Knives necessary in the outdoors?

I look at it this way...

There have been a number of times in the past where I found myself thinking, "Man, I wish I was carrying my knife." There has never once been a time where I thought to myself, "I sure wish I didn't have this knife on me."

I always carry a knife even though I know there is a good chance I won't need to use it. I'm a knife guy. It's what I do. Some of my outdoorsman buddies aren't knife guys and don't often have knives on them. They also don't usually have a problem because of that fact. That still doesn't change my mind about carrying a knife.
 
lawp said:
In 50 years of backpacking and mountaineering I never needed more than a SAK and a spoon. I took a 6" bowie once and didn't use it.
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what would have happened if you did?

I had the same thing told to me by I guy that had 20+ years backpacking... he told me that all he needed was his pocket knife and that's it...

I just like knives... and If i can carry them on me... i guess i'll continue to do it...
 
Need is subjective - I NEED to have a knife on me because I enjoy finding things to do outdoors with a knife. It's more than a survival or SHTF tool - it's just another way for me to enjoy my time in the woods.
 
There are always plenty of people who spend much time afield and claim they don't need to carry much of a knife, if any. They come back to tell us that it was never a problem, and I believe them. There's no reason to believe what they say isn't true.

What you hardly ever hear is the story from someone who found themselves in an unexpected predicament, needed a knife desperately, and didn't have one.

Anyone know why?
 
On a day hike I travel light. That means a small pack with food,water, a coat or sweater to suit the time of year, my fire kit, dry socks ( I hate wet socks) some cordage, a first aid kit, compass, and of course a knife or 2. Do I need the knife? No, not if everything goes right same thing goes for the coat, dry socks and first aid kit, but I wont walk into the bush with out them. They are piece of mind items. To the guy that said he would rather carry a 1/2 pound of food instead, I can gather that in no time. I can't create a cutting tool in no time.

If things go wrong they usually go wrong in a big way.

To the OP in all of your examples, things are done right, you haven't gotten lost, you have told people were you are and when you will get back, but lets throw something else into the mix. You have come across a situation that causes you to become disorientated for a short but important amount of time, you have run off the trail without time to get you bearings and become lost. Even though you did everything else right, suddenly its all wrong. Your friends are not looking in the right place, and the weather has turned. Don't you wish you had a knife now? Or some other unnecessary piece of equipment? I can only look at the question from my point of view, which is to take what I think I may need in a worse case scenario, and I can get my self into some bad situations:o

Do it your way, and I will do it mine. Here's hoping you are right and we never find ourselves in a situation where we need it, but at least I have mine if I do. Just my 2 cents
 
I don't think the OP is saying he doesn't think you should carry a knife, or even that he doesn't carry a knife.

I think he's asking for thoughts on the idea: does one really need a knife for hiking?


IMO, you probably don't need one if you're hiking on level, cleared trails or trails with lots of traffic. In fact, in those situations, a whistle or a radio might even be more valuable.

Of course, we would all rather have a knife. We're knife forum members! But do we *need* one for hiking? (I'm assuming no trail blazing, just hiking marked paths)
 
G'day Beef

beef said:
Hi All,
I've been musing on whether a knife is really a necessity in the outdoors. First I think I should specify that I mean when day hiking or multi day backpacking......


.....It'd be great to hear other people's take on this topic.
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Can I clarify intended meaning before responding?

By day hiking, are you referring to walking along a signposted & maintained trail? Are you also including "off trail" walking with a topo map & compass that only takes a day?

With multi day hiking are you referring to the style of trip that involves starting at point A and taking more than one day to reach point B, requiring no more than one night at any one camp site?

I just want to clarify your intended criteria for discussion in the original post before I answer :D




Kind regards
Mick
 
Thanks for the response Unky Gumbi. As stated in the OP, I do carry knives, I just can't justify them as essential in the same way FAK and clothing are.

Hi Mick, yep, offtrack walking is a passion of mine. Though I can't say creek bashing at 1km/hr is exactly enjoyable. Topo, compass, GPS in pack as a backup incase I absolutely need to check my position on the map.
Walking till dark, sleeping then walking at first light style of camping. When 'bushcrafting', I have opinel, mora, saw, spoon knife etc. When deathmarching, just the mora.

I await your response :)
 
See there where we differ, I feel my knife is just as essential as the clothing and first aid kit, but like I said I know I can get myself in tough situations and I like to be prepared for it. They have gotten further and further apart the older I have gotten, but the potential is still there. My knife carry is one on my person and one in my pack, if I lose one I have the other. I am not saying you are wrong, I am just not as confident in my skills or friends as you are.
 
I got to agree with beef on this one. Sure I like knives, although I only own a few, but realistically, when day hiking and multiday backpacking, like what beef described, I can get by with my SAK.

