Wilderness hiking weapons

FSCJedi

FSCJedi

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What do you all carry that you might need to use for survival, but you could use for self-defense in a vice? Right now my weapons consist of a tomahawk, an 8' kangaroo-hide bullwhip, and one of my Beretta 92's. The 'hawk for obvious reasons, the whip for a climbing aid/emergency rope/it can scare animals, and the 92 for a firearm.

However, I've recently acquired a .36 cal. cap&ball blackpowder revolver (1851 Colt Navy Model) and have read that it's a good solid little round that can kill most small game up to bobcats and coyotes. I've thought about replacing my 92 with it since it's got a longer barrel (which is good for hunting), not to mention that if I can salvage the ball, I can reuse it just by melting it down and pouring another one (eliminating the need for a lot of ammo). Comments?

Also, I'm still in need for a good "all around" camp knife. One that I can use to eat with, prepare food with, or skin with, as the need arises. Suggestions? Links?
 
Most comments I could make would only reflect my own choices for camping and long hikes.

Lock blade folding knife (Gerber E-Z Out)
Fixed blade knife (Fallkniven A-1)
Tomahawk/axe (Skachet)
Handgun (G36 Glock or .45 Colt S&W Mountain Gun)

I will not pretend to defend my choices, point by point, except that I use them and they work. You need a blade or blades that you can use effectively and that will hold up. I carry a tomahawk/axe type blade and put up with the extra weight for wood working because I am jealous of my knives and do not like chopping with them. As far as firearms, cartridges were invented to overcome the short comings and problems with cap and ball firearms. I see no reason to go back.

YMMV
 
My backpacking gear is my survival gear. I believe a quality .22 handgun to be most efficient. In my case a 3" S&W 317 revolver. Holds 8 rds and weighs only 12 ozs. Carry it in a Tommys Gun Pack on my waist so it is protected but readily available. Also will have in my hands a stout hiking staff and a sharpened Glock E-tool secured to the back of my pack.
Carried a variety of knives over the years but currently using a SAK Trailmaster (One hand opening) and a Camillus Cuda Arclite Neck Knife.
Carried a small axe once. Besides being heavy, I never used it and they can be very dangerous in unskilled hands.
Forget the blackpowder gun. If you're going to recover your ammo (good luck) you are also going to need a mold, melting pot and lead dipper. All pretty heavy stuff. Plus, all the other accouterments for using and maintaining a blackpowder firearm adds up to a lot of stuff. 50-100 rds of .22 LR ammo doesn't take up much space and doesn't weigh much.
In my travels I have discovered that lighter is better.
Hope this helps.
 
A "Mountain Axe", AKA an "Ice Axe." Gives one a thrilling sence of confidence to swing one. And once you've planted the pick in hard ice, you will know how to use it for self defence.

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Gives new meaning to the phrase "carrying pro[tection]." :o
 
Second on the S&W 317, accurate and light. A delica or similar, and started to carry a good slingshot with steel shot and marbles. I have two, one with the wrist brace and one without, also carry spare tubing, cheap and light. A home made hiking stick (broom handle). Walk aware.
 
Camp knives can also make excellent fighting knives. Like the Bowie. Some combat axes can serve both purposes as well to some degree. My neck/pfd knife, a custom double edged blackwood, is a great tactical. But the Crawford survival staff is outstanding as a walking stick/ fighting staff and there is a nice 440C blade that can be configured different ways: and Pat used to make a quick release head for the blade as well.

But if the concern is a really big bear like a polar bear or a grizz, or a walrus or leopord seal, a gun is what you should have.
 
Honestly?

A good, though, 4 to 5' long hiking staff, with a pretty blunt but still pointy tip.

That will take care of anything under 250-300 pounds, two or four legged.

If in grumpy bear country, I'm just being more noisy and respectful, and that does it. If I don't want to be noisy, then a 12 gauge pump action loaded alternatively with a slug, a ssg, a slug, a ssg...

Of course I always carry my Camp Tramp. That's a GREAT all around knife, good enough for stabbing, and great for light cutting to skinning to hard chopping. If I could carry only one knife, it would be that one.

Cheers,

David
 
Moine said:
If in grumpy bear country, I'm just being more noisy and respectful, and that does it. If I don't want to be noisy, then a 12 gauge pump action loaded alternatively with a slug, a ssg, a slug, a ssg...
Click to expand...

