UL Knife Options??

[diyguy]

I’d like to get everyone’s opinions on what UL knives they carry. I used to carry a meaty fixed blade, but have cycled through a number of lighter options over the years in an attempt to reduce my pack weight. I know that Mike Clelland carries only a razor blade, but that’s not for me. I have a number of lightweight folders (SAK Classic, Leatherman Micra, a small Buck folder, etc.), but I often hike with a wood stove (hobo stove or the like) and I find a “real” knife useful every now and then to process twigs (light batoning, etc.). For the same reason, I prefer a fixed blade (sturdier, fewer moving parts, etc.). For the last few years, I’ve carried the simple red-handled Mora knife (90g/3.17oz including the sheath).

The Mora is a great knife for what it is. I’ve noticed, however, that I don’t really use the Mora much for heavy wood processing. I use it mostly for meal prep and opening packages. One other thing I don’t like it that I often misplace the sheath. The knife is too big for pocket carry or neck carry (IMO) and putting the sheath on my belt gets in the way of my pack’s hipbelt. So I normally carry the knife inside my pack. When I use the knife, I set aside the sheath, use the knife, and then end up searching for the sheath. Keeping track of the black sheath is a real pain when the sheath is not tethered to your person – especially in low light.

For the above reasons, I’ve been exploring sturdy folders as an alternative. One of the options I’ve explored is the Peasant Knife by Svord (www.svord.com). I describe this curious knife as a half-tang/stick-tang blade that also folds. I bought this knife about five years ago or so but stopped using it when the novelty wore off. But in an effort to reduce my base weight further and to move away from sheaths, I’ve taken another look at this unusual knife. My Peasant Knife weighs 69g/2.45oz, has a 3” inch blade, seems to hold a quality edge, and is surprisingly sturdy. I’ve beaten the heck out of this knife during some backyard tests and it seems to hold up well. Is it my favorite knife? No way. But I’m struggling to find a comparable folder at this weight/size/budget that I feel could stand up to some occasional trail abuse if needed.

I’d be curious to know what UL knives others carry.

Thanks.

Brian

[DeerPath]

I carry CRKT PAZODA, 3.2 oz. 2.6" blade. Very nice knife. I paid $25.00 but have seen it on WOOT for $7.95.
It seems I always shop around and pay the high price!

http://compare.ebay.com/like/1810859...Types&var=sbar

[RED-DOG]

I carry a Kershaw, it's a spring loaded lock blade and it's over all lengh is about 5 inches long

[Ender]

I've been carrying a Leatherman Micra for years. It works well enough.

That said, lately I've wanted a larger knife (for when I carry steaks into the woods... yum), and got an Opinel folding knife. Very light, cheap, simple but effective locking blade. Can't remember what size I got exactly, maybe a #8 or a #9? Not sure. Anyway, it works great.

[BirdBrain]

I carry the Leatherman PS4 Squirt. I need it for my luxury items and it has a nice tick remover on it.

[CenAZwalker]

I carry a swiss army classic, 21grams. The scissors get used the most. Spyderco Ladybug is also a lightweight option if all you are wanting is a blade. For processing wood though, I think a Mora is more than sufficient.

[Harrison Bergeron]

For 30 years or so, my everyday knife has been a Swiss Army "Tinker". I tried switching to a Leatherman Squirt for hiking, for all the cool gadgets, but the only thing I ever actually used was the blade and then I cussed it for being too small and hard to hold. The Tinker's only half an once more. It's got a good set of tweezers for ticks and (this'll gross you out) I actually use the toothpick.

[Red Hat]

yep, that's what I carry, a tiny Swiss Army with scissors, toothpick and tweezers.

[Slo-go'en]

I have a habit of loosing knifes, so I just buy cheap pocket knifes. If I buy a $25 knife I'll loose it in a week. A $2 knife and I'll have it for a long time.

[MuddyWaters]

derma safe here. 0.3 oz.
dont use it either.

[bubonicplay]

Spyderco ladybug h1

[lukabrazi]

Swiss Card. I used to carry a Leatherman Squirt but the Swiss Card has a pen, pin, and tweezers and I use those things more than the pliers on the Squirt. Same weight.

[QiWiz]

When going light on a weekend, often all I carry is:



On longer trips, I usually have instead, or in addition a small Swiss Army pen knife. The one with a nail clipper is nice if I'm out for more than a week as it works much better for cutting nails than a scissors.