But I do prefer to carry a 4 inch FB, which although I don't need, I still take it as I don't mind the extra weight, as I'm not a lightweight hiker.

Also where I dayhike I don't need to baton wood, and make debris shelters etc... (not having a go at all those who do, I want to try making one myself one day), so I guess where I live and where everyone else lives, and their type of bush they hike in it might warrant a knife, BUT, if you in jungle, I'd want a machete, if I knew I was going to chop heaps of wood/wood at all, bring an axe, but in saying that...

I think if most people who said they need one, did a dayhike as beef described, they wouldn't need one, Because they wouldn't need to stay another night, and if they were in the situations described in the first post, couldn't they just do what beef would have done?

beef said:
Scenario1: I'm day hiking, stop for lunch, use my stove to make some tea, complete the walk with no problems. I always carry thermals/ fleece/ rain gear in a dry bag, plenty of water (up to 6L on a ridgetop walk) and esbit tabs/ stove.
Where's my need for a knife? If I couldn't get out that day, I'd be forced to put on my clothing, put on my rain gear, sit on my pack and wait out the night. If I was cold I'd stuff leaves in my jacket, find one of the innumerable caves on the side of the ridge protected from the wind. Or fire up the esbit.

Scenario 2: I'm on one of my multi day walks when I break a leg. I pull out my blue foam mat, hop in my sleeping bag and pull the tarp over the top if I can't set it up. If I'm solo with no mobile reception, I wait there till the TWO people I've told realise I'm overdue and alert the SES (State Emergency Service).
Use for a knife? Nada.
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I think most people would do just fine in the above situations without a knife.

otis williams said:
huh. of course you need a knife to go into the wild. as important as shoes. in a worst-case scenario, it can be your fire/shelter/food source.

what if you're pulled into the river you happen to be crossing, and your pack gets hung up?... you're being held under by a strong current, and don't have a knife to free yourself?...

Can I just ask, isn't it dangerous to cross a river that has a strong current, without putting a rope or some sort of line in place as a safety measure? If your alone, well then why would you cross a river with a strong current that will more than likely pull you under in the first place? Couldn't you find a shallower part/less current?

And assuming that the bottom of you pack is around your waist level, wouldnt this be as deep as you'd want to go, i.e. not up to your armpits? Or if you have to cross deeper, would you perhaps take you pack off and cross with it off, that way if it does get swept away/dragged under, your not taken with it.

some friends and i went to l.a. this past fall,(that's a real wilderness) and the only knife i had with me was a 2-blade old timer. nice and sharp. my nurse friend had a wicked blister open up, and an inch-diameter piece of skin hanging off her heel. she got to perform a minor self-surgery, and my irrational need to carry a knife on sunset strip was validated. :D
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I'm gonna be a smartass here, but couldn't you do that with a nice and sharp SAK classic / any sak with a blade

But as I said above I will carry a knife, but I know that I can say, and am totally able to hike without one, or think I'm 'less of a man', as one post said for not carrying one, as my trusty SAK does me fine. :)
 
beef said:
A lot of serious multi week trip backpackers don't even take one. Or if they do, it's a SAK classic to trim toenails.
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I know a lot of people who don't own cars. Doesn't mean I don't drive my truck. lots of people do things differently. Most of us here Like carrying a knife and using it while we are in the out of doors, just like I like driving to work instead of walking.
 
I always have some type of knife on me. If you were a woman on a short walk about in the woods, I would recommend a knife for sure. I have come across packs of dogs, weird people that didn't want me around, etc. The longer you live the more stories and experience you will have. Some will make your hair stand on end. You will also gain other experiences. Example, how to clean and cook a rabbit without a knife. You won't always "need" a knife, but even a small sharp is "handy" if you don't have sharp teeth.
 
Thanks for the response Loosearrow, but I'm not a woman on a short walk in the woods. I'm a man who regularly does multi day offtrack walks. As for experience, I have been walking this way for more than 10 of my adult years. I am not a novice.

Hi ac1d0v3r1d3, I too like carrying and using knives outdoors. And as I stated in the OP, I carry knives not because I deem them essential, but because I like them.

Can I ask how many people in this thread have read the original post? The OP does not just consist of the title. I can draw pictures if the reading is proving too troublesome...
 
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"I deem knives essential for everyday living. Just like I deem my truck essential for living my life. I use my truck and my knife every day. Weather I am in the woods, at work or at home. Like I said before, some people don't carry knives and some people don't drive cars. For my they are essentials. YMMV :)"

That was what I had wrote before I re-read your post.

beef said:
I can draw pictures if the reading is proving too troublesome...
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F__ you buddy, coming to a knife forum and asking if a knife is a necessity? And then calling me stupid because I answered your question? You're a TROLL and that's that.
 
No, I didn't ask if a knife was a necessity, I asked if it was necessary for hiking.
I love knives, again, as stated in the OP.

