Show us the tools you actually carry backpacking or camping, to alleviate delusions.

During winter camping i usualy have a 50+ pound backpack and I pull a sled with another 50 pounds
I bring
Enzo trapper
Bk9 or esee junglas
Small forest axe
Sven saw

I use all these tools since having right size logs and splis is essential for my packer wood stove
 
If we backpack our family shares the tool load.
There are six of us so we can bring a lot of tools and not just one be burdened.
We each carry a fixed blade knife and a folder.
I carry a Wetterlings axe an ESEE Laser Strike and a Victorinox Farmer I also bring a Woodlore clone.
My oldest carries a Gerber folding shovel his knife is an ESEE 3 and his folder is a Ka Bar
My wife carries a Laplander saw, her knife is an ESEE 4 and she has a Ka Bar folder
My daughter carries a Gerber folding saw, she has an ESEE IZULA and a Victoinox Camper
My two younger boys carry multitools as their folders. They both have Mora fixed blades.

When we car camp we bring the same tools but I add all my Iron cookware.
 
Chocula said:
It is more amusing than cringe-inducing to see people carry large axes or knives/big DSLR cameras/guns/coffee makers/canned food on the trail. Go outside, have fun, see how little of the "civilized" world you can bring with you.
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:thumbup:

Even if "DSLR" is my Eleventh Essential. :D

I'm just glad modern cameras weigh half as much as old-school SLRs. ;)
 
Been reading this thread for a few days. Most of the good input is on page one.

Looks like three or four posters have actually backpacked in winter; one or two of them maybe even at altitude. :cool:

Some of the ideas expressed here....well...is Brian Williams around?

i
if you think a hatchet is a crazy idea...that an extra six ounces of knife is gonna put you over some baggage limit ...that one should never NEED a fire....survive for two weeks anywhere on a SAK or half an Opinel..."Don't even need a knife. Scissors will work instead."...​

Holy Ooo-rah. You guys must work a set season like teachers and baseball players. Is it a circuit or something??

I envisage some of these so-called UL'ers standing in the midst of an ice horizon---where all wood fall is two feet under and a blizzard's coming in---with their Foltz Pipecleaner, Leatherman Tity, a tea towel tent, a flannel nighty bivy sack and a lump of coal, claiming to be comfortable and having a Get Close to Nature Party. Let's see it....

Lotta "theory" here. I hear the really good ones go barefoot....
 
Hacked said:
Not that I carry a BK9, but there is a difference between UL backpackers setting out to cover as much ground in as short of a time frame as possible and those who set out to enjoy some time in the great outdoors away from the busy crowded campgrounds. The second group doesn't mind carrying a little more if it will add to the experience. Granted a Hatchet or large knife is not needed 9 times out of 10 but you won't catch me without a knife no matter what anyone says.
......
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I agree with that. And I think a lot of the "UL" stuff heavies-up for winter too.

By the way, that's some nice kit you have.
 
These usually go with me in various combinations depending on the hike/trip.

Dogwood Hiker



Adventure Sworn



Snody



Enzo O1 trapper



Fallkniven Idun


I also sometimes carry a Gransfors Bruks wildlife axe as well. Usually in a Duluth pack.
 
EChoil said:
Been reading this thread for a few days. Most of the good input is on page one.

Looks like three or four posters have actually backpacked in winter; one or two of them maybe even at altitude. :cool:

Some of the ideas expressed here....well...is Brian Williams around?

i
if you think a hatchet is a crazy idea...that an extra six ounces of knife is gonna put you over some baggage limit ...that one should never NEED a fire....survive for two weeks anywhere on a SAK or half an Opinel..."Don't even need a knife. Scissors will work instead."...​

Holy Ooo-rah. You guys must work a set season like teachers and baseball players. Is it a circuit or something??

I envisage some of these so-called UL'ers standing in the midst of an ice horizon---where all wood fall is two feet under and a blizzard's coming in---with their Foltz Pipecleaner, Leatherman Tity, a tea towel tent, a flannel nighty bivy sack and a lump of coal, claiming to be comfortable and having a Get Close to Nature Party. Let's see it....

Lotta "theory" here. I hear the really good ones go barefoot....
Click to expand...

You really think there aren't a bunch of backpackers that don't carry knives at all? Really?
 
RX-79G said:
You really think there aren't a bunch of backpackers that don't carry knives at all? Really?
Click to expand...

Really?? You're going to need to quote the part you're referring to because I can't find where I wrote anything like that....
 


These are all of my options. The XM-18 and Victorinox are EDC so they go no matter what. If I am hiking solo in nice weather I'll just take the Busse hell razor. If I'm going on a hunting trip I'll take the HG-55, I just bought the bahco and I bought it to bridge the gap between carrying a fix blade only and fixed+axe. If my fiance and I are camping down the river from the canoe I will throw the gransfors bruks in to make processing wood a little easier. Also if some of the guys and I are going out for a weekend camping/ shooting trip I'll take the axe then as well. A campfire isn't necessary in either of these situations but they add to the camping experience. The TGLB is more of a SHTF one knife to do a lot of tasks knife and I don't use that one as much as the other two.
 
EChoil said:
Been reading this thread for a few days. Most of the good input is on page one.

Looks like three or four posters have actually backpacked in winter; one or two of them maybe even at altitude. :cool:

(mercy snip...)

