unless I was off the trail. Then they are very handy. My single blade Buck knife has to weight no more than 1 OZ vs 6-8 OZ for the swiss.
Rocket Jones
10-18-2011, 06:02
I carry a Swiss Army "Fisherman" model everyday (have for years), but recently picked up a Leatherman Micra for the trail. The scissors are handy, a blade of some sort is a must, plus the mini screwdriver is useful for emergency glasses repair. The best part is that the Micra weighs half of what my SAK weighs.
Ironbelly
10-18-2011, 06:26
Far from the lightest option I carry a good fixed blade knife, and add in a leatherman squirt in winter for repairs to snowshoes or crampons etc. Squirt is 2oz and has all you will ever need, knife, file, pliers, phillips, flathead, and can opener, awl.
Trailbender
10-18-2011, 09:20
I carry a squirt, Mora fixed blade, and a classic SAK. Altogether might be like 8 oz, but I carry very little else besides necessary gear.
garlic08
10-18-2011, 09:49
Only you can answer this question. Do you need a mulititool? Do you carry complex gear with moving parts that needs repair? Are you afraid of something breaking that will affect your trip or seeing your next birthday?
Over several seasons I was able to greatly simplify my load. I no longer carry much metal at all, or anything with moving parts. I have a frameless pack, my shelter uses trekking poles or a stick, I don't have a water filter, I no longer carry a stove...I wondered why I needed a multitool. What's going to break? So I started carrying a single edged razor blade in a plastic handle, with an extra blade in a piece of duct tape. I use that to open packages, for fabric repair, minor first aid, etc. I use a spoon to cut my food. Over the last several years, I've been able to affect all my field repairs with a small sewing kit and some duct tape. It works great for me. An added bonus was finding out I could carry my pack on an airplane if I threw away the razor blade. They're easy to buy, five for a dollar, almost anywhere.
My multitool stays at home where there are many things that need fixing regularly.
Hosaphone
10-18-2011, 09:59
I carry a squirt, Mora fixed blade, and a classic SAK. Altogether might be like 8 oz, but I carry very little else besides necessary gear.
Why carry the squirt AND the swiss army knife? Seems redundant.
I'm a fan of mora knives too and used to carry one... ~3oz for a very sturdy and easy to sharpen blade.
Sailing_Faith
10-18-2011, 10:18
I carry a knife every day... if I have pants on I will have a knife with me.
Of course, I am a Sailor... so a knife is important. The one I have settled on for the last couple years is a Leatherman C33Tx.
Now, I have carried many knives over the years, and have now gone through about 5 model changes of this knife... the blade is really tough (I like the combo blade)... the screw drivers work out well and the carabiner works as a bottle opener...
All this for 3.6 oz... it is a good solution at least for me.
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clsvideo
10-18-2011, 11:00
I have a Gerber Crucial that I take car camping or when weight doesn't matter. When I'm going lightweight I have a little Gerber stl 2.0. It's tiny but serves all basic needs. There really is no need for anything bigger in most situations.
SassyWindsor
10-18-2011, 20:44
http://svpply.com/item/85190/NEW_LARGEST_MULTI_TOOL_GIANT_POCKET
clsvideo
10-18-2011, 20:47
http://svpply.com/item/85190/NEW_LARGEST_MULTI_TOOL_GIANT_POCKET
Ha, I've seen that one before. I'm sure it will double everyone's pack weight. :)
pcasebere
10-23-2011, 19:11
I really like my "My First Swiss Army Knife Plus," though it's not my first. It has a bottle/can opener, saw, blade, toothpick, and tweezers.. doesn't cost or weigh too much either.
Don Newcomb
10-23-2011, 19:47
Now I carry a Leatherman Micra. Its scissors are strong enough to trim the nails of my large toes. The knife is big enough to cut anything I need to cut.
