Backpackers! How heavy is your knife?

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
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For the most part, backpackers are conscientious of keeping the weight down on their gear. Backpackers who are not into knives, typically carry a small SAK, or similar, just enough for small cutting tasks. But if you're like me, a knife geek, you splurge on the knife you carry even though you count ounces on all the other stuff. For the last 5 years, I have carried a Fallkniven F1, which is 6 oz., but I'm thinking about replacing it with a little heavier knife just to change things up a bit. The two knives I'm considering weigh around 8 oz. - Bark River STS-4 and ESEE 4. Backpackers who are not into knives would cringe at the thought of carrying an 8 oz. knife. Over my 25 years of backpacking, I have carried heavier knives and lighter knives. So I'm curious, how much does your knife weigh and where do you draw the line?
 
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0.5 ounces, plus a bit extra for the sheath and lanyard. 1-2 oz total I would guess.

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In my ~30 years of backpacking, recreational dayhiking, and living and working outdoors full-time... I've actually found that there are very few things in the outdoors that need cutting. Maybe a food pack, guyline, or moleskin once in a while. On most trips I never use a knife at all.

More serious backpackers carry a Swiss Army Knife than any other single piece of equipment. Even a fancy one like the Tinker only weighs just barely over 2 oz.
 
I'm generally not out hacking down trees or building shelters on my backcountry trips. I usually carry a Bark River Ultralight Bushcrafter, which does just about everything I need a general camping knife to do:

Overall Length: 7.4 Inches
Blade Length: 3.250 Inches
Weight: 2.7 Ounces

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or a BR Kephart:

Overall Length:8.775 Inches
Blade Length: 4.250 Inches
Weight: 4.5 Ounces

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During hunting season I carry a somewhat larger, heavier knife (usually a Bravo 1 LT Hunter or a Canadian Special).
 
Bob W said:
More serious backpackers carry a Swiss Army Knife than any other single piece of equipment.
Click to expand...

I did this for a while early on, but my love of knives won out and I started carrying a small fixed blade. Sure, I could get by with a SAK, but I didn't want to. Plus I decided to carry something a little more robust, just in case.
 
SAK one handed trekker. Does virtually everything I need while hiking. Weighs about 4 1/2 ounces
 
Folders up to 5oz and fixed up to 10oz.

The folder may well be a lot lighter but 5oz is the limit. If I need more knife than that I'd go fixed.

There is no reason for me to go below 5oz for a fixed blade most of the time. If I want a knife that light I'll trade for the convenience of a folder. On that, if I am to go fixed I might as well load up on it [unless it is just some kitchen beater for grubby jobs that weighs little]. 5-10oz opens up a hell of a lot of knives without getting silly. The 10oz cap is arbitrary but suits me. Anything more than that and I'm eyeing up the golok or hatchet.

I'm not likely to pay much attention to the difference between a 7oz and a 9oz knife if the design is good. Hell, I usually start with more than 2oz of tobacco and weed so it would just be inconsistent to bitch about it. Likewise I'd rather throw a Snickers at a passing tramp than swap my needlessly heavy watch for a Swatch.
 
Now we need an approved definition of backpacker. :D

I likely wouldn't get classified as one, yet I carry a backpack almost every single day. ;)
 
IMO, a knife is more my personal luxury item. Every hiker has one or two. You add up the things that I don't carry that other hikers do like a camera, a journal/book etc...then the weight isn't so crazy.

My issue is carry ability. I don't want a boat anchor on my hip pulling my pants down and I don't like carrying them in my pack. So something light is what I go for. A mora is about right. I'm gonna give my GSO 3.5 another go. But even it's on the verge of too heavy for me. If I wasn't a knife guy I'd stick with the mora and I usually do. I just have that "need" for something nice. To look at as much as use. :)
 
baldtaco-II said:
Folders up to 5oz and fixed up to 10oz.

The folder may well be a lot lighter but 5oz is the limit. If I need more knife than that I'd go fixed.

There is no reason for me to go below 5oz for a fixed blade most of the time. If I want a knife that light I'll trade for the convenience of a folder. On that, if I am to go fixed I might as well load up on it [unless it is just some kitchen beater for grubby jobs that weighs little]. 5-10oz opens up a hell of a lot of knives without getting silly. The 10oz cap is arbitrary but suits me. Anything more than that and I'm eyeing up the golok or hatchet.

I'm not likely to pay much attention to the difference between a 7oz and a 9oz knife if the design is good. Hell, I usually start with more than 2oz of tobacco and weed so it would just be inconsistent to bitch about it. Likewise I'd rather throw a Snickers at a passing tramp than swap my needlessly heavy watch for a Swatch.
Click to expand...
That's an interesting take. I never thought of switching from folder to fixed based off of weight.
 
