1 week backpacking alone....................

psy-ops

psy-ops

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Sep 27, 1999
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I am planning a summer trip in the wilderness SE. 1 week alone, I have done 3 days no problem.

I am thinking 1 7" fixed blade and 1 small folder + the ever present leatherman.

if I don't go with a 7" fb then it would be a hacket and a small fb.

what are some of your Ideas on this?


I know we have done this drill before but It all seems new to me this trip.
 
What, no Fish Splitter?;) Oh well, I guess too big for back packing. Of course you know the choices are endless:D

When I hit the trail, I'll have a neck knife on my neck, a small fixed blade on my belt and a SAK (Rucksack oor Trailmaster) in my pocket. A small lock back folder will be in a small survival kit. That's it.

Neck knife will be either a Livesay drop point (NRGS-ex) or a REKAT Utility Neck Knife. Or perhaps I'll go with my Mora knife (4.25" blade) carried as a neck knife.

On my belt will be my Fallkniven F-1 with a sheath by Normark. If you want to carry a larger fixed blade that can chop if needed, I can suggest none better than a Fallkniven A-1 with a Kydex sheath; although they are stout and kinda heavy. Did I mention I like Fallkniven knives? :) If you want a hatchet instead of the large fixed blade, get a Gransfors.

If you are going to the Southeast USA in the summer, I suggest you bring plenty of bug repellent and a mosquito net. Deer flies and mosquitoes can ruin a happy outing in a hurry down here in the South during the summer.:p Be sure to leave notice with someone where you'll be and when you will return. Happy hiking...
 
Originally posted by chrisaloia
I am thinking 1 7" fixed blade and 1 small folder + the ever present leatherman.

if I don't go with a 7" fb then it would be a hacket and a small fb.
Click to expand...

I would feel confidant with either of your choices. A 7" FB or a hatchet with a smaller more precise knife works for me on most senarios.
 
I love mine and keep it in the car. it is my beater.

I think it is a bit too long and I don't want to attract too much attention.


plus I never got a sheath made for it.



It it funny how hackets are socially acceptable, but a big knife isn't.
 
Probably because a hatchet, in the minds of most people, is "woodsy" while a big bowie reminds them of Rambo. Just like a lever action carbine is more "acceptable" than an AR. Like all phobias and prejudices, it doesn't make sense, it just "is".
 
If you're going where you can fell a tree, take an ax. But if not, a good knife will do as well as a hatchet. A small saw may be a good idea, though. For the chopper: Busse! For the smaller utility, I would suggest a nice puukko or something like a smaller Simonich or Blackwood: I like talonite for that. You use a leatherman, I like a Swiss Army.
 
I too, also do a lot of backpacking and mountaineering. However, I generally only carry two knives. I like a zytel folder on a neck cord and an SAK in the first aid kit.

I almost always carry a stove and fuel and to be honest, I can't recall the last time I really "needed" a big blade....unless you talk about canoe trips where I bring an ax because I'm not carrying it for a week...

Cheers,
D
 
I agree with Diligence... less is better (when you are carrying everything except what you are wearing for a week)!
Use this winter to load up your backpack with everything you want to bring and then try humping it... then reduce, reduce, reduce and repeat, repeat, repeat. By then you will get your load down to the necessities and a reasonable weight (although I guarantee you will still bring some things you wished you did not... the key is to bring only the things you need).
I usually carry a folding Spydie on a lanyard around my neck with a whistle and a compass on a second lanyard around my neck, and a small SAK in my first aid kit in my backpack.
Good luck... planning and preparing is half the fun... and if done right it makes the rest a lot of fun.
 
yeah I am in that stage as we speak. my wife thinks I am crazy walking around the yard with my loaded back pack.

I am probably gonna carry 1- 7" knife, a small spydie and a leatherman.

I like have a decent size knife (in case) I know with planning you can avoid the need. but murphy is around,

I am not too worried about wieght cause It means a better workout for me.
 