Your multi tool better to have a sharp blade, a small scissors( you can clipp your nails with it), pincer for thorn removal,can opener and small screw driver(s). I repeatedly use my SAK small wood saw in my trips but not gonna hurt you if not be included. Anything more specific is optional like since I fish when I hike my SAK is angler specific and has hook removal and some other stuff. Overall do not take any multi tool that has some extra features that isnot in your need. they make your load heavy but oo small verions like pucket versions I find them not that much useful on trails. If it is the only sharp object you are carryig better not be too small.
Trailbender
10-25-2011, 09:01
Why carry the squirt AND the swiss army knife? Seems redundant.
I'm a fan of mora knives too and used to carry one... ~3oz for a very sturdy and easy to sharpen blade.
I use the pliers for sewing, but I pretty much only carry the SAK now that I am dayhiking, and figured out a couple ways to sew heavier material without pliers(multiple layers of strap, ect). Probably get an Izula later as my fixed blade, very sturdy and like 2oz, the mora is closer to 4oz, maybe a bit over, with the sheath. I am having knee problems, mostly related to my time in the Army years ago, so I am careful on gear weight.
hikerboy57
10-25-2011, 11:34
most trips i need nothing more than a single edge razor blade, but I still carry my swiss army knife as a security blanket. I feel somehow that the corkscrew might come in handy, even if i dont drink( inderstand mountain lions flee at the sight of a corkscrew.).For what I carry, theres no use for a multi tool, but you have to answer this question yourself:Can you envision a need for anythiing more than a sharp blade?very few philips head screws on the trail.
Don Newcomb
10-25-2011, 12:53
( inderstand mountain lions flee at the sight of a corkscrew.) Actually, they just run home to get a bottle of merlot, knowing it's the perfect accompaniment for human. This gives you a chance to slip away. If the mountain lions ever start bringing the wine with them, it's all over.
Another knife discussion?! Wheres that dead beating horse pic at?
But, since you asked. Dont forget the Mora knife for those that like a fixed blade.
SMSP
hikerboy57
10-25-2011, 13:10
Actually, they just run home to get a bottle of merlot, knowing it's the perfect accompaniment for human. This gives you a chance to slip away. If the mountain lions ever start bringing the wine with them, it's all over. one can only hope they dont discover the greatest accomplishment of the 20th century- boxed wine.
everyone thinks their knife is the best.
Panzer
ps my knife is better than yours...
Mine: http://www.victorinox.com/us/product/Swiss-Army-Knives/Category/Outdoor/Adventurer/53601
I would, of course, prefer the Tinker (just for the name) :D.
The Adventurer, however, has a more usable sized locking blade. I have used the Phillips screwdriver on a few occasions, but there isn't much call for it for the average hiker. For a flat blade screwdriver you can always grind the tip of a single bladed, simple knife flat (unless you feel the need to stab something).
2 single edge razor blades. Cause I always lose 1. :)
I use this knife (mostly) - it's small, has a partially serrated blade, is lightweight and made in Germany - Boker also has knives made in China - not as good, obviously:
www.boker.de/us/pocket-knife/boker-plus/outdoor-knife/01BO191.html
swjohnsey
10-26-2011, 09:11
The Gerber LST (small one) has a 2" blade that locks, weighs .6 ounce and has a lanyard hole, under twenty bucks off eBay or under fifteen bucks from the Gerber site.
4eyedbuzzard
10-26-2011, 10:14
The Gerber LST (small one) has a 2" blade that locks, weighs .6 ounce and has a lanyard hole, under twenty bucks off eBay or under fifteen bucks from the Gerber site.+1 on the LST. I've had one for some 20 years now. All the knife I've ever needed and still nothing better on the market.
Knives, knives and more knives. I like a me a good knife.
