What do you carry on hikes?

Assuming it's more than a stroll (the wife and kids and I have been know to hike 15 miles without giving it much thought), I'll generally carry a Victorinox Huntsman. Mostly the large blade gets used for cutting up whatever we take along to eat. The saw might get used for making a hiking staff, and the tweezers might pull off the occasional tick or yank a splinter.
 
My Woodsman in CPM3V and sanbar stag with a skeletonized and tapered tang and a lovely color matched tooled leather sheath with a dangler. It isn't the fanciest knife I've made but for me its my interpretation of the ideal general purpose woods blade.
 

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Most often it's my Spyderco Pacific Salt, but sometimes it's my Busse SHE2.

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Pilsner said:
I hear you.

I guess a lot depends on weather and temperature, combined with proximity to rescue. I like to go high, or at least as high as the UK allows, which is not much, but the wind blows, the rain/hail/sleet/snow falls. We have to go equipped for the weather, even on what looks like a perfect day to begin with. On well known paths I can’t say I give it much of a second thought, but that is probably my foolishness, thinking about it rationally.
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We have certain seasons that are pretty volatile, but that can almost always be planned for by watching the news and planning accordingly. Most of the time the weather is pretty stable and easy to plan for, and it doesn't take a lot of gear to do it for a day hike. Most of the time, not even for an overnight.

Pilsner said:
A broken bone in the lower limb combined with bad weather and you could be in very serious trouble without adequate emergency gear. Knives don’t really enter into it. I’d recommend a Raptor for first aid, unless you are going to perform surgery. My priorities are most likely to be warmth, fluids and painkillers:

But I trained as a paramedic, once upon a time, so I am probably overly preoccupied with first aid solutions.
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I take plenty of water (S. Texas can be mighty hot and dry), snacks, a nice first aid kit (replaced every other year), signal equipment, thermal blanket, bug repellent, snake bite kit, tylenol, ibuprofin, a BIC lighter sealed in a vacuum bag with tinder, a small LED flashlight, some twine and a few other goodies if I am out all day for a long haul.

If I am on a trail I am unfamiliar with or haven't been able to get enough information to make me happy I take all that along on short trips, too. You can't be too safe, but I remember one of the comments made by a Ranger in CA when they had us go through quick class before turning us loose. "Most of you are carrying more gear than Lewis and Clark when they began their years long expedition, and you are only going to be on the trail for 3 - 4 days. DO NOT abandon your equipment on the trail. If you are having second thoughts, leave what you want here in a storage locker and get it on the way out."

Robert
 
I carry a cold steel American Lawman. It's thin and light but still capable in case I need to extricate myself from something.
 
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ROCK6 said:
It's really, really hard:D For more than just a day hike, we typically backpack anywhere from 50 to 150 miles. I've really had to down-size my "bladed" tools as everything gets weighed and scrutinized. Long ago, I just simply accepted that I would always have a fixed blade on me when deployed to combat or outdoors. I've gone to the smallest Mora, which has been perfect and have since upgraded the sheath and added a small Firesteel. For a folder, which gets used the most, it's the diminutive Spyderco Dragonfly (now upgraded with the orange handle). I've found the Leatherman mini multitool, the PS perfect for it's pliers and scissors. Those three are what I take for distance backpacking. I've used a Bushcraft SAK in the past, but as much as I love the saw and awl, I just never used it enough and had to cut down on some weight, and it was on the hit list.





For day hikes, I will actually carry more as I often like to test out blades. For distance backpacking, it's minimalist all the way.

ROCK6
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I agree...
 
In my pockets I always have a flashlight, a Bic lighter, a SAK Classic, and a SAK Farmer. I usually have a Bradford Guardian3 or Spyderco Street Beat on my belt as well, because they are what I use 90% of the time, where I can legally carry a fixed blade. If not, then it is a Manix2.

However, my hiking pack doubles as my truck's get home bag for a family of 4, since I am a responsible Dad in earthquake, flood, and fire country. (Use your emergency gear, so it is an old friend when you need it) My bag has a Mora Eldris, a Leatherman Rebar, and a Silky saw in it. Yes, it is overkill 98% of the time, but I've spent unexpected nights out in the middle of nowhere with just what I had in my pockets (thank you Wilderness Survival Merit Badge, oh so long ago... plus a few misadventures over the years ... some in countries very far from home), and prefer a little more weight in my pack to wishing I had a saw or plyers or a decent knife, or a little cordage or a small pot or a mylar blanket ... or ... or ... or.... I can improvise if I need to, and can fashion tools or fire from practically nothing, but I like not needing to improvise -- call me situationally lazy.

YMMV, so carry what you will, just HAVE FUN and keep you sense of humor. If things are too heavy, re-evaluate them when you get home. Just don't litter on the trails.

Enjoy.
 
Definitely don't litter. Imagine what trail heads would look like if trash cans were not provided and maintained in many cases?

Added: The litter thing is something I just can't understand why people would go to a state park, national park and so forth and leave water bottles, soft drink and beer cans, and so forth lying around. Don't they like things fairly natural or does the litter reflect their personal hygiene and the way they maintain their homes?

