The Little SAKs

[ElevenBlade]

...seems we should start a Hiking SACs thread or something ...

 

I started a general one on the outdoor forum. Feel free to add to it. It's about 50/50 split between SAKs and MTs.

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,83526.0.html

[TonySal]

Thanks 11B 

[TonySal]

Tony, it's not really that much an achievement. By the nature of the beast kind of thing, backpacking means you already have food, shelter, and bedding with you and don't need to hack out a living with a bowieknife the way the mountain men did it. Heck, even the old mountain men got by with a thin bladed butcher knife. The famed Green River shining knives and such were just good old kitchen style butcher knives in a sheath. They traveled with tarps, blankets, cook ware like cast iron flying pans and coffee pots. Probably an ax on one of the pack animals. They even used simple friction folders for general cutting.

In 2000, I did a cross country motorcycle ride from Maryland to the Oregon coast and back. I stopped at the mountain man museum in Colorado and Bent's Old Fort in Colorado. It was interesting. Hollywood has really blown it all out of wack. It wasn't nuthin like the Jeremiah Johnson move with Redford.

With todays modern high tech materials and gear, you can carry all your shelter and gear in a 30 pound pack. In a water proof shelter bevy zipped up in a down or synthetic bag, you'll be warmer and more comfy in a blizzard than the old mountain men.  An inch and a half of blade is enough for modern backpacking.

Recommend reading; "Press On" by Chuck Yeager. He found the executive ve enough for two weeks in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Its a hilarious funny book in its honesty. Yeager and his friends were some real characters.

...and maybe someday soon I will try a northbound....

[Barry Rowland]

Meet you halfway Tony!  Carl is right.  I used the Minichamp mainly for cutting open snack packages.  The older I get, the more conscious I am of gear weight.  I'm not Charles Lindbergh obsessed with gear weight, but I am trying to shave what I can off my high mileage back and legs.  I really didn't notice the need for anything else as the Minichamp handled it all.

[Barry Rowland]

 

Thanks 11B 

[ElevenBlade]

Meet you halfway Tony!  Carl is right.  I used the Minichamp mainly for cutting open snack packages.  The older I get, the more conscious I am of gear weight.  I'm not Charles Lindbergh obsessed with gear weight, but I am trying to shave what I can off my high mileage back and legs.  I really didn't notice the need for anything else as the Minichamp handled it all.

 
I have a minichamp I haven't used yet.  I like the concept, but it wouldn't quite work for me at this point.  I need a bit more scissor and a bit more screwdriver for now.

Have you guys found uses for all the tools? The pharma spatula?

[39hotrod]

...seems we should start a Hiking SACs thread or something ...

    My Walker goes with me while hiking.. And a Wenger Eveo-Grip 18 is ALWAYS in my pack!!!

Also.. Picked a MiniChamp on the Bay!!

[ElevenBlade]

  My Walker goes with me while hiking.. And a Wenger Eveo-Grip 18 is ALWAYS in my pack!!!

Also.. Picked a MiniChamp on the Bay!!

All good choices

[39hotrod]

Thank You ElevenBlade.. 

[Barry Rowland]

  The Evo 18 is a wonderful hiking and camping knife!  Congrats on the Minichamp!!

All good choices

[Barry Rowland]

 
I have a minichamp I haven't used yet.  I like the concept, but it wouldn't quite work for me at this point.  I need a bit more scissor and a bit more screwdriver for now.

Have you guys found uses for all the tools? The pharma spatula? The spatula makes a great straight edge screwdriver! 

[39hotrod]

The Evo 18 is a wonderful hiking and camping knife!  Congrats on the Minichamp!!

Thank You Barry...

[Barry Rowland]

  39!  I had a Patagonia version once.  I loved it, but moved it on in an absent minded moment for something else

[TonySal]

...I may try the mini champ in watch pocket for awhile....

[SirVicaLot]

This is my favorite 58mm scale.  I have made the decision to put it, along with my ATOM A0 Ti with red led, together on a ball chain. 

 

Love those scales! 

[TonySal]

Love those scales! 

     

[39hotrod]

...I may try the mini champ in watch pocket for awhile....

Looking forward to mine.. Supposed to land here Thur..

[Aloha]

Great stories about hiking and 58mms.  I read a lot of folks setting out with 58s and not feeling the need or want for anything larger.  The MiniChanp is wonderful SAK but over the years I've settled on the Manager for keychain duty.  I still like to carry my MC around the house and while the "coke" spoon  doesn't see much use its a neat implement.  The picker blade is exceptional. 

[cbl51]

Colin Fetcher, the backpacking guru who wrote "The Complete Walker" that was the Bible of backpackers in the 1970's and 80's, was a fn of the classic. Inhis second book, "The Complete Walker II" he talked about finally abandoning his old 6 inch sheath knife and going with just a Vic classic. The Classic then became the mandatory piece of cutlery for all backpackers because Colin Fletcher said he uses one. Colin then went on to write "The Complete Walker III' The Complete Walker IV" and so on.

In truth, for backpacking, he makes sense. If you indeed have everything you need in your pack, what would you need a large knife for? In all my years of ultra light backpacking, I don't think I ever really needed more than a 58mm SAK.

[39hotrod]

I have friend that is section hiking the AT.. All he uses is a single edge razor blade..

[Barry Rowland]

That's where I got the idea from to try it Carl, and he's absolutely right.

[Aloha]

With the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails I'd imagine a sharp object is good enough.  From what I've seen of those who have completed or even just hiked a section, a large blade was just not needed.  I've read some like to carry a small MT or folder.  I think its a matter of what works for you like anything.  I'm not sure what I'd bring  .  I can tell you shoes would be my primary then sleep secondary priorities.       