I’ve tried different combinations. On one of my hiking ventures I had like 5-6 different knives on myself and in my pack. I even said that was ridiculous! What I am currently using is a Mora Clipper (3.8 ounces) that goes on the pack and a Swiss Army Knife (SAK) Super Tinker (3 ounces) that goes in a pants/shorts pocket. So that’s a total of about 6.8 ounces. I know that’s a huge number for some of you, but it’s a lot less than what I used to carry. And yeah, I know, I likely won’t need more than the capabilities of SAK SD (.7 ounces), but I am one of those “knife guys”.
For me, for some reason, I feel like I need the following in a knife/mutli-tool: blade (obvious), can opener, bottle opener, scissors and pliers. Having a blade and scissors I can easily validate based on my experience. If this is all that is needed, then like many have advised, the SAK SD at .7 ounces is the way to go. I have yet to need a can opener, bottle opener, or pliers. But I have not been on the trail for multiple days either. All my experience up to this point has been either a day hike or an overnighter.
The lightest multi-tool I have found that has the above features I mentioned is the Leatherman Juice S2 that weighs 4.4 ounces. If I could do without the can opener, the Leatherman Squirt PS4 that weighs 1.9 ounces would be another option.
My latest multi-tool acquisition has been the Gerber Strata that’s weighs about 7 ounces without the sheath. But if I decide to take this on an outing, I may have to leave the Mora Clipper behind.
SMSP
garlic08
10-26-2011, 13:56
Actually, they just run home to get a bottle of merlot, knowing it's the perfect accompaniment for human. This gives you a chance to slip away. If the mountain lions ever start bringing the wine with them, it's all over.
I heard liver goes well with fava beans and a good chianti.
Trailbender
10-26-2011, 19:11
You can use a fixed blade knife as a can opener. Put the point on the can on the edge like you would do with a can opener, hold the knife, and hit the pommel with your palm. Then, rock the blade back and forth, edge out, along the can. Works great, and you can get pretty fast at it, I do it with my mora a few times, when I feel like carrying canned goods once in awhile.
StubbleJumper
10-26-2011, 19:18
I've carried a Swiss Army Classic for several years. It has a sharp blade, scissors and tweezers. The blade's great for any use that I've found for it, and the scissors are handy for cutting your fingernails.
However, I'm thinking of changing to some other Swiss Army knife that also has a bottle opener. I like microbrews, and few of them are twist-tops. It's a real pain on a zero-day to sit around in a motel room trying to drink a 6-pack without an opener.
Hosaphone
10-27-2011, 18:33
However, I'm thinking of changing to some other Swiss Army knife that also has a bottle opener. I like microbrews, and few of them are twist-tops. It's a real pain on a zero-day to sit around in a motel room trying to drink a 6-pack without an opener.
There are a number of ways to open bottles without an opener... This one might get a little bit hard to pull off after the 4th or 5th beer, though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrXmDiYHUY0
I usually just my lighter as a lever to pop the cap off. If you have a titanium spork/spoon/fork you could use the end of that. You could probably even use a trekking pole or mini carabiner.
I carry a small gerber knife and a nail clipper. 2.5 oz between the two of them. But hiking all day with improperly cut toenails scares me enough that I want the right tool for the job, not some dinky swiss army scissors.
Odd Man Out
10-27-2011, 20:54
I carry a small gerber knife and a nail clipper. 2.5 oz between the two of them. But hiking all day with improperly cut toenails scares me enough that I want the right tool for the job, not some dinky swiss army scissors.
