To Go Light or To Go Prepared...That is the question

[acv]

Now, I've always said that in most cases very few tools are necessarily needed - and a knife, useful as it is, is in most situations unnecessary. But when you actually backpack more than a couple of miles away from the nearest town or road, tools like knives become very useful indeed, and in some rare circumstances can be necessary and life saving. It's good to be able to do with minimal tools, but if you're going somewhere actually away from civilization, it is very unwise to not carry a real knife just because of its weight. There is a reason why a knife is one of the oldest tools made and used by humans.

In order to get the most out of a knife you have to know how to use it. Most people don't know what they can use a knife for. It wasn't until about 10 years ago when I got seriously interested in outdoor survival that I came to appreciate the value of a knife. You won't catch me out in the woods without a proper fixed blade now.

I also go fairly light weight - for a summer trip I'm less than 18 lbs w/ full water (48-64oz) and food (freeze dried) for a 3 day trip. I break it down like this:

Basics - shelter (sil tarp and bug screen), sleeping bag (rated for lowest temps +) ground pad, pack 3000c.i. (Old MS ghost)
Clothing - only what's required plus extra socks & jacket - all synthetic/ wool
Cooking - 1 TI pot, esbit stove
Essentials - first aid, PSK, rain gear, water purification, maps compass, FB knife, headlamp, TP
Food/Water - breakfast, lunch, dinner plus 1 extra dinner & plenty of water
Misc - camera

Basics & clothing change slightly w/ the season but cooking, essentials, food/water don't seem to vary much.

Adam

PS post a gear list if you really want some advice

PPS I also carry more survival gear than any of my hiking partners who carry 15+ lbs more than me. I'd like to see what the would do if they lost their pack and had to survive with what was in their pockets.....

 

[Gurthang]

Just for the sake of conversation there's an interesting debate over on backpackinglight.com about the value of bringing any more knife than a razorblade on a backpacking trip. Some of the guys there are partisans of a small scissors as their only cutting tool. I have to say that while I always bring something Delica-sized at least, I rarely have an essential use for it, in large part because I rarely build fires when backpacking.

As a hunter I've been pleasantly surprised at how effective a simple razorblade has been in skinning a deer. I definitely am an advocate of bringing a couple along (I have two in my kit, weight vs utility is hard to beat).

That said, having small scissors as their only other cutting tool is optimistic at best, and foolish at worst. I can see a small, light weight saw as their back up to a razorblade. This would allow cutting wood for fires & shelters.

Bladeforums isn't the place I'd expect strong support for scissors replacing a good knife!

 

[Any Cal.]

For a day hike, my kit runs about 6 lbs or a bit over including water. Depending on the season, that would let me stay days out if I had to. I have done the 30Lb prepared thing, and it sucks. You don't need a stove, hatchet, bunch of extra clothes, etc. I don't know the distances involved, but you are not typically that far out on a day hike.

Wear proper clothing, take water, a silnylon poncho, flashlight, fire starting gear, water, small FAK, maybe a pot, and go. The extra weight comes from taking enough to be comfortable in any conceivable situation, and then some. Unless you like taking all the gear around, just realize that if you do break a leg, it will not be comfortable. You can still build a fire, keep the rain off, boil water, etc. You may spend a night huddled up next to a rock with a tiny fire, shivering and wishing the sun would come up.

...Or, you may just be able to use your flashlight and make tracks back to the car, because your lighter load let you keep enough energy to get there, or meant that you twisted your ankle rather than sprain it badly.

You can carry quite a bit of gear with 4 lbs, plus 8 lbs of water still leaves you a small enough load to enjoy the walk, but enough to get by if you have a problem. You just have to choose what you take carefully.