Leatherman Juice S2
There is always a use for a knife. To each his own, but a knife is on me at all times, much like matches or a lighter. Call me crazy, but I would rather have and not need than not have and need.
What I actually "need" (and what gets the most use)Originally Posted by HangNhike
i need a new knife for my trip next month and was just curious what everyone carries... I assume almost all carry one.
Fixed or folding? Stainless, clad, other? Swiss Army?
Post em up... Pics wanted
2.5 inches closed, 1.6 Inch blade, 1.8oz wt.
http://www.leatherman.com/images/products/micra
What I also carry just because I want it (and to remind myself that I'm not a ULer)
3 inch blade, 3.6 ounces.
http://www.crkt.com/M1602Z
Last edited by Sarcasm the elf; 03-28-2013 at 22:35.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
I hate the things - yes, they always get stinkeye from me. Or worse if I can manage it.
I am thinking about picking this up http://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/knives/...unxion-outdoor
It has 2 blades, locking and a flip out carabiner to go on the pack...
On a side note. The Trail almost gifted me one of these ridiculous knives. I found a brand new one on top of bear mountain in CT, sitting right off the trail. We then turned around and hiked back down the mountain the way we had came up. On the way down we saw a guy that had passed us earlier walking up with an empty bear grylls sheath clipped to his belt, he seemed glad that I had carried it halfway back down the mountain for him.
P.S. This is what you DO NOT need...
Last edited by Sarcasm the elf; 03-28-2013 at 21:42.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
What - it has a nice firesteel to ruin the blade with! However, I can't talk much.On a side note. The Trail almost gifted me one of these ridiculous knives. I found a brand new one on top of bear mountain in CT, sitting right off the trail. We then turned around and hiked back down the mountain the way we had came up. On the way down we saw guy that has passed us earlier walking up with an empty bear grylls sheath clipped to his belt, he seemed glad that I had carried it halfway back down the mountain for him.
P.S. This is what you DO NOT need...
As to the OP, my personal preference is a SAK - SwissChamp. Obviously, not on the UL side of things.
CRKT Minimalist, neat, discreet...and nasty... 1.1oz.. Plus half an ounce for the neck sheath.
http://www.crkt.com/crkt/content/ima...65/FoltsCU.jpg
Benchmade 440c best ever
I actually spend some time pretty deep and long in wilderness areas (what some might term "survival" type places) and rarely use a knife. On the AT, using my knife is really rare - - cutting block cheese or a piece of cord maybe. Nevertheless, you run into people (mostly newbies) carrying big ol "survival" type knives. It's not at all routine for me to use a knife on the trail but I do carry a very small lightweight Gerber Knife that I found in Joyce Kilmer Forest on the trail. It's a nice little light knife with a story. Way too much emphasis is placed on knives - they are rarely used on the trail.
if you have an interest in knives though - you should check out Boker German Knives. They are the very best though I say again not much use in backpacking:
www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/boker/
Last edited by Papa D; 03-28-2013 at 22:19.
Small Swiss Army knife...rarely used it in 5 months of hiking.
My one time on the AT was short and ended with tenonitis so I'm certainly no expert, but I've spent literally years hiking and camping. It amazes me that there is an almost aversion to knives here akin to guns. I carry a full size knife. It's not heavy in my mind. I've used it extensively for everything from spreading peanut butter to batoning wood for fires. On my hip, it's just too handy not to use. Ever have a foil pack that doesn't want to tear? I don't carry a trowel, but the knife digs a cat hole in seconds. Sometimes I whittle to make shavings for fire tender, sometimes just to pass time. I even use it to stir my drink mixes. Are AT hikers just intimidated by hunting knives?
Keep in mind, this site is mostly geared (pun intended) towards thru-hiking. From what I've read, and it makes sense to me, a large knife is just not necessary and every ounce counts on a thru-hike. I'd bet you can get some really nice hunting knives from the hiker boxes in the first few hundred miles.
I thought my fire steel worked fine on the back of the blade. ( I can't check this - I gave them all away)
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
I am curious what that one weighs.
I still carry a knife on most trips, but have gone more minimal lately with the Gerber LST Ultralight (0.6 ounces). To be honest I really don't need it and have found that it tends to be hard to clean when it gets clogged up with peanut butter. I keep threatening to just skip the knife.
On the other hand I have been planning to take a tenkara fishing rod (the whole outfit is 4 ounces) along on some trips and for those trips think I do want a fixed blade knife for fish cleaning. I am thinking of taking a Little Vickie that I ground the serrations off of.
I know I'll be the odd man out on this topic, but I'll have my Leatherman Blast and for the AT my Spyderco Tenacious(cheap knife in case I lose it). I don't even count those towards the weight though because I already carry the Leatherman and a folder daily(plus a ProTac 2AAA)...typically a spring assist, but for legality the Tenacious will fill that role. I have a handful of nice fixed blades, my favorites being my Buck Hoodlum and Punk, great lightish blades for their size...not worth bringing though since I won't be splitting logs for fire wood.
STE, I'm not seeing enough detail in those knives you posted. Think you could post some bigger pics next time?Feel like I've been to a BIG Screen Theater where knives were flashed across the screen.
Don't blame me, All I did was link the photos from the manufacturers' websites. Maybe the fact that I had to stand six feet back from the screen to see the pictures when posting was an indication that the photos didnt format correctly.STE, I'm not seeing enough detail in those knives you posted. Think you could post some bigger pics next time?
The size of the pictures is also the reason that I used the edit feature and added in the size and weight specs on the leatherman Micra. Originally I just posted the photo, but then I realized that based on the photo it looked like the little 2.5" multitool was the size of a set of channel-locks.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Cutting Hard Italian sausage when sharing food. Shouldn't take bites back and forth....can you at least give us an example of your need to carry a knife. I'm not disagreeing with your need, I just want to hear one.
Probably sounds perverse but I like to burn my ticks slowly. first I detach them. Then I wave a lighter flame about an inch from the little devil and his little legs will curl up. After I have rendered him immobile and writhing in agony I like to put the flame to them and watch them pop. Kinda sick but it's satisfying.
STE, I'm only messin.
What knife do you carry? It keeps changing to a bigger and bigger blade as I get nearer to larger and larger towns. Da bears are not what so concern me, it's Da humans.
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