Backpacking tools?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Here's a question for all of you backpackers out there- when trying to cut out as much weight as possible (lazy buggers! ) what are the tools that you absolutely need to bring along, and why?

Def

[Etherealicer]

What for? Day hike or a week long hike

Day hike required:
- Bank card (cash works too but is too damn bulky)
- Smartphone
- Insurance card
- ID
- Water bottle
- Appropriate clothing and shoes (including shades a hat and the like)
You really don't need anything else but it might be prudent to bring:
- small FAK for miner cuts, maybe something against headache
Apply before leaving if appropriate:
- suncream
- insect spray

Longer hike
- Bank card (cash works too but is too damn bulky)
- Smartphone + charger
- Insurance card
- ID
- Water bottle
- Appropriate clothing and shoes (including shades a hat and the like)
- small FAK for miner cuts, maybe something against headache
- suncream
- insect spray
So, basically the same.

[Top-Gear-24]

What for? Day hike or a week long hike

Day hike required:
- Bank card (cash works too but is too damn bulky)
- Smartphone
- Insurance card
- ID
- Water bottle
- Appropriate clothing and shoes (including shades a hat and the like)
You really don't need anything else but it might be prudent to bring:
- small FAK for miner cuts, maybe something against headache
Apply before leaving if appropriate:
- suncream
- insect spray

Longer hike
- Bank card (cash works too but is too damn bulky)
- Smartphone + charger
- Insurance card
- ID
- Water bottle
- Appropriate clothing and shoes (including shades a hat and the like)
- small FAK for miner cuts, maybe something against headache
- suncream
- insect spray
So, basically the same.

All the above ...

Except that I prefer an old style, no nonsense, cell phone, like the Samsung B2100 and my Garmin MAP60CSX instead of a smartphone and its charger.

And I would like to add a couple of things:

- First some Imodium instant against diarrhea (having the runs in the middle of nowhere can be quite a nuisance ...  ).
- A compass (preferably a mirror compass, since the mirror comes in handy when you're on your own and you have something in your eye, and for the survival fans, it can be used as a signal mirror).
- A map of the region you're going to, obviously ...
- A Swisschamp, nothing beats a Swisschamp when it comes to weight vs tool loadout in my opinion.
- A headlight (preferably) or flashlight is also in my hiking kit.

[eamo]

Day hike either my vic hiker or juice or both. If I'm camping definitely my juice or wave as a pliers based tool is useful when camping

[Aloha]

I've read many who have hiked the PCT take only a classic.  Its interesting how minimal some go.  I like to go tool heavy when out for a day of backpacking.  A short ( less than 4 hours ) and I'd be more than happy with ( 1 or paired ) Spirit, Hunter XT, Swisschamp, Farmer, or something along those lines.  I will always have a small fixed blade on me when heading out.   

[ThundahBeagle]

Here's a question for all of you backpackers out there- when trying to cut out as much weight as possible (lazy buggers! ) what are the tools that you absolutely need to bring along, and why?

Def

I have a great list of items for backpacking, but it does depend. A few hours hike, day hike, or am I going up 4500 feet and pitching tent?

Never mind the whole list, since you've specifically asked for tools...

Until this year, I haven't gone hiking or camping without my Super Tinker since 1988.

Now, I could see taking the 1974 Mountaineer or the 2017 nylon scaled CamperII instead. Either way would be fine.

For a while now,  I have also been taking along a Leatherman. First it was that knockoff that lives in my tackle box, then the PSTII (currently on sabbatical in the Galapagos). My last hike, up mount Flume, it was either the Blast or maybe I took the Surge just for heck of it. I think I had the Blast on my belt and the Surge in the pack. And a SAK in my pocket and one in the bag as well. I am keenly aware I over packed on that last one, but we planned to be out for days and we had our dogs, so...I don't know what I though I needed all that for.

Are you looking for stuff beyond multi-tools and Swiss Army Knives?

[hiraethus]

I don't often go backpacking, but I do go bikepacking which has a similar light-weight philosophy.  Along with bike repair tools, I tend to take a Spirit and a Rambler and not much else.  No need for fires so no axe, and no real need for a fixed blade either.  The Spirit is more than capable of handling most outdoors tasks I've faced over the years and the Rambler takes care of the first aid and splinters.

