How much knife for hiking

vinprom said:
I don't need it but I will take it, more than one. I also don't need nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine. Oh....wait.....never mind. :)
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Lol , I can agree with your sentiments.

I’ve never planned an emergency or incident but I don’t know how many times even my mid sized stockman saved me some trouble when I was in a fix. Might not have been a dire situation but made a difference. I’m so used to carrying a pocket knife I feel naked when I’m without one.

When I went to Alaska the first time to visit family and do some fishing and had to leave my knife at home I couldn’t wait to go to a store and buy me a pocket knife to use while I was there. Good thing I did cause I used it very frequently out fishing and camping. I borrowed a larger fixed blade knife from my nephew and a filet knife while we enjoyed the wild country. It would have been difficult if I/we didn’t have any knives. Even when I was hiking from his house to a neighbors house about a half mile away I cut some vines to get to some delicious berries.
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
What did he do, eat in restaurants and food stalls the whole way? Knives on long hikes are most about food prep for me.
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No idea what the guy in Japan did, but seemingly you are combining hiking with camping? When I did multi-day treks abroad without without a knife I was either with a group with a guide (Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, or, if alone, after 8-11 miles there was always a village with guesthouses in Caucasus (Svaneti, Georgia). Last summer in Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan) I did some day hikes alone. In both Georgia, Kyrgyzstan I had only enough water and already cooked food for a day hike - no tent, and no time for a prolonged break with food preparation. I had to reach or return back the places with food and shelter before sunset, and failure would put me in a situation where food, water and extra clothes will be in dire need.
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
What did he do, eat in restaurants and food stalls the whole way? Knives on long hikes are most about food prep for me.
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I'll give him a ring when I get home and get back to you, because now I'm wondering.
I know he has a swiss champ (his sole and outrageously large pocket knife), but I don't know if that was with him in Japan, or on him while he was hiking.
I'd bet that if he did have it on him, it was the only knife he had.

ETA: I'm doubtful because the only times I've ever seen that knife were in it's original box and usually pulled from his night stand to do something absurdly trivial, like open a bottle.
 
EngrSorenson said:
My best buddy hiked the full length of Japan, including Hokkaido, and I’m almost positive he didn’t have a knife with him.

I wouldn’t go without any kind of knife, personally, but I do believe we over inflate the case for knives.
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I believe most of us on this forum have a tendency to do that. A knife to me is not only a symbol of human ingenuity but also a good luck charm and a reminder to stay vigilant. In most emergencies, a good bivy bag is worth its weight in gold. This one saved me during a very cold and miserable night:
emergency_bivvy-simple-sol-sol_00003_4.jpg

weighs next to nothing, packs up very small and is far superior to those flimsy space blankets
vinprom said:
I don't need it but I will take it, more than one. I also don't need nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine. Oh....wait.....never mind. :)
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neither do i...but when falling asleep means certain death, popping some highly concentrated caffeine pills can make a difference
 
GAGL said:
I believe most of us on this forum have a tendency to do that. A knife to me is not only a symbol of human ingenuity but also a good luck charm and a reminder to stay vigilant. In most emergencies, a good bivy bag is worth its weight in gold. This one saved me during a very cold and miserable night:
View attachment 1820217

weighs next to nothing, packs up very small and is far superior to those flimsy space blankets

neither do i...but when falling asleep means certain death, popping some highly concentrated caffeine pills can make a difference
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I do imagine that there's a few bodies out there in the wilderness just starting to thaw this spring, clinging tightly to a large, rusty fixed blade and well hidden under spruce boughs.
 
I carry ColdSteel FinnWolf as a backup. It's the only folder I'll use rather than walk back to my tent. Best wood processing pocket knife I've tried so far. It's also 3.3oz and only 40$.

Edit; In practice, I always have a full tang knife and pocket saw. The only difference is whether I bring my axe. Four cutting tools in total; BarkRiver Ambush Alpha, Bahco Laplander, GFB Small Forest Axe, ColdSteel FinnWolf.
 
NeedItCheaper said:
I carry ColdSteel FinnWolf as a backup. It's the only folder I'll use rather than walk back to my tent. Best wood processing pocket knife I've tried so far. It's also 3.3oz and only 40$.

Edit; In practice, I always have a full tang knife and pocket saw. The only difference is whether I bring my axe. Four cutting tools in total; BarkRiver Ambush Alpha, Bahco Laplander, GFB Small Forest Axe, ColdSteel FinnWolf.
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https://flic.kr/p/2mFokg2

i carry my Silky Gomtaro replacement blade, wrapped with some paracord..weighs 2.5oz / 70g and cuts so much better than the laplander. also has a much longer blade
 
GAGL said:
https://flic.kr/p/2mFokg2

i carry my Silky Gomtaro replacement blade, wrapped with some paracord..weighs 2.5oz / 70g and cuts so much better than the laplander. also has a much longer blade
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we're getting a little off topic now, but that's a cool idea- what do you store it in, and do you have to wear gloves when you use it?
I reluctantly tried a Silky Pocket boy recently and I had very positive results; still don't like them better than a hatchet, but extremely effective for the weight.
 
EngrSorenson said:
we're getting a little off topic now, but that's a cool idea- what do you store it in, and do you have to wear gloves when you use it?
I reluctantly tried a Silky Pocket boy recently and I had very positive results; still don't like them better than a hatchet, but extremely effective for the weight.
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KSI310324_01_silky-gomtaro-ksi310324-01.jpeg.jpg
I cut out the plastic packaging and wrapped it in some real-tree gorilla tape. Works like a charm and weighs very little. It's suprisingly comfortable, even under extended use. no gloves for me.
I've used Silky for the past 12 years and they still cut like the day i bought them.. I will never use any other brand again. They outperform all other saws and you save a lot of energy. Just have to be careful to not bend them..never happened to me tho.

You don't need a hatchet or axe to make a siberian log fire that will last all night long.

 
When I go out in the woods it is usually a very secluded and unhiked area. Many places I have to hack my way through brush and such.

I may go overboard, but I like to carry my usual Spyderco Folder, a 3" to 4" fixed blade hunting/skinning knife and a larger 8" blade camp knife that I can cut brush with.

I spent my entire childhood on a farm with about 40 acres of woods. I lived an outdoor life, and these are the knives I like to have when out hiking or camping.
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
What did he do, eat in restaurants and food stalls the whole way? Knives on long hikes are most about food prep for me.
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I got a response from my buddy this morning, copied here:
As for walking Japan, this will probably disappoint your forum enthusiasts, but since I was walking the roads and not actually hiking, I typically bought things as needed from convenience stores, restaurants, or the places I was staying. I didn’t carry a knife either.
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Well looks like you were right about that- still though, how many of us wouldn’t take a knife with us anyway?
 
EngrSorenson said:
I got a response from my buddy this morning, copied here:

Well looks like you were right about that- still though, how many of us wouldn’t take a knife with us anyway?
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I think Japanese knife laws are almost as strict as their gun laws. Not much knife is allowed for daily carry.
 
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