I envisage some of these so-called UL'ers standing in the midst of an ice horizon---where all wood fall is two feet under and a blizzard's coming in---with their Foltz Pipecleaner, Leatherman Tity, a tea towel tent, a flannel nighty bivy sack and a lump of coal, claiming to be comfortable and having a Get Close to Nature Party. Let's see it....

Lotta "theory" here. I hear the really good ones go barefoot....
Click to expand...

Yes. A few of us have backpacked in the winter and at altitude. And obviously, others haven't.

In New England, once you're in the boreal zone (about 2500' and up) harvesting wood in winter just isn't practical or, in most places, even allowed. Technically, camping above treeline in the alpine zone (about 4300' and up, depending on wind exposure) is forbidden. It does happen, and everybody knows this, but it requires significant outlays in gear (tents and sleeping bags). 50mph winds and -20F temps are common place. Realistically, most folks camp just below treeline.

Winter camping in these zones requires that you have a clothing, shelter and sleep system that is utterly dialed in and most importantly, that you know and stay well within the limits of your gear. I've camped and slept at -15F but that's as far as I'm willing to go with my current gear. I simply won't go on trips with temps forecast at -10F or lower but feel very comfortable at 0F or even -5F. -10F is doable with a bit of margin for safety but that's it.

Central to any winter camping system here is the camp stove. Stove craft, which includes the ability to repair a stove if needed and to coax it to life no matter what your condition or the weather is a real and important skill among winter campers. People who lack adequate stove craft skill are a threat to themselves and others. People with good stove craft are an asset to any team.

Knives are a part of the tool system and should be regarded as such. Gear repair is the biggest issue for safe winter travel (including retreat). Using a knife for food preparation is not needed. Foods like meat and cheese can easily be pre-cut during pre-trip preparation. Pre-cut food are much easier to deal with when you are hunkered down behind a small rock outcropping and the wind is howling hard enough to knock you off your feet. Summiting a winter peak while crawling is common.

This is my typical backpacking carry, including winter trips up to and above treeline.
Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

The small Leatherman is the most important of the two, primarily for the ability to repair equipment.
 
A few weeks ago I went out to Seven Springs (East of Cave Creek, AZ) with a buddy who got a tag for Javelinas and this is what I brought out with me:

DownloadedFile1_zps51acfb07.jpeg


OKC Rat 1A
crappy Winchester fixed blade
.40 Ruger P94
Tesco Binoculars (really old, were my wife's granddad's)
Backpack with CamelPak full of water
Backup 32oz Nalgene
Some gum
Found stick for walking (dried up agave stalk)
(Not Pictured: Leatherman Wave)
 
Agreed with pinnah. Appropriate clothes, shelter, and a stove+fuel are much more comfortable and convenient than building a fire every time you get cold or need to cook something. Not sure where the idea that UL backpackers are cold, suffering, hungry people comes from--they just leave the toys at home.
 
Well said pinnah.

This little thing cost under $10 and saved my hide in a freak blizzard in the Sequoias.
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EChoil said:
Been reading this thread for a few days. Most of the good input is on page one.

Looks like three or four posters have actually backpacked in winter; one or two of them maybe even at altitude. :cool:

Some of the ideas expressed here....well...is Brian Williams around?

i
if you think a hatchet is a crazy idea...that an extra six ounces of knife is gonna put you over some baggage limit ...that one should never NEED a fire....survive for two weeks anywhere on a SAK or half an Opinel..."Don't even need a knife. Scissors will work instead."...​

Holy Ooo-rah. You guys must work a set season like teachers and baseball players. Is it a circuit or something??

I envisage some of these so-called UL'ers standing in the midst of an ice horizon---where all wood fall is two feet under and a blizzard's coming in---with their Foltz Pipecleaner, Leatherman Tity, a tea towel tent, a flannel nighty bivy sack and a lump of coal, claiming to be comfortable and having a Get Close to Nature Party. Let's see it....

Lotta "theory" here. I hear the really good ones go barefoot....
Click to expand...
I'm a fair weather hiker to be honest. I like nature so I hike to see plants and animals, not so much into the scenery if that makes sense. So winter camping isn't my thing but I do talk to people who do. I don't know about you but I talk with and get ideas from both camps. One thing I've noticed though is the vast majority of people who really get out there the most tend to not carry knives IME. At least nothing more than pocket knives. Pinnah is heavy for some of these guys.:D The fact that they do go out and come back without a hitch signifies to me that what is being said as necessary for cutting tools just flat isn't. Unless you've structured your outing to where these tools like hatchets BECOME necessary. Then of course you need them.

I dunno. Seems to me getting under a shelter, in a sleeping bag, on top of a mat just seems more practical than trying to cut wood and start a fire with frozen hands. I've realized I carry knives because I like them and they come in handy. Need? Not really.
 
B34NS said:
God gives you lemons, you find a new god.
9N5YjP4.jpg
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Beans,

Many, many moons ago, a buddy and I went up to Wildrose Peak, just west of Death Valley proper. This was late February. Nice winter hike with nice views of Telescope Peak and the valley. We hiked up and back down with no drama and got back to the trailhead/parking area where there were several abandoned charlcoal kilns (from the mining days).

I went out and relieved myself and came back looking for my buddy. I heard noises from one of the kilns and stuck my head in the door of the stone/brick "teepee" like structure. It sounded like an espresso stand.

"Shhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrsssssshhhhhh"

My buddy was sitting next to his Svea 123 holding a mug to nozzle of an espresso pot.

"Espresso!?!? You've got to be joking."

He grinned. "Ah.... but, we are not savages!"
 
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