unltralite knife

[michael levi]

Checj out the Kabar 13 neck knife, wrap some para cord around the handle and you have a 1.2 ounce useable fixed blade knife for $10. I did research on an UL knife and this was the best quality and lightweight knife I could find per dollar.

[Jack Richland]

I carry this knife daily on keychain. I sell this razor/saw combo on my site. Super light and tough, very similar to the Derma Knife.

http://blackscoutsurvival.bigcartel.com/product/folding-razor-saw

The Doug Ritter RSK Mk 5 is a small fixed blade that weighs 0.9 ounces and is very rugged to be such a small knife. hope this helps

[Jacob Smith]

I know things on the east coast and more directly the AT are much different than the West, but for me the Spyderco Ladybug Salt is perfect. It weighs less than an ounce and can remove splinters, cut line, and open tuna pouches. It being rust proof has made life much easier in the hot humid summers here in VA.

[Ken Larson]

[John Donewar]

While cruising the aisles at my local K Mart I spotted these little gems hanging up in the sewing notions department. They are a miniature version of the multiple bladed, plastic bodied, disposable utility knives you find in hardware stores.

The blade can be retracted to a safe position inside of the plastic body. It has a "felt detent" in that position but does not lock there. Something or someone needs to move the slider button for the blade to extend. Stow it away with this in mind.

With the blade(s) fully extended the knife measures 2 7/16" or 62 millimeters. There are three blade sections that can be broken off one at a time and disposed of as they dull.

The thickness of the body including the slider button works out to .250" or 6 millimeters.

Best of all on my digital scale one of these little gems weighs 0.10 oz or 2.83495231 grams. ;-)

As you open the blade you feel something of a detent at two points along the slider button's travel. There is no locking mechanism as found on their larger cousins.

I paid $2.99 for a blister pack of four. In round numbers they cost $0.75 each.

No I won't be chopping firewood with one of these. Still, for those who carry single edge razor blades as their super ultra light cutting implement this may be a cheap and easily made safer alternative.

I'll admit that on past hikes I carried a CRKT M16-10KZ folding knife with a 3 inch blade. The most use that I have gotten out of my folding knife is cutting open those hard to open foil packages of my Micropur tablets. One of these little miniature utility knives could have well handled that duty and saved me some ounces.

For the really hard core XUL hiker you can remove all but the last section of cutting blade and there is room to drill lightening holes in the plastic body to get below the ridiculously heavy 2.84 gram weight. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Party On,

Newton

[Nathan Hays]

The Leatherman Style at 23g is what I carry.

1.6" blade, scissors, file, tweezers.

I've never used the file, but everything else has proved very handy, and often so.

[Peter Evans]

I've vacillated over this a fair bit, I've come to the conclusion that if I need a knife at all, I need a real knife, with a full size handle and a very tough blade. The trails I take are sometimes not trails at all, a knife is one of the most fundamental tools you need in the backcountry, so it's worth taking a real one.
I carry a Swedish fireknife it has much more utility per gram carried than some silly thing like the Baladeo 22 gram. I haveone, I hate it. I have a Leatherman style, if I was going to go truly minimal I'd probably get by with that.

I think sometimes lighter is not always better.
My $0.02

[Matt Weaver]

I've found a happy spot between weight and function with a 2" blade. I can easily make shavings/small kindling to start a fire and then do all the other random tasks that any smaller knife/razor could do. I had the Gerber LST but after using the Spyderco Ladybug 3 have found it to be a much more refined and enjoyable knife to use with some bigger knife features. 18g with lanyard.

[michael levi]

I just got a ladybug salt, yellow. It weighs .6oz.

[Rusty Beaver]

Does anyone by chance have the Buck Hartsook Ultralight….or Boker Grasshopper knife?

Hoping to get an accurate weight on either knife including sheath?

Re the Buck Hartsook Ultralight, I'm interested in the authentic version and not the Chinese made knock-off being sold on Ebay.

[David Olsen]

Found at picnic site. Imperial Stainless paring knife. Took an edge well with an old farmer's stone. Won't fold up on you, easy
to clean, reaches to the bottom of the peanut butter jar, kinda retro. Probably dozens of these at the goodwill. Great for loaners.

21 grams, 3" fixed blade (long enough to be illegal to conceal in many cities).

[Tony Ronco]

Great affordable find! Thanks :-)

BTW – Thrift stores have good paring knife selections. Wood handles definitely have that cool retro vibe, but ones with the cheap black plastic handles have (so far) been the "lightest" YMMV

[Jake D]

If you don't actually need a blade but would like to cut cord, moleskin etc.

