Packweight, bushbashing and knives

The truth is, on most backpacking trips, by virtue of what it is you don't need much of a knife. Since you have shelter and bedding along with you that is way far superior to what you could make with the best of bushwacking knives, that leaves knife duties pretty much to KP duty. A light mora and folding saw should do what you need.
 
I prefer less established trails, it's way more adventurous and you get to see more than people tracks and dog crap. Ankle muscles are hard to build up and not many people really ever use them. Unless you speedskate, dance or pack alot of weight on a regular basis, chances are you'll never notice they are there. I love speedskating and every spring go through a 3 week period where my socks are constantly bloody and my legs shake when I walk due to the muscular buildup of my ankles after spending the winter relatively lazy. I pack 70+ pounds all the time through rock gardens and woods slash and it doesn't bother me. It's all about body hardening, getting used to what you are doing.
 
lightening a pack certainly helps in increasing the miles, tends to be a little easier on the body as well

I think a lot of folks think ultralight backpacking is all about pieces of gear made from unobtainium , but in reality it's more about multi-use gear, limiting the contents to what you need and sprinkled with some backwoods savy :)
 
I find going off track really cool, however I've never done anything like you have, only a three day trip which was really easy paced, probably 21 km.

I can't see the pics as I'm not a member of the hammock forum

EDIT: just watched your video, do people often wear their wedding rings out bush?
 
Big proponent of light-to-ultralight hiking, here. Are you and your buds using two walking poles? They are a real help.

My apologies if they are in the photos, as I did not look through them.
 
PayetteRucker said:
I prefer less established trails, it's way more adventurous and you get to see more than people tracks and dog crap. Ankle muscles are hard to build up and not many people really ever use them. Unless you speedskate, dance or pack alot of weight on a regular basis, chances are you'll never notice they are there. I love speedskating and every spring go through a 3 week period where my socks are constantly bloody and my legs shake when I walk due to the muscular buildup of my ankles after spending the winter relatively lazy. I pack 70+ pounds all the time through rock gardens and woods slash and it doesn't bother me. It's all about body hardening, getting used to what you are doing.
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I'm really curious about some details to support what you say. How old are you? How far do you hike daily? Annually? How do you feel at the end of the day?
 
tenkara said:
I'm really curious about some details to support what you say. How old are you? How far do you hike daily? Annually? How do you feel at the end of the day?
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I'm 21 years old and depending on the arthiritis in my hips I pack anywhere from 10 to 20 miles a day. On dedicated backpacking trips, sometimes 30. I live car free so I pack my laundry, my groceries, household supplies, anything I buy at a store, etc. I sleep on a hardwood floor at night to straighten my back after compressing it all day and don't have problems with back pain. As I said, I have arthiritis in both of my hips but with NSAIDS I can still crank out 4, 4.5mph with a pack on my back. My pack of choice over the last two years is a Mountainsmith Maverick, it's by far more comfortable and has much better weight distribution than any of the other packs I have owned, barring Eberlestock, which are special use packs (bugout bag and hunting pack). Annually I couldn't tell you but it's alot.
 
jackknife said:
The truth is, on most backpacking trips, by virtue of what it is you don't need much of a knife. Since you have shelter and bedding along with you that is way far superior to what you could make with the best of bushwacking knives, that leaves knife duties pretty much to KP duty. A light mora and folding saw should do what you need.
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Firecraft, skinning and prepping game, bushwacking and making dinner are my biggest uses for cutting tools on backpacking trips. Usually I pack 3 days worth of food and a .22 caliber rifle for taking rabbits, squirrels etc, and on public land in Idaho we haven't had any fire restrictions in the last year so typically I don't carry a stove-I make a fire. Plus, if something goes south and I'm 50 miles away from civilization in a canyon or a valley where I can't get cell phone reception, it's up to me to be able to survive. At that point having ample cutlery is a HUGE advantage to beating the odds.
 