Bob W said:
More serious backpackers carry a Swiss Army Knife than any other single piece of equipment. Even a fancy one like the Tinker only weighs just barely over 2 oz.
Click to expand...

TAH said:
I did this for a while early on, but my love of knives won out and I started carrying a small fixed blade. Sure, I could get by with a SAK, but I didn't want to. Plus I decided to carry something a little more robust, just in case.
Click to expand...

I prefer a fixed blade as well, for reasons of safety and hygiene.
 
One of the last times I went backpacking my pack weighed in at 93lbs, dry. I carried 3 gallons of water because we heard we were camping at a dry site, along with a full bottle of George Dickel for the group to enjoy. Pack likely weighed about 116 lbs including three knives and a Leatherman Surge. Needless to say there was plenty of filter-able water right next to where we camped. After that trip the first thing I did when I got back home was write myself an angry letter about foolish behavior and how to avoid it in the future.

Now I pay closer attention to local conditions and have cut my pack weight to less than 50 lbs for happier hiking. That said, I do tend to cut weight from other gear and still bring along multiple cutting tools. I am usually experimenting with one or more knives I have made or acquired and like to capitalize on limited outdoor time to use them. A few ozs. here or there is worth it to me.

Mark
 
Shotgun said:
IMO, a knife is more my personal luxury item. Every hiker has one or two. You add up the things that I don't carry that other hikers do like a camera, a journal/book etc...then the weight isn't so crazy.

I just have that "need" for something nice. To look at as much as use. :)
Click to expand...


Shotgun, I see it the same way. I really watch the weight on all my other gear and I only take the necessities, which helps me justify carrying a heavier knife. :)

ETA: With the exception of Moras and a few other knives, I have also found that many smaller, lightweight knives, of decent quality, have small, short handles, which makes me grumpy and then I'm no fun to be around. :D
 
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I tend to carry a really lightweight knife, saving the weight for things I'll actually use... like a camera. :D
 
knife weight will depend on need, i can go from a HI BVCAK pictured below, to a becker bk2, to a full size kukri, if the shelter, fire building needs are there. my full size kukri weighs in at 35 oz.
IMG_20150603_202154190_zpsggzobpap.jpg
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my smaller knives,
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Still waiting on a new kitchen scale to get weights for all my gear, so I don't really know yet. I've been trying to pare down my pack weight since its been a bit silly, but when looking after other people's kids I kind of feel its my job to be ready you know?

I would like to carry the absolute minimums, so far the BK-13 is the smallest and lightest knife I have that will do everything, but it doesn't have much of a handle. For that a SAK works better, and a Compact has everything, well, not a saw, so better a Farmer. But for just a couple grams more, the rucksack has a bigger blade, bigger saw and better handle. But handling wise, the rucksack needs two hands, but I can pocket tether my Izula, and now I have a one-handed knife, as well as all the tools I need. But I keep needing pliers for things, moving pots on the fire, grabbing lids, better also have the Skeletool. Its not just me relying on these tools, its also my clients, so I need to know they will work, no matter what, and Aussie hardwoods are tough to handle with a small knife, so lets bump the izula for an RC-3, Now I've got a big blade so I can reduce the Rucksack to a huntsman...... and it goes on and on and on. I suppose a guy could have worse problems.

If I wanted to, I'm sure I could get by just fine with an opinel #6. but what's the fun in that?
I'm sure once I have item weights for everything, I'll have a better idea of what I should carry and how many "backups" I can ditch. Its also a matter of figuring out exactly what I'm needing a knife for, and what characteristics it needs to have for that, and how to make the most efficient over-laps without getting silly redundant.

To answer the question, I've hiked with heavier knives, but now the heaviest I'd go for a single blade folder would be 3.75oz (full size griptillian) Or for a fixed 9oz (RC-3 with sheath) I don't see a need for more than that, considering I can get more blade for less weight with other knives, it makes sense to cap it there.
 
Stainless Mora (usually my Force), and a SAK (typically my Explorer, sometimes my Farmer). But every once in a while, I'll carry my Ontario machete, or ESEE 6, just to spice things up. I thru-hiked the AT with just my Explorer (actually found it at a shelter in Georgia, the day after I lost my Super Tinker on the trail), so if you're going for miles, and not planning on wood processing, then a SAK will most likely get you there.
 
Bob W said:
0.5 ounces, plus a bit extra for the sheath and lanyard. 1-2 oz total I would guess.

RU-T914-OR-10a.jpg


In my ~30 years of backpacking, recreational dayhiking, and living and working outdoors full-time... I've actually found that there are very few things in the outdoors that need cutting. Maybe a food pack, guyline, or moleskin once in a while. On most trips I never use a knife at all.

More serious backpackers carry a Swiss Army Knife than any other single piece of equipment. Even a fancy one like the Tinker only weighs just barely over 2 oz.
Click to expand...

What is that?
 
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