What's an "ssg"?
 
Takujualuk said:
SSG is a Canadian designation for buck shot. Forget what size; maybe 0 buck?
Click to expand...

Oh I see. I prefer to load all slugs for bear protection, specifically brenekke or other non expanding slugs. I do like 00 or 000 buck for other purposes.
 
carpediem said:
Second on the S&W 317, accurate and light. A delica or similar, and started to carry a good slingshot with steel shot and marbles. I have two, one with the wrist brace and one without, also carry spare tubing, cheap and light. A home made hiking stick (broom handle). Walk aware.
Click to expand...
i wouldn't trust a broom handle for a walking stick. the grain in the wood doesn't run true so it tends to snap and could impale you :eek: i also use a slingshot, try using lead sinkers for ammo sometime. they really hit hard
 
Pepper spray and a Benchmade folder.

Those aren't meant for getting food, just for defense until I get safe. As David points out, a staff is a good weapon. You could make one, given a little warning, in most areas I've been in (maybe you thought you saw a bear through the trees, etc.). I think a whistle has its merits too. I keep one on all my pack straps.

Loud screeching, stinging spray, a flailing stick, and a sharp claw. That pretty much says, "I am not worth attacking."

Scott
 
On local dayhikes, an arsenal of weapons is not practical for me. I usually have a large folder, a GB mini and a hiking stick. That should satisfy most close quarter defense needs. When going deeper in the woods for a longer time, a large camp knife and a handgun will go along too.
 
IMO where you hike will determine what you should carry. If you're hiking in Alaskan bear country a .44 mag revolver might be the minimum firepower required if a grizzly decides you look better than salmon.
 
We are getting more and more mountain lion sightings in my neck of the woods. While bowhunting I usually seek out and hike into the most isolated least used places that I can find. A run in with a hungry lion has crossed my mind. I started carrying a Buck 119, I don't know if it would do any good or not but it's worth a shot. I would of course use my bow if I had the chance but from what I read most lion attack's are sudden and from behind or from above.
 
"If you're hiking in Alaskan bear country a .44 mag revolver might be the minimum firepower required if a grizzly decides you look better than salmon."

Yes, I suppose defense does depend on context. I understand that anthropologists operating in the Rift Valley of Africa generally hire bands of (essentially) mercenaries for security.

I forgot to add that I generally take my dog with me, a big German shepherd. A working-breed dog is probably the best early warning/counterattack system a person could have. (I don't think I woudl take him into grizzly country though. I would favor a firearm there.)

Scott
 
The regular knives etc that I carry can be pressed into service as weapons if need be. I usually carry a Henry lever .22 or a Ruger 22/45 if I'm going further afield. My GB mini, while small, would be an excellent little hand axe VS an animal or person...
 
Sounds like you've been getting decent advice so far. I don't know what kind of conditions you're hiking in, but my opinions are based on the terrain of southern Illinois.

I don't find fault with your choice of carrying a tomohawk, but I personally prefer my great big Bowie knife. It chops wood as well as a tomohawk, clears smaller brush (and in my area, smaller brush & saplings are about the only thing I ever need to chop.) better than a machete, and would of course make a formidable last-ditch weapon. Paired with a multi blade folder for game & food preparation, I have all my cutting needs covered, and with less bulk & weight than a hatchet & big knife & small knife.

Kudos for carrying a gun. If you're just out to have fun and maybe take a few small game for the pot, then there's certainly nothing wrong with taking a .22 or your cap 'n' ball revolver. However, if you really feel the need to carry a weapon for self defense, leave them at home & keep your Beretta. I see no sense in choosing a knife with potential defense in mind, and then seriously down grading your primary weapon. It will kill a rabbit just as dead as the Navy, and would be a much better choice for protection. May even want to carry different kinds of ammo- your defensive ammo loaded in the gun (since emergencies are unpredictable by definition) and keep some cheap lower powered non expanding stuff for small game & plinking. I don't bother with a staff around here. If you want to carry something more around, bring a rifle instead. If I were concerned with the extra weight, in many cases I'd bring the rifle and leave the pistol and staff at home. If I do find need for a stick, it only takes a few seconds to make one with the aid of the Bowie.
 
This is what I carry:

Cold Steel Recon Tanto

Benchmade or Spyderco folder

Mini-Mag, Inova-(photon), Surefire

EMT shears

Glock 22
 
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