The "One Tool Option" mindset... Why?

[BigBlack87]

Not sure if this is the right place for this. Mods, feel free to move if needed.



Speaking specifically about edged tools, I must admit, the "one knife to do it all" mindset was very attractive to me not so long ago. Carry less weight and still get the job done! Who wouldn't want that?

However, as I put this into practice more and more, I had to ask myself, why? Why would I want to spend 5-10 minutes chopping through a log with my knife when my Bahco saw could get through it in under 2? Why would I baton firewood with my knife when they make splitting axes for precisely such activities? Why try to effectively carve detail work with a 6" long 1/4" thick slab of steel when a Mora or small folder can do the job much better? Was the trek into my destination much easier without the weight of extra tools? Easier yes, but by much? Not really.

It occurred to me that the energy saved through hiking with less weight, only about 5 pounds mind you, was spent later while setting up camp and doing other tasks that were made more strenuous by not having the right tool for the job. Not to mention, if you go in with just one big knife and that knife breaks or gets lost, your one tool option turns into no tool, no option!

Don't get me wrong, if I were in a true survival scenario and only had one knife, I defiantly would like it to be able to do all these tasks at least moderately well. But let's be honest with ourselves, for most of us out there in the sticks, a true long term survival scenario is rarely going to occur. If anything, most of the time we would be looking at a three day inconvenient camping trip at worst (MOST of the time). And in that case a knife isn't even necessarily a requriment. If you can't last three days in the woods without a knife you might not belong there in the first place. But this thread isn't about survival, it's about what you carry into the wood for your trip and why, so let me get back on track.

Is one big knife to do it all fun? Sure, maybe, but why not carry the right tool for the right job? And then if you want to use just the knife, do so. At least you would have the right tool if you needed it. What do you guys think about the "one tool option" mindset? Do you subscribe to it or do you use many tools on a trip?

Personally, I take a good belt knife and two folders, a folding or bow saw, an axe or hatchet of sorts (lately a tomahawk), and a multi-tool, and use what I need when I need it. It seems to be much easier for me than doing everything with one knife, also there is significantly less dulling to the edge of my tools.

Just my humble opinion, there's nothing wrong with doing it another way. I'm interested in what you all choose to take on your trips!

Thanks for reading! And thanks in advance for any replies, your opinions are valued and appreciated!

NOTE: I am referring to multiple day trips, ie, three or more days. On a day trip or maybe just an overnight I take fewer tools. Maybe just my saw, belt knife and multi-tool. Just wanted to clarify the length of trip I'm talking about.

 

[Grease]

Something that always nags at the back of my mind in threads like this is the talk of how purpose built tools will handle heavy work loads more easily...

Honestly though, how much work are you actually doing on your backpacking trips? I mean, you talk of spending 2 minutes with a saw vs 5-10 with a knife trying to break up a log. Why are you trying to turn a log into firewood in the first place? That's an awful lot of wasted effort when there should be plenty of small dead wood around that can be broken up into burnable bits with no more than the weight of your foot. Some people might even ask why, in the age of ultralight camp stoves, you would need to burn wood in the first place.

 

[Rockywolf]

I have played with this thought process on many camping or woods walking trips. My last trip was this summer to the U.P. of Michigan. I found that breaking bigger sticks into smaller ones was best done in the crook of a tree. The little saw on my Swiss Army knife is worthless, I never used my knife to baton, never used my hatchet, and only built a fire to sit by while the gf and I were relaxing and full from supper. My gas stove did the work for all our meals and morning coffee.

I had two knives, two folders, a multi tool, hatchet. Most of them never saw any use.

 

[BigBlack87]

Something that always nags at the back of my mind in threads like this is the talk of how purpose built tools will handle heavy work loads more easily...

Honestly though, how much work are you actually doing on your backpacking trips? I mean, you talk of spending 2 minutes with a saw vs 5-10 with a knife trying to break up a log. Why are you trying to turn a log into firewood in the first place? That's an awful lot of wasted effort when there should be plenty of small dead wood around that can be broken up into burnable bits with no more than the weight of your foot. Some people might even ask why, in the age of ultralight camp stoves, you would need to burn wood in the first place.

