Knife for Appalachian Trail

PG5768 said:
Years ago when I still went backpacking, I liked to carry an Opinel and a Boy Scout knife. They served me well over dozens of 50-milers. Never did get around to starting, let alone completing the PCT or even thought about the AT.

Nowadays, I'd still go with the Opinel and maybe a lightweight multi-tool.

Good luck on your adventure and congrats on graduating from college!
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Frostyfingers said:
+1 for a mora of some sort. Light, cheap, and tough enough to handle anything you might need. Paired with a saw or even better, an SAK (Swiss Army Knife) with a saw, you shouldn't have any problems. Good Luck!!
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neeman said:
I have walked more than 1/2 the Appalacian Trail.
I used:

An small Opinel for cooking or woodsy stuff
And small SAK for its can openers, and minor stuff.
A SAK Classic in a sealed sterile bag for First Aid

You will be suprised how little you actually need to carry
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When I used to backpack I learned that, the farther you are packing, the more important it is to minimize weight.
 
Check into the RAT RC4 it is a great knife without being too large. It will however fill the bill for most every task you will encounter on the trail.
 
smotta said:
I know everyone here is a "knife guy" so this may take some slack. I've done a ton of AT hiking in the last couple of years and i can tell you you don't need/want a knife that big. Pick yourself the lightest smallest swiss army you can find, MAYBE a leatherman if you feel you need the pliers.

16 oz is double whaty ou want for a knife. Those micro-ounces add up REALLY QUICK!

Cheers
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A guy at work does a week on the AT every summer, and all he carries is a small Gerber LST, and he usually doesn't even use that.

I would suggest that the OP find a forum for through hikers and ask there, for their voice of experience.

Good luck and have fun.
 
I'm with the others who said that you don't need a huge knife for the AT. But if you're looking for a good size blade with low weight, I like the Bark River Snowy River.

Have fun and looking forward to your reviews!
 
cgover said:
Bark, Thanks for the Mora pics. I am waiting for 2 Frosts Clippers in the mail, one stainless and one carbon. Will the sheaths clip onto an average American belt?
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The loop in the Clipper sheath that I have is like a clip, open at the bottom, so theoretically you can attach it to whatever you want... just clip it. I used to clip it in the cloth of the sheath of the Ontario SP43 that I have like a sort of piggy back... it looked great. I'm trying to put my digital camera to use again (lack the cable), if I had it I would post a picture of the sheath for you.

Take care
 
Get a GOOD saw and a knife that's readily available (location- either fixed blade or folder 3" minimum) that does well for your kitchen.
 
I think a Vic Farmer would be worth the weight just for the variety of work you can do with it, but that's about as much knife as you need to carry.

Jeff
 
stitchawl said:
I'm and End-to-Ender, (30-odd years ago,) and carried only my Buck folding Stockman in my pocket. At no time did I ever find the need for anything else.
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smotta said:
I've done a ton of AT hiking in the last couple of years and i can tell you you don't need/want a knife that big. Pick yourself the lightest smallest swiss army you can find, MAYBE a leatherman if you feel you need the pliers.
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I've got an AT hike on my life's to-do list and, as such, I read all of these threads when I see them. I also occasionally read some of the online trail logs, etc. I can't tell you how many times I've read comments similar to these.
 
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Sounds like you have enough tools for the job. My best advice for you since I live in a town that the trail passes through. We see alot of professional drifters that live at various points along the trail. They will rob you blind if you're not careful. You will have a great time on your trek, just watch your gear like a hawk!! Be careful where you sleep.
 
The AT is a very well-hiked trail so you're sopposed to follow strict LNT policies, for the benefit of other hikers if nothing else. That means no making fires, a stove is so much better anyway and you're gonna appreciate not having to gather firewood and build a fire every night after a long hike with 40-60 lbs on your back. What I'm saying is you don't need a knife that cuts wood.

I would get a strong, light knife of no more than 4" for most cutting tasks (the knife you inherited sounds just fine), a multi-tool, and a small revolver or autopistol for those 2 legged predators.