I know what you mean Chris... when my wife looks at me crazily because I'm walking our neighborhood with a loaded pack... I tell her it's a lot better than sitting around a bar and chasing wild women. At that, she smiles and says... carry on... we have been for 28 years... ;)

Stogie
"Women will never fully understand boys and our toys, but then, we will never fully understand women... it's a great arrangement...":D
 
1 week - I'd be tempted to carry fixed blade, small
folder, and a hatchet.
If you're traveling in the south, you ought to consider
carrying a staff/walking stick, about 5-6' long for snakes, etc.
Even if you're carrying a pistol, because the staff is
right there in your hands the whole time you're walking.

Just curious, how will you handle water for that long
of a trip?
 
Just got back a few days ago from a trip into the GWNF. Only a couple of days' trip. Carried a Fallkniven A1 in kydex strapped to the pack, a basic Leatherman inside the pack, and a Benchmade 735 clipped in my lower pocket (BDU style pants). The BM got used once, the Leatherman not at all, and the A1 many times. Lots of dead wood for camp fire, the A1 came in really handy. A hatchet would have been even better (was really wishing for a Gransfors), but the A1 got used to open food packs as well, whereas I doubt the hatchet would have. IMO, a hatchet is going to out-do ANY knife for chopping, but it is going to be more of a single purpose tool. I like multiple uses when I'm packing. But, I'm far from ANY expert, and have only been packing a few times.
 
I have been quite a bit but not this year except for some car camping this summer didn't get a chance to go deep into the woods.

next summer though, I am deffinitely doing it.

scottjute,
a walking stick does sound like a good idea for snakes. for water I will use my pur waterfilter/purifier. I have done it before it works well. there is also boiling but that takes up fuel. and ax is tempting but I think too heavy. I want to be light as I can. I will probably do a 30-40 mile trek. I am gonna try a 7" custom K-bar this trip it will tell me if an all purpose 7" blade is enough or if something like a becker 9" brute would be better. I am usually a chopper fan so this trip will tell me if they(choppers) are really necessary. though all trips are different.

1 7" all purpose blade
1 spyderco delica
1 leatherman
1 small sak ambassador for firestriker & scissors & toothpick.



rockspyder,

I always use my leatherman the most. I use it as a lid lifter for my cooking pots. and so many other little functions. I usually attach my leatherman to my shoulder strap so it is right there.

usually my big knives don't get used.However one 4th of July trip it rained heavily the whole time so I had to make a fire and carve the wet wood off some logs to the dry. so a big knife really came in handy.

that is why I always have a lg. knife for those unforseen circumstances.

thanks guys
 
Originally posted by chrisaloia
rockspyder,
I always use my leatherman the most. I use it as a lid lifter for my cooking pots. and so many other little functions. I usually attach my leatherman to my shoulder strap so it is right there.
Click to expand...

Interesting that you mention pot-lifter. I might have used it for that if it had been warmer. But, as it was, it was in the low thirties by about 5pm. So, by the time we got the water boiled and dinner ready, by hands were very cold. I could pick up the lid using the little tab on top with no problem, and just hold it. Another interesting thing was, when trying to pour the boiling water into the dehydrated food envelope one time, I spilled the water over my hand that was holding the bag. My thumb took the full brunt of the boiling water. Didn't feel anything but a little warmth. Even later when my hands warmed up in the tent, still didn't feel any discomfort. I guess the combination of cold hands, and the fact that it immediately ran over/off my hand, kept me from getting scalded. *whew* :eek:

Winter camping (even though it isn't winter yet) sure is fun.
 
If you are talking well-marked trails, chances are a good SAK is all you will need. I've made numerous hikes of 2 weeks duration carrying only an SAK and lived out of a pack for months with only an SAK as well. In all those hikes, I never knew I needed more. In fact, the longer you plan on being on the trail, the more you will want to jettison heavy knives, unless you are bushwacking. If you need to carry a fixed blade, a Frost Mora or Finnish Puukko is light and easy to carry and will cut better than many much more expensive knives. If I want to play with knives and chop things and such, I try to do that on shorter trips or canoe trips, where the extra weight won't kill me. But if this is not a "survival trip", then you may want to concentrate on going light. I will say, though, that a good pair of pliers, like those on a leatherman, can come in pretty handy too. Before I bought a leatherman, I used to carry a very small pair of pliers made by Proto. Really loved those pliers and the extra weight was worth it. They come in handy for stove and pack repair and other little chores.
 