[Indiana Camper]

Probably overkill for many here but I carry a Squirt PS4 and an ESEE Izula. The Izula I believe is only 2 maybe 3oz. It's a pretty capable little knife.

[farmer.ron.99]

I use an orange Ka-bar dozier. Very (1.6 oz) light and it has a pocket clip.

[diyguy]

Thanks for all the great responses guys.

[garlic08]

I just carry a couple of single edged razor blades in a plastic holder/scraper handle. One advantage there is you can throw away the blades if you want to carry your pack on a plane. They're five for a quarter or something like that.

[Swordpen]

I carry 2 knives:
1. a swiss army tiny classic (has scissors, tweezers in addition)
2. a Gerber nonserrated drop point Evo, thumb closing, locking folder 3.5 in. (I hate serrated knives, just uses up the useful length of a blade). I'm a big fixed blade fan, have Moras & 3 Beckers, but even the mora was too big & heavy for my purposes. I can make a great featherstick with this Gerber. You "can" baton with a folder, but caveat, obviously you risk destroy the locking, & you will need a very small heavy baton (rebar, comes to mind. But I am not going to carry that, lol.

I really wanted pliers, but multitools were too heavy (even the Squirt types).

So I am now using hemostats for pliers, work GREAT. Hemostats weigh < 1 oz.

[garlic08]

...So I am now using hemostats for pliers, work GREAT. Hemostats weigh < 1 oz.

Great idea. Experienced desert hikers carry those ready-to-grab in cactus country, especially for cholla.

[oroy38]

Call me old fashioned, but when hiking through backcountry areas where there isn't always a trail and you're pretty well isolated from civilization, I tend to be more on the overprepared side. Perhaps nothing like TipiWalter's bomb-proof system, but I believe in having a few hardy items that can perform outside their regular duties if the need arises. Your knife, in my opinion, is certainly one area where you really shouldn't pinch pennies. A good knife made from high quality steel can last a lifetime with minimal maintenance. I carry a Strider SMF. It has a G-10 polymer handle that retains its grip when wet, and an S30V drop point blade, 3.75" in length. The spine is about 0.25" thick, so it's not "ultra-light" by any means. However, this is the knife I carry everyday and on every backpacking trip regardless of where I'm going. It is sturdy, and will take an ungodly amount of abuse before the blade will chip, scratch, or break unlike many cheaper knives out there, and only requires occasional sharpening because of S30V steel's ability to retain an edge.

Some might call it overkill, but I look at my knife as a tool. Any good mechanic, carpenter, etc believes in the virtue of having a good set of tools and maintaining them. The knife is your basic survival tool. When all else fails, your knife is what will make it easier for you to build a shelter, make other tools, or even act as a weapon in the highly unlikely case that you have to defend yourself from wildlife. How likely is all the other stuff? Still highly unlikely, but I'm willing to carry a couple ounces of extra weight clipped onto my pocket to have a good tool that will stand up to abuse if the need arises. You'll also want a blade that is long enough to be sufficiently usable.

I'm not saying you should go Rambo and carry a huge serrated fixed blade knife. I'm not even saying that you should go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a knife. All I'm saying is that if you're going to carry a knife into the backcountry where the worst can happen, you should carry a knife that is capable. I happen to really like knives and the craftsmanship that goes into them, so don't take this post as "go out and buy a $500 knife." But at the very least, you'll want a dependable folding knife like something from Benchmade, Spyderco, Cold Steel, or Kershaw, among others. If you want something REALLY nice, feel free to shoot me a PM because I don't want to hijack the thread.

Generally I would recommend between a 3-4" blade, with a frame lock instead of a liner locking mechanism. Frame locks use the handle as the locking mechanism, whereas liner locks have a metal liner attached within the handle that acts as the locking mechanism. Frame locks are stronger and generally less likely to come undone during hard use. However, I found a nice 2.2oz offering from Spyderco. It uses a 2" 440C steel blade (a steel that's good enough, but won't retain an edge as long or be as hardy as S30V, but still very respectable), features a liner lock, and G-10 polymer handles. The amount of leverage you'll generate on a 2" blade won't be enough to really require a frame lock, so a liner lock, in this case, is more than adequate.

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=670

Sorry for the long post!