– theJollySin Jan 30 '17 at 16:14 Opinel Stainless Steel Folding Knife. Thus, we are advising you to choose a backpacking knife that comes equipped with a durable sheath. We've picked out 7 perfect knives and multitools for everyone from the most minimalist hikers to full-on forest dwellers. As some of my more frequent readers may recall, I have been slowly reducing the size and weight of the knife that I carry with my on my backpacking trips and day hikes. Victor: How many knives do you need to bring on the AT? Founded in 2001. - Mike Clelland. Handle Material: … At ITS, our goal is to foster a community dedicated to learning methods, ideas and knowledge that could save your life. The Candiru is a 5-inch long skeletonized knife with a 2-inch blade made of 1095 steel. But for Olen and Danae Netteburg, two physicians who have spent the last decade working in Chad, it was just another challenge. The TK4 has a superb 2.76 inch anticorrosive blade made of Fallkniven’s proprietary 3G laminated steel and beautifully crafted Zytel handles. This one earns top marks for blade design, handle design, and … Even so, I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest a couple of inexpensive knifes that will do all of the things listed above (and much more) and would be perfect for just about any backpacking or hiking trip you have planned. One of the questions that I get asked over and over again is; “what’s a good knife for backpacking?” My typical answer is an obvious but often frustrating one, “it depends.” I’m not trying to be a jerk about it, but asking what knife is good for backpacking or hiking doesn’t exactly allow for a one size fits all response. Im liking the BK24, its light, and feels good in my hand. If you’re backpacking or hiking in the outdoors, you need a knife that is sharp, reliable, and will have its uses while you’re out in the great outdoors. It’s small but extremely capable and favorite among Bushcraft enthusiasts made popular by Ray Mears. Consider a knife that will attach to your backpack shoulder strap or horizontally to your backpack hipbelt instead. I’ll admit up front that my readers tend to favor a minimalist or lightweight approach to gear. Whether you spend summers camping out of your car or are a four season backpacker, there's one piece of gear that is universal to the trade---a reliable pocket knife. Endlessly useful for mundane, everyday tasks, but also a potential survival tool. In Mike Clelland's most recent book, Ultralight Backpackin' Tips, he suggests that, based on his experience, you may not need to carry a knife at all when backpacking: "Here's an insight from all my years in the mountains: With just a little bit of planning, I don't have much use for a knife and rarely use one." In some cases, even the best backpacking knife doesn’t get much use when out in the backcountry. The price, size, weight and quality are hard to beat. I recently asked readers of my Backpacking Blog to be honest and share what they typically end up using their knife for while on a backpacking or hiking trip. Medical Bag Updates: Repacking & Maintaining Over the Counter Medications, Go-To Preparedness Bags and Food Selections, Consider the Three P’s Before Packing for Your Next Trip, Foot Care: Treat Your Feet the Right Way to Avoid Blisters, Splitting wood, firesticks, preparing kindling, Cutting moleskin, blisters, cleaning nails. Scotland & Northern Ireland If the knife of your choice has all these factors right, then it is the knife is probably the best choice for your needs. Techniques to help you prepare your transportation and enhance your travels. Not something too small or serrated or weird shaped. Opinel Stainless Steel Folding Knife -... Best Folding Survival / … Now combined Swedish firesteel in the handle for easy fire starting in even wet conditions. On a typical backpacking (or wild camping) trip, I would consider a medium sized (2.5 to 3.5 inch) locking blade knife an indispensable item. This knife is a collaboration between two knife-making behemoths. Great Value. The Delica design has matured and improved over the years and the latest full-flat grind (FFG) VG-10 blades are perfect for slicing and cutting, or any of the tasks listed above. Top 5 Uses for a Backpacking Knife Opening packets (of food) Cutting cord Making a spark (with a fire steel) Splitting wood But the truth is, sheath greatly affects how you draw and carry your knife. A backpacking knife serves a wide variety of tasks throughout the day. If you’ve decided you want to carry a knife to cut salami in the backcountry then carry something that works well. Pocket Knives With folding blades, pocket knives don’t take up much space and are ideal for hiking, backpacking and everyday tasks. Why do I need a knife for hiking (or camping) with a non-folding knife, or folding knife with sharpened blade longer than 3 inches? If you could have only one inexpensive knife for the outdoors, this Mora would be it. In an emergency situation, a knife will cut bandages or gauze when bandaging a wound. I discovered that my most frequent use of a knife, while backpacking at least, was to cut/slice open a packet of something. Do You Need a Backpacking Knife? Exceptional performance at an unbelievable price. Is it necessary and smart to plan for the "what if" scenario and have a blade available just in case, or can you really make do without? Not only that, you’ll want something that will fit in either a backpack or a tactical belt (if you so choose). The mini Griptilian could be considered a pocket/EDC legend, but it’s equally well suited to the outdoors. A good knife is one of the most essential backcountry tools you can carry. Putting aside everyone’s personal knife preferences for just a minute, there’s still the important question of what you intend to use the knife for when in the back country. On the far left is a single-edged razor blade, considered by some to be the ultimate in ultralight backpacking knives. If you're just backpacking, you aren't going to use 85 percent of the gadgets on a multi-tool (cough, leather punch). I personally can't imagine not having any type of blade or sharp edge at all - I'd feel unprepared. If you absolutely need to have some form of a sharp edge with you, Mike recommends a simple single-edged razor blade in a home-made sheath like the one I have created below. 