Non traditional gear: Could a bullwhip be useful?

[jose c]

A bullwhip is far from being a tool that is common in backpacking/outdoor/hiking contexts. But I wonder.
When I was a kid, as an Indiana Jones fan, I once found a piece of bicycle tube that was “my whip”. I thought it was really useful to me then, and nowadays, as an adult, when in the backcountry, far from any trail, managing to make my way through bushes ascending a mountain, I’ve frequently seen myself hoping to have a whip, to grab a branch that is further away from me, so I can pull and get through the bushes easily. I also had an episode last week in which I was traversing down a creek and couldn’t get further down because there was a cliff. If I had a whip that resisted my weight (I know, this could be dangerous/even deadly, but I do these kind of things frequently), maybe I could grab with it a branch and climb the whip down, and when I get down,  with a yank I could get the whip down. Something that I coulnd’t do with a rope.
And, of course, there’s the self defense issue. If you know how to handle a whip, you have a relatively light and small weapon that gives you 6 or 8 feet of distance to your adversary, having a big advantage over somebody with a knife for example (I frequently carry a Japanese Jo-like staff as a trekking pole/self defense weapon in case I find a robber or a bad guy in some of the places I trek in South America)

What do you guys think?
I know I shouldn’t get myself in dangerous situations, that safety always comes first and for descending rocks I should always use proper harness/ropes, etc., and if I find a bad guy I should give away my possessions and save my life and integrity as top priority. I know, I know, but, do you think a bullwhip (the kind Indiana Jones used) could be a useful/versatile tool when backpacking/traversing the backcountry, given that you are trained and know how to use it?

 

[Shane S.]

W the actual F

[Dan]

A bull whip sounds useful, but what about a halberd?  Not only does it give you a long reach against an adversary, but it can be used to cut through underbrush, chop wood, and could also serve as an excellent support or ridgeline for a shelter. You might even be able to spear fish with the pointy end.

[Bonzo]

Can something like that be useful?   Yes, of course; anything can potentially be useful…but it’s a question of whether or not an item is likely to be useful.  In this case, no, I don’t see a lot of uses.  Personally, I don’t get into areas of vegetation so dense that I have to pull myself through and I don’t go up and down cliffs without the things that help me stay alive, safely, when doing so…nor would I be using a whip to solve those issues.  I also don’t see them as an effective defensive weapon; I know they can be used that way, but so can a trekking pole.  Sounds to me like you just need a decent machete and some basic climbing gear.

[Brad P]

April Fools Day is several months away, so I’m not sure what’s going on here.

[Dustin V]

As someone who has taken a whip hiking before (when I was a teenager) I can tell you that using one on a trail is problematic, at best. They take a large radius to wield and the usable part of that radius is right at the edge. You’re more likely to get it caught where you don’t want to, or to spend too much time untangling it from branches once it’s there.

IMHO, if you’re doing that much scrambling and climbing, bring climbing gear. It works better and is far more versatile.

[Dan]

I suppose trebuchets and heavy artillery are strictly for car-camping only.

[BlackHatGuy]

“If you know how to handle a whip, you have a relatively light and small weapon that gives you 6 or 8 feet of distance to your adversary, having a big advantage over somebody with a knife for example … (the kind Indiana Jones used)”

Let’s remember that when Indiana Jones really wanted an advantage, he used a pistol…

[Bonzo]

I didn’t want to say anything until I had more info, but: I have a friend that is into whip-cracking, so I phoned this one in and got some info from him.

Let’s remember that when Indiana Jones really wanted an advantage, he used a pistol…

Correct.  Let’s also remember that most of what happens in movies is complete and utter fiction: wrapping whips around things and using them to pull, rappel, strangle, or whatever else is very hard.  Aside from sport/competition, bullwhips have basically one use: making very loud noises in order to move bulls…and even that task can be made easier by modern cattle prods and other such things.  Also – fun fact – bullwhips are actually kind of heavy and very expensive…like, easily over a grand for a legit one by a quality maker.  If someone wants a relatively light and small weapon, they’re better off carrying a gun; you get far more for less money and weight, and you can always default to it if you’re confronted by a hulking Tunisian swordsman while simultaneously battling a secret bout of dysentery.  If guns aren’t your thing – and that’s cool – carry a knife and learn how to use it.

And for seriously: don’t try a descending scramble when hanging from a whip.  Just…just don’t.

