unltralite knife

[brandon hippler]

does anyone know of a cheap knife that weighs under an ounce that can get the job done when its needed?

[Pete Staehling]

Depends on what you expect it to do. A single edged razor blade suffices for some. I kind of like the Gerber L.S.T.

[Jim L]

+1 to the Gerber LST. Small enough to be light (34 g – there is also a lighter one) but big enough to handle like a real knife.

For lighter look at a DermaSafe (7.5 g). I have one in my car FAK. MUCH preferable to a bare razor blade.

Jim

[Brandon Vidrine]

Baledeo makes a nice UL knife; mine weighs in at 15 gms. I also like the LST; both are very solid for UL use; a great multi tool is the Gerber Splice, weighs in at about 1.2 oz. and is safe for airport travel.

[Bob Gross]

"that can get the job done when its needed?"

Brandon, it depends on what the job is.

Serious cooking might require something. Just opening sealed packages might require something less. Cutting up wood is something else. Doing emergency surgery on the trail is another story, but that might require a SAK.

–B.G.–

[Brandon Vidrine]

"it depends on what the job is"

That is obvious; I think a core philosophy of light and ultralight backpacking is measuring risk vs benefit or risk vs reward ratio when evaluating what not to carry (or what to carry); ie. if you will be in an area that there is great exposure, prepare accordingly.

But let's face it, you do not need a field machete on most hikes. You need a simple blade for common tasks. In most cases, a pair of scissors performs just as well as a small lightweight knife. If you are talking about chopping firewood or performing field surgery, then you are not an ultralight hiker.

[M B]

I never used a knife on a hike.

In several hundred miles of carrying it, I have never even used my derma safe knife on a hike, but at 0.3 oz, I think Ill keep carrying it, just in case I ever need to cut moleskin or ductape or cord.

[Erik Basil]

I used my "22g" Baladeo (it's 23g) every single day of my most recent trek, and I'd say it's about as small as I can go for what I need to do. So, I sliced hunks of thick jerky, cut paracord, cut fishing line, cut fish, cleaned fingernails and slaughtered a fammily of rabid marmo…well, not the last one.

It wouldn't do for batoning much wood, but it's a pretty good size for most other work.

[Tim Marshall]

I like my Ti Kestrel ultralighter. 12 grams of fixed blade blade glory. I love mine.

-Tim

[John S.]

What is the lightest knife that could be used to baton wood?

[Stephen Barber]

The lightest folding knife I've battoned wood with is a standard size SAK. Be careful of the joint, and use technique, not brute strength.

[Erik Basil]

I've used an Opinel #8 to baton, but there's not much wedge to that blade. It's the wedge profile that helps so much, when you have it. Strike outboard of the pivot on folders, of course.

[David Olsen]

1/2 a gram!

[Erik Basil]

The prison slash is the best one, of course: it's multi-use!!

[David Olsen]

I use a Swiss Army Bantam a lot. Full size blade plus a combination tool (can opener,
bottle opener, phillips and straight screw driver, wire stripper). 33 grams.

[Andrew Weldon]

Spyderco Bug, .35oz
http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Slip-Joint-Plain-Knife/dp/B003788U9U
Blade is nice and sturdy, holds a good edge and I find it's a little better overall than a dermasafe or a razor blade and a scraper holder. I can twist the blade and make holes in things, it's not going to snap like a razor blade can.

That said, I still never use it for more than cleanly cutting leukotape and gorillatape. I'm strongly considering switching to scissors, though the knife is handy for removing splinters. Plastic handled suture removal scissors are about .3-.4oz, Swisstool replacement scissors are about .2oz

http://www.swissarmy.com/us/app/product/Swiss-Army-Knives/Replacement-Scissors-SwissCard/30521

[Kevin Babione]

I've found the Swiss Army Clipper to be the most useful for me.

It has a small (1.75") knife, scissors, a nail file/screwdriver, and a nail clipper.

It weighs 37 grams (1.3 ounces).

[jimmyjam]

I carry two. The tiny micro swiss with the scissors and the Ka-bar ZK Acheron neck knife- it's really light, I forget the weight but it's somewhere around 7 grams with the sheath.

[Pete Staehling]

"Ka-bar ZK Acheron neck knife- it's really light, I forget the weight but it's somewhere around 7 grams with the sheath."

Seriously? Is that a typo? 7 grams is about 1/4 ounce and I have seen this knife listed as 0.8 ounces and 1 ounce in a couple other places.

[jimmyjam]

It is really light. I'm not at home where I could tell you for sure. That was a guess. It is one of lightest and still usable knives that I've seen that didn't cost a bunch. It's black stainless steel and it works for me.

[John S.]

knife is 1.2 oz and sheath is 0.3 oz

[Justin Baker]

The smallest knife you could baton safely with would be a small neck knife like the esee izula or the blind horse knives tiger knapp. They are one solid piece of metal. Or the small red handled moras (not as strong, but longer blade).

If you really think that a decent sized knife has absolutely no place in ultralight backpacking except for emergency situations, then your knowledge of wilderness skills must be pretty shallow. I'm not saying that it's necessary, but just because you don't see any uses for it doesn't mean that uses don't exist for someone who carries different gear and camps in a different way than you.

[Andrew Weldon]

Well, it's certainly odd to be talking about knives large enough to baton wood in the SUL/XUL subforum.

Though I suppose it would be very ultralight to carry an 8oz knife and just forego a shelter, bag and cook system and just huddle up next to a fire?

[Erik Basil]

:) I think that's the interesting part to this thread: for the SUL/XUL packer, what knives are working? By definition (to me, at least) the SUL/XUL afficionado has things pared down to the bare minimums in terms of weight and utility — the least necessary for the reduced list of tasks they've designed into their gear/personal capacity.

A full-tang, 50-gram-plus knife probably isn't on too many lists, even for those with deep insight to wilderness skills, if they're carrying backpacks made of fairy wings and perforated dental floss. The prison-quality slash blade above seems to me like a pretty darn XUL blade, and I would personally expect that practicioners of the dark art aren't planning to baton wood.

I did just pick up that AG Russell, 2" ti-framed folder, also noted above. Ha ha!! Now this is an XUL knife! I can see how it could be enough knife to open packages, cut fishing line/dental floss, clean nails, carve dead flesh and maybe even gut out a few potato bugs, but the string I'd have to put on it so it won't blow away in the wind will double its weight…

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I have the smallest Gerber Bear Grylls (sp?) series folding lockblade knife.

> 3.25 inches (8.5 cm. ) long
> 2.5 inch (8 cm.) half serrated blade.
> 1 oz. (29 g.) with its short, braided Triptease lanyard. (The lanyard is necessary to keep from losing it.)

After going through many knives over the years this is THE lightest useable knife I can find. It is light because its plastic handle has no metal liners.

The Gerber LST is also nice if you want a slightly larger lockblade folder. Also no metal liners.

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