When choosing equipment (including tools and knives), do you focus on having a successful outing or survival? And do you see these as being different?
I want to preface this post by saying that so long as you aren't hurting other people (or damaging the land so others can't enjoy it later), people should be free to carry whatever makes them happiest when they are traveling in the backcountry. If that means a laptop and solar charger, a 7" Ka-Bar or a mini Leatherman, that's fine by me. I'm not question what makes anybody happy.
I come to backcountry travel by way of backpacking, climbing and ski touring. My reading list includes authors like Yvon Chouinard, Reinhold Messner, Ray Jardine, Colin Fletcher, NOLS, Chris Townsend, Ned Gillette, Alan Bard and Harvey Manning (I really just dated myself) to name a few.
One of the big debates in the climbing world is the amount of equipment to be carried. NOLS and others favor an "expeditionary" approach in which more gear is carried. When this is applied to climbing high mountains, this approach is sometimes called "siege tactics" as gear is ferried up to progressively camps. Chouinard, Messner and Jardine are/were advocates of ultra-light "alpine" tactics in which minimal gear is carried.
Chouinard is noted that if you carry (the weight of) bivy gear, then (the weight of the bivy gear will slow you down and) you will end up using the bivy gear. One of his famous quotes is "Speed is safety."
Adding to this, the "leave no trace" ethic is firmly accepted as a doctrine for backcountry travel in backpacking and climbing circles. This means that shelter and cooking fuel are carried in and back out and that harvesting wood is discouraged as being unsustainable (with respect to the local backcountry in question). Obviously, "leave no trace" just means "divert your impact to the factory making your tent" but I digress.
When you combine a "light is right" climbing ideal with a "leave no trace" reliance on tents and stoves for shelter and cooking, it entirely possible to have a successful backcountry trip carrying nothing but keychain type knife like a Victorinox Classic or Leatherman Micra. This is done routinely by long distance hikers on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, for example.
If I haven't tossed down the gantlet explicitly enough, I'll come right out and ask that advocates of big knives (for batoning wood) or hatchets to justify the extra weight as "good weight".
And before people start spinning up "what if" scenarios about the need to light a fire if separated from their camp stove or pack, I would have to ask if you apply similar thinking to your first aid kit.
After many decades of backcountry trips including several winter trips a year on average, I've never once needed to start a camp fire for the health/well-being of the party. I've dealt with 2 winter falls in rivers (by party members, not me) and have relied many times on the ability to melt snow for water in the winter. I've also had to apply minor first aid (including an evacuation) and have been forced to spend extra nights in the woods due to high water conditions. I mention this only to say that my questions are based in some amount of experience.
So, how about it. When packing up your gear, do you think in terms of returning safely (success) in terms of survival (what if planning)? Where do you draw the line?
I want to preface this post by saying that so long as you aren't hurting other people (or damaging the land so others can't enjoy it later), people should be free to carry whatever makes them happiest when they are traveling in the backcountry. If that means a laptop and solar charger, a 7" Ka-Bar or a mini Leatherman, that's fine by me. I'm not question what makes anybody happy.
I come to backcountry travel by way of backpacking, climbing and ski touring. My reading list includes authors like Yvon Chouinard, Reinhold Messner, Ray Jardine, Colin Fletcher, NOLS, Chris Townsend, Ned Gillette, Alan Bard and Harvey Manning (I really just dated myself) to name a few.
One of the big debates in the climbing world is the amount of equipment to be carried. NOLS and others favor an "expeditionary" approach in which more gear is carried. When this is applied to climbing high mountains, this approach is sometimes called "siege tactics" as gear is ferried up to progressively camps. Chouinard, Messner and Jardine are/were advocates of ultra-light "alpine" tactics in which minimal gear is carried.
Chouinard is noted that if you carry (the weight of) bivy gear, then (the weight of the bivy gear will slow you down and) you will end up using the bivy gear. One of his famous quotes is "Speed is safety."
Adding to this, the "leave no trace" ethic is firmly accepted as a doctrine for backcountry travel in backpacking and climbing circles. This means that shelter and cooking fuel are carried in and back out and that harvesting wood is discouraged as being unsustainable (with respect to the local backcountry in question). Obviously, "leave no trace" just means "divert your impact to the factory making your tent" but I digress.
When you combine a "light is right" climbing ideal with a "leave no trace" reliance on tents and stoves for shelter and cooking, it entirely possible to have a successful backcountry trip carrying nothing but keychain type knife like a Victorinox Classic or Leatherman Micra. This is done routinely by long distance hikers on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, for example.
If I haven't tossed down the gantlet explicitly enough, I'll come right out and ask that advocates of big knives (for batoning wood) or hatchets to justify the extra weight as "good weight".
And before people start spinning up "what if" scenarios about the need to light a fire if separated from their camp stove or pack, I would have to ask if you apply similar thinking to your first aid kit.
After many decades of backcountry trips including several winter trips a year on average, I've never once needed to start a camp fire for the health/well-being of the party. I've dealt with 2 winter falls in rivers (by party members, not me) and have relied many times on the ability to melt snow for water in the winter. I've also had to apply minor first aid (including an evacuation) and have been forced to spend extra nights in the woods due to high water conditions. I mention this only to say that my questions are based in some amount of experience.
So, how about it. When packing up your gear, do you think in terms of returning safely (success) in terms of survival (what if planning)? Where do you draw the line?