[Paul Wagner]

For some reason, this thread brought to mind all the times I’ve snagged my cast while fly fishing, and what a royal pain in the patoot that was.  I can only imagine how much fun a large and heavier line would be…

[MJ H]

I think you can get an extra section and a halberd attachment on a neoTrekk BigStik.

[Ron Bell / MLD]

Strapping wierd stuff to your pack (damaged barbies, skunk pelts, giant pacifiers, etc)  used  to work keeping trail “Normals” from engaging you in excessive banal conversation.  Now that the trails are full of wannabe self styled  “Weirdos”  it just does not work anymore. Maybe a bull whip it thinking is the right direction.

 

[Paul S]

C’mon guys this is BPL. Why hasn’t anyone thought of using DCF thread to make a lighter Bullwhip? Next level.

Imagine the fun sitting, for example, at the top of Mather Pass cracking your whip, chanting “You shall not pass. “

[jscott]

[Bonzo]

…damaged barbies, skunk pelts, giant pacifiers, etc…

See, there’s your problem: none of that is weird stuff anymore.  You have to up your game.

[Marcus]

Paul- “C’mon guys this is BPL. Why hasn’t anyone thought of using DCF thread to make a lighter Bullwhip?”

You’re on another level here. Kudos to you. I mean, DCF is just UHMWPE thread and mylar. I bet braided UHMWPE would actually work as a whip quite well.

And if I got to a mountain top and saw that, you better be under a bridge or dressed in fur. Otherwise it’d just be weird :)

[BlackHatGuy]

i’d still rather have a pistol for those darned killer rabbits…

[jscott]

Yeah, when packing for at trip I’ve thought about the possibility of having to defend myself against other backpackers…never. One time, out of a frightening number of years, I did have a “whoa!” moment when a fully armed day hiker with a smirk on his face passed by going in the other direction. This was at the peak of the open carry hysteria. He was clearly enjoying freaking the nature lovers around Tuolumne Meadows. Whatever, dude. Other than that, out of many hundreds of days and nights, and many many bears, I’ve never felt the need for a bullwhip or pistol or any self protection. That stuff’s heavy! but, and I’m being serious, I’m a male. It’s a whole different story for women hiking alone or even in pairs.

there are cat toys that are whips with a feather at the end. I wonder if mountain lions might not enjoy chasing after the end of a bullwhip. And then what do you do when it’s time to stop?

[Bonzo]

I think that a lot of the desire for protection comes from location and the surrounding economics/demographics, more than from any other source: necessity, deprivation and lack of education/opportunity are fertile breeding grounds for violence.  I do my best to not hike in or close to those areas, but many people don’t have that option if they want to enjoy the outdoors… especially if they live in or around developing or depressed areas/nations.  To be able to say that one has never felt the need for protection is to have a very fortunate, privileged and safe lifestyle…and that’s great, as long as we recall that it’s not that simple for everyone.

i’d still rather have a pistol for those darned killer rabbits…

I have a twelve-pound rabbit sitting on my lap right now, and let me tell you: when she’s pissed off, she can do some serious damage.  Bunny noses are cute, but you can’t afford to forget that right behind them is a hydraulic shear filled with self-whetting chisels.  If she bites, whatever she hits is gone.  Scary thought…but she has a cute little bunny-butt and she makes snuffling noises while she’s cuddling, so she can stay. 🥰

[Brad P]

This is BPL, not BDSM.

(not kink shaming anyone)

[Bonzo]

Do not anger the bun.

[BlackHatGuy]

Never seen a rabbit give the stink-eye before…

[Jerry Adams]

“I wonder if mountain lions might not enjoy chasing after the end of a bullwhip.”

My wife got a bullwhip from thrift store as cat toy.  Winnie was never very impressed so we turned it back in.

I encounter hunters carrying guns in the wilderness occasionally.  They’ve always seemed responsible enough.  I didn’t have fear.  Maybe just a bit until I started talking to them.

Don’t bring a bullwhip to a gun fight?

[jscott]

Jerry: oh yeah, hunters, no prob. The guy I ran into was day hiking in a National Park (no hunting) and open carrying some sort of giant modern hand gun designed to take out people.

[Bonzo]

I encounter hunters carrying guns in the wilderness occasionally.  They’ve always seemed responsible enough.  I didn’t have fear.  Maybe just a bit until I started talking to them.

As always, there are two types of people in the world…and in this case, there are people that responsibly own/carry/use guns, and those that do not.  The vast majority of hunters are in the former category.  No idea if that’s true of whip-owners, or not…and now that I say that, I feel like I’m the one that’s accidentally kink-shaming.  Bad Bonzo!  No cookie!

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