Legit question to people saying you dont need to bring a knife, and that tinder is readily available. What do you do when it rains out and you're freezing?
Tent, towel dry, dry clothes, sleeping bag.Originally Posted by Xycon
I love knives but as most have said there's no real need for a large fixed or folding blade...at least for my hiking style....HYOH....I rarely build a fire as I tend to hike till after dark. The lil Leatherman has been great for many tasks over the years and weighs less than 2 oz...
Pliers and scissors have come in very handy many times....only regular use the blade gets is "cutting the cheese"....Cabot seriously sharp cheddar that is....
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I would recommend that people always bring some sort of knife, but it doesn't have to be a large knife capable of batoning a log -- a SAK Classic is a legitimate option.
If you are in the north and it's raining, when you are getting close to the end of the day, just look for a downed birch and you'll have no trouble getting a fire going. Or, you look for a large spruce and there's a good chance that there'll be dry tinder underneath. Or you just put up your tent and get into your sleeping bag.
I know there is a lot of debate about the need to carry a bush craft style knife. I always carry one and the one I like is the the Jeff White bush knife. The blade is about 4 and a half inches long made out of carbon steel and $40. It is a full tang knife so you could baton wood if necessary. The Mora knives are rat tail knives and could break batoning wood. If you intend on batoning wood get a full tang knife. Forget the the "Light My Fire" ferro rods. They will break with the rod flying out of the plastic end piece. If you bring a ferro rod get a thick one and make sure you know how to use it to start a fire. Bring cotton balls soaked in Vaseline as a fire starter. Charcloth is good to but requires dryer starting materials. Even if it is wet out you can get the cotton balls to burn and dryer wood can be found on small dead tree branches off standing trees. Once you get the fire going you can baton some wet wood to get to the drier interior to keep your fire going. Having some basic bush craft fire skills is a very comforting thing. Needing a fire with just a Bic lighter could make for a bad day.
When on the trail for a few days or longer, you might, but probably won't, need a knife. You'll almost certainly need... nail clippers!
sak clipper.jpg
That Mora Bushcraft he linked isn't full tang, but almost, and it can baton with no problem. Will it break? Maybe if you're a novice and use a rock.
Totally disagree. You want to hike with a toy? go ahead. Yea great, take care of your feet... most should take care of their feet. But would you trust your life on a dull piece of stainless? This knife is very much like your first college car... it's a great starter, but lacks the strength to help you in a pinch. Yes it's a boy scout "what if" knife. The pins are weak, the blade cannot remove bark, the file is a disaster. Time to grow up and grab a Mercedes. A Sog yup, or a Leatherman. In super wet conditions - you can remove the wet wood or bark and start a fire.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
This has been real good information. I think I will pick up one of the companion HD knives at $20 or less. sounds like a great deal.
Well first, I would never generalize that tinder is readily available. It often isn't.
As inferred above, if it's raining and I'm cold, I sure as heck don't want to hang out in the rain and try to start a fire. Setting up my shelter and climbing into my sleeping bag is a lot more comfortable way to spend my time.
If, I had a bushcraft knife with me and I wanted to start a fire in the rain, I would likely use it to at least split up some small stuff. But, if I don't have a bushcraft knife, I'll still start a fire using my skills, what dryish tinder if any I can find, and my fire starter. It might be easier with that big knife, but, it's never been required yet in my 40+ years of playing in the back-country. Generally, if there is enough wood to sustain a fire for a while, you can find enough small enough and dry enough stuff to get a fire going with a candle or Esbit tab.
So again, I would suggest that one absolutely does not need a bushcraft type knife to be safe and have fun in the woods in any season, BUT, if a big knife is part of what makes playing outside fun for you, by all means carry one!
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
You get in shelter and insulation.
Heres the problem. When you are really cold, your hands dont work. The more time you spend futzing around , the colder you get as well. Once you stop moving, you get cold fast. By the time you get shelter erected you can be on edge of trouble.
You stay alive by moving to generate heat, and avoiding scenarios that can kill you.
Theoretically , making a fire sounds good. Chances of being able to do it when needed in timely manner arent that good. If you have a stove and fuel, its a pretty good fire starter as well.....but damn hard to use with nonworking hands.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 03-30-2016 at 23:37.
It's all a compromise. Weight vs bulk vs functionality vs cost etc. I think it comes down to what each individual values more. If you need to bring a Pulaski axe and don't mind carrying it, then go ahead. The same applies to any piece of gear you take with you. If you like to whittle in camp, bring a knife appropriate for that. If you like to be the lightest possible person on the trail, use your teeth instead of a knife.
As my wife reminds me all the time, "It's the journey, not the destination." So, be happy and HYOH.
My "knife" and "headlamp" when I'm gettin' all SUL-y, lol. HYOH, indeed.
sul knife & headlamp.jpg
I carry a Mora Companion every time I go out (mainly section hiking, 3-5 days at a time). my pack is around 18lb, so the 5oz isn't really dragging me into the dirt (the 25lb I carry on my body is taking care of that).
I carry it because, after 28 years of being in the Army, having a knife with me is pretty much like wearing shoes. Whether it was a gerber multitool, or a pocketknife, or whatever - it's just something I pretty much always had. The Mora is a pretty durable little thing, and light.
Like many others have pointed out, you can definitely get by without it. But if you have it, you can also definitely find yourself using it every day. It's strapped to one of my shoulder harnesses so I don't need to dig around in a pack to get something to cut that line / open the package / whatever. And the stainless cleans up pretty well.
huh. A pocket knife that actually needs a whole pocket...
nous défions
It's gonna be ok.
Ditch Medicine: wash your hands and keep your booger-pickers off your face!
There is Bushcraft, and there is Backpacking. I rarely build a fire on my backpacking trips and when I do I never use any implements except my hands and feet to break sticks and gather kindling. I'm not using the fire for warmth and it never becomes a long-lasting bonfire affair. On the other hand, I define bushcrafting as building a shelter in the woods using natural resources.
Over the years I built several tipis in the woods and one tool was more important than any other: the Bowsaw. The simple 21 inch bowsaw. Or nowadays I'd probably use this corona folding saw---
With such a saw you can cut tipi poles to length and tie them together with cordage for the tripod and add adequate poles in a circle cut to proper length. Never used a knife for any of this work.
Here is my backpacking knife---
Damn Tipi....see why your load is so heavy! That's a full size Bic!!!
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What about having a small fixed blade knife solely for the purpose of protection? Piece of mind for just 5 ounces?
Yeah. Right. Sure. Protection from what? And how long of a blade do you need to offer any real protection? And, what skills do you have that you have practiced that suggest confrontation will be safer and more effective than high tailing it out of the area of danger?
Just asking.
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
nsSherry61 > I hear you. Just trying to cover all bases.
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