There have been trips when I actually had to put quite a bit of work into my site. I don't take much in the way of gear in with me (this has not always been the case). No camp stoves, no tent, no camp chairs, etc. On occasion I bring my hammock. I'm a big fan of primitive style camping. I build my own shelters, fish for and gather my own food, and basically construct my own site from the ground up using what's around me. I camp this way probably 90% of the time. The only things I always have with me are my edged tools, cordage, and a metal match. My trips are either 2 days or 10 days depending on if it's a weekend trip or if I go during my vacation. For a 2 day trip there is little work that needs done, but for 10 days, it takes some effort to camp the way I do in comfort. This is the way I enjoy camping, its not for everyone but I have fun this way, and the extra tools can save a lot of energy at times.

As for the log, the instance I was referring to had nothing to do with gathering firewood. Obviously I want to expend as little energy as possible to accomplish my goals (hence using the proper tools to expedite my work), gathering smaller dead wood is how I get most of the fuel for my fires. There was a tree that had come down during a wind storm a couple years back that had fallen across the access road and blocked a friends vehicle on the wrong side of said tree. The saw made much quicker work of clearing it than his Busse Team Gemini.

Also, some people might ask, if your not burning wood, are you really even camping?

 

[BigBlack87]

I have played with this thought process on many camping or woods walking trips. My last trip was this summer to the U.P. of Michigan. I found that breaking bigger sticks into smaller ones was best done in the crook of a tree. The little saw on my Swiss Army knife is worthless, I never used my knife to baton, never used my hatchet, and only built a fire to sit by while the gf and I were relaxing and full from supper. My gas stove did the work for all our meals and morning coffee.

I had two knives, two folders, a multi tool, hatchet. Most of them never saw any use.

During short trips I use very little as well, but it's nice to know I have them to use if I want.

 

[b yond]

All I used my sharps for on my last backpacking trip was cutting paracord (to hang my pack) and sharpening a stick (to roast my weiner).

 

[willseeyalater]

The whole discussion is a function of wealth. Don't take that to mean that I believe wealth is bad but if you are able to reflect on the topic it is because you have many options of tools at your disposal because you have some amount of wealth. People who live poor in nations with high levels of poverty don't worry about having a one tool mindset even if they actually do. They may only have one tool so why wouldn't they see it as the tool for every chore. I think a lot of the appeal for those of us who have computers to use and multiple edged tools of all sorts is how we view those who are poor using their one tool in the most adaptive and handy ways. They make us realize how much we don't know about crafting our own lives.

OK, your question is what do I take on a trip out camping or hiking....it is usually a Opinel #8 for light work(food prep, carving sticks) or a machete (of which I have to many to pick a favorite) if I think I might want to make trails or cut back some buckthorn from spots that need it. I am usually on family land when I am out so trail maintenance and woodlot management is part of being there.

 

[Grease]

There was a tree that had come down during a wind storm a couple years back that had fallen across the access road and blocked a friends vehicle on the wrong side of said tree. The saw made much quicker work of clearing it than his Busse Team Gemini.

Also, some people might ask, if your not burning wood, are you really even camping?

Yeah, I'm thinking a knife would be the last thing I'd grab to move a tree over a road. That would make for a funny video though...

 

[NeedItCheaper]

I had a bigger post, deleted it to make this short and sweat. When I want to burn alot, an axe really is better. I have tried and tried on many occassions to make a Saw and large knife work, but an axe just out performs. My forearms and hands hurt less, my over all body is less fatigued, I get more wood for far less work. And I do backpack, not car camp, back pack, it is well wroth the weight.

 

[Shotgun]

It occurred to me that the energy saved through hiking with less weight, only about 5 pounds mind you, use many tools on a trip?

