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Is One Blade Enough?

Haze240

Haze240

Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
953
Well I know many of us go into the woods packing as much steel as we can carry. Machetes, Axes, Choppers, Bushcraft blades etc. This is fine for an afternoon in the back 40, making campfires and playing Paul Bunyan, but what about those that venture a little further? Backpackers, multi-day trekkers etc. Do you guys still carry 3 or 4 knives? or have you cut it down (pun intended) to 1 or 2 blades?

There are alot of guys that get into the Ultralite aspect of backpacking/camping. They count grams the way motorheads count horsepower, everything adds up in the end. If they can get a titanium, skeletonized spoon, they will, If they have to sacrifice durability or comfort to get the lightest, most minimal stuff they can, they will. I guess I assume the majority of you guys would rather have a quarter-inch thick hunk of bomb-proof, log-destroying carbon steel hanging from your hip, than a skeletonized, titanium and carbon fiber filet knife in your side pocket, but I'm sure theres times when even you have had to look at the knife collection, and reluctantly whittle some options out (again, pun intended).

That Machax might take down a redwood in one fell swoop, but is it going to be much use for a week-long trek through the Utah Canyonlands? Will that BK9 see alot of work while spending a couple weeks in Yosemite? Maybe, maybe all you need is a Remora to filet your trout for dinner, or a BK14 to make feathersticks and kindling for your campfire. There are alot of people that head into the wilderness with little more than a SAK with a folding saw (Les Stroud comes to mind lol), and rarely find the need to chop anything.

I want to know what you guys carry for longer treks, or excursions where you want to save a little weight. Can you get by with just one knife, and if so, what is it?
 
The 10 will be that knife for me. Granted its not a minimalist knife but when I go hunting with my dad for 3 days we scout, camp, and stalk. Can't have too much weighing you down (and thus making more noise) when your tracking the habits of a black bear or that trophy buck. Plus sometimes we get way away from the cabin base camp so more weight when dragging is a beeotch

The 10 that im modifying will be the camp knife while also being my gutting/hunting knife and whatever else I need it to do
 
A lot of those ultra light guys don't even carry knives. I could make one work but I'd rather have something big to chop and something small.
 
OREGON FAL'ER said:
A lot of those ultra light guys don't even carry knives. I could make one work but I'd rather have something big to chop and something small.
Click to expand...

Truth. I still love my arsenal of beckers when "car camping" and making bonfires.
 
I'm an ultra light hiker for sure. My baseweight is 11lbs and I can do 25 miles days without thinking about because of it. As for a knife when hiking I use a Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Edelweiss Pocket Knife.

41G1E7H3EWL._AA300_.jpg


Ive done hundred's of miles with that as my only knife.

Whats more impressive is my buddy Lint has done 14,000 hiking miles on long distance trails and with a 7lb pack!
 
I am a 2 blade man. Small bush knife and something to process wood. I don't carry an alcohol stove so I need wood fuel. Although I did do a two trek with only my SP10 as my only tool.
 
For longer treks I typically can just get by with a multitool, but that's strictly just hiking. If I'm working in the field and have to go through all types of bush, I'll usually carry a multitool and machete, but I usually throw in my BK2 for the "just in case" effect.
 
I've gone on 20+ mile round trip hikes with 3 knives on me, Bk2, a BM snody fixed blade, and a folder. For me a lot of the fun in a hike or camping trip comes from using my knives to cut/chop things. So it's worth the weight.
 
When hiking I will pack one larger blade like a BK9 and one smaller blade like a IZULA....

When I go far, 10-15 miles and I want to go lite I will just take a IZULA
 
Realized I never posted my preference. As much as I like to hack n' slash, My BK14 is pretty much all I need in the woods. I can gather firewood much easier than I can hack it up and process it, if I need to break logs to make them small enough for the fire, I can use a couple techniques to crack them between 2 trees, or snap them against a tree or rock. All kindling, feathersticks, gutting, cord-cutting and general duty stuff can be handled by the Eskabar...however I recently picked up a BK7 to act as my "Jack of all trades" knife (once I put a choil on it). I can process larger wood, do some moderate chopping, and fight a bear if I have to! lol
 
First Ill start off by saying my AO are woodlands, I live in GA afterall. I don't really hike on trails, mainly in the bush. I feel fine with just one knife, be it a BK2, randall 18, JK EDC or a CRK mountaineer 1.

I prefer the nessmuk style carry though. Axe for wood processing, FB for camp chores and a folder for food prep and eating.
 
I like to bring two knives with me when I hit the trail but sometimes I just carry one all purpose blade. If carrying two I always bring a small to medium sized fixed blade that I can use for fine work/ skinning/ firecraft etc.. usually the Ratmandu or Rodent solution. I pair that up with a big chopper, usually my Junglas and between those two there really isn't anything you can't do. If Im just going with one blade I take my Scrap Yard regulator. Its an absolute beast of a knife that can chop very well but with a ~7.5in bowie blade is great for small stuff as well but it is a little big to really do fine work with. and for being a .333 thick 7.5inch blade its crazy light due to the stick tang and res C. 15.8 ounces for that much blade is a really good weight to work ratio, considering a knife like the ESEE 5 weights 16 ounces.
 
If I need to go light, I still bring an SAK and my ESEE 6, no matter what. Generally I try to include my pocket chainsaw too if I think there won't be a lot of easy-to-harvest, dry wood to cook on.
 
For me it depends on how long I will be at camp. If I am hiking and only staying in one place long enough to eat and sleep with no campfire I will go ultra light and just bring a small folder or neck knife. If I am going to be camping more than hiking I can afford to carry more weight and I bring more knives to help get a campfire going and practice trap making skills and stuff.

I would think whipping out a full sized Becker in an AT shelter would get you alot of wierd looks but you might find yourself more sleeping room at night!

Jeremy
 
My friend Reuben is the most disiplined ultralighter I know. His week long loadout for a week in the Peruvian jungle, only weighed 7lbs.

He carried a machete.

I can do just fine with my mora, BK10, BK2, BK14 or whatever really. Knowledge is lighter than gear. I have learned to make my smaller knives reach up and play with the big boys, but I do like a medium belt knife with me at all times.

Ultralight has never been my thing, but I am learning to shed pounds of gear. I asked Reuben (BeartheDog) about his ultralight habits, and he had probably the best answer I have heard.

"When you carry alot of weight, all you want to do is stop and camp. Go light, stay on the move, and see more."

It caught my attention.

Moose
 
I carry two knives large and small.
I suppose I could carry one and be fine but why, I'm already carrying extra weight.
 
For a while I was humping a TON of steel any time I went out.... Got VERY tired of that and have now limited my hiking knives to my BK9 and my 5" Gossman Tusker. I suppose I would be fine with one or the other but like having the option of both.
 
My thoughts are this: If your knife is too heavy and causes a burden, you need to exercise more and maybe lose weight. Period.

To quote a picture caption from a Jeff Randall article in TK "If your knife isn't big enough to make fire under any circumstance, you need a different knife".

When I'm out, I want a knife that can do fire and shelter (if needed) fast, and that means a bigger knife. Yeah, you could make a fire and a shelter with a SAK, but a decent sized fixed blade will do it much faster and far easier.

It's the same argument on a shooting/hunting forum I'm on. People want 5lb rifles, loaded and scoped. And most times, all they are doing is walking to a tree stand or a ground blind for deer hunting. Seriously? They'd be better off dropping 3lbs of fat instead of 3lbs of extra rifle weight.
 
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