6104 W Pioneer Pkwy Ste 212Arlington, TX 76013, Proudly managed inthe great state of Texas. And rarely do people backpacking need to build a shelter or a fire. The knife can also double as a kitchen utensil if you really want to get down and dirty. This knife feature a 3.9 inch Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel blade with razor sharp Scandi grind. Originally from Southampton, England, Brian has lived in the US for over 15 years, finally settling in North Carolina. My personal preference is a plain edge so that I can keep it sharpened easily. The set of tools I would choose for a hunting, backpacking, or survival type outing vary widely. Otherwise, you’ve wasted your time and are carrying dead weight. Unexpected things happen all the time on hikes, camping trips, backpacking trips, etc., so do your part to make sure you’ve adequately prepared for wherever you’re going. As an Eagle Scout and He-Man fan, I love playing with knives. Since many people generally have a knife on them while camping, the only extra item you need is a small piece of wood that you’ve brought from home or a random branch you found while hiking. Btw – the lock on the Benchmade knives is quite good, quite enough for the reasonable uses of the knife. But I usually carry a folding throw away knife, and I just bought a BK24 to carry as well. Definitely a work horse of a knife and easily the nicest satin finish blade I’ve ever owned. In fact, a knife is listed as one of the "10 essential items" on both the classic and contemporary lists (see http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ten-essentials.html ) for any backcountry trip. “I might need to build an emergency shelter or split a log” are some of the typical responses to that question that I receive, but the truth is often a lot more boring than people want to admit. I made mine out of a used FedEx Tyvek envelope and some sticky tape. Obviously there are thousands and thousands of knives on the market that would fit the bill and do all of the things needed on typical backpacking or hiking trip. Learn more about joining our Community as a Crew Leader. Quite the manly task eh? Do you think that is overkill? Be sure to buy genuine Swiss Army or Victorinox and not one of the cheap knock-offs that can be found in just about every store these days. And you know what? Blade Shape: Drop-Point. Brian is a Charlotte based backpacker, gear junkie, runner, and CrossFit(er). Gerber StrongArm. The knife you choose needs to serve the purpose you decided to carry it for in the first place. Sign up with your email address to receive the latest blog post updates directly to your inbox. Information on news, history and events both inside ITS and throughout the world. "Backpacking" means carrying a tent, sleeping bag, and other things with you. He has been extremely happy with it. Retail: $15. I'll stick my neck out and say that I am willing go minimal and lightweight with my knife and do the best I can to carry as small of a knife with me as feasible so that I can still take care of the basic cutting tasks I usually encounter like cutting cord, opening food packets, or trimming tape. My next most common use of a knife was to cut cord. Can a 7-Year-Old Vehicle Bag Stand Up to Texas Heat? Mini Review: This time tested, vintage knife is … The mini is a smaller version of the full size Griptilian with all the same features. Safe option: If you have to carry a knife, carry a folding knife with sharpened blade of 3 inches (7.62cm) or less. Many people enjoy whittling while outside on a camping trip because it is a great way to pass the time without adding too much weight or bulk to your pack. I hand-picked this knife for Ryan Jordan of Backpacking Light when he asked for me help to find a serious and capable knife for lightweight backpacking. Unfortunately, a lot of people have unrealistic expectations or pseudo-romantic notions of what they might need to use a knife for while out hiking on the trail. I can't wait to put it to work. We try to carry the lightest load we can, using skills instead of brute force and ignorance. They also keep the sharp edge protected inside the handle when not in … Price Range: $70. This little knife is exquisitely made, as you would expect from a name like Fallkniven. The SL3 is good for this, but it sounds like what you want is a knife for a fully survival situation, which was not OPs question. Here’s what they had to say: Pretty manly stuff eh? Thanks to the generosity of our supporting members and occasionally earning money from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate, (when you click our Amazon links) we’ve eliminated annoying ads and content. Opinel No7 (Stainless Steel) Folding Knife. I’ve carried a Spyderco Delica with me daily for over 18 years, starting with a Clipit and none of them have ever failed me. Three Rivers Manufacturing Neutron: $169. Tips on staying active, fueled and ready to overcome all obstacles. Tools to give you the advantage over any Imminent Threats that come your way. The 2.91 inch 154-CM stainless steel blade is held firmly in place by Benchmade’s ambidextrous spring-loaded AXIS locking mechanism. Copyright © Brian's Backpacking Blog. All Rights Reserved. I am thinking about bringing a multi-tool (Skeletol), a small serrated pocketknife, and perhaps a large blade (Buck knife) to be strapped to my backpack for defense and possibly splitting wood. Of course each individual must find what works for them and what level of confidence in their ability to do what needs done with the Don’t let the diminutive size or weight (1.7 oz) fool you, this is a beast of a knife and capable of far more than you think; just like its bigger brother the RAT Izula. Opinel No9 Stainless Steel Knife - … Those expectations, right or wrong, also tend to influence their purchasing decisions more than anything else. The best all-purpose backpacking knife that won’t break the bank, the ParaKnife FS 4.0 slices its way to the top with a 4" rust-resistant serrated blade. 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