Personally, I take a good belt knife and two folders, a folding or bow saw, an axe or hatchet of sorts (lately a tomahawk), and a multi-tool, and use what I need when I need it. It seems to be much easier for me than doing everything with one knife, also there is significantly less dulling to the edge of my tools.

There have been trips when I actually had to put quite a bit of work into my site. I don't take much in the way of gear in with me (this has not always been the case). No camp stoves, no tent, no camp chairs, etc.

Whatever floats your boat but I'm not a fan of doing a lot of work on my vacation so carrying around 5 pounds of cutting tools and then building my entire camp from the ground up has no appeal for me whatsoever. For me starting a campfire, cutting up some food and doing some whittling is about the extent of what I need a cutting tool for. I think a lot of the misconception between people(other than their local flora) is the scale in which people do things. I've been camping with people who couldn't sit still and had to be cutting or constructing something so they have a need for an axe or large wood saw just like you. There's nothing wrong with that but it's not anywhere near how I choose to spend my time. Kicking back and telling jokes to my wife is a lot more fun for me. I could easily get buy with a single cutting tool and it wouldn't even have to be a giant one. A mora will take care of everything. The reason why I take multiples and sometimes big bowie knvies is because I like them and I think that's true for most people on this site. There's really no NEED for a bunch of cutting tools but if that's what you like that's what you like.

 

[pinnah]

Is it still primitive when you carry a bunch of construction tools?

My issue with "primitive" camping is the local impact involved. I would rather move my impact to outside of the wild place. Alcohol stove more than fire. Tent more than lean-to. By embracing this, people through hike the PCT and AT with keychain knives.

Lots of ways to do this

 

[BigBlack87]

Is it still primitive when you carry a bunch of construction tools?

My issue with "primitive" camping is the local impact involved. I would rather move my impact to outside of the wild place. Alcohol stove more than fire. Tent more than lean-to. By embracing this, people through hike the PCT and AT with keychain knives.

Lots of ways to do this

Sure it is still primitive. Actient peoples used construction tools not so terribly different in design from what I use, the difference is the materials used to make the tools and the added durability those modern materials create.

The area I camp 9 times out of 10 is about 1000 acres of uninhabited family owned land that has been passed down through generations in my wife's family. I am the only person who uses this land for anything, and for that reason, the footprint left behind here is very small. I scavenge what I need first and cut what I need last (usually dead trees).

 

[BigBlack87]

Whatever floats your boat but I'm not a fan of doing a lot of work on my vacation so carrying around 5 pounds of cutting tools and then building my entire camp from the ground up has no appeal for me whatsoever. For me starting a campfire, cutting up some food and doing some whittling is about the extent of what I need a cutting tool for. I think a lot of the misconception between people(other than their local flora) is the scale in which people do things. I've been camping with people who couldn't sit still and had to be cutting or constructing something so they have a need for an axe or large wood saw just like you. There's nothing wrong with that but it's not anywhere near how I choose to spend my time. Kicking back and telling jokes to my wife is a lot more fun for me. I could easily get buy with a single cutting tool and it wouldn't even have to be a giant one. A mora will take care of everything. The reason why I take multiples and sometimes big bowie knvies is because I like them and I think that's true for most people on this site. There's really no NEED for a bunch of cutting tools but if that's what you like that's what you like.

I hear ya loud and clear! When I camp with the family I enjoy very much the same things you described. When I'm on my own though, all the gear, all the tech, it just started getting in the way of me connecting with nature. So I left it all at home one time and got an experience I had not had in a long time. I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment that seemed to connect me to my ancestors. To go out with almost nothing and create a comfortable environment around me is really satisfying. The wife and kids don't agree though so when we go out together, it's iPods and s'mores all the way!

 

[stanley_white]

I don't know of much one knife advocacy prior to the first Rambo film being released.

