ultralight knife

Currently out of stock but they should have some in the future.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/folding_utility_knife.html

-Sid

https://end2endtrailsupply.com/Stanley_Mitey-Knife.html (cheaper on Amazon.com)

* Free shipping
* Mine weighs 8.0 grams with one extra blade and without keychain loop
* Blades can be changed, but may not be easy to find

Note: Adding/turning/changing blade is not easy, so be careful. You need a screwdriver or other tool to get screw off.

Peter, Countycomm.com has folding straight razors in stock with no minimum order for only $1.70. I have a few of them myself and they are pretty cool. Here is a link:

http://countycomm.com/straightrazor.htm

Joseph

If you are just going to use the Derma Safe for opening food packs, you could just use a single edge razor blade with a duct tape "sheath." It's not much use for anything but the lightest trimming chores.

A simple Swiss Army knife with scissors will work for repairs, food prep, grooming, even basic survival techniques (choose your model). A Victorinox paring knife weighs all of 0.75oz and will take on many more chores than the Derma Safe– for $4.75. A Mora knife weighs about 4oz and is a very usable cutting tool for under $20. There are many light pocket knifes like the Gerber LST, Buck Lite, Opiniels and so on. You can get incredibly strong long lasting pocket knives that are under 4 ounces.

Why people want to go wandering around the world without a decent knife baffles me. We've been making tools for about 1.5 MILLION years!

Thanks for your replies. I specifically want this knife for small game skinning and possibly caping. and that sort of thing which none of those other knives would work well for. I have ordered the mora knife which would do well but I like to have a little pocket knife because I don't like having a sheath knife strapped to my belt all the time A Swiss army knife is ok but they don't have a good lock so it is easy to close on your finger or whatever. This particular knife slides in and out of the handle and has a flip click design (lock)that I like. You have to order this knife 125 min at a time though so I thought I would see if there was enough interest on BPL to get them to order some. Plus then I could have one with the cool BPL symbol on it :)

Peter, when it comes to knives I want the best I can find for the money I have to spend. As a person who has been around knives my whole life, I will not sacrifice the weight to get a box cutter when for an extra 35 grams I can get a good quality folding knife that is much stronger, has better steel and is much more functional. I carry a Spyderco Salt when going light and at 57 grams I do not think it's overkill. Wehn it come to knives I feel there are certain features that should be considered.

1- safety. Does it have a locking blade? Is the handle grippy? Is it too small to be held safely?

2- Usability. Can it be used for a wide range of tasks from opening food packets to making kindling for a fire if things go awry? Is it easily operated with one hand in case of injury and does it hold an edge? Can it be used easily with gloves? Can it be secured easliy to pockets or straps so that it is accessable? Is it too heavy to carry on your person at all times?

3- Longevity. Does it require constant maintenance or replacement of blades? Is it a flimsy design? Does it require constant sharpening? Is it prone to rusting?

So far, my Spyderco has proven it can do all these things and has been used in my profession as a firefighter. From cutting seatbelts to firehoses it has performed admirably. I have used it trekking and it will easily take anything thrown at it and is literally impervious to rust and requires little to no maintenance save an occasional sharpen (I have sharpened it once in 5 years). I am not sure what other people's thoughts are regarding knives but this is just how I see what often is and can potentially be the most important thing in a persons kit.

John- I dig this little Stanley Utility knife but can you think of a way to access the spare blade in the handle (if I broke on the trail) without a flat head screw driver?

Kinda defeats the purpose of having a replacement blade in such a lightweight utility knife if I can't think of a way to get to it. :( :p Thx.

Would a spork/spoon lip be sufficient to unscrew the compartment? Or maybe the edge of your pot lid?

n.m.

@Bryce: I have the same little Stanley knife. I just tested it, and my lexan spork is a bit too bendy – I'm worried it would snap if I forced it. I was able to turn the nut easily with the corner of my Suunto compass base plate. Good thing I use a good old fashioned map & compass!!! I think a dime or a penny would do the trick too…

Oh, and by the way, I found my stanley knife at the Home Depot for $1.49 (on an end case right by the checkout). Love it – no shipping or anything!

Hi Bryce. I have not looked into finding something else to access the spare blade just yet.

The Olfa Touch knife is a small and very light utility knife that would be good for opening packages:

http://www.olfaproducts.com/CategoryProductList.jsp?cat=z-OLFA+Touch+Knives

They can be found in most hardware stores and there are more like them.

I would rather have something more multi-functional like the Victorinox Classic.

What I actually carry is a locking blade version of the Swiss Army knife like the Wenger S18 or the Victorinox Trekker. The S18 sports scissors, saw, awl, tweezers and other very usable tools.

See http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/29169

As others said, the folding knives without metal liners like the Gerber LST are very light and inexpensive, and are good all-round tools.

If you're willing to spend the money, and want a beast of a knife, that's lighter than a Mora but with just as much utility, consider one of these.

Just got one of the Necker 2's myself and I gotta say, it's awesome.

With full scales in G10 it weighs about 1/2oz more than a Paracord Wrapped Izula, but that's for 3/4" longer blade, full convex grind, and comfy full scales.

Personally, I can't see the value in those ultra mini utility knives. I break the full sized utility knife blades constantly. Swiss army style knives are great for the multifunctional aspect when viewed as a whole with it's tools, but..

Well, some things just take an actual knife. If you're not interested in any sort of bushcrafting or anything, then I'd stick with that Kydex Straight Razor someone posted above, or the suggested duct tape wrapped utility blade.

Otherwise, eat the weight (2.25-2.75oz) and get a BR N/N2 or Esee Izula.

That's just me though.

It always mystifies me why anybody would trade a couple of ounces of knife weight for the loss of capability that comes with that. I carry a Benchmade Griptilian smoothblade folder which gives me a solid tool with a 3.5" blade @ 3.25 ozs. I honestly almost do not notice it in my pocket. I can think of a long list of other stuff where i can pare weight before focusing on my knife.