Does anyone carry a sword on the AT

[SiuWonfung]

Is carrying a sword onto the AT a good idea?
I was thinking of maybe a three and a half foot long or four foot long light-weight sword. nothing fancy.
do you know of any reputable outfitters, GoLite or MSR ecetera , that i could get a good, reasonbly priced sword from? probably also one that is not too heavy either, i was thinking titanium or some kind of carbon-fiber alloy, but it would probably cost too much.
i guess i could use it for like killing bears and squirrels and stuff.

[SGT Rock]

Ti doesn'ttake an edge well, and carbon fiber would be too brittle. My guess is you probably would want a stainless steel blade, but one that has been hollowd out or has a narrow blade. I think a sword concealed in a wooden walkng stick like that movie "Blind Fury" would be the best option for a backpacker.

[MedicineMan]

why not a javelin?
make a helluva tent pole, hiking staff, and in GSMNP you could really stick a pig

[aaronthebugbuffet]

this is the funniest thing i've read on Whiteblaze in a long time

[SGT Rock]

Here you go:
http://www.thewebcollection.com/blind-fury-sword.html

[weary]

Is carrying a sword onto the AT a good idea?
I was thinking of maybe a three and a half foot long or four foot long light-weight sword. nothing fancy.
do you know of any reputable outfitters, GoLite or MSR ecetera , that i could get a good, reasonbly priced sword from? probably also one that is not too heavy either, i was thinking titanium or some kind of carbon-fiber alloy, but it would probably cost too much.
i guess i could use it for like killing bears and squirrels and stuff.

It would double for use as a toothpick.

[neo]

i carry a sword every were i go,its tatooed on my left arm neo

[Singletrack]

Check with Highlander. Stayed in a shelter with him in Virginia in 1999.

[Alligator]

Why not go with an axe? http://www.popularlink.com/?ITEMID=SW-802

Great for chopping wood, self-arrest on ice, low pole (if you are careful) on a tarp tent, and close shaving for town stops.

[MisterSweetie]

Obviously a Lightsaber(tm) is the way to go.

[steve hiker]

Carry the sword of RIGHTEOUSNESS.

[Peter Mossberg]

This is what I carry on the trail.

http://www.benmeadows.com/store/prod...p?dept_id=1385

Great for threatening noisey boy scouts and unruly dogs.

You can get a nice leather sheath that hooks on your belt.

(seriously though, I use one of these quite frequently when land surveying (to clear traverse lines)

[Tim Rich]

Obviously a Lightsaber(tm) is the way to go.

Do you use lithium batteries to save weight?

[Blue Jay]

I cannot believe the nos are winning. You can't get past the first bridge on the AT without a sword. The troll would get you immediately.

[Lone Wolf]

I whacked the trolls with my Glock years ago.

[minnesotasmith]

Needs to talk to the next U.S. Olympic track team. Decent-sized dogs are generally faster than virtually all people, and it's rare that they can catch up to squirrels.

Anyone that voluntarily takes on a loose healthy adult bear with a sword instead of a high-powered firearm needs psychiatric attention.

[art to linda]

why would you want to kill squirrels? They're cool... the slinkeys of the woods, Besides, there is more meat on a rabbit.

[The Cheat]

I cannot believe the nos are winning. You can't get past the first bridge on the AT without a sword. The troll would get you immediately.

My Squire carries my sword.

[Kerosene]

why would you want to kill squirrels? They're cool...

Generally I would agree. However, once many of the leaves have fallen from the trees and dried out, it's astounding how much noise these bushy-tailed rodents make scrounging for their nuts. Maybe it was just a temporary population boom, but I ran across hundreds of them (I stopped counting after 80 in one day) in northern Virginia a few years ago.

[Kerosene]

A light saber (trademarked or otherwise) would be handy to keep those North Carolina boars I've heard about in line.