After hauling my backpack up a mountain the other day I decide that maybe I should go through it and see what I could live without.

It was obvious that I may be carrying more knives than I need and would like your suggests on which knives to keep and which ones to leave at home and why you made the choices that you did.

The knives that I found on me or in my backpack when I got home were:

Cold Steel SRK
Becker Necker
Mora
Swiss Army knife
Leatherman Tool
Ritter M2 mini


And before you ask -- yes -- I really did have all of these with me.

You obviously love knives. That said you could probably pair it down to the CS SRK and the Leatherman. This gives you a large strong blade and a multitool with smaller sharper blades.

IMHO, you're carrying twice as much as you need to. Seeing what you have, I would keep the Mini-RSK and Leatherman tool and then choose which fixed blade I liked the best. I would go with the SRK

Why? The Mini-RSK is your best and safest folder and should be EDC. The Leatherman should do most or maybe more of what the SAK would do. The SAK is also unsafe to use as a knife, as it usually has no locking blade. I would choose the SRK (6" blade) since you already have the Mini-RSK with a 2.88" blade (the BN is 3.25"). BUT, its JUST my opinion.

I just carry a Victorinox Classic or Rambler, so I may be the wrong person to ask ;-)

In winter, I take the smallest, lightest multitool that will allow adjustment of bindings and repairs to skis/snowshoes.

Unless you're hunting, building a big fire, or heading off for survivalist-style living, all the other knives are for fun and play, but not necessary, in my opinion. So, take what you'll most enjoy having along.

This mountain, your doing a vigorous hike or technical climb? Is there a treeline to sub alpine zone, or are we talking rock and ice? And while you were hauling yourself up, did you make use, mundane or emergency of your cutlery? I am also curious as to carry. I love neck knives. I must be dumb, cheap or both. I use my Moras for this carry. A readily accessable, sharp blade in an emergency ( and opening that tough packaging on food when your blood sugars are in your hiking boots counts) is worth more than a 'more capable' knife in your rucksack advertised by stabbing car doors. I'm a little confused on multitools in the wild still. Now, if my dreamed of J3 Cub needed emergency repair the leatherman is the #1 choice. But frankly, I havent tightened to many bolts or screws on debri shelters. If you have personal items, ie eyeglass frame screws, then yes. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I used to carry a ColdSteel SRK in my backpack, but recently replaced that with a Becker Necker attached handle-down on my left shoulderstrap. I keep a Spyderco Native in my hiking shorts right front pocket. That's probably enough for me. The SRK now sits at home on the hikes.

I also have some old ColdSteel folder in my survival kit inside the pack (kit is stored in a 32oz Nalgene bottle). That folder is no longer made - I think it's called an "UltraLock" or something similar. It's a liner-lock, and as with all ColdSteel products, I don't know what the actual steel is. I could probably get rid of that extra folder in the kit ... I can't imagine ever forgetting my Spyderco or Becker when hiking ... but I like the idea of having everything I need inside a kit that I can move from pack to pack (even if double redundant) .

Which Mora, SAK and Leatherman? I'm not a fan of Mora's, but some are so I have a bias. I have a Necker and while it's a good knife, it's a bit small in the handle for good gripping. If the SAK is a Rucksack, Outrider, Trekker or one of the other models with a larger locking blade and saw you may have a keeper, otherwise drop it. Leathermen are heavy and while you may find a couple tools useful, you still carry the whole thing.

I'd keep the mini-RSK in my pocket as it's a good knife to EDC and keep the SRK in the pack. Then I'd look at the SAK and Leatherman and take the one which adds the most to the two good blades you carry.

Really, I have a similar collection in my pack. SAK Trekker, Leatherman Original, Dozier General Utility, Fehrman Peace Maker and RSK Mk 1 -- all keepers <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

"Unless you're hunting, building a big fire, or heading off for survivalist-style living, all the other knives are for fun and play, but not necessary, in my opinion."

I hope that statement was made in the context of having a knife for outdoor recreation. Otherwise, the word "work" was left out. Many of us use our knives (me a RSK MkI in S30V) every single day at work for one thing or another.

BTW, the RSK is perfect for me at work, too. I couldn't imagine digging a SAK out of my pocket everytime I needed a knife at work, it would drive me crazy. I can't wear pouches on my waist at work either.

I'm probably in the minority, but when I was doing a lot of backpacking/climbing, I weighed gear obsessively, in grams. We were in the "Leave No Trace" club, so campfires were pretty much out, except in extreme emergencies, so axes/large knives were not required.

I just carried an SAK tinker. Period. If you're uncomfortable with that, I'd add the Ritter mini, or maybe a Leatherman, but a light one.

Just my $0.02.

Kevin B.

When hiking/camping, I carry a Swisstool Spirit and Spyderco Native on my person and a kukri on my pack.

So it would be no surprise that I would suggest the Leatherman and Ritter mini with either the RSK or Mora in the pