Hiking Combo's ?

[pitdog]

When someone asks what knife I take with me on hikes I'll usually just name my main blade but I guess most of us very rarely just carry one knife so I just wondered what your combo's are.
These are the permanent residents of my PSK......

 

[tknife]

I seem to usually have a new knife or two that I take with me . Or I'll rotate through old favorites, maybe a hatchet or saw. I always have one of my NWA's on me though, and a sak in my pack.

 

[Rupestris]

Pitdog, How do you like the Buck Diamondback? I picked one up but it looks a little different. The one I have has a slightly flatter spine with only three cuts on the spine.

I haven't had a chance to put it through its paces yet. Just wondering how yours is holdoing up and how often you use it.

Chris

 

[JackBauer24]

RAT-5
Leatherman Charge

 

[pitdog]

Pitdog, How do you like the Buck Diamondback? I picked one up but it looks a little different. The one I have has a slightly flatter spine with only three cuts on the spine.

I haven't had a chance to put it through its paces yet. Just wondering how yours is holdoing up and how often you use it.

Chris

To be honest I just keep mine in my kit as a back up blade or for use at food prep stuff. For the money I think these little blades are hard to beat, they are as sharp as hell, the handle feels great, they are very rust resistant and they hold a decent edge...what more can you ask for ?:thumbup:

 

[norcalblacktail]

I usually bring a Gamewarden and either a Ratmandu or ASH-1. And of course my Farmer and Silky.

 

[othello32]

Fallkniven F1, Ranger RD 6, and SAK Trekker.

 

[j williams]

Bravo1, psk, multitool or swiss army oht.

 

[Wabajack]

For hiking? Just a SAK (Hiker or Farmer) or (not both!) a 3.5" to 4.25" FB and depending on duration of the hike I might pack a bahco folding saw, that's all ya' need.

 

[pitdog]

For hiking? Just a SAK (Hiker or Farmer) or (not both!) a 3.5" to 4.25" FB and depending on duration of the hike I might pack a bahco folding saw, that's all ya' need.

For 99% of the time you are right, that's all you need but bear in mind that most survival situations arise from small day hikes and not big planned expeditions. If you are happy with what you carry in the event of everything that can go wrong, going wrong then that's great.
I am not saying this so much regarding what you carry but rather in respect to how you determine what you carry.
For example you said it depended on the duration of your hike, even on a short hike if I were to break my ankle it could be a week or more before I am found......do you get what I mean ?

 

[TFin04]

The tomahawk gets the most use. When building a fire or shelter it is invaluable. Great hammer, great chopper, holds an edge well (it can be used for slicing stuff too, I keep it pretty sharp). Plus it's cheap!

The RC-4 is a no-nonsense knife from a great company. It gets quite a bit of use too.

The SAK does small tasks extremely well. This model has a ballpoint pen and some other items I use a lot. The scissors and nail file work well for clipping nails too, if they get too long or get caught on something and you need to fix them.

 

[psy-ops]

F-1
SAK fieldmaster
Leatherman super tool

Golok or Estwing axe if necessary

 

[tarmix101]

Mora can be replaced by one of my 5 510's on not there at all.

 

[valcas1]

Koster bushcraft and A Vic. Farmer for me on most of my hiking and hunting adventures.

 

[mtnfolk mike]

I seem to usually have a new knife or two that I take with me . Or I'll rotate through old favorites, maybe a hatchet or saw. I always have one of my NWA's on me though, and a sak in my pack.

same here... i love to try out new blades...

out of all of my knives, i usually end up with my gene ingram #30... i just love that thing.. it's perfect for me..

i always have a SAK with me and my gossman PSK while in the woods and/or my benchmade mini-ritter griptillian..

 

[blazink]

Lately my duo has been a Vic. Fieldmaster and a mora 510
If I need to chop I add either my USMC MK2 (awesome machete!) or an ancient mystery hatchet with a homemade osage handle.

 

[Wabajack]

For 99% of the time you are right, that's all you need but bear in mind that most survival situations arise from small day hikes and not big planned expeditions.

I’ve done big planned expeditions with just a SAK (an ol’ Victorinox Hiker) and my other backpacking gear. It was a 2 week canoe trip into the Wabakimi wilderness. Honestly, it was easier than I thought. Firewood was easily broken by foot or burned through. But it was summer so the fire was only needed for cooking. Although this isn't exactly the scenario you're thinking of I do have something that is;

This is more of the scenario you’re talking about. I got lost while trekking around my friends cottage during winter, this was near Armstrong Ontario. All I had on me was a good layer of temperature appropriate clothes, a Firesteel and a SAK. I was out there for two nights before I was able to find my way back. I was able to build relatively warm shelters considering how cold it gets at night there with mainly spruce branches (lots and lots and LOTS of them! Which did suck to collect, but the bend and cut technique worked well and so did the little saw) and snow, they were windproof when I was finished a decent fire outside didn‘t hurt before bedtime too. The key was to prepare camp ahead of time so that you wouldn’t need to rush and could make it through the night comfortably as possible. I managed to keep my cool. Once I got back me and my friends went backpacking the next day all the way back to my shelters, I decided to spend the night in one of them again and let me tell you, they are lot warmer with a big sleeping bag!

I am rather bush adept though so using a SAK for all of my bush tasks isn’t that hard, saws, axes or large knives are luxuries that can make life easier but they are not necessary for me when hiking, during winter now I’ll usually bring a saw! Lesson learned… sorta’.

For example you said it depended on the duration of your hike, even on a short hike if I were to break my ankle it could be a week or more before I am found......do you get what I mean ?

Absolutely, you just have to carry what you’re comfortable with! For me, when hiking it's usually just a SAK.

 

[JohnnyO]

I have several main blades which I choose from. It all depends on where, how far and how long I'm hiking. To back them up I bring either a Spyderco Para Military or Microtech Socom II, and a SAK. Well, they are not really back-up knives. 2 of the 3 are in my pockets at all times anyway.

 

[texastonydobbs]

let see I rotate quite often
1. BK1,RC3,LM wave
2.Bravo1,PSK,SAK Hiker
3.Chopweiler,RC4,Native
and soon it will be DF,DM,in a rainwalker sheath coupled w/Swiss army multi-tool
I have so many blades paired up..
NWA,BK11,SAK tinker....ETC...

 

[RescueRiley]

Victorinox rucksack, opinel folding saw on my person and a fixed blade in the pack (either mora or fallkniven) if I'll be out over night I might bring a fiskars axe or a machete..