I also didn't call you stupid. Sorry if you felt the question of who had read the post was solely directed at you. Sincerely.

I'm not a troll, I asked a question and half the people who responded obviously haven't read the OP. I've been here since '04. If I were a troll, I've spent the last 6 yrs biding my time before showing myself.
 
Need or want? I often WANT to build a fire when I'm in the woods. It warms me up better than any insulated clothing will, it provides light, it lets me cook, and it's just good fun to sit around listening to the crackling of a fire. A decent fixed blade certainly makes it easier to get that fire going, and I'm not about to bother carrying an axe.

To me the situation where you're most likely to "need" a fixed blade is the dayhike or short trip gone wrong - the instances where you might not have your huge pack of gear full of all the essentials with you, and you might get stuck.

When I day hike, I rarely carry a zillion pieces of clothing and a shelter - those things would require me to carry a bigger pack, and I'm out to do some walking, not go on an expedition. Having a stout fixed blade doesn't add much bulk, and the weight is trivial because I'm not carrying a huge load and counting ounces. In that case, the knife is a decent backup in that "oh crap" moment I might have because I'm not lugging the entire kitchen sink on my back.

In all honesty, I think the most likely use for a knife in the rough terrain I hike more often lately would be to fashion a cane or crutch for myself or an injured friend. In these cases, a lot of dead wood might be too rotten, and a decent knife will let you cut down an appropriate sapling. A SAK saw would serve the same purpose, but a little keychain SAK would make it a real nightmare.
 
The OP asked a legitimate question and a few people called him a troll and, quite naturally, he's a little upset and defensive. So let's all try to be nice and consider his question.

I went for a seven hour hike/picnic today around Mt Zao in Miyagi prefecture. I had a Vic Farmer and my Fiddleback Bushcraft Jr on me. It was a beautiful, warm day. We ate lunch and drank cold beverages. I didn't use a knife once.
Was I glad I had them? Yes. Did I need them? No.
If I had been alone (I was with six co-workers, none of whom are interested in knives, bushcraft etc), then I would have used them purely for enjoyment and practice. I think a lot of it depends on the experience I want to have. If I'm just hiking from A to B, then I go light in the knife department. If I'm "bushcrafting", then I go tooled up.
 
i carry a knife because i want to. i carry a one handed trekker with a military match on a key chain attached to the knife every day every where. do i use it 10 ties a day, no but it does come in handy. when i am out in the woods it is because i am hunting big game usually, so i carry a larger knife for field dressing. i have used my leatherman to dress elk but prefer a larger knife. i do have a tendancy to carry a leatherman super tool on my belt if i am outdoors. again because i want to. that said, i guess you can get by with just about anything, it is all in the users point of view.
 
I think in your case the need for a knife while hiking in the scenarios you listed is minimized due to your knowledge of your environment, the safety steps you have in place and the other kit you carry.

If you look at a knife as a tool then it is far more versatile than most other tools we carry. To that end for cooking I carry a knife and a couple of lighters I do not carry a stove. I found that either I didn't like the weight of it, having to buy fuel, the limitations of stove cooking etc. I use a knife to process fuel for a fire and sometimes to clean a couple of sticks up to use as skewers for meat/bacon/sausages.

I don't carry waterproofs, I just either get a little damp or I put up a poncho and wait a little. Again I don't carry tent pegs, I just quickly cut a few small branches and use them as stakes.

You can kind of see where I'm going with this. If I carried a stove and waterproofs then my need for a knife would be marginal. So I guess my answer is I need to carry a knife when hiking as I have factored it into my equipment and the everyday tasks I will do. Yes I could replace the knife but the replacement gear would be heavier and less flexible in the tasks it can achieve.

Now as to size of knife, I could probably manage with a sturdy folder however a small fixed blade in the 3-5'' range is generally more than capable of doing all the tasks I need done. I also found a small fixed blade to be a better choice than an axe due to weight of tool and control.

I do carry far larger blades when hiking but that's usually to allow me to do something blade related so it's no different to carrying a camera or sketchpad. It's an item that is their primarily as a pleasure not a need.

This is just my approach, i've got a friend who regularly goes hiking for whole days in only the clothes he's standing in. He checks the weather report and dresses accordingly, leaving spare clothes in his car and off he sets. No stoves, waterproofs, maps, compass, packs and all the other stuff the rest of us take. For food he takes a bag or raisins, nuts and boiled sweets for food and that goes in one pocket. In the other goes a mobile phone, cigarettes, lighter and a SAK. He usually carries a bottle of water on his belt. He just decided one day that simple was better and that being outside can occasionally mean being a little uncomfortable but that is preferable to the feeling of being a pack horse or swaddled up in all manner of clothing to allow you to operate in a man made bubble, as he says if he wants that he can go for a drive.
 
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