So you're 21 years old, and advocating carrying obscenely heavy pack loads because it works for you?

Seems to me that if you have arthritis at 21, something isn't exactly working right. Not trying to be rude, but your two statements seem to contradict one another.
 
Alright, so I'm game. I agree, heavy hiking/backpacking sucks. I have way way too much redundancy.

Here's the survival gear I currently pack, independent of food, water, sleeping bags, clothing, etc:


- Altoids Tin with firesteel, gerber infinity ultra LED task light, wire saw, cotton balls, water purification tablets (kind of the OH SHIT) tin.
- Adventure Medical Kits pocket survival kit, to which I added a CRKT Ritter MK5, a pico lite led (tiny), and a photon II led light (tiny), water purification tablets.
http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com...sentials&prodname=Pocket Survival Pak™#

- Waterproof first aid kit, fairly small
- Quickclot bandage
- Survival wrap/blanket
- Adventure Medical Kits emergency bivvy
- lighter
- Cotton balls, Petroleum jelly
- Surefire Saint Minimus headlamp
- Surefire G2L LED flashlight
- Photon II micro led light (very small) clipped to Izula sheath lanyard
- 1 extra AA battery for the gerber, 3 extra 123a batteries for the surefire's
- Swiss Army Knife camper model w/ saw
- ESEE Izula w/ paracord wrapped on handle and sheath, small firesteel/magnesium on lanyard, whistle
- 25 feet of paracord wrapped ontop of ESEE survival card
- Shamag, boonie hat
- Toliet paper


I know this sounds like a lot (which it is, it is too much, and probably too much redundancy) but keep in mind compared to some peoples stuff, this all fits in the middle pocket of a small day pack.

I also have a Fallkniven F1, a Mini D2 Griptilian, and a Large Combo Griptilian, and a CRKT M16 EDC not in the pack.


Which knives do you guys think I should be packing and why?

What gear would you keep/delete? Keep in mind that the two Photon II lights and Pico lite weigh next to nothing.
 
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MustardMan said:
So you're 21 years old, and advocating carrying obscenely heavy pack loads because it works for you?

Seems to me that if you have arthritis at 21, something isn't exactly working right. Not trying to be rude, but your two statements seem to contradict one another.
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I'm not advocating anything, I'm giving an example of what works for me. I cope as best I can with arthiritis, what, am I supposed to give up my life hobby because the doctor says roll over and play gimp? please... :jerkit: there are 45 year old SERE instructors that run all over Washington with 150 pound ALICE packs on their backs, and they've been doing it for 20 years. I can guarantee you they have hip problems but they didn't give up their career choice... I see guys 40, 50 years old on trails all the time with 7,000 cubic inch packs and I can guarantee they are hoofing at least as big of a load as me. Sometimes the pain is worth it.
 
:rolleyes:When I'm carrying too much I feel it in my neck and shoulders.

I can pretty much walk a long distance without getting winded or my legs hurting much but I can always tell when my shoulders start feeling sore.

I try to do short hikes with my pack to get my shoulders in shape and it does help but really the lighter my pack the further I can go without my shoulders hurting.

I went backpacking for the first time this year last weekend and had to bring my huge heavy sleeping bag because it was supposed to be cold. I only hiked in, stayed overnight and out around 8 miles total but with the heavier pack the shoulders felt more like they do when I hike 10 with the lighter bag in warmer weather.

PS I'm 50.
 
hollowdweller said:
:rolleyes:When I'm carrying too much I feel it in my neck and shoulders.

I can pretty much walk a long distance without getting winded or my legs hurting much but I can always tell when my shoulders start feeling sore.

I try to do short hikes with my pack to get my shoulders in shape and it does help but really the lighter my pack the further I can go without my shoulders hurting.

I went backpacking for the first time this year last weekend and had to bring my huge heavy sleeping bag because it was supposed to be cold. I only hiked in, stayed overnight and out around 8 miles total but with the heavier pack the shoulders felt more like they do when I hike 10 with the lighter bag in warmer weather.

