Stout backpacking knife

Herlock said:
They do and for a reason, it’s really two different approaches and “philosophies” about backpacking :). Both fine! :thumbup: I think I can position myself somewhere in between. Not a “leave no traces Taliban” but not an “end of the world Prepper” either :p. I try to have a practical approach and adapt to different scenarios and conditions. Besides personal preferences, there could be other factors to consider to decide for one or another backpacking knife.

I take my case: today I am a week-end hiker, roaming the European alpine and sub-alpine regions, mostly on marked trails (class I to III) and rarely on a multiple days hikes. More or less all the areas I hike in are subject to rather restrictive regulations when it comes to open fires, shelters building, harvesting of wood, fishing and hunting, mushrooms and berries picking, etc. Several mountain huts are present along the trails and it's a kind of “inhabited” backcountry (shepherds, woodsmen, hikers/campers, farmers, etc.), not really an “into the wild” scenario. So I have to consider these pre-conditions also.

When in the need for a fixed blade, I carry the Fallkniven F1. After decades of hiking in these regions, I came to realize that a full tang fixed blade between 10 and 16 cm and 3- 4 mm thick, preferably in stainless steel, allows me to carry out easily most of my hiking/camping tasks. At that time, after I tried other two or three I liked “on papers”, the F1 turned out to be my preferred and most versatile knife (for me) in all my camp activities, from fire to food preparation. Sturdy enough for all wood working but not a girder; thin enough to be a fine slicer for food prep but not delicate or fragile by any means. Most of the times, anyway, I just carry any one of my folders and a multi-tool and they serve my modest hiking/camping needs very well :).

If I plan, for different reasons, to have a camp fire running long, I also carry a small axe or a folding saw, so that I can harvest wood in quantity and quality with little effort. Still the saw, from an efficiency point of view (yield/effort and yield/hour) it’s unbeatable. Axe it’s more fun! :D For my use a big chopper could somehow be a substitute for the axe (but never for the saw). Sure it’s fun but, for my type of hiking/camping and related tasks, I came to conclude it’s not the most practical tool for me.

Whatever you decide, have fun and stay safe in the woods!
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Yup, on both counts.

Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
"Base-camping" and "backpacking" are totally different things. If I'm base-camping, then sure, I bring large blades (BK-9 and 7 are favs). But, on the other hand, if I'm truly backpacking (i.e. doing some serious miles), then weight and mobility are more important. For true backpacking, as suggested above, all you'll ever need is a small SAK, a Mora, and/or an Endura (or similar), or some combination thereof. It's just MHO, of course, but I've hiked thousands of miles on the AT, and sometimes all I took was an Endura and a SAK Cadet.
 
link2derek said:
"Base-camping" and "backpacking" are totally different things. If I'm base-camping, then sure, I bring large blades (BK-9 and 7 are favs). But, on the other hand, if I'm truly backpacking (i.e. doing some serious miles), then weight and mobility are more important. For true backpacking, as suggested above, all you'll ever need is a small SAK, a Mora, and/or an Endura (or similar), or some combination thereof. It's just MHO, of course, but I've hiked thousands of miles on the AT, and sometimes all I took was an Endura and a SAK Cadet.
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What other cutting tools did you take other than "sometimes". What cutting tools did you use, how often, and what for?
Why did you just sometimes take the endura and sak?
 
AntDog said:
Whatever manner of "backpacking" that is typically done isn't the topic. Sure, weight of equipment is always kept to a minimum and even bragged about. However, I don't think an extra pound of knife is worth quibbling over. ......... In the great scheme of things, if your fully loaded pack weighed *gasp* 14 lbs instead of 13? So what? What if that whole extra pound of weight meant you had a big blade to work with? ......... I don't get all these arguments over weight. It's bunk. If you can't carry another pound, like I say over and over again, don't skip leg day. It ain't that much at all.
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There in lies the rub. An extra pound here and an extra pound there seems insignificant until you weigh the pack or don it and tote it on the trail. It really doesn't take much to make a 13 pound base weight a 21 pound base weight.
 