-Stan

 

[Mannlicher]

this past weekend was spent in the Ocala NF. I took, and used, two Wetterlings axes, a Sierra saw and a Sven saw, and several different knives. Each tool was chosen with a specific task in mind. All performed well.
I'll not go into 'justifying' why I chose those, just as I won't question why others make different choices.

 

[Shotgun]

I hear ya loud and clear! When I camp with the family I enjoy very much the same things you described. When I'm on my own though, all the gear, all the tech, it just started getting in the way of me connecting with nature. So I left it all at home one time and got an experience I had not had in a long time. I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment that seemed to connect me to my ancestors. To go out with almost nothing and create a comfortable environment around me is really satisfying. The wife and kids don't agree though so when we go out together, it's iPods and s'mores all the way!

That's cool. I'll never understand the people that go to the woods and turn their tv/ipod/video games on. It's what they like and that's cool but I'll never understand it.

 

[nokia]

I don't ever primitive camp, but we did go for about 5 days last year. We went because it was cheaper than a hotel and some of the group was getting certified in diving. We were able to find large trees that fell over and just ended up burning the whole log after we got a neat fire going from nothing other than twigs and tree branches that were on the ground. We would push the log closer and closer into the fire as it burned down. Even did this over night to keep the fire going all night. It worked well in the end. Also, to add to the thread, there we two of us in charge of bringing the axe or hatcet, but we both thought the other was bringing it and ended up with nothing more than a couple large folders (buck 110). So wood processing was zip to nill.

 

[ROCK6]

I think you need to distinguish backpacking from camping. I can see hiking in several miles and setting up a camp, but doing a linear or loop hike of several days where your time is spent more on the trail than in the camp is vastly different.

For sheer enjoyment and practicing primitive skills, I like to hike in a ways and set up a camp. Here is where a balanced selection of tools comes in handy. When backpacking for distance, weight is critical and my tool needs are much less; we often don’t even make a fire as there is really not much daylight left and you just want to cook your meals quickly (stove) and hit the hammock as you’re going to be up early and on the trail again.

Not that I would go knife-less, but my backpacking could really work fine with no knife or a very small one; I still prefer to have decent fixed blade (and my CCW) for mental comfort.

I think before you start discussing tool selection, you really need to define and explain your activities. My son and I are working more and more into the “primitive” realm, but we also try to balance “leave no trace” which often means alcohol or compact wood burning stoves. We don’t necessarily spend the time and energy to build a debris hut, but use minimal equipment and the terrain or natural materials to assist in a low impact set up. If staying in a camp for more than a day, I like to make myself comfortable and tools make that much easier such as a folding saw or a larger knife/axe/hawk/machete (depends on the location and season).

Folding saws are worth their weight if you’re planning on doing any kind of construction…they are just much more efficient than knife for the same weight.

Tools selections for camping:



Tools for distance backpacking:



What I normally pack most of the time:



ROCK6

 

[sodak]

To each their own. I don't chop logs. If I need to get through a log my Vic Farmer is too small for, then my large knife can handle it, although I have never needed to get through anything thicker than my wrist. I'm not building a log cabin. If I need to burn it, I just put the center in the fire, and let the fire cut it in half for me.

To each their own, I'm not carrying an axe when I don't need one.

 

[batosai117]

For me I've always carried my EDC knife and then had a multi tool (leather man style with pliers) for gear maintenance and a fixed blade that's comfortable for me (Gerber big rock or SOG Seal Pup). I've never liked overly large fixed blades unless it's a machete.

I can see where the "One knife to rule them all" concept could be desired be it the less amount of weight or the satisfaction of knowing/thinking/believing "The One" can do it all. For what I do outdoors a simple 4-5" inch fixed blade would be more than enough for backpacking on the move, fishing, day hikes, or just car camping. In this concept I actually can get away with only needing one knife (and not even a big one).

As for the right tool for the right job this is my preferred method but this only happens at home for my BBQ's or when I'm car camping with family. For what I do outdoors I like traveling light keeping only the bare essentials with a few luxuries on me.

Well, after talking it out I guess I do like "The One" knife concept