Anyone carry a smaller blade now?

Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
6,261
Over time, I went from big fixed blade to the BK14. What a difference in weight! I can move easier, and not worry about all my other gear when camping.

Anyone else carry a smaller knife outdoors now?
 
Yessir...

izula04.jpg
 
Yessir...

izula04.jpg

This.

My Izula (I actually have an original smaller with scales, but would love a II) and my Spyderco MuleTeam have become my favorite fixed-blades. I actually hike/camp (depending on the trip and how light I'm trying to keep the pack), with a small folder, a small fixed, and then either a chopper or a thinner machete depending on what I'll be doing.
 
Last edited:
It seemed like every decade after the age of 50, I downsized my gear.

Sheath knives went from a Randall 14 to a Randall 15 to a Buck woodsman or mora number 1. Pocket knives went from Buck 301 stockman to a 303 cadet to a Case peanut. JUst don't need much anymore. Smaller lighter gear means being able to carry more items with different roles. With a folding saw in the pack, I don't need a big knife anymore. A couple inches of blade is enough for most of what I do.

Carl.
 
IMHO, when it comes to hiking and camping, old age and trickery eventually win out over young legs and a 12" knife. The more you know about the outdoors, the less you need that big, heavy bowie or chopper. They are fun, to be sure, but just not necessary (outside of a few specific environments).

Mark
 
My F.B.'s are getting smaller but my folders stay 4 inch or more. Right now I run with a 4 inch F.B. and a machete or hawk.
 
What I carry can vary between 4" and 9" depending on where I'm going and what kind of mood I'm in. And nope, age doesn't seem to have much to do with it.
 
Unless I am in the kitchen, I don't like knives over 4" long. Just don't need it. For B&T I carry a Kinfolks 333, general outdoor use I carry a self made utility fixed blade with ~3" blade, for office I carry a 3 1/8 (closed) serpentine jack. I also either have my Skyline or a M16-13 (aus8 blade). For work on the water I have a custom rigging knife in the works right now from Daniel Fairly in CO.

2011-08-06235815.jpg


DSCN1998.jpg


2012-02-08084247.jpg



-Xander
 
The only knife that absolutely comes with me *everywhere*---except on a plane of course---is my Spyderco LadyBug. Damn fantastic little knife.

303e4xz.jpg
 
Izula 2 here. I'll generally carry a long (4-5 inch) thin fixed blade with me if I know I'm going to cut a lot of food but don't really need it. To be honest, when I hike and camp I generally have to find a reason to use a knife. I just don't need to cut much in the woods.
 
I'm sorta strange.......I think. When it comes to fixed blades I always liked the smaller ones, but in the last year it has been the larger ones I have more interest. Far as folders go, I started 45 years ago with the biggest folders I could find, and haven't stopped yet!
 
I'm going to go ahead and say that I haven't been collecting knives for very long, only a couple years. So maybe I don't have the perspective that some of these old-timers do. But for what its worth, I started out collecting just about anything that caught my attention -with the exception of fixed blades. I have no use for one in an EDC situation.
Now I think I've narrowed it down to folders that are less that 6 ounces in weight, and a MINIMUM of a 3.5" blade. A 4" blade is ideal.
I honestly don't understand people who carry an EDC with a blade length of less that 3"
 
Back
Top