I guess most predators prefer easy meals to ones that stab back! The knife would be nice to have if you could get to it. Obviously most of us would have one with us anyways.

That also depends on where you choose to do your hiking.Statistically if you hike on a well-beaten path,your chances of a wildlife encounter are practically nill,as opposed to making your own path,& again it's Murphy for the win!

actually, i opened the above link to the list of attacks.

chose a year set at random.

the ones i read - at random - were all on trails or at campsites.

i'm rethinking my knife carry - it seems fighting them off is an option, ranger wanna be or not.

what other people think of me is none of my business.

...Not to hijack my own threat but...

Wouldn't a tall backpack and hiking staff be better for the ( incredibly unlikely, really really close to non-exixtant) cougar/ big cat attack scenario?

Backpack - defense - as it covers the neckal regions

Hiking stick - offense --Because its already in your hand

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of people don't hike with actual hiking sticks/staves anymore. Instead they use lightweight collapsible hiking poles modeled after ski poles. While great for hiking stability, they don't make for very good weapons.

"he comment about mountain lions severing their victim's spine - I was under the impression that most big cats killed their dinner by getting a tight grip on the throat and suffocating them. Am I incorrect? A 100 lb. mountain lion severing a spine on the first bite seems a long shot. FULL DISLOSURE: never seen a couga, except in a zoo. "

The lion's teeth are spaced just perfectly to pass through a deer's neck bones and separate them.

I don't think its a matter of thinking there's a likelihood of going to battle with a lion as much as it's a recognition that something as simple as moving the carry location of your knife could improve your chances of survival on the off chance a lion encounter did occur.

It's recognizing and implementing a simple, no-cost, low effort risk mitigation measure for a low probability, but high impact risk. For me this is a good balance; I don't think the probability of such an encounter really warrants a specialized defence tool.

That said, the specific situation can change things; I had started planning a trip to one of our national parks earlier this year and the park had issued a warning that a mountain lion was frequenting high use areas and recommended all visitors carry bear spray due to the increased chance of an encounter.


I think a tall backpack would definitely help; I'd think it would protect you from most of the initial injuries that would come from the type of ambush from behind/above that seems common. As for the staff, I think it might be helpful in the situation where a lion was being more overt in its actions or where you had to try and break the attack of a lion on a friend or family member, but might not do much good if a lion was on you.

From what I've read so far, it appears that the situations where knives proved the most helpful where those where the lion was on the victim and they used the knife to stop the lion's attack themselves.


I love my simple, wooden hiking staff. I've been considering switching to a more modern solution primarily for the compactness and packability, but I just can't get over the benefits of a simple wooden staff ... but that's getting way off topic ... hijacking the hijack

I think the Doug Ritter mk-2 knife would be a Perfect choice,carried in a tip-up or down position,It would mitigate the fear of being Defenseless,Substantially indeed!Nighthiker is right on the mark,as is his Roosveldt proverb!Very Simple!

I agree with the hiking staff for defense, if that is your concern. Not only is it there in your hand, you have reach with it.

As for the knife carry, I say carry it however you feel you want or need to. Just good to have one with you. If it is on your pack and you have to ditch your pack, you just ditched your knife too. Hopefully, you have a pocket knife as back up.

hiking staff for defense!.i have,in hand.a 1909 UK Boy Scout book with a intro from Baden Powell himself that give detailed advice on using the hiking staff to ward off "tramps and drunken rough's" with a blow to the collar bone,among other things.