Me too. I've always been prone to infections around the toenails. I always have clippers when I travel. Plus the swiss army Tinker for the bottle opener. It's more important to have the bottle opener than the cork screw. After all, who carries a piece of paper with them for opening bottles? You can always find a tree on the AT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq7DBjCzSuE
Hosaphone
10-28-2011, 00:05
Me too. I've always been prone to infections around the toenails. I always have clippers when I travel. Plus the swiss army Tinker for the bottle opener. It's more important to have the bottle opener than the cork screw. After all, who carries a piece of paper with them for opening bottles? You can always find a tree on the AT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq7DBjCzSuE
Funny that you bring this up... I went on a trip last weekend with a bunch of guys from BPL. Somebody hiked in a bottle of wine but of course, bunch of UL backpackers that we were, nobody had a corkscrew! Took us like 15 minutes of dinking around with our tiny knives to finally realize we could push the cork back down into the bottle with an Easton tent stake! Somebody mentioned that they thought it might be possible to open a bottle on a tree like this, but none of us was willing to try it. Needless to say I'm going to have to bring a few bottles on my next trip for the sake of science :cool:
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Creepwood
10-28-2011, 21:22
I don't carry a multi tool, just a small fixed blade. I'm a big fan of the Buck pac-lite series.
Wise Old Owl
10-29-2011, 00:51
One wonders why it wasn't decanted into a platy for wine?
I have avoided posting here because in other knife threads I have expressed disappointment with Swiss going dull to fast and recently I have been checking out Leatherman's and others....
Here is my take - I want a very sharp "stay sharp" light weight knife. Locking Blade - a second with a saw and a punch or awl - a hook remover would be handy... a better sissor than what is on the Wenger. and that's about it.
I cannot figure out why you would need screw drivers and pliers on the trail. A corkscrew? must be a French thing.... I am so not going to carry all that glass.
So unless one of you is a catalog knife junky I don't see this being resolved any time soon... I checked out the juice4 and - its fine for waiters - not so much for the trail.
It appears that a multi tool is just to get us to buy it.... cause it looks handy - and why does Swiss go dull so fast?
Hosaphone
10-29-2011, 13:33
One wonders why it wasn't decanted into a platy for wine?
I have avoided posting here because in other knife threads I have expressed disappointment with Swiss going dull to fast and recently I have been checking out Leatherman's and others....
Here is my take - I want a very sharp "stay sharp" light weight knife. Locking Blade - a second with a saw and a punch or awl - a hook remover would be handy... a better sissor than what is on the Wenger. and that's about it.
I cannot figure out why you would need screw drivers and pliers on the trail. A corkscrew? must be a French thing.... I am so not going to carry all that glass.
So unless one of you is a catalog knife junky I don't see this being resolved any time soon... I checked out the juice4 and - its fine for waiters - not so much for the trail.
It appears that a multi tool is just to get us to buy it.... cause it looks handy - and why does Swiss go dull so fast?
I only put water in my platy. You'd have to clean it out if you put something else into it, and that's a pain! Somebody else did bring a box of wine which is probably the better way to go.
I can see needing pliers and screwdrivers on a winter trip where skis, snowshoes, bindings and things like that are involved, but in general I think you're right. For most of the hiking I do, all I need is the blade and scissors, and you can get that in a nice little <1oz package with something like the leatherman style or the tiny victorinox. I'm still planning to buy a juice S2 at some point, but that's more because I'm a geek and think knives and tools are cool rather than because I think it's necessary for backpacking.
As for the tiny knives losing their edge quickly... I'm not a knife expert, heck I don't actually know anything about knives... But I wonder if it might have something to do with the grind? Those really thin blades often have a chisel or hollow grind on them. Those grinds seem to not be as durable (or as easy to sharpen) as, say, a scandi grind. It could also be the steel they use, but my $10 mora with a scandi grind stays pretty sharp for quite a while and at that price point I can't imagine they use the greatest steel... So I have to think the grind goes a long way towards keeping a blade sharp.
Wise Old Owl
10-29-2011, 14:46
I meant this seperate Item - I have one for walks in the park with my 70+ dad
14250
This is a sensible thing to carry:
www.boker.de/us/swords/05ZS579.html
Hosaphone
10-29-2011, 17:15
This is a sensible thing to carry:
www.boker.de/us/swords/05ZS579.html (http://www.boker.de/us/swords/05ZS579.html)
And it's multi use!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfw5uXXWszo&feature=related
Wise Old Owl
10-29-2011, 19:42
Well I got a real steel version of that and went to the Knife store and had it sharpened it fits perfectly into the top of the UL pack and I use it to clear brush - They were amazed that I was willing to take that on trails as it works great and clears brambles. or you create trails with it.