leghog said:
There in lies the rub. An extra pound here and an extra pound there seems insignificant until you weigh the pack or don it and tote it on the trail. It really doesn't take much to make a 13 pound base weight a 21 pound base weight.
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Yes, you go slower and cover less ground. But it is still just as much fun, and that is what we are talking about here. It is a leisure activity, not a competitive marathon or "operator" terrorist hunt. Usually after a couple of days I get to enjoying the trail as much as the destination. I know at that point I have accomplished what I have set out to do, which is to put the usual agenda, rat race, rush hour driven mindset on the back burner for a few hours and unwind.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
Yes, you go slower and cover less ground. But it is still just as much fun, and that is what we are talking about here. It is a leisure activity, not a competitive marathon or "operator" terrorist hunt. Usually after a couple of days I get to enjoying the trail as much as the destination. I know at that point I have accomplished what I have set out to do, which is to put the usual agenda, rat race, rush hour driven mindset on the back burner for a few hours and unwind.

n2s
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That may be the first time I've ever seen someone claim more weight when backpacking equates to as much fun or refer to is as still leisure .
 
AntDog said:
That said, I betcha I could chop through the same diameter log faster than you could saw through it... Unless you have a chainsaw. ;)
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This is interesting. I don’t have anything but empirical data based on my own personal experience here :) but I think like this: you are probably right if we consider a few logs or small quantities of wood harvested. I am probably right if we consider the total yield from a couple of hours of cutting, when collecting rather big quantities of wood. I think the efficiency of a folding saw vs. effort needed is higher compared to axe (I don’t have to swing it around and hit the log multiple times, etc.) and also the precision and “cleanliness” of the cut it’s much better. Just my opinion :).

not2sharp said:
Yes, you go slower and cover less ground. But it is still just as much fun, and that is what we are talking about here. It is a leisure activity, not a competitive marathon or "operator" terrorist hunt. Usually after a couple of days I get to enjoying the trail as much as the destination. I know at that point I have accomplished what I have set out to do, which is to put the usual agenda, rat race, rush hour driven mindset on the back burner for a few hours and unwind.

n2s
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I agree with this, my backpacking hikes have exactly the same goal :). It’s to be out in the Nature, enjoy family time, recharge and enjoy the pleasure of “being on the way”. Yes, I might want to reach a mountain peak, a precise spot, etc. but it’s not a race. I don’t feel bad if I “fail” :). It’s just walks in the woods for leisure for me. About the weight I am also not obsessed. Considering I carry along a baby carrier that is at least 15 kg when occupied :D, I keep my backpack around 8 to 10 kg. So I’d say I don’t go around exactly “ultralight” :D.
 
leghog said:
All the more reason not to build a fire.
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I agree with leghog. Almost all wilderness backpacking takes place on established trails with practical everyone overnighting in the same desirable spots. With hundreds of people using the same location every season, the wilds can't stand individuals "building shelters" camp fires and chopping on everything in sight. The only times I've built camp fires on backpacking trips is when I've hit a patch of cold, wet weather and needed to dry out. Otherwise I carry a stove and use it.
I should probably also point out that if we all beat the wilds up, the end result will be the Feds constantly adding more restrictions to our access to public lands.
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
I agree with leghog. Almost all wilderness backpacking takes place on established trails with practical everyone overnighting in the same desirable spots. With hundreds of people using the same location every season, the wilds can't stand individuals "building shelters" camp fires and chopping on everything in sight. The only times I've built camp fires on backpacking trips is when I've hit a patch of cold, wet weather and needed to dry out. Otherwise I carry a stove and use it.
I should probably also point out that if we all beat the wilds up, the end result will be the Feds constantly adding more restrictions to our access to public lands.
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It's a good thing I don't live in highly populated areas you guys do. Not to many people going out where I do. And plenty of dead wood to chop up and burn. There would be no point in me going out so far, if I couldn't make a nice fire at night to relax by. That would defeat the whole purpose of being out relaxing in nature. My opinion.
 
trevitrace said:
As usual, if someone doesn't do something how you do something, they're doing it wrong.
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Didn't say he was doing it wrong. Simply stated he gave an example of all the more reason to not build a fire which in this case is why scar/mar an otherwise unmarred backcountry. Short of cat holes a couple of hundred feet of any trail or water source and footsteps no one should know we were ever even at a backcountry location. Most prefer to find the backcountry like that, and we should oblige them that.
 
To each there own. I'll make a fire when I feel like it. Thanks!!!
 
A few rocks in a circle, and some ash ain't a big deal for me. Doesn't bother me when I see it. What bothers me is the idiots leaving all their trash behind.
 
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