Too much?

jca21

jca21

Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
3,188
is there such a thing as carrying too many knives while out on a hike?

my current setup is a red handled carbon steel mora in a drum sheath.
combined with a victorinox explorer and a newly acquired victorinox swisstool.
i also have a bahco folding saw in my backpack.

the mora and bahco stay in the backpack while my explorer sits in my pocket and the swisstool rides on the belt.


so... in your opinion guys is this carrying too much? i only ask this because the last hike i did, my buddy brought nothing! even though he owns a spyderco endura. i asked him what he'd do if he need a knife and he replied "i'll just use yours" lol..

so... too many knives? is there such a thing? :)
 
I consider it too many knives when it's more weight than I'm willing to carry for a particular situation, with consideration to what I may need while on the hike. Quite frankly, on most hikes that means two knives: A good fixed blade and a folder(usually SAK Farmer). On long hikes, I will sometimes throw a small PSK-type knife in the pack in case my regular fixed blade gets lost.
 
I don't think there is such a thing as 'too many' but there is excessive redundancy. I carry a couple of extra knives when I hike because they don' weigh much or take up much space. I alos EDC, when not at work, a pretty hefty load of blades: Leatherman Surge, SAK Tinker, Buck 110, sometimes a small Schrade Stockman, in addition to a flashlight, etc, etc, etc. I carry these when I go hiking in addition to my Mora, Coast saw and sometimes a machete. I always look at it from a Be Prepared mindset. What if one of my blades breaks? Would I rather have a spare or try to make due? If I have the option, I would rather have an alternate and comparable tool.
 
Just depends on your goals, I think. If you get pleasure out of them, then nuts to anyone who disagrees with your choices. If you bring a ton because you think you need them, you may be fooling yourself when you could get by with much less. My last hike I had a RAT7, Kabar bowie, hawk, and an SAK. This was a dayhike! I just felt like goofing around with some steel that day. But on the last overnight, it was the Vic Rucksack and my Kephart. :thumbup:
 
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I've often carried too many in the past but lately I'm pretty close to you: 4" Dozier fixed blade, SAK Rucksack (and a Silky Super Accel 210 if I really need a saw bigger than the SAK's). I haven't been carrying a multitool much because I found I wasn't using them very often.

DancesWithKnives
 
SpookyPistolero said:
Just depends on your goals, I think. If you get pleasure out of them, then nuts to anyone who disagrees with your choices. If you bring a ton because you think you need them, you may be fooling yourself when you could do with much more. My last hike I had a RAT7, Kabar bowie, hawk, and an SAK. This was a dayhike! I just felt like goofing around with some steel that day. But on the last overnight, it was the Vic Rucksack and my Kephart. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Well said Will:thumbup:
 
Please don't jump down my throat but why do you carry the saw when just day hiking?

Also is there any need to carry both the Explorer and the swiss tool ?

Usually for me on small hikes I carry a medium fixed blade but also have a Vic Classic on my key ring and on larger hikes carry a medium fixed and either my Swiss Spirit or Swiss Champ, not both !
 
lol pitdog, no jumping down of throats will happen here :)

my vic explorer is my edc and always sit around in my pocket so i guess i carry that more so out of habit then i do with use.

as for the saw, its so light weight that i hardly know its there. this is the same pack i use for over nighters, weekenders, and day hikes so i figured leaving it in there was the best place.

i tend to try my hand at fishing while out on a hike, hence why i carry the swisstool.

my view is more like spookey's in that i just like messing around when im out and about in the woods. :D

i'll try carrying just the mora and the swisstool on this weekends hike.

thanks for the input fellas.

JC
 
I used to carry a multitool in the woods, but have completely switched to only an SAK. I just don't use most of the things on a multitool to merit the weight. If I had something mechanical to take care of (ORV, Bike, etc.) it would be different. If the pliers-function is the only thing on the multitool you use (for the fishing), you may find taking an SAK and a small pair of lightweight pliers would save you some weight and add convenience. (But this is just how it worked for me, not for everyone!!)
 
On a day hike, I'm good with a SAK and a lightweight fixed blade, Mora, Gossman PSK, or perhaps a Bark River. Pitdog questions the saw, so would I. You can have the saw on the SAK and be done with it:D
 
Do you use them all? I have sometimes carried both my SAK Outrider and Swiss Spririt, but most often I'll just take the Outrider on hikes. I do carry "excessive redundancy" at times, but my sole purpose is playing with the blades. If I'm just going for the hike, I'll slim down a bit. If you can hump the weight and it doesn't bother you, then it's not an issue; if you're complaining about the pack weight, then it's probably too much. I love my folding saws and often carry them even on day hikes, but they don't always get used.

If you're asking us if you're carrying too much, you probably are. If you're defending why you carry so much, than you're made up your mind and should be satisfied with that decision:D You definately don't want to know what my work EDC is:eek:

Forgot to add:
is there such a thing as carrying too many knives while out on a hike?
Click to expand...
...it's only too many when you start leaving out the other essentials...

ROCK6
 
It's too much when you can no longer feel comfortable with the weight. Otherwise, no. :p
 
was not defending my position rather wondering if i really was carrying to much, and what better people to ask then a buncha fellow knife nuts :D

spooky you seem to have some great suggestions. the lightweight pliers and sak idea makes a whole lot of sense.

IUKE the saw is just there, i don't mind humping the weight around but i guess it wouldnt be a bad idea to take it out on day hikes. :)

rock6, i do try to use them all as i love playing with my knives outdoors, but again what you say makes sense as well. how much does your edc weigh anyways? :D lol

JC
 
If it doen't hinder your enjoyment of the hike, it is not too much. You may not need all of that, but if by any chance you did need them , they are there.

On a dayhike I carry a 4"-6" FB on my hip, in my pack is a Vic Farmer and a cheapo multitool. Lately I usually carry a second FB just for testing out as I have a couple of new ones that need some time out.
 
Despite my fondness for blades - I do pay attention to utility. I like to have a survival knife, great cutter and SAK (for the can-opener among other things) when I'm out. The survival knife and accompanying PSK is my concession of weight for possible needs. My cutter and SAK are expected to get lots of duty. If I find I'm not using them then they get cut out.

For a while this summer - the thin cutter was killed in favor of using the survival + SAK to meet that function. Now I've reverted back to carrying a cutter again. Sometimes you don't realize you miss something until you go with out. Being able to live without utility and wanting to do it are different things.

I don't usually bring duplicate function knives with me unless I'm going out specifically for a little BF photo-op :)
 
i find i carry knives into the woods that i really don't need just to play with them. if i was like Pitdog and got to go hiking so often i would leave the extra toys at home:p
 
jca21 said:
rock6, how much does your edc weigh anyways? :D lol
JC
Click to expand...

Well, since you asked, I just threw my ACU's on the scale (didn't include the boots)...a little over 7.5 lbs

EDCWeight.jpg


I know I'm forgetting something:confused:

EDC2008.jpg


:D

ROCK6
 
that set-up seems just about right to me. i think that because of the swiss tool and the sak, you could eliminate the sak without beingn any worse off.
 
ROCK6 said:
Well, since you asked, I just threw my ACU's on the scale (didn't include the boots)...a little over 7.5 lbs

EDCWeight.jpg


I know I'm forgetting something:confused:

EDC2008.jpg


:D

ROCK6
Click to expand...

I thought I carried a ton of crap EDC. Geez ROCK...
 
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