[sir_mike]

Since the misses has kinda bad knees, we usually just take short hikes so maybe an hour or so.  For these we don't pack much!

* Phones and ID's including insurance cards, etc.
* Water bottle or two, depending on how hot it is out.
* Sun screen
* Bug spray
* Snack - just in case we are out longer which happens now and then
* Clothes - will dress for the weather and only other item maybe light jacket (again, in case we are out longer than expected)
* Small towel

* Tool wise - I always have a sak on me and usually it is the Explorer but since it doesn't have a saw on it, I will most likely swap it out for one that does like an Outrider or Hercules or maybe Swisschamp, I do this in case I need to make the misses a walking stick which I have done a quite a few times in the past.  Most of the time I can find a small downed limb to make one but I have had times where I had to cut one down and just using the blade was kinda a pain, it does work but not as fast or as easy!  Then if we are doing some biking as well as hiking, I will always add a MT like my Wave with the bit kit and Croc tool and maybe a fire making kit!

NOTE:  Alot of the time we will split the small load up as we each will carry a small backpack so there is not much weight in either but that also depends on the length of hike, the weather forecast and what is carried!  If a shortish hike and good weather, then just one pack which I will carry.

I do need to get a really good small FAK since I don't have one.

[Top-Gear-24]

Just noticed that Grant specifically asked about tools (not something against diarrhea ...  ).

Anyway, the tools I always carry on a hike are my trusty Swisschamp in my pocket (hanging on a Vic belt loop hanger).  Like I said, best tool loadout vs weight in my opinion, lots of useful tools for the outdoors, like a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass (great for splinters and bee stings), great pair of scissors, and so on ... 

And I always carry a plier based tool in its sheath on my belt, most of the time this is a Surge, a Signal, an ST300, a Rebar or a Swisstool (the last three are mostly carried on vacation, when I have to think about OHO knife laws).

And sometimes I take a fixed blade with me in my backpack, like a Mora Companion, or a Companion HD, or even a Mora Garberg or a Finnish Terävä Jääkäripuukko.

Hope this is a better answer than my previous one ... 

[Lynn LeFey]

As Aloha mentioned, a lot of through-hikers take only a Classic.

Another very large portion of them take only a Gerber Mini Paraframe.

I'm kind of starting to believe that the Waiter might be a great ultra-light option. I think the Classic fails for food prep. While MOST backpacking food is going to be something that doesn't require cutting, there will likely be times where you DO need to cut food. Preserved meats like summer sausage, or cheese, or apples, or some such, and i think the smallest blade on an MT that would manage that would be the 84/85mm blades. I've tried the 74mm and they're just too small still, IMO. The corkscrew would be useful for pesky knots. The combo tool for general prying, and to open the big free can of dinty moore beef stew someone left in a hiker box. Tweezers for emergencies. All that while still being lighter than the Gerber Mini Paraframe.

I went through something like 30 videos of gear shakedowns post through-hike, meaning the tools people actually carried most of the way, not what they started with, and I think 70% were either the Classic or Gerber Mini Paraframe, then a smattering, like a Juice S2, a few spydercos (mostly Enduras as I recall), and at least one Wave.

All this is from the perspective of a through hike on one of the big 3 trails in the U.S., the AT, PCT, or CDT, where you're generally only 5 days between towns on any trail. 

[Lynn LeFey]

I just tested cheese cutting with both an Ambassador and a Waiter. Yeah, the 74's are terrible for food stuff. The 'backside' tools make it uncomfortable for any hard-to-cut material. 'Hard' being relative. I was cutting cheddar cheese. The 84mm was way more comfortable.

But food cutting is a pretty low priority on long hikes. It doesn't come up very often.

[Gerhard Gerber]

The 6-day 94Km hike I'm doing in May is different from my previous hike in many ways, so I've been thinking about this a lot......I'm not going with 32Kg on my back again. 

My first answer would be simple: None.....based on my previous experience.  There was absolutely nothing I did or could've done with a multi tool, I barely used my knife.

For the next round I'm thinking either the Micra or the Squirt, and I could probably leave those if I took  tweezers......which is in the FAK.

The upcoming hike is different in that we'll be crossing several farms, and there are shelters for each evening.........that's the kind of situation where pliers might come in handy