How much knife for hiking

A hike can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Out for an hour on high traffic trail, into the wilderness for the day where you probably won't see anyone else you didn't bring with you, on an over-niter, or hiking for several days in the wilderness.

I care less about the weight the shorter the distance I'm hiking.

I've had bad feelings towards my Buck 119 on the 3rd day in the harness, hiking on a hilly wilderness trail, with a lot of technical features. 5.5 ounces is around the limit of what I'm willing to haul around on multiple day hikes and preferably my knife is even lighter. I'll carry a folder as a backup or for cordage (to save the fixed blade). The Bugout is great because it barely weighs anything. On multiple day hikes, I like to ensure that at least one person in the party has a multi-tool, to fix any kit on the go. Anything more than that is dependent on where I'm going and what kinds of rules there are for wood harvesting, but I'll probably bring a light Silky Saw in the pack.

On an over-niter, the multi-tool isn't as important, because I'll be home soon enough and a little suffering is good for the soul. I'm also up for carrying a Silky Saw, forester's axe/machete, a camp fixed blade, and a small folder. Again it depends on where I'm going and what kinds of rules for there are for wood harvesting.

On long day hike, I'll probably carry a lighter survival knife (like a Morankniv Bushcraft or Condor Terrasaur) and a light folder tucked away in a pouch. I probably won't even need a knife, but it's just part of the just in case kit for the pack at that point. It's the same for a high traffic or shorter hiking trail, but the fixed blade will be less prominently displayed, instead of being strapped to the shoulder strap and the sheath further secured by Ranger bands.
 
RugerNurse said:
With all this bushcraft stuff on YouTube promoting larger fixed blades, how many people head out into the woods with a folding knife? I’m expecting a Buck 112 slim to try out soon on some small hikes. Can’t image needing a 6” fixed blade unless bushcraft is really your thing.
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At the risk of beating a dead horse, I wanted to add that your Buck 112 slim can be perfect/plenty for your hikes.
If that’s all the knife you carry though, AND it might get cold at night, AND it’s remotely possible you could end up stranded overnight I’d suggest also carrying additional shelter material/clothing to insure adequate thermal regulation.
Temperature regulation is MORE important than food/water/medical care in most wilderness survival situations I’ve encountered and read about.
Happy hiking!
 
shane45-1911 said:
Agreed.

The real issue is that the OP never really defined what "out in the woods for a hike" entails. How far away from home? Are you alone? For how long? How isolated? Other people always within earshot? How intense is the terrain - danger of slip and falls? Etc.

Ask any park ranger or warden services officer how many people have gone out for a "short hike", that turns into a multi-agency, multi-day search-and-rescue operation when the hikers don't make it home as expected. Shyte can unexpectedly go south pretty easily, even for experienced outdoors people.

I agree, a stroll in your neighborhood conservation/picnic area hardly warrants a machete strapped to your thigh. But again, the parameters of the OP's hike were never really clarified.
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^^^^^^
Yes this exactly
Missed this post earlier.
 
On my admittedly rare sojourns into wilderness areas, I typically carry whatever tickles my fancy before I leave for the trip. Last fall Ms. Wild Willie and I took a weekend to do some peaks (not the high ones) in the Adirondack region. With me for that trip rode my small sebenza, a Vic pioneer, and a sheath knife from David Mary. Were I to leave right now for a similar trip, it would likely be a douk douk, Vic swisschamp, and the same sheath knife. The only extra weight I concern myself with for the most part is that which rides about my waist from drinking too much beer. My theory there is that if my pack is heavy enough, some of that fat will be lost along the way...
 
RugerNurse said:
With all this bushcraft stuff on YouTube promoting larger fixed blades, how many people head out into the woods with a folding knife? I’m expecting a Buck 112 slim to try out soon on some small hikes. Can’t image needing a 6” fixed blade unless bushcraft is really your thing.
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I carry a bark river gunny LT, but when i hiked the at for a month, weight becomes a much larger issue, carried a native 5 in lc200n. 70% of the people thru hiking do not carry knives, the ones that do i saw a lot of bugouts, and some opinels, and some spyderco lw’s. For thru hiking i suggest a native 5 lc200n or any spyderco salt with backlock. For weekend chilling, bark river aurora, gunny, forest scandi, lt wright gns, or ballin on a budget a mora kansbol (spelled wrong) or really any mora, or condor terrasaur.. As for splitting wood? Never seen any thru or long term hiker carry anything to split wood, if i was to suggest a knife. Bark river gunny 3v. Only knife i would suggest for that, lightest knife i would baton
 