Pinnah always talks about camp fire debris and stripping everything that burns from the forest around camp sites. I'm a bit more flexible about leaving the ashes from a fire as I feel ultimately the ashes (potash) are good for the forest environment. But one needs to temper things and remember that someone else may be camping there after you leave and to keep things "tidy".
 
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Whatever I take I try to choose bright handles, so if I drop it, I can easily find it. Black, dark brown, camo, dark grey and alike... not a good idea. Yellow and bright orange are great. White, Actually I am trying to get a Spyderco Pacific Salt for that particular use.

Mikel
 
Just got back from a few day hikes up in Glacier NP . GNP is 180 miles from here, a quick trip up, 2.5 hrs on a good day.
So we hit the Park several times through the season.

Been carrying a RAT-3 in a kydex sheath on my pack and a Steel Will Cut Jack in my pocket. The Wife has a BOKER folder she carries, no idea as to model number. AUS-8 on the blade, has a safety and a push button , it flicks open. ??

The times I have overnighted I carry some small folder as well as a decent 4" fixed blade. I have no illusions of fighting bears (we always have bear spray0 or having to survive for days. 99% of my knife chores are opening freeze dried or snack packages.
 
Mikel_24 said:
Whatever I take I try to choose bright handles, so if I drop it, I can easily find it. Black, dark brown, camo, dark grey and alike... not a good idea. Yellow and bright orange are great. White, Actually I am trying to get a Spyderco Pacific Salt for that particular use.

Mikel
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Yeah.... LOL.... I passed that landmark, too. I have way too much time looking for a dropped knife in the grass or gravel when it turns dark and you are late setting up camp or even just drop the knife. I always think I need a brightly colored lanyard when that happens, but especially when carrying a larger knife like that I will do anything to keep from drawing attention to it/me.

So the last large folder I bought is the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter. In blaze orange! Love it! Actually bought the orange color for the utility value of the color, but wound up being quite happy with it. No doubt it will be much easier on these old eyes and shorter patience when looking for it.

Robert
 
Falkneven F-1 or any one of a number of Mora(s). Mostly the F-1. If I plan to stay out for the night as I often do I also have a fallkniven A-1.
 
onojoe said:
On my day hikes, a full size Benchmade Ritter Griptillian fits the bill. I recently did a long day hike up Mt Whitney here in CA, 22 miles and 6000+ feet in elevation gain (start at 8000 and go to 14000) Anyways it is kind of an extreme day hike, it took me 16 hours total. I carried my Ritter griptillian and a Tops Bob plus water and other gear. 3/4 of the way up I was cursing every single extra ounce I put in my pack, I would have been fine with just the griptillian. On the way down it started to rain, we lost track of the trail... then I started to think we would need t stay on the mountain overnight. That's when I started to think the BOB might come in handy despite its extra weight. We ended up making it out of the rain and down OK. Having to do it again I would pack a Mora Light my fire instead of my Tops Bob
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When I did Whitney, it took us 20 hours. We ascended via the Mountaineers Route but we took the wrong drainage west when leaving the main trail and it took a good bit of ledgy scrambling to get back on route just before the scree climb up the couloir under the summit. What great memories. I'm glad you all had a successful "day" trip (under 24 hours).

Chouinard said, "Speed is safety." Always a tricky balance between staying safe by being prepared with what you bring and maintaining the safety of mobility by what you don't.

When it comes to what we carry, we carry our fears.
 
I leave my folders at home for hiking/camping. Bought this thing on eBay for $35. 1095 blade gets the job done and I can sharpen it on a rock if I have to.

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I carry two or three tools;

1) EDC-spyderco millie/delica
2) Fixed blade
3) Specialty-silky for bad weather/winter or a short and light machete for blackberries in summer if I’m bushwhacking. Usually don’t carry these though.

The fixed blade I’m conflicted about. I always bring one but I’ve never needed one so they’ve been shrinking over the years. I gotta say I still hate carrying them. Even the tiny ones like the izula 2 or Bradford guardian 3. I just don’t like things hanging off my belt and I don’t really get the whole idea of having one in the pack.

If I have my pack I have a tarp, a rain coat, usually an insulating layer etc. Things much faster, easier and safer to use for the weight than a knife. A knife to me is one of those bare bones pieces of survival gear that I believe should be strapped to your person for if you’re separated from your pack. Like a ighter. I think a fixed blade is a good idea where I live because it can be nothing but wet sometimes and I know how to use one. But, if it’s getting moved to the pack...I can no longer justify it.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness. I’m still debating. :D
 
I pretty religiously (compulsively) keep packing lists and I review them after nearly every trip. For me, it's kind of a harsh reality check on what I use and don't use.

That said, there are plenty of things I carry that I've never used, like an emergency bivy.

I could see trading my Opinel for a Mora #2. It's nearly as light.

For carrying a knife, I often pack my knife in my food bag. 99% of the time, I'm using the knife for food anyway and the food bag
 
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