Folder vs Fixed, it's the sheath that weighs

C

candlelight001

Joined
Jun 3, 2008
Messages
764
My preference is to carry a small fixed blade on day hikes and backpacking. So I started comparing weights of my folders and fixed blades with and without sheath.

Here's the knives (a couple missing):

IMG_2528.JPG


In their sheaths:
IMG_2524.JPG


Here's a chart showing their weight:
knife%20weights.JPG


The right side shows the knives sorted by weight, without sheath. It's about what you'd expect. When you factor the sheaths in, on the left side, things get out of order.

The Bark River PSK with sheath weighs more than a Delica! Which would you rather have?

The BHK Nessmuk Necker weighs more than the Stretch? Again, which is more knife?

And the BHK Long Trail and the Gossman get so heavy that they wouldn't make the cut on a long trip with me.

So, what are some lightweight sheath options that bring the fixed blades into the same weight zone as the folders?

(Obviously, this thread assumes that you're counting ounces and trying to save weight in your pack. I know it's a small weird subset of us that care, so pls don't turn this into a "is ultralight crazy or cool?" thread.)
 
Well, I think Kydex definitely wins out over leather... other than that I'm not too sure. Kydex seems like it would be the lightest sheath option. Maybe if you had one made with as little extra material around the edges as possible?
 
candlelight001 said:
(Obviously, this thread assumes that you're counting ounces and trying to save weight in your pack.
Click to expand...

Don't carry your knife in your pack???:D If it's not in my pack, I don't count the weight of it... but that's just me.

I'm all about saving ounces in the pack, but when it comes to knives, I prefer to have a fixed blade and a firesteel on my belt. If anything ever happened to my pack, at least I have the two essentials to stick it out for a while. Just don't be carrying anything with more than a 4" blade...:p

P.S. ultralight is COOL!:thumbup:

P.P.S. You could probably save some weight by picking up a hidden tang fixed blade??? Not sure how much you would save, but it's an excuse to buy another knife...
 
I'm not convinced one can go much lighter than Kydex or Concealex in terms of materials only in terms of design. I've often wondered about the design aspect of Kydex not in terms of weight but in terms of size. Many of them seem to have lots of material that is doing absolutely nothing but adding bulk. For a different reason to you I find that abhorrent. One of the things I loved about my old Zytel F1 sheath was it was so compact and many after-market Kydex sheaths I've seen for that knife are much bigger. Either way, it looks like both of us share a common interest in trimming overzealous Kydex offerings made from off the shelf components down, albeit for different reasons.

That said, picking on that rather natty looking Culberson you have there I'm not sure there's that much you can do. It is already quite compact. Sure you could have it apart and trim it some. You could epoxy it and use smaller rivets. If you really went for it you could riddle it with holes. After all you could drill a bunch of them in it without harming the performance. But then consider what you'd save. Even if you halved the weight that only amounts to a reduction about equal to two of these -
two-pence-coin.jpg


Each to their own and all that but I just wouldn't bother with something so trivial. If I were that concerned about weight I'd lose the nipple ring and a door key.
 
Last edited:
I also noticed Kydex saves considerable weight, but my reason for choosing Kydex
is it performs better in wet condition. It's also easier to wash and clean.

Personally I generally do not love folding-something, even if it saves weight.
 
Personally, I hate Kydex.Rattly azz plastic.
I use leather and I live in the tropics.
The most goofy thing I've seen is a carbon knife in a Kydex sheath. You still have to deal with the carbon steel. deal with the leather.
For me the best is the "uncle Mikes" style nylon that Buck uses.
 
Simple thin Kydex like the sheath you have on that wharnie is probably your best bet. I know most UL backpackers carry something like a tiny keychain SAK or even just a razor blade for opening food etc. I have done plenty of trips on established trails with only a folder. But being a knife guy, and wanting to have something more substantial, I'd rather carry the extra few ounces and have a small fixed blade.
 
Drilling holes and trimming excess material are good ideas but you could also try using thinner kydex material.

As far as what knife would I rather have, I'd rather have either a multitool with a saw like your farmer, great choice;), or a fixed blade. Folders like your delica are great knives but they aren't as useable for processing wood. At least in how I use knives.
 
The Mora 511 weighs in at 3.5 ounces with sheath. That's a lot of knife for the weight. While I think your point is a good one - that the sheath weighs a lot, there are other things to consider like handle material and length of tang. Partial tangs are an asset if you're counting ounces. And although the Mora plastic sheaths are considered pretty crappy, they're functional and probably lighter than a riveted kydex equivalent.

Although out of stock, Ragnar says the #S-1 is:

The weight with the sheath is about 2 1/2 ounces.

s-1.jpg
 
Micarta is fairly dense, switching to something like walnut would shave some weight. I'm going on an 8 day backpacking sheep hunt this fall - you have inspired me to try building a lighter knife.
Cool thread.
 
The difference between the lightest and the heaviest is 3.1 oz (almost 1/5 lb- just more than the weight of the powerbar I had for breakfast). I'm sure I would never notice the extra weight.
 
Great info buddy and interesting topic !

Personally I'd rather put up with a few more ounces and carry what I really like.
A little more weight = A little more exercise: It's all good !!!
 
I have to agree with just about everyone else. Kydex or Concealex is the way to shave weight and if you can bend plastic it might be worthwhile to find the thinnest material you can find and still be functional. Do a foldover style sheath instead of a pancake to shave more weight and use the lighest and smallest hardwear you can find to put it together. An integrated loop or even a bolted on nylon webbing loop would be lighter than a Tek-lok and hardwear.

Definitely weigh your Mora 510. The sheath is as small and light as it gets (and I have no complaints about it except the crappy belt loop). My 510 (or a 545 in wet environments) is my fixed blade of choice for ultralight treks. I'm sorry to see they discontinued these knives and I wish I had gotten more of them.
 
pitdog said:
Great info buddy and interesting topic !

Personally I'd rather put up with a few more ounces and carry what I really like.
A little more weight = A little more exercise: It's all good !!!
Click to expand...
That's what I tell myself about my beer gut.LOL;)
 
Great thread for info purpose but to me I carry the knife I like and I'm not to worried about the ounces from one knife to the other.... but alot of great info ,thanks for the chart.
 
hlee said:
The difference between the lightest and the heaviest is 3.1 oz (almost 1/5 lb- just more than the weight of the powerbar I had for breakfast). I'm sure I would never notice the extra weight.
Click to expand...

Exactly! So if you go with the lightest knife, you can carry an extra power bar!:thumbup:

Another thing to consider, is that 3 oz. may seem trivial, but when you add it to the 5oz. you saved on another item, and the 2oz of another item, etc. You start saving pounds.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top