What knife do you carry backpacking?

[Ike Mouser]

crkt ritter, 1oz fixed blade.

[Ike Mouser]

the mods are the ones to blame for the condition of the forums, where are the stickies? how long has the search been broken? Shameful. Cant vote on threads(five star system), The options that are availible to the thread starter are really shamefully limited. Every other forum i frequent is way better done than bpl.

[Marc Clarke]

I like a fixed blade knife rather than a folder due to the fixed blade knife's greater robustness. I have a ESEE (RAT) Izula. The 1095 carbon steel (yes, it rusts if I don't take care of it) takes a superb edge and holds it well in my testing. The skeletonized handle is long enough for me to hold onto it, even though I wear XXL mens gloves.

http://www.eseeknives.com/neck_knife.htm

(Disclaimer: I bought my Izula with my own hard-earned pennies. I have no financial relationship with ESEE Knives other than as a satisfied customer.)

Dare I also start the discussion about light weight wire saws?

[Mike M]

my newest knife "kit" is based on the Fallkniven WM1 (2.5 oz)- I've added a custom kydex sheath, LMF Scout steel/striker, ~ 15' of Spectra cord, Fox micro whistle, Photon light, MRE 16 oz hot beverage bag, two MicroPur tabs, two tinder quicks and a heavy needle w/ ~ 30' of 30# Spectra fishing line- secured w/ a ranger band (which burns darn good even if wet)

this is my "oh crap" I lost my pack: fording the river, fell off the cliff, fill in the blank, "kit"

total weight is 5.7 oz and resides around my neck

kit contents

[Marc Clarke]

I submit that my knife does not count as part of my pack weight(versus my backpack, my sleeping bag, my tent, my food, etc.). I consider my knife (and my general lightweight survival kit) to be Level 0 stuff, which I keep with me even when otherwise naked. A very lightweight survival kit suspended from my neck (as another poster has elegantly illustrated) is simply an essential.

[Marc Clarke]

My personal objection to the (otherwise wonderful) little Ritter is that I can't hang onto it with my fat hands. I need to be able to get all four fingers onto the handle of my knife.

[Ike Mouser]

works fine with my skinny hands, try tying a larger knot, like a diamond knot. Mark please list the weight of your izulas. thanks

[Marc Clarke]

Hello Issac,

I am going to gently tease you about actually reading my post. I already listed the weight of the Izula in the title of my post. I also already listed the correct spelling of my first name in the left-hand column next to my post. :-)

Marc

P.S.: I agree that being able to use a small-handled knife is a personal issue. I (personally) need a rigid handle under all four of my fingers. I have seen people competently and safely use knives that they grip with only three fingers and I am regularly amazed at their ability to do so (given that I can't). More power to those who can use short-handled knives (including Issac).

[Ike Mouser]

yea i am busy at work so i check randomly for a few seconds on posts, its one of those things were you can scamble the letters and people still read the words just fine. I read your post but not the title, which is why iasked about the weight.

[Frank Steele]

How do you carry your fixed blade without a sheath? that one has a 4 oz sheath that goes with it.

I am not sure what you mean by "greater robustness" I have some folders that I have had for 2 decades, with no problems.

[Marc Clarke]

Izula Sheath Weight:

I carry my Izula in the factory-supplied injected plastic sheath. I just weighed my Izula's sheath at 20.7 grams (0.7 ounces).

Where did you get your 4 oz number for the Izula's sheath? Is that what your Izula's sheath weighs? Do you even have an Izula? Or did you just make up the number?

Full-Tang Knife Robustness versus Folding Knife Robustness:

A full tang knife (which the Izula is) is more robust than any folding knife. A continuous solid piece of steel is more robust than a hinge and a pin and a locking mechanism, since the full-tang knife has zero moving parts. The Izula's blade and tang thickness is greater than that of any of my folding knives (Swiss Army, Spyderco, Cold Steel, etc.).

I, too, have some folders that I have carried and used for decades. That has nothing to do with robustness.

