Backpacking Knife Specs

[Andersonbushcraft]

Hey all,

I saw a knife today that was described as a backpacking knife that would not fit what I would expect a backpacking knife to be, so I've been trying to discern exactly what constitutes a backpacking knife. I'm curious what the consensus is, so I thought up a few questions:

1) What are the main uses of a backpacking knife?

2) What size should a backpacking knife be?

3) What is the primary carry method of a backpacking knife?

I've seen a lot of small hunting style knives described as backpacking knives suited for camp chores, but the disperse camper in me thinks of camp chores as processing firewood, setting up shelter, food prep, and potentially ground clearing.

When I think of a knife to take backpacking. I think of something like a chopper.


When I'm out disperse camping, I normally come across trails overgrown with thorny brush, thistle, or briars and tend to need to do some minor trail clearing to pass through. Sometimes small trees die, fall, and block the trail and have to be cut back to clear the trail, so again a large knife works great.


Then processing smaller firewood for a night takes a big knife or a hatchet. Especially when everything is soaked and you have to split wood to get to the dry center.


When you're only collecting enough wood to make a warming fire on a cold trip or to stop for lunch, you can stick with the smaller dead branches, and a big knife makes collecting them go fast and easy.



Machetes also make a great backpacking knife in brushier areas or in early spring when things start growing like crazy, but it's still cold at night

On ultralight or survival practice trips, the knife has to be used to set up frames for tarp shelters or build entire shelters out of dead wood, which a big knife makes easy.

Now for my uses a backpacking knife needs to he a big knife, but I'd like to hear what others consider to be a good backpacking knife, what they use it for, and how big it should be.

Thanks!

 

[el gigantor]

Beautiful photos! I know that "backpacking knife" means different things to different people, but I feel like that massive chopper would absolutely negate the concept of an ultralight camping trip you mentioned.

The Becker BK16 is my ideal backpacking knife. Great size, not too heavy but a weight that inspires confidence, sturdy enough for heavy tasks but reasonable at fine work. My variant has a sheath that can be lashed to a backpack or hung from my belt. Basically it's a sweet all-arounder that does everything pretty well.

EDIT: I forgot to add a photo.

 

[GB940Rookie]

My default woods knife, paired with a folder of course.


I’m seriously considering replacing my 6 with the Junglas 2. It will do everything the 6 will do, and most things better. The only downside is the bulk. Weight doesn’t bother me.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

The older I get, the lighter a backpacking knife gets I have found a folding saw replacing my 2lb chopper and a thin blade around 4-6" doing most the knife work. This is the set up I go with if I think I am going to have to process wood and will be walking out a good ways.

If you are talking about what I would throw in my pack that would work well but not be overly large or TOO heavy yet could be forced into pretty much any situation? I would probably go with an ESEE 5 or a TOPS Steel Eagle.

 

[unwisefool]

CPK field knife and a folding saw go a long way.

 

[Andersonbushcraft]

Beautiful photos! I know that "backpacking knife" means different things to different people, but I feel like that massive chopper would absolutely negate the concept of an ultralight camping trip you mentioned.

The Becker BK16 is my ideal backpacking knife. Great size, not too heavy but a weight that inspires confidence, sturdy enough for heavy tasks but reasonable at fine work. My variant has a sheath that can be lashed to a backpack or hung from my belt. Basically it's a sweet all-arounder that does everything pretty well.

EDIT: I forgot to add a photo.
View attachment 2966219

I absolutely understand the wight concerns. I found in most cases, a good 3/16 to 1/4 inch chopper with a reasonable profile and grind weighted less than a hatchet, saw, knife combo that is so common in bushcraft.

Great choice in a knife!

 

[Andersonbushcraft]

My default woods knife, paired with a folder of course.
View attachment 2966227

I’m seriously considering replacing my 6 with the Junglas 2. It will do everything the 6 will do, and most things better. The only downside is the bulk. Weight doesn’t bother me.
View attachment 2966229

Very nice! Good choices.

I used to have a esee 6 and the architect 6.5, used them for a season, but just found them to be too small and light for myself to get the work done. The architect 6.5 performed much netter than the 6 with its thinner grind and lightened tang, better balance gave it better chopping performance, and the thinner edge was slicery.

I've never tried the junglas 2, looks like a sweet package! I've got the RTAK and a buddy has the junglas. They seem just a bit big to me, but the junglas make a great intro/affordable option.



A photo from before first use of the junglas.

 

[ShaiHulud]

"Backpacking knife" to me is a marketing ploy. Just like "camping knife, survival knife, hiking knife" im sure lots will disagree, I guess it depends on where you live and what you expect to do when you're backpacking. I grew up backpacking and we never bring even a hatchet, all park land here is protected, you can't hack at, saw, cut, delimb anything alive and growing. "Dead" sticks on the ground may be used but must be left there when you leave. So the meaning depends on the region I bet

 

[Andersonbushcraft]

The older I get, the lighter a backpacking knife gets I have found a folding saw replacing my 2lb chopper and a thin blade around 4-6" doing most the knife work. This is the set up I go with if I think I am going to have to process wood and will be walking out a good ways.

If you are talking about what I would throw in my pack that would work well but not be overly large or TOO heavy yet could be forced into pretty much any situation? I would probably go with an ESEE 5 or a TOPS Steel Eagle.

Those folding saws really put in some work don't they? I like them better for harvesting bigger firewood than an axe, and the trusty chopper turned into a froe real quick haha

 

[Dadpool]

I backpack with a stove, so my knife is mainly for emergencies. I prefer a lightweight full-tang knife in stainless steel. If it can cut rope, trim kindling, and flex to fill other roles I'm happy camper hiker.