I always carry a fixed blade or two, depending on the nature of the trip (backpacking, hunting, dayhiking, canoeing, etc.) and I ALWAYS use at least one of them. I have, in the past, always relied on my CS Recon Scout or Trailmaster, but they have been replaced by smaller knives such as my Dozier Elk Hunter, and Fallkniven F1. This is maily due to my preference to these particular makers, and the big weight difference is just a bonus. I have a fire at EVERY camp, if permitted, and always use them to cook over, as I rarely carry my stove. I have never had a real problem starting a fire, even in steady rain and/or snow. Sure, a little effort in setting up the tarp and such is involved, but success is yet to elude me.(well, at starting the fire, anyway!)
These smaller knives are still proficient at getting to the dry wood, yet comfortable for all the other chores required of a knife.

I also carry a SAK rucksak, a Supertool, and a folder or two in pockets, just in case. But, I prefer fixed blades, so they see 99% of the work and the folders stay folded, and sharp.

When in a canoe/kayak/raft or on skidoo/atv/boat I bring my gransfors forrest axe. Can't be beat. I will soon get a small GB hatchet, and carry it everywhere, along with my two fixed blades, just because I like it.

Jet
 
I lived in Australia for more than 30 years and used to go camping very frequently. On those camps, never found the need to chop wood (never even occurred to me) - seems too much like hard work to chop or saw wood for a fire. We would normally just collect fallen wood (wet wood doesn't burn well anyway). Any really big pieces would get fed into the fire, a bit at a time. Lift pots and pans from the fire with a stick. Usually, I'd take a SAK and a 5" fixed blade, the fixed blade was for cleaning fish.
 
I know I could survive with a swiss army classic if I had to. but we choose items that make life a bit more comfortable without being too much of a burden. you can go a week without a sleeping bag or a stove or a lot of things. as long as my pack is able to be carried for a 30-40 mile hike that is a good weight.

I went on a camping trip in a wilderness area, a while ago with an
AK- 47 strapped to the top of my pack and 2, 30 round mags inside my pack. It was around 15-20 miles in and a few serious elevation changes over steep ridges. I did it as a training trip to get in shape and also to see how it would be to haul an Ak around a bit. on that trip I slept in a jungle hammock without sleeping bag as another alternative to a tent.

Now this trip will be also be an experiment. working using esbit fuel tabs and using a tarp as a tent, I'll figure out a few more skills to hone. Down here I probably won't need a sleeping bag even if I go up in the blue ridge or ozarks mountains. anybody know any good trails?
 
I would carry a very similar choice of knives as u suggested, chrisaiola:

1 7" all purpose blade
1 spyderco delica, superb little knife
1 leatherman
1 small sak ambassador for firestriker & scissors & toothpick.

I think it's always a good idea to have an all purpose blade, about 7" long or more, even if r going to walk only through well marked trails over a day or two. U might find yourself rescueing others, for instance, and in need to make improvised splints or even a stretcher, and a big knife comes in very handy. It's only to imagine some emergency scenarios, which every trekker should be prepared for, and u will find lots of use for a bigger knife. I always carry one, many times leaving it unseen inside my hucksack. Safety comes before the extra weight I will be carrying. My prefered model, is the Cuchillo de Monte from Aitor and is great for chopping wood and also doing smaller tasks:
http://store.yahoo.com/gyby/aitsporknif.html

The only addition I would do to the list above is a Gerber Combat Folder, which is always strapped to my trousers belt, being close to me wherever I go when trekking. U never know who u r going to bump into when in the countryside... :D
 
Chrisaloia,

Sounds like you don't mind carrrying a bunch of extra weight - that's great that you can do that. Since weight doesn't really seem to be an issue, how about carrying a satelite phone or a Park's Service radio.....just in case.....you know, in case you have to rescue somebody or you break your leg on an alpine ridge line (no trees)...or <insert catastrophy of choice>

OKAY, easy now ;)--I've only posted the above to make a point. Since we are all knife nuts (I am anyway) we want to carry a knife to feel prepared for anything, but maybe there are better things to carry from a weight vs usefulness point of view?

Cheers,
D
 
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