If I am backpacking or climbing, I never carry sharpening gear - simply can't afford the extra weight. Sharpen it well beforehand and rely on expedient means if it gets really dull. If a vehicle is involved, a stone or two is good.

I need the razor edge at work (pro chef) so I keep touch-up stuff there. But no full-blown sharpening there, either. To me that's a shop issue.

I am partial to either the Fallkniven DC3 or DC4 diamond/ceramic sharpener. It is fairly small, not too expensive ($18-24) and has the advantage of both diamond and ceramic surfaces.

Pete

Fallkniven DC3 and DC4 Sharpener

One obvious scenario is when one is hunting. Especially when skinning out a large animal, being able to touch up a blade in the field is very useful.
This is sometimes true. When weight becomes a big issue (as in backpacking) then the sharpening gear might stay at home. Unless, of course, as noted above when hunting. On the other hand, when paddling my sea kayak, I keep a small stone with my gear.

As always, the universal answer applies: "It depends!"

+1 on what Pete said.Also consider a Lansky ceramic dogbone sharpener.They cost between five and seven dollars.Either the Fallkniven or Lansky are compact bomb proof sharpeners for the field......

BOATMAN
John

I've found only one use for it. Its good for carrying wire bail buckets like paint cans

I am one of the "no sharpener carried" camp. I have a variety of pocket type sharpeners but I find that on most all the trips I do or have done, I never need a sharpener. When I was in the military I carried a red (fine) DMT pocket sharpener in my kit. I carried it because if I was ever deployed, I could be in the field for an extended period of time.

In civilian use, I never carry one in the field. I have been on a lot of trips and never needed a sharpener and prefer to save the weight. I went on a 7 day Bushcraft course a few years ago and used my knives all day long and part way into the night. I took a Mora and a SAK Farmer. Both were razor sharp to start and not very much duller after 7 days making things and making fuzz sticks, batoning firewood, making spoons, bowls and traps. Good steel and good knife technique should be able to hold up for quite awhile without sharpening.

I'm a steel- and blade-junkie, so most of my knives are made of steels that have pretty good edge retention. My EDC pocket knife is ZDP-189. For most purposes I can't imagine two or three knives getting too dull to use. You could skin and process several large beasties without dulling a really good knife.

I'm also a semi-professional sharpener. My preferred methods of sharpening, namely a belt sander and Japanese natural & synthetic water stones, aren't terribly portable. I think it's difficult to do a good sharpening job in the field, and I set the bar very, very high for what I consider an acceptable sharpening job.

That said, I do sometimes have a hone or a strop. I completely agree that they're handy in the field, but I don't consider stropping/honing/steeling to be sharpening, just truing. At work I keep a borosilicate glass honing rod made by Hand American as well as a fine Idahone ceramic. The glass one is used on very hard Japanese knives, like Super Aogami or powders at 62-64 Rc. When one of my gyutos won't shave I give it two licks per side on the boro hone. When that won't bring it back to shaving sharp I use the ceramic. When that won't make it shave I resharpen the knife on water stones.

I plan on having John K (can't spell or pronounce!) of JK Handmade do a rehandling job on one of my SAKs. He does very nice work! My dad had 50 or 60 of his knives, and most of them have been passed along to me.

Yeah, his work is great and he's a very good guy. He and my dad were good friends. He also makes scales for the 1911 pistol, been meaning to have him make a pair for my Kimber.