In an emergency situation (the bear has chased me out of my sleeping bag and then shredded my tent, my bag, and my pack, as happened to an acquaintance of mine), I want to be able to use my light-weight knife, always carried around my neck, to baton through dry hardwood, if necessary, for fire and shelter. While one can baton on a folding knife for a while before the locking mechanism breaks, the one-piece Izula won't fail under such use.

I encourage you to run some searches over at BladeForums, where the robustness issue has been discussed literally hundreds of times, along with tests to destruction of many different styles of knives.

[Ike Mouser]

im looking for a fixed blade knife longer than the ritter, but light and robust. A blade length of 5-7inch would be ideal. Do you know anything in this area? I carry my ritter for places that are not that high and cold, when its gets to rougher places i would like to be able to baton with a light fixed blade.

[BlackHatGuy]

Hi Isaac,

Do you mean knife length of 5-7", or blade length of 5-7"? I've batoned wood with no problem with my Becker Necker, blade length of 3.25 inches. And I know folks baton wood with the Izulas as well. Or are you hoping to baton rather thick pieces of wood?

[Marc Clarke]

First, I suggest the combination of a robust knife plus a military-grade spirally-wound wire saw. The pair is far more versatile than a larger knife alone, and the pair weighs less than a larger knife plus its sheath.

As a sidenote, one can saw part way through a log and then bash the partly sawn log onto another log or a rock to split the log. There are several videos on YouTube showing the technique. After I watched the videos I decided that a light weight, robust, full-tang carbon steel knife plus a military-grade folding wire saw (to make an improvised bow saw for serious fire wood cutting and shelter building) would work for me. This video shows the use of a folding saw to split wood. A lighter folding wire saw can do the same job for less weight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcRYSFqjLgY

Here is another YouTube video showing the use of the folding saw blade in what looks to me like a Leatherman multi-tool to cut and the split a branch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQfIwBvC2d0

In the 5" to 7" size range, you might start looking at the ESEE RAT 5 knife

http://www.eseeknives.com/rc-5.htm

You might also consider some of the larger Fallkniven knives:

http://www.fallkniven.com/en/shop/category/24/fixed-blades/survival-knives

In that size range you are more into Bush Craft knife and survival knife territory than you are ultra-light backpacking knives. You will find lots of reviews on BladeForums.com and BushCraftUSA.com

YouTube is also a great resource for the larger knives, as people have posted literally hundreds of reviews, field tests, and destruction tests.

You will have to make a decision as to whether you want a high-carbon (prone to rust) blade or a stainless steel blade. There are excellent knives available with either, although a really good stainless knife with edge-holding capabilities similar to a good high-carbon steel blade will (in general) cost more than the high-carbon steel blade.

You will also have to decide whether you will be using the blade in freezing rain, snow, or cold blowing wind. If yes, I encourage you to consider a plastic or rubber full-wrap handle rather than a full-tang knife with scales that leave the tang exposed (and your fingers can freeze to the exposed full tang; I know, I've done it).

For superb stainless knives with rubber (Kranton, or whatever they call it) full wrap handles, the Fallkniven knives are an excellent starting point, IMHO.

In the lower budget range, you might also consider the older Carbon V Cold Steel Master Hunter (on eBay), or the newer laminated San Mai Cold Steel Master Hunter. Both will do the job you describe. Yes, my "other" knife is an old Carbon V (carbon steel) Cold Steel Master Hunter.

Between BladeForums and BushCraftUSA and YouTube I am sure you will find literally dozens of viable candidates for your mission, to fit your taste, hand size, use model, and budget.

You might also investigate the laminated Mora knives in the larger sizes; they are inexpensive, highly robust, and they serve well in the utility role.

[Marc Clarke]

Oops, good question, I took Issac's query to be about knives with blades in the 5" to 7" range. Possibly my bad.

Yes, I can readily baton wood (green or dried) with my Izula.

[Javan Dempsey]

If you carry a 5-7" blade knife, why on earth would you need a saw?

You can baton anything across grain with a quality knife that size, that a saw can cut.