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EngrSorenson said:
Alright… it’s time…

what if you’re hiking and you get attacked by a dog riding a bear? What blade is best? What blade beats bears?
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Throw a tennis ball and yell, " Go getter boy . " :p

Seriously though , people hiking ,even on fairly well populated public trails , have been attacked by wild or domestic animals . Or bad guys . :(

Especially if no gun , a larger blade knife or hawk might be handy for SD . :cool:
 
The Grendels said:
Bear spray takes care of both at the same time and saves the knife.
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Have you ever actually tried to use bear spray on a real bear?

If so, you'd already know that it's pretty ineffective, especially with a really BIG bear, and you have to get really CLOSE to the bear in order to use it, which generally is inadvisable, especially if it's a really BIG bear. In which case, a really BIG gun (or better yet, a shotgun filled w/slugs) would be better. ;)

So, I never carry any bear spray when I think bears are a risk but I'll always carry a gun (legalities notwithstanding), even if it is no better than bear spray against a full sized grizzly, brown or black bear.

At least a gun will give me a "fighting" chance and, if you're THAT CLOSE to the bear, you'll be happy to have a 5-6" fixed blade knife as well.

In other words, forget about the bear spray. Just making NOISE and trying to make yourself "look bigger" would be better than trying to spray a bear in the face/nose/mouth w/pepper spray. :rolleyes:

Whatever you do DON'T RUN, unless the bear charges you, in which case, climb the nearest tree as high as you go with the understanding that bears can also climb trees BUT, if you have a gun with you, it will discourage the bear from climbing all the way up to get you.

LOL! ;)
 
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Guy McVer said:
That is certainly true. A fixed blade, preferably thick, full tang knife, is obviously more robust than a folder. Yes. It will take more abuse. And if you ever are in a survival situation, you're lying if you say that you'd rather have a folder instead.

But guess what? An axe would be even better. If you're ever in a survival situation, you'd be lying if you said you wouldn't like to have an axe handy. But I'm not going to carry one around every time I go out for a day hike. You can do that if you want. Knock yourself out.
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A small Silky or Opinel saw and a 4-5" fixed blade might be a better combo than an axe + fixed blade knife. Safer to use and lighter.
 
My typical woods, hiking, camping, hunting, etc setup is a pocket knife and a 3.5”-5.5” fixed blade. I have lots of both so there’s crap tons of options at my disposal. If I’m in a more public trail type area, bike path, etc, I just carry a pocket knife.

Carry that Buck 112 without worry, here’s what I had the other day on me while wandering the woods.


jgWa9Vu.jpg
 
Drop bear said:
If we are going to make survival comparisons. Then it would also be worthwhile to mention you could probably get a sat phone or locator beacon for about the same price, weight and size as your bigger survival knife.
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Great to be able to call for help !

But many here object to folders for survival use because of their complexity compared to fixed .

Whereas a sat phone really is complex . ;)
 
sgt1372 said:
.... I never carried more than my Swiss Army knife on such trips either because I just carry (freeze) dried food that only requires water to prepare and a spoon to eat. I just use the SAK to open the packages. LOL! ;)....
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I am pretty much in the same boat. Sometimes find myself packing a block of cheese, whole sausage (or two) and big loaf of bread.... just to JUSTIFY carrying something more substantial than a SAK Farmer.

It really depends on where are you going to hike. If there is no vegetation arround, chopping power will not help. And I am not going to the other extreme and stating that a snow showel would be much better. One or two of those space blankets (the robust type, not the flimsy ones that break when you look at the wrong) is something that doesn't weight much and can stay unnoticed in the water bladder pouch of the backpack (as they are pretty flat when folded). If you have several, then it is wise to buy a bunch and scatter them arround the different packs so you are never caught withouth one.

For me, if there is wood arround, I might take a fixed blade for fun and teaching my daugther some firecraft. If there is no wood, then a folder suffices. If there are ropes involved, one of my spyderco serrated knives comes along, but then we are not talking hiking...