I usually go with my White River Backpacker Pro. I carry it on my backpack strap and then transfer it to my belt when my pack is off. Kydex sheath with a Tek-Lok, hi-vis orange scales.

In the first pic you can see it next to my daughter's ESEE Izula II (another great option).

 

[knarfeng]

Depends on the type of "backpacking". I used to backpack in the 70's. Self contained, no fires other than a little stove and carried my own fuel. One of the goals was to leave as little evidence of my passage as possible, so that others could enjoy. I carried an SAK and only used it on food.

 

[Andersonbushcraft]

Depends on the type of "backpacking". I used to backpack in the 70's. Self contained, no fires other than a little stove and carried my own fuel. One of the goals was to leave as little evidence of my passage as possible, so that others could enjoy. I carried an SAK and only used it on food.

I think that's where I'm seeing the biggest difference in knife styles. I've done most of my backpacking in infrequently traveled to semi remote areas of national forests where there are abundant dead falls. It's a bit easier to set up a private campsite and the only real trace that is left is charcoal, missing dead wood, and some wood chips from chopping, outside of any trail clearing of thorny brush.

 

[lambertiana]

Where I go backpacking (the high country of Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park) I have no use for serious wood processing tools. The forest is open, making cross country travel easy and deadfalls are easy to get around. I spend a lot of time near or above timberline, so no trees to cut anyway. Fires are not allowed above 10,000', which means I am not allowed to have fires at half of the places I camp. As a result, I only need a small folder for cutting chores. For example, on a six day trip I did last month, I carried a Spyderco Delica with PD#1 blade. I usually have a Victorinox with a saw in my pack in case I need to cut small pieces of wood.

Like knarfeng I believe firmly in leave no trace philosophy. Fire pits with leftover charcoal are an eyesore (I regularly see the remains of fires in places where fires are banned, and, due to conditions in those locations, the fire remnants might remain intact and very visible for many years). I don't appreciate that at all. I don't like to see tree stumps that are the result of people cutting them down for the wood, which is also seen in high country locations with sparse trees and little dead wood on the ground.

Additionally, weight is a big consideration. The routes that I take are challenging enough with a light pack, so I'm not interested in adding a few pounds of wood processing tools. If you want to see the type of terrain I visit, I just did a trip report for the six day loop in the wilderness and survival subforum.

 

[kobold]

Depends on the duration, season, climate and terrain, but from what I have, any Puukko, a BRKT Canadian Camp down to the ULB, any Kephart, any Nessmuk, any Mora, any Hultafors, even just folders like a Spyderco LW with a spyderedge or the Victorinox Trekker, Ranger or any SAK with a saw, all perfectly fine in my eyes.

 

[Triple_D]

It's been years and years since I've done any backpacking, but, I'm not taking any more weight than I absolutely need. If I'm blazing a trail through the jungle in Panama, I might take a big chopper/machete. But on something like the Appalachian trail, then smaller and lighter seems like the ticket, to me. Maybe my ESEE-3 and a SAK, or something similar.

 

[Wandering_About]

I'm in the camp of backpackers where light and compact kit are of great importance. It is extremely rare for me to make a fire on a backpacking trip. I strongly prefer a folding pocket knife of about 3 inches of blade length. Last few trips I've taken a Sebenza. An alox handled SAK is another of my ideal options, though I do usually prefer something with a pocket clip.

 

[Andersonbushcraft]

Where I go backpacking (the high country of Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park) I have no use for serious wood processing tools. The forest is open, making cross country travel easy and deadfalls are easy to get around. I spend a lot of time near or above timberline, so no trees to cut anyway. Fires are not allowed above 10,000', which means I am not allowed to have fires at half of the places I camp. As a result, I only need a small folder for cutting chores. For example, on a six day trip I did last month, I carried a Spyderco Delica with PD#1 blade. I usually have a Victorinox with a saw in my pack in case I need to cut small pieces of wood.

Like knarfeng I believe firmly in leave no trace philosophy. Fire pits with leftover charcoal are an eyesore (I regularly see the remains of fires in places where fires are banned, and, due to conditions in those locations, the fire remnants might remain intact and very visible for many years). I don't appreciate that at all. I don't like to see tree stumps that are the result of people cutting them down for the wood, which is also seen in high country locations with sparse trees and little dead wood on the ground.

Additionally, weight is a big consideration. The routes that I take are challenging enough with a light pack, so I'm not interested in adding a few pounds of wood processing tools. If you want to see the type of terrain I visit, I just did a trip report for the six day loop in the wilderness and survival subforum.

Thanks! I'll check it out! Here are some photos of the terrain I frequent. I can see how the definition of a backpacking knife really is situationally dependant on the type of terrain and location.

 

[jmh33]

 

[GB940Rookie]

Very nice! Good choices.

I used to have a esee 6 and the architect 6.5, used them for a season, but just found them to be too small and light for myself to get the work done. The architect 6.5 performed much netter than the 6 with its thinner grind and lightened tang, better balance gave it better chopping performance, and the thinner edge was slicery.

I've never tried the junglas 2, looks like a sweet package! I've got the RTAK and a buddy has the junglas. They seem just a bit big to me, but the junglas make a great intro/affordable option.

View attachment 2966243

A photo from before first use of the junglas.

The thing I like about the Junglas 2 is, it can chop better than the E6 and is a better slicer, I guess due to the taller blade. I don’t chop much other than batoning some wood for kindling.
Taking the coating off the blades made them perform much better.

 

[GB940Rookie]

Those folding saws really put in some work don't they? I like them better for harvesting bigger firewood than an axe, and the trusty chopper turned into a froe real quick haha

In the woods, a saw is a no brainer