[Barry Rowland]

That's actually spot on Aloha.  I've spoken with Thru Hikers of both trails, all of who said that a knife or Multitool wasn't really even in their minds as far as planning went.  Thank God for us M/T guys!!

[cbl51]

With the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails I'd imagine a sharp object is good enough.  From what I've seen of those who have completed or even just hiked a section, a large blade was just not needed.  I've read some like to carry a small MT or folder.  I think its a matter of what works for you like anything.  I'm not sure what I'd bring  .  I can tell you shoes would be my primary then sleep secondary priorities.     

I've never done the Pacific Crest trail, but over my life I've done so many sections of the Appalachian that I've lost accounted for most of it. And your right, a knife really is not needed much at all. Starting in spring down at Springer Mountain its chilly/cold and wet. Very good rain gear is needed, as well as a weather proof bivy shelter. Once you're on the trail for a month, you're into warmer weather, and I usually switched to hammock camping with a very light weight water proof 10X12 nylon tarp that rolled up the size and weight of a loaf of Wonder bread. By summer, you've stopped at a few small towns and mailed stuff home because you didn't need it anymore.

Once up into Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you switch from boots to light weight trail shoes by New Balance or Merril. The pack gets lighter as well, as you pass by small towns where you can re-supply more often. By summers end up in New England, you need to have the cold wet weather stuff mailed to you, because in fall it gets chilly in New England. By the time you get to Maine, you need all your winter stuff back, especially if you're running a little late in the season.

But at no time did I ever need much knife. But the one single bit of gear I wouldn't go without is, my little beat up Optimus 8R stove. By modern standards its antiquated, a bit heavy, and theres smaller lighter little stoves on the market. But like an alox Pioneer, its nigh on unbreakable and reliable. And after a chilly wet day, and I'm finally under my tarp shelter, its great to have a nice hot drink of tea, or cocoa or instant chicken soup or warm bourbon and water as a hot toddy. In my later years I did experiment with the soda can alcohol stove, and it worked, but that was at the very end of my backpacking days.

I think if Colin Fletcher were alive today, you may hear him joke, "Knife? We don't need no steenkin knife!"
 

[Barry Rowland]

I have an Optimus 8R Carl, and while it might be a little heavy compared to my pocket rocket, there's no greater sound than that roar!

[cbl51]

I have an Optimus 8R Carl, and while it might be a little heavy compared to my pocket rocket, there's no greater sound than that roar!

Yeah, its like a jet engine on after burners!

I recall timing it once, on a very cold morning on the A.T. with early morning temps in the high 30's. The water from my canteen was like ice water from the fridge as I poured it into the GI issue aluminum canteen cup/pot. I set the pot on the stove when that roar kicked in and I knew it was drawing from the fuel tank like gangbusters. It was like 4 minutes and a few seconds till bubbles were rising and the water just starting to boil. The tea tasted great on that cold morning!

I think the Optimus is like an old Smith and Wesson .38 revolver. Its always going to work! Kind of like Victorinox stuff; always works like its supposed to with no surprises.

[Barry Rowland]

Exactly

[TonySal]

  some more cheers for the Executive?!

[Barry Rowland]

Absolutely Tony!

[Wessaen]

I've never done the Pacific Crest trail, but over my life I've done so many sections of the Appalachian that I've lost accounted for most of it. And your right, a knife really is not needed much at all. Starting in spring down at Springer Mountain its chilly/cold and wet. Very good rain gear is needed, as well as a weather proof bivy shelter. Once you're on the trail for a month, you're into warmer weather, and I usually switched to hammock camping with a very light weight water proof 10X12 nylon tarp that rolled up the size and weight of a loaf of Wonder bread. By summer, you've stopped at a few small towns and mailed stuff home because you didn't need it anymore.

Once up into Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you switch from boots to light weight trail shoes by New Balance or Merril. The pack gets lighter as well, as you pass by small towns where you can re-supply more often. By summers end up in New England, you need to have the cold wet weather stuff mailed to you, because in fall it gets chilly in New England. By the time you get to Maine, you need all your winter stuff back, especially if you're running a little late in the season.

But at no time did I ever need much knife. But the one single bit of gear I wouldn't go without is, my little beat up Optimus 8R stove. By modern standards its antiquated, a bit heavy, and theres smaller lighter little stoves on the market. But like an alox Pioneer, its nigh on unbreakable and reliable. And after a chilly wet day, and I'm finally under my tarp shelter, its great to have a nice hot drink of tea, or cocoa or instant chicken soup or warm bourbon and water as a hot toddy. In my later years I did experiment with the soda can alcohol stove, and it worked, but that was at the very end of my backpacking days.

I think if Colin Fletcher were alive today, you may hear him joke, "Knife? We don't need no steenkin knife!"
 

I've done the John Muir Trail twice which joins up with part of the PCT, most recently about 4 years ago, and while it is only about 220 miles long it has high elevation with several pass elevations of just over 13200 ft at some parts(Forester Pass). There is a section near the southern end where there is a stretch of about 110 miles with no chance of resupply.

I carried a Huntsman with the thought that I might have to use a saw for some reason. I never did.

There were a few times where the pliers on a Deluxe Tinker would have come in handy to repair some gear so I am thinking about either bringing that or an Exec for when I either do the JMT again or a section of the PCT in a few years. I do think having the two blades would come in handy on the Deluxe Tinker as I like to eat summer sausages/salami and hard cheese for the first couple of days after a resupply (to break up the monotony of usual trail food) and the larger blade would be nice.

I also always carry a Classic SD, back up tweezers are always handy as I have lost them on the trail before in the past.

-Wes.