Mikel
 
I have read that Andrew Skurka, a famous ultra long distance hiker, whom have literally hiked thousands of miles of wilderness carried nothing more than a Victorinox Classic. But I am no long distance hiker and don't possess the same skill as one, so I would think a larger 91mm or 111mm Victorinox knife should suffice for my own use. A 91mm Huntsman or 111mm Trekker are some of my favorite for outdoor use.
 
Well, If I leave my house in the morning, a BK14 + a SAK are in my pockets.
With that combo, I am happy to have a stroll in the woods or go on a day hike - in 99.9% of all cases, that is more than enough to cover my needs.

However, as I really like knives, I will take something bigger with me just because I like to.
The most ferocious beast I can encounter here in Germany is a boar and as I don't have a gun - running will be my best option.
The most likely beast however will be a tick, and I have precision tweezers with me, to remove them as soon as I discover them... (the SAK tweezers don't work well on those monsters)
 
sgt1372 said:
Have you ever actually tried to use bear spray on a real bear?

If so, you'd already know that it's pretty ineffective, especially with a really BIG bear, and you have to get really CLOSE to the bear in order to use it, which generally is inadvisable, especially if it's a really BIG bear. In which case, a really BIG gun (or better yet, a shotgun filled w/slugs) would be better. ;)

So, I never carry any bear spray when I think bears are a risk but I'll always carry a gun (legalities notwithstanding), even if it is no better than bear spray against a full sized grizzly, brown or black bear.

At least a gun will give me a "fighting" chance and, if you're THAT CLOSE to the bear, you'll be happy to have a 5-6" fixed blade knife as well.

In other words, forget about the bear spray. Just making NOISE and trying to make yourself "look bigger" would be better than trying to spray a bear in the face/nose/mouth w/pepper spray. :rolleyes:

Whatever you do DON'T RUN, unless the bear charges you, in which case, climb the nearest tree as high as you go with the understanding that bears can also climb trees BUT, if you have a gun with you, it will discourage the bear from climbing all the way up to get you.

LOL! ;)
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I've mostly just had run-ins with black bears close up and am thankful to not have had the same amount of run-ins with grizzly bears and I'm completely all right if I never meet a polar bear in this lifetime that isn't in a zoo enclosure. I've carried a rifle and handgun in grizzly country, when horse camping, because I was riding on a buffet with hooves. I was raised with a pretty good idea of what to do in the bush, by a family that has owned remote logging camps and ranches going back a long time. That said, if a bear is starving, insane, or diseased (or a combination of those three) all bets are off no matter what you do. I'm more concerned with cougars than bears, because they'll stalk you for the sheer joy of it, which is less than fun when you're in the middle of nowhere and alone, because they're a lot harder to keep track of than a bear. It's really the people that are the biggest concern in the wilderness, as there's some real nutbars out there and some places have more of that than others. I always make a point of greeting everyone I pass by in the wilderness, because it's just good manners and it projects confidence, the same way I deal with any animal I meet.

The only time I've ever had to use bear spray was when I was surrounded by a big pack of semi-feral dogs from a native reserve. They circled me growling and I went for the leader to break them up. The leader bolted the moment it went off and the rest followed. A couple of them just stood around looking confused for about ten seconds before following and were probably a bit ashamed of the pack they were running with. Bear spray is actually proven to be more of a deterrent than guns vs unplanned bad bear encounters, possibly because there are a lot of people out there with crap for aim, don't always have a rifle in the ready position, and panic fire is a thing. I also carry bear bangers, but I'm mindful about firing them in extremely dry woodlands, where I could start a wildfire. I've had bear bangers and/or bear spray out a few times, when there were bears in the vicinity, but never had to use it on them, because we went our separate ways. The only time I've ever fired my bear banger was to familiarize myself with it, before I needed it.

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I'll never carry bear bells though because I need to hear what's going on around me. I just tap on rocks and trees with my walking stick more, and talk louder, when the sight lines aren't very open in the bush, to minimize preventable meetings. You just need to not act like food around predators, but still give them some respect, so they also don't see you as contesting their turf. It's probably good advice in the city too. I'm not exactly ghost walking, when I'm wearing my pack, boots, and walking stick in the woods, but noise is good as long as it's confident "I'm not food" noise and not panicked, squeaky voices. Those people should just shut up and tap a bit harder on the rocks and trees.

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