As to a great knife that size, I'll suggest the Bark River Aurora as a top candidate, even though the blade length is 4.5" As you all know, I love BR knives, ever since I replaced my Izula with a Bravo Necker 2. (Twice the knife at twice the price, but nearly the same wt with scales as the Izula without.).

BTW Isaac, just my personal opinion, but anything over 5" is kind of extreme for most camp work outside of major chopping (think machete type work). That Aurora can handle anything you're likely to throw at it.

[Javan Dempsey]

Beautiful Kephart… ;)

[Marc Clarke]

Thanks, I wasn't clear. I was suggesting a small robust knife (e.g. the Izula) plus a military-grade wire saw INSTEAD of a larger, heavier knife with a 5" to 7" blade.

[Javan Dempsey]

Oh, sorry Marc, I agree!

[Frank Steele]

"Where did you get your 4 oz number for the Izula's sheath? Is that what your Izula's sheath weighs? Do you even have an Izula? Or did you just make up the number?"

From their website. but my math is off, according to THEIR website it weighs 9.3 ounces with the sheath (making the sheath 5.3 ounces.

They didn't mention a lighter sheath so how was I to know?

Izula info on website

[Marc Clarke]

I am going to gently tease you about your arithmetic. The ESEE web says that the knife weighs 2 ounces (knife only) and the combination of the knife plus the sheath weighs 9.3 ounces, which would means the sheath weighs 7.3 ounces.

9.3 – 2 = 7.3

So, even with the ESEE web site's error, the sheath didn't weigh 4 ounces. The sheath also didn't weigh 5.3 ounces. No wonder I was confused. And, since the weight on the ESEE web site has a typo, there was no way for you to know. Thanks for telling us you got the weight off the ESEE web site. Now I understand what you were talking about.

I encourage you to contact ESEE and encourage them to correct their error on their web site.

P.S.: I measured my sheath's weight on a calibrated scale, so my measurement is correct to 0.1 gram (for my sheath, I have no idea how much anyone else's Izula sheath weighs).

[Jonathan Carpenter]

Currently I carry a SOG Seal Pup. It's seen a lot of use in the 9 years I've carried it but still holds a great edge.

However, I've decided to buy a new knife and have been looking pretty seriously at the RAT knives.

ESEE 3 Mil and ESEE 5 in particular

First post in this community by the way.

You guys rock!

btw, nice work on that WM1, Mark!

[Mike M]

that's my WM1, but thanks :)

I agree wholeheartedly that a small fixed blade knife + saw is a great combo- I'm going to have to play w/ the military wire saws- I had one a long time ago that basically sucked :)

I do have a 3 oz Fiskars folding saw (carry it day hiking, but not backpacking) that works wonderfully though

[Eugene Smith]

I just recently received this fine piece of steel from my knife making buddy at the beginning of our 3 day trip in the Gila last weekend, every inch of this fine little package is handmade. This knife was the vision I had in my head if I was to purchase a larger knife, somehow his vision paralleled my own and I was thoroughly surprised when he handed it to me as a gift. It's far heavier than what I was using, a Spyderco Byrd knife, but is actually large enough to cut small branches, break up twigs for use in my Caldera Inferno wood stove, as well as whittle away at saplings on long trail breaks. The handle is composed of epoxy and corduroy fabric, this is an ingenious and creative touch and the result is amazingly hard and the tactile quality is more akin to a super dense hardwood. Definitely no SUL blade, but it will serve me well as companion on some trips where I'm not splitting hairs and grams.

* Forgot to mention, the blade was forged from an old scrap file Josh had lying around then shaped meticulously to a sharp edge. You cannot see the detail in my photos, but he did a Japanese hamon clay heat treatment on the surface of the blade for character. It's a functional piece of art in my opinion. You can see his other projects here:

Josh Tamminga Handmade Knives

[D S]

Bought a couple from Mike M. here —really like the BARK RIVER PSK, at about 3oz it is an easy choice when more knife is needed than my standard Victornox Classic.

couch

+++++for Eugenes' bad ass red sheath…lovin that!

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