2.5" sewing scissors.. 7.5g with a little carboard sheath so they don't stab a hole in anything.

[stefan hoffman]

I really like this knife. I think its the most attractive UL option and the lockout is rock solid. I got it because not only is it the lightest one they make, but it has a hole for a lanyard and a lethally sharp point for splinter picking or stabbing into a trout with ease. I have fairly large hands so i put a really hard knot around the end through the lanyard hole. A tight enough knot becomes an extension of the knife body and a good firm place to grip with pinky or ring finger.

I should note that the knife was incredibly dull when i bought it. I kept the chisel grind, lessened the angle, and worked on the tip a little bit.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

BTW, Gerber has knives in virtually any size but they have many small lock blade knives.

[mik matra]

I have the 17.1g Gerber;

And the 14.1g key/credit card knife. Although not a 'lockout' knife it is fold up blade with a tiny swivel lock so the blade will not pop out;

For a usable steel blade of that size I am very happy with the 14.1g (.5 ounce)

[spelt with a t]

Ruta Locura Ti knife

[Dale Wambaugh]

What job? I use a knife for food prep, basic repairs, trimming line and basic fire-building, like making fuzz sticks for tinder.

I recommend the Victorinox Little Vickie. They are cheap, light, and they come with a good sheath so you wont shred your pack. $10 is a gift in the knife world. I prefer a bit more knife, but I could get by with the Vickie. It will attack a block of cheese or an apple with no problems :)

http://www.rei.com/product/836226/victorinox-little-vickie-utility-knife

[Sara Marchetti]

Like many I begrudgingly carry the Swiss Army Classic. I say begrudgingly because I don't want to have to carry any extra weight. Beyond the obvious simple cutting (the only steady use I get for mine while backpacking is cutting dental floss) most UL knives will easily break when trying to do anything beyond cutting open your food packages (sarcasm). If I had any desire to carry a knife, I'd go big or go home. Full tang. Something you can baton wood with. Like a Mora Craftsman or SOG Seal Pup. Two great knives for people who like knives! But alas, there will be no batoning for me.

[Matthew Steiger]

Mora knives are not full tang. Even the "robust" models are only 3/4th tang. That being said, I'd bet they are plenty tough for batoning. I own a few, but have never reached for them for that purpose.

[Matthew Steiger]

No one, I think, has mentioned the AG Russel 'woodswalker' option, a sort of kitchen/paring knife rework that seems like it would be suitable, at 1.2oz, aus8, not too big but with a real handle. I'd say more, but I don't have one yet. Weight is sans sheath.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Tang length really doesn't mean much in a knife with the weight and dimensions of a Mora. I have cut the plastic handle off a Mora blade and it wasn't at all easy. I'm confident that any abuse that might loosen a molded plastic handle would break the blade first. They are fantastic knives for the cost and weight.

I see batoning as a lesser attribute of a knife, with the primary functions being to cut and slice. What you can do and should do with a knife might be very different things. IMHO, batoning is a make-do survival technique and you could end up breaking your very useful tool in a bad situation. I've watched video of Bear Grylls bashing on his knife with a rock, which really made me wince. If you are going to be splitting firewood on a regular basis you should get a tool up to the job. But then, you shouldn't be hiking and splitting firewood anyway!

The bottom line is to get off the pioneer-mountain-man nipple and start living in the 21st Century, using brains rather than big chunks of iron and leather to live outdoors.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I had a Woodswalker and it is pretty much a paring knife with a nice wood handle. The sheath options are probably more of a selling point than the knife itself. You could walk into any kitchen store and come out with a dozen similar knives, but getting a light knife with a light sheath is the challenge and the AG Russel Wooodswalker with the Kydex sheath option is the way to go. If you aren't going to carry it on your person, the Little Vickie will do the same jobs for less weight and cost.

[Dan Yeruski]

Spelt gave a link to the most expensive knife ever Ruta Locura Ti knife :-) I liked the design so I ebayed and got a deal on these 2 plus sheath:

ebay is good

[Bob Gross]

I wanted an ultralightweight knife to do just a few backpacker tasks, to open food packages, to cut some duct tape or athletic tape, and to cut an Esbit fuel tablet. So, I made one out of a tiny piece of thin sheet aluminum. The edge is sharp enough, and then I punched holes along the edge to make it serrated. Final weight: 2 grams.

–B.G.–

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