PS I'm 50.
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You old geezer:D That's pretty good HD! Anything over 3-4 miles, and you'll really notice the weight. I hike pretty fast regardless of weight, but when the kids and wife are along, I have to slow down and the extra weight is really felt. I'd be pretty comfortable with 45 pounds indefinetly and that's what I'm shooting for. I usually get stuck carry a little extra for the family, so it's expected.

I've done enough patrolling "off-trail" in my younger days...and many times at night with no illum. Heavy weight off trail means going slow and taking several breaks. A lot of the ultra-light crowds are going for distance and speed...completely different philosphies, but I think many here can find a good balance. If I plan to take a couple extra knives to play with, I'll make sure my other gear is multi-use or light-weight.

ROCK6
 
freq18hz said:
Alright, so I'm game. I agree, heavy hiking/backpacking sucks. I have way way too much redundancy.

Here's the survival gear I currently pack, independent of food, water, sleeping bags, clothing, etc:


- Altoids Tin with firesteel, gerber infinity ultra LED task light, wire saw, cotton balls, water purification tablets (kind of the OH SHIT) tin.
- Adventure Medical Kits pocket survival kit, to which I added a CRKT Ritter MK5, a pico lite led (tiny), and a photon II led light (tiny), water purification tablets.
http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com...ame=Essentials&prodname=Pocket Survival Pak™#

- Waterproof first aid kit, fairly small
- Quickclot bandage
- Survival wrap/blanket
- Adventure Medical Kits emergency bivvy
- lighter
- Cotton balls, Petroleum jelly
- Surefire Saint Minimus headlamp
- Surefire G2L LED flashlight
- Photon II micro led light (very small) clipped to Izula sheath lanyard
- 1 extra AA battery for the gerber, 3 extra 123a batteries for the surefire's
- Swiss Army Knife camper model w/ saw
- ESEE Izula w/ paracord wrapped on handle and sheath, small firesteel/magnesium on lanyard, whistle
- 25 feet of paracord wrapped ontop of ESEE survival card
- Shamag, boonie hat
- Toliet paper


I know this sounds like a lot (which it is, it is too much, and probably too much redundancy) but keep in mind compared to some peoples stuff, this all fits in the middle pocket of a small day pack.

I also have a Fallkniven F1, a Mini D2 Griptilian, and a Large Combo Griptilian, and a CRKT M16 EDC not in the pack.


Which knives do you guys think I should be packing and why?

What gear would you keep/delete? Keep in mind that the two Photon II lights and Pico lite weigh next to nothing.
Click to expand...

When looking to lose weight, often the big three (tent/sleeping bag/pack) are looked at first, in lieu of that- from your list these are things I would scruntinize

six lights = too many, a good headlamp and a photon clipped to your person is plenty

seven (or is it eight :)) blades = too many, I'd keep the Izula (w/ the little bit of kit on it) and maybe the SAK (you could easily argue that the Izula itself would be enough knife)

if it's the big AMK bivy (thermolite), I'd lose that too- great piece of kit for day hiking- not needed w/ a tent/sleeping bag

two survival kits should be looked at as well- guessing many of the items are repetitive between the two

some redundancy is prudent, too much is extra weight

also I'd stress that what I bring for day hikes (not expecting to stay the night, but prepared if I have to) is different than what I take for multi-day trips
 
Sorry for the bad links, here are the photos again:

If you're trying to go for distance and speed for numerous days running, it makes sense to limit the weight. If I'm at the gym, it's obvious that I'm going to be able to perform more reps working at my 60%RM rather than my 85%RM.

Also, I think as people become experienced, they just get sick of keeping track of the junk they carry. They may not necessarily go for lighterweight gear, but will definitely minimise the amount of gear they cart.

Wolftracker: no, we don't use hiking poles, we all use wooden walking sticks we carved. One of us was using a particularly Galdalf-ish looking one!
 
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