survival knife for john muir trail

Blue Sky said:
1. The saw on a SAK is rather small. A bigger folding saw I can understand, but just what are you doing with the small one that makes it so handy?

2. Why is a can opener so important to some? Are you really packing canned food on these long trips?!
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Only things I can see using a saw for are cutting fire wood (saw part way through any limbs you've gathered up, then break them with your foot), or making a hiking staff (something that's easily accomplished with a knife as well).

As to a can opener ...... admittedly this is paranoia on my part: But I once read an interview with a well-known TV news persona where he and his party got stranded on a hike out west somewhere. They needed to be airlifted out of a canyon but had to spend a day or two down there till the weather broke and the helicopter could get in position. Anyway, they were dropped some boxes of food - including canned goods. But the group had nary a can opener between them. I guess if you're hungry enough, you'll find a way to open a can, right? But ever since reading that, I've always made sure when I'm seriously off the beaten path, I have a can opener (SAK or multi). :o
 
Also, the screwdriver on the end of the can opener works on Phillips head screws, which I have used to adjust/maintain my MSR Whisperlite stove.
 
211 Miles? I'd not take my survival knife at all! I have a $12 Mora that gets the job done + SAWS! If you're worried about Wild animals, then a big can of bear spray and attentiveness are the rest of the kit. Your biggest enemy on a trek ( it's not a hike) like that is dead weight- hence the Mora and ultralight saws
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This is my survival knife... but it would be a killer of dead weight on a trek with a heavy pack...
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Go with a fallkniven like the F1. Its small and light on the belt. Back it up with a Sere 2000 from Almar, or a Wave multitool.

Buddylee
 
Thanks guys for all the advice . I have pretty much abandoned the idea of bringing any of the three choices I listed before , and I purchased a victorinox camper to take along . I do feel that if nothing else bringing a fixed blade will give me some extra piece of mind though , so I am looking in to some of your lightwieght suggestions.
 
Quite Honestly, unless I was truly planning to use my knife as a crow-bar or a hammer, This is the one I'd take and indeed TOOK on such a trek. Mine was the Haute Route and I didn't use the mora once, though the Farmer came out daily!
My water purifier is the 'golden' piece of gear!
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brendog10 said:
Thanks guys for all the advice . I have pretty much abandoned the idea of bringing any of the three choices I listed before , and I purchased a victorinox camper to take along . I do feel that if nothing else bringing a fixed blade will give me some extra piece of mind though , so I am looking in to some of your lightwieght suggestions.
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Moodino said:
Quite Honestly, unless I was truly planning to use my knife as a crow-bar or a hammer, This is the one I'd take and indeed TOOK on such a trek. Mine was the Haute Route and I didn't use the mora once, though the Farmer came out daily!
My water purifier is the 'golden' piece of gear!
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Does that style of Mora lock in the sheath? I have the 740 style shown below and they click in well.

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A lightweight fixed blade to accompany your SAK...

The Mora knives, as others have mentioned, are very light and useful. Also, check out the AG Russell Bird and Trout. The locking sheath would be an advantage, IMO.

Best Luck!
 
This is hardly a flash of insight, but how much weight you carry in gear -- including tools -- is determined by a calculation of benefit vs. burden. Benefit, in turn, depends, in part, on risk or liklihood.

One cannot say you "will not" need a fixed-blade -- or a sewing kit. One can ask "how likely" is it that you will need a fixed blade - or some other gear.

Will you have to cut a wood plug to splice a broken aluminum tube on an external frame pack or a tent pole? Will you have to sew up tears in packs, pack belts, tent --- or backpackers? Not likely. But . . . . .

(And you can open a food can with about any knife, screw driver, or punch blade. The No. 1 use of "combat-utility" knives in WWII was opening C Rat cans.)

I did that trail three times. I didn't carry a fixed blade the last two times, but that was my calculation for my situation, which included, in part, three buddies with me. We did, as a group, carry a light folding saw and all had "Scout" pattern knives.
 
Yes. The two Moras depicted in my picture lock very nicely in thier sheaths.
I gave the SS one away and keep the Carbon one (red tag) because I like how easy it is to put a sharp edge on it.
I just wish that someone would make a folding version of this excellent Pukku interpretation

F3X said:
Does that style of Mora lock in the sheath? I have the 740 style shown below and they click in well.

740mg.jpg
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Why not take a Mora 760 or 780 and a Kabar or Big Chopper if you prefer. Maybe you should take a short trip 3-4 days and see which knives serve you best. Don't forget a Vic SAK!
 
I don't think it's wise just to carry a SAK with you. The saws on a SAK are pretty much useless except for cutting notches. Even cutting halfway through wood w/ a SAK saw and then breaking it with your foot is a waste time and energy. A couple chops with a good 7"-10" inch blade and the job is done. With your Kabar you'll have a decent chopper and if the rear of the tip is sharpened you'll have something good to skin with if needed. A SAK could be a back up at the most. I have tried both Moras and SAKs and I can't see them being anything close to a good survival knife. Whether the chances of something bad happening are small or not it would be well worth it to carry something of a decent size. The Kabar backed up with a sak or Mora is a good combo. If you ditch the Kabar or large knife then you most likely will not notice a difference. Before someone misinterprets what I said I want to make it clear that I did not say that Moras suck or SAKs suck. I just believe that it's wise for that to be the only thing you should carry. There are plenty of other things you can do to cut down on weight and still be able to carry a good size knife. An example: get rid of the water purifier and use tablets.
 
As others have suggested, a good Mora, SAK, and a folding saw would serve you very well. Light weight, and functional.

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