Ultralight Knives and Other Sharp Things

"A knifeless man is a lifeless man" -Old Nordic proverb

Hey guys and gals. I'm new to the sight and this is my first forum post. Love the articles and discussions. Also, I'm a big fan of your books, Mike.

I'm in outdoor education, and I just can't tell my students to go without a knife. I always carry one and like Mike, which knife depends on the nature and length of a particular trip. I don't carry a silly Rambo sized sticker and I'm secure with the size of my manhood, But I will carry something. My dad was an expert woodsman, and I was taught to always carry something, so I will. Besides, when hiking in Europe, you need a tool with a corkscrew in it!

I do like the idea of the swiss scissors. In fact, I have a classic with a damaged case, so I'm going to extract the tiny scissors for my blister kit. Thanks for the tip!

For those of you who go without, more power to you. You have my respect.

Keep up the good work. I've learned much from this wonderful website.

Dan

I kind of agree with Daniel on this one. I loved Mike's story- I think every point is completely valid…but I still carry a decent sized knife (currently a Benchmade Pika at almost 3oz).
I'm not sure I even used it much on my last extended trip, but that's neither here nor there to me- it's one piece of gear that I see as tradition and simply like to have. As a huge fan of early (like ~50,000 BCE) human culture and knowing how much time was spent in the development of specialized cutting tools, I kind of figure I owe it to my ancestors to carry something decent :) There's ample evidence that many of those poor chaps developed arthritic conditions in the jaw and wore their teeth down to stumps without blades. I don't want stump teeth. Maybe it is some trace Neantdertal/cross-species/ancient DNA in me, but I can't resist sharp shiny metal…even though I know it's not all that necessary anymore.

Now if I could only lighten my flint hand axe….

Right on Kevin…What I'd give to get my hands on some early tools.

And from what I understand, it wasn't just to make the actual tool smaller, but to make the whole process more efficient…Upper Paleolithic tool makers focused on the blade, gravitating away from the general-purpose (and much larger) hand ax favored by the Neandertal:

"…from a pound of flint, the Upper Paleolithic blade technique could produce 305-1219 centimeters of cutting edge whereas the early Mousterian technique could produce only 102 centimeters." (F. Bordes- "The Old Stone Age")

I suppose Mike's graph of experience vs. blade size holds true for over a hundred thousand years!

I love being human…

Victor Swiss Army Bantam weighs only 35 grams. Opens bottles, cans, pouches, blisters, cavities, The tweezers are the best tick removal tool that I know of bar none. Cuts food well too. The main blade is also good for piercing eggs prior to hard boiling (gull,chicken,goose etc.)

Neal

My everyday utility knife is a small pocket clip knife that weighs 1.8 oz. Usually a spyderco delica (serated)or a benchmade axis 530 (half serated). Both have about 3" blades and can be opened one handed and are quite sturdy. I say usually, because as a gear freak I collect shiny things, and knives score very high on the trinket index.

Since I have one with me on the drive to the trail head, usually there is the last minute, what the hey, an extra 2 ounces won't kill me and I hate reaching for something habitually and finding it missing (That explains the beer holster on my mall ninja utility belt as well).

Thus it gets taken along most times. I've never 'needed' the bigger blade, but for the first night's meal of frozen tenderloins and for prepping fresh veggies it's nice to have a real knife for a real meal.

Hi, I'm Neil and I'm a reformed trad backpacker. Last week I backslid three times, and had to call my sponsor for support.

Hey – I have that Utili-KEY thing (0.4369 oz) and it's nice. I got it from a website called Key Chain Tools.

here's the cool website (for nerds like the crew posting on this forum):
http://www.keychain-tools.com/

Here are two other additional UL knives/scissors that weren't on the list.

1. Coghlan's foldable scissors [1.0 oz]
2. Olfa Touch-Knife (retractable) [0.2 oz]

Both are stainless steel.

Cheers,
PCM

Hi Kevin

> You know, the one thing that hasn't been brought up for UL use is a disposable surgical scalpel —previously unused, of course :-)>.
Tut tut: you should read the article more carefully. I listed a scalpel blade in my kit. Mind you, I suspect some of the other BPL staff probably have scalpels in their first aid kits too, and just didn't mention them.

> A #10 scalpel w/ plastic handle will handle most chores and is far easier to use for precision work than a single bladed razor,
Easier to use? Well, yes, but where do you get the plastic handle? Could be useful.

Without some sort of handle a scalpel is more tricky. The blade starts out *very* sharp. So? Well, if the tip get a little blunt after some use, there is a temptation to grip the short metal handle end more solidly and to use a little more force. But that can so easily bring your finger into contact with the still very sharp edge at the handle end of the blade, leading to a rather deep cut in your finger before you have realised it. The edge is so sharp you don't feel it cutting in for a while…

I must say I rather like the prep blades as an idea.

Carbon Fiber can be used to make very strong, sharp, and ultra-light blades. They are harder to find in our post 9-11 world. If you like a rugged long blade carbon fiber knives are an ultra-light option. The best one that was ever manufactured was the Mad Dog Frequent Flyer.

http://www.steeladdictionknives.com/knives/custom/mcclungkevin/CustomNeckKnives/OldSchoolMiniFrequentFlyer.php

Wenger Esquire, with the nail file ground down into a nice striker for the firesteel rod (from a magnesium firestarter). I'm considering just bringing a razor blade, as I very rarely use a knife, but then I'll need to get another striker. are razor blades effective and user friendly for using a firesteel?

Dear Mr. Mark Denton,
You don't sound at all like an UltraLight guy, which just makes me wonder how you arrived in and continue to tolerate this club.
I have been using folding knives for about 45 years, and the ONLY times I've cut myself was when using a FIXED blade at the age of about 10, and when my little 3 year old brother sliced me with the breadknife at dinner when I was about 5 (my first and only stitches).
I've spent 5 summers in Alaska enjoying many trips into the backcountry and usually alone: never had a problem with bears, moose or mosquitos .. I mention this just to let BPL members know that there is more than one side to The Great State of Alaska.
Thank You and Safe Travels Ahead,
theThriftstoreMountaineer