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Comment by vdnkh | Hacker News Reader

Using a ka-bar for hiking is a terrible idea. At 0.7lbs it weighs as much as a quality sleeping bag/tent/pack. Also, you likely don’t need a knife. Scissors are much more useful, and micro scissors weigh less than an ounce.

Ultralight hiking adds an interesting forcing function to gear - correctly “built” (as in not overbuilt or under built). Bring the gear which matches the need. In essence, the complete opposite sentiment of this post.

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I bring a fixed blade knife hiking. Can split wood in a pinch. Not nearly as heavy as a ka-bar, though.

Your point still stands, though. I had a military pack and couldn’t believe how heavy it was even when empty. Ultralight hiking gear is pretty amazing and optimized for an entirely different goal. That said, I still feel like specialty gear like this is a different class than the average consumer stuff.. closer to industrial or military in design than Amazon junk.

Ka-bar's name comes from literally kill a bear.

A lot depends on the wildlife you could expect to encounter - a pair of micro scissors weighing less than a ounce won't be useful against even a smallish dog went feral. (Lots of stray dogs around the places I live, not all of them good boys)

Having a rugged piece of metal that you could use for defense, prying stuff apart, lever, axe is a must for me. Especially one that is easy to re-sharpen with a simple rough whetstone.

I go hiking with esee 6 - it is comforting to know it is there if the going gets rough since it is nigh indestructible

You seem to be conflating hiking with backpacking.

You don't need a knife backpacking either. I did 200 miles on the PCT without even bringing a knife.

> You don't need a knife backpacking either. I did 200 miles on the PCT without even bringing a knife.

I don't generally need a knife in my daily life either, but I still carry one at all times. In the same sense that I often wear a seatbelt, despite hopefully never needing one, and having driven many hundreds of thousands of miles without one ever proving useful.

It's just when it comes to hiking vs. backpacking, the calculus of what to carry changes significantly because when backpacking you implicitly are carrying much more junk than on a hike.

For me hiking is much closer to a long walk in civilization than backpacking; I encounter more people, and carry my knife just like I do around town. Hiking is actually especially unique since it tends to be done civilization adjacent, and for some idiots that's the most accessible source of cover for criminal fuckery or desperate homeless living.

Yeah this is true. With a K-bar though you might leave your axe behind depending on your trip.

It’s double edged so maybe not. I think if I needed to split wood I’d want a hatchet.

With the hiking I like to do, I hike all day, boil water for food with a canister stove, and pass out. So I optimize for weight - less weight = more miles (and is much more comfortable).

Which is - obviously - very different than backcountry winter camping in which you’re already pulling a sled behind skis. Bring that axe, fresh food and bottle of wine.

Yeah I really like that style too. Sometimes we hike to a nice spot and just stay there a couple of days. I'll pack differently for that. It's so much fun with little kids that don't have as much range. You could still baton through wood with the k bar but there are better options.

Pretty sure the standard k-bar is only single edge.

It will take an second edge, but out of the box it is generally only sharpened on one side.

Knive does the work of scissors and it can hack, hammer, and prepare fish or small game.

I use a knife all the time while hiking - good luck cutting a salami with scissors. That said, the ka-bar is not worth the weight. I really like my benchmade hidden canyon.

Haha salami is what I worry about. But there are knives for under an ounce. And at any rate, I don’t mind eating the salami log straight up

I’ve always got by with a simple folding spyderco knife. Small. Lasts forever. Does 90% of jobs when backpacking or around the house, etc. a ka-bar is a fine car camping knife though. Meant to take abuse and be a multi purpose heavy duty tool. We mostly overland and car camp these days. Different tools for different purposes and all that.

Dragonfly and you’re done for 95 percent of tasks.

I use a $4 folding "outdoor" pocket knife from Wal-Mart. I have used it for cooking, digging holes, cutting branches, rope, plastic, fabric, tightening screws, fixing zippers, opening cans of food, hammering random things... I honestly can't remember the last time I sharpened it, it doesn't seem to be dull yet.

Problem with folding knives for camping is they get gunk in them.

Ka-bars are kind of a meme. They are made fairly cheaply. You won’t find knife enthusiasts (eg USN) recommending ka-bars.

Folding knife does get a little messy but I have backpacked thousands of miles with the same one and it is never a practical issue.

Ultralight hiking tip: You can cut meat and cheese with fishing line.

Still like to carry a knife, though!

HN suprises me all the time with little gems like this.

I thought the ideal camping gear were multitools? e.g. swiss army knife or leatherman.

I think the victorinox classic has a blade and scissors and weighs 0.7oz

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