Craig,

Thanks for the tip about the diamond plate. I'd likely pick it over the Smith's-on-a-diet if I were better at sharpening knives. Do you know, off hand, how much it weighs? Is it at all fragile?

Holding a consistent angle when sharpening is tough for me when I'm clean, dry, and warm. At home I've been able to make good use of Spyderco's EdgeMaker. Holding a knife straight up and down, I can do. For the backpack, unless I get better at sharpening, I feel the need to stick with something that will put a usable edge on a knife when I'm tired, wet and hungry, even if it will make the folks at Benchmade cry.

I know that my inexperience really limits what sharpeners I can make good use of. Are there any sharpeners usable by novices that are lighter or better than my hacked-down Smith's?