Remember, travel as light as possible! dont carry anything you dont need and you will make your adventure so much more enjoyable. But always be prepared for anything- rain/robbers/bears/lightning/etc.
 
Get a cold steel Recon I clip point. It'll do everything you need and more.

recon104.jpg
 
smotta said:
I know everyone here is a "knife guy" so this may take some slack. I've done a ton of AT hiking in the last couple of years and i can tell you you don't need/want a knife that big. Pick yourself the lightest smallest swiss army you can find, MAYBE a leatherman if you feel you need the pliers.

16 oz is double whaty ou want for a knife. Those micro-ounces add up REALLY QUICK!

Cheers
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+1 for this. I don't reckon a big fixed blade is practical for a through hike on an established trail. I use the spyderco Military for my treks and even it is probably a slight overkill. Wilderness fixed/base type camping is the place for a big knife.
 
Bullpupben said:
The AT is a very well-hiked trail so you're sopposed to follow strict LNT policies, for the benefit of other hikers if nothing else. That means no making fires, a stove is so much better anyway and you're gonna appreciate not having to gather firewood and build a fire every night after a long hike with 40-60 lbs on your back. What I'm saying is you don't need a knife that cuts wood.

I would get a strong, light knife of no more than 4" for most cutting tasks (the knife you inherited sounds just fine), a multi-tool, and a small revolver or autopistol for those 2 legged predators.

Remember, travel as light as possible! dont carry anything you dont need and you will make your adventure so much more enjoyable. But always be prepared for anything- rain/robbers/bears/lightning/etc.
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If you are carrying more than 40 lbs, you are carrying too much
And that is not going micro wieght
Just cut down

Three piles of gear
  1. Nice to have
  2. Would be useful
  3. Can't do without

Yes you guessed
ONLY
  1. Can't do without
 
Back packing being what it is, you could get by with just an Opinel or a small sak.

Since you have your weather proof tent, sleeping bag, rain gear, stove, dehydrated food packs, and all the other needed stuff, the only thing your knife will be doing is opening food packages. All your cooking will be on a stove. Most of the sections of the trail I've camping on have extemly strict no open fire regs. You won't have to batton a single piece of wood the whole trip. In fact, being that the trail goes over National Park service land, chopping any wood can be very expensive if a park ranger happens by. I always just stuck to my little Optimus stove.

Do be carefull of the thieves. Some of the backpackers you may run into are proffesional woods loafers and will steal your gear if given half a chance. There has been some crime on the trail, and it's one of the most populated trails in the nation durring the summer. It's very well developed and maintained, and once you get north of the NC/Va border there are lots of small towns near it. This can be good or bad. Good- it's easy to pick up needed supplies if you run short, or just want a fresh meal and a laundromat. Bad- small town low lifes can wander into the trail and be a hastle. Be wary.
 
Small and light is the best approach, and the stove question is right on. You are going to be surprised at how many no fire zones you are going to encounter, not to mention rain and snow when you are going to want that stove in the center of your shelter!

You have your knife so look for a sharpener (small). We were'nt out of Georgia before we were cutting the handles of the toothbrushes in half and donating goodies to folks we met. Have fun.

Greg
 
Remember, no matter how far you hike the AT, it really is no more than a series of short hikes, you can resupply often. The longest stretches are through southern virginia and the "100 miles" in Maine. you really have no need for a large knife.
 
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Any SAK will do. I Like the ones with a four inch blade, so I can get to the bottom of peanut butter Jars.
 
after doing my NOLS course this summer. The knife that i would have wished to have had would be something very similar to the AG russel bird and trout. On NOLS we used our knives for almost exclusively food prep where a fixed blade would have been so much better then the knife I brought (kershaw scallion) I would have wanted a very light slicing kind of knife. Believe me if you lug around a pound or two of survival knife you will not be lugging it around very long. Hiking that far is tough. I think the AG Russel bird and trout would fit the bill quite nicely
 
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