Trailbender
10-29-2011, 23:40
Stainless steel tends to dull fast. I carry a small diamond rod sharpener, might be an ounce, and I can put a razor edge on all my knives.
Miami Joe
10-30-2011, 00:50
I bought this SUPER COOL knife for the trail! It's the best!http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-31-000751-Survival-Ultimate-Serrated/dp/B003R0LSMO
Trailbender
10-30-2011, 06:39
I bought this SUPER COOL knife for the trail! It's the best!http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-31-000751-Survival-Ultimate-Serrated/dp/B003R0LSMO
Too heavy, serrations suck, Gerber knives generally aren't all that great. I won't go into Bear.
Wise Old Owl
11-03-2011, 19:42
Ohh why not lets talk about Bear Gry.... He put his foot in his mouth and name to a knife... and now there have been production issues.... but its better than swiss... Right?
Sierra Echo
11-03-2011, 20:51
I want a boot knife. Anyone got any recomendations?
Wise Old Owl
11-03-2011, 21:21
http://spike.mtvnimages.com/images/blogs/Movies/BigTroubleinLittleChinaJB.jpg?quality=0.91
Hmm Big trouble in Little China.... almost all boot knives are throwing balanced knives.
Sierra Echo
11-03-2011, 21:47
http://spike.mtvnimages.com/images/blogs/Movies/BigTroubleinLittleChinaJB.jpg?quality=0.91
Hmm Big trouble in Little China.... almost all boot knives are throwing balanced knives.
Well I hope I'm not required to have a mullet in order to use one!
I carry a small razor blade knife that detracts into a plastic body for safe storage. I find them at hardware stores and dollar stores. When the blade gets dull I snap off that piece of blade. They are cheap and light. Skip the multiple-tool unless you have lots of things that will need fixing.
Wise Old Owl
11-03-2011, 22:32
SE google throwing knifes and hit images then take the shortcut to what you want....
I have yet to find a technique to throwing them, I currently work with someone who is showing me the basics.
Miami Joe
11-03-2011, 23:39
The Bear Grylles (sp?) post was a joke. On a serious note, does anyone carry a small axe while backpacking? I've always thought it was too heavy but my friencd and first hiking buddy (rest in peace, Brett) always brought an axe and it came in handy for chopping fire wood. He used to love building fires.
swjohnsey
11-04-2011, 08:44
An axe/hatchet would certainly come in handy if someone else was carrying it. Gerber/Fiskar makes one with a nice nylon handle.
hikerboy57
11-04-2011, 08:55
The Bear Grylles (sp?) post was a joke. On a serious note, does anyone carry a small axe while backpacking? I've always thought it was too heavy but my friencd and first hiking buddy (rest in peace, Brett) always brought an axe and it came in handy for chopping fire wood. He used to love building fires.cant think of any reason at all to have an ax on the trail.when gathering firewood, you're not splitting logs. I guess in the backcountry it might come in handy of you had to build a shelter.
Trailbender
11-04-2011, 10:29
but its better than swiss... Right?
Doubtful. I have been carrying a swiss army knife for years without any issues. Lately, I carry a Folts minimalist for my fixed blade, 2" blade and weighs about 1.5oz, and sturdy enough to baton small stuff for kindling. This is probably the best fixed blade I have found, as far as weight and utility, it is well designed and very handy for such a small knife. Got one for about $20 off ebay.
Wise Old Owl
11-06-2011, 21:52
Nah TB I went on a bender with the last Knife thread... Roughly my take was if you were making a survival fuzz stick in soaking wet weather the Swiss would dull very fast in wood. Strangely the Leatherman outperforms this simple task without resharpening.
tat44too
11-08-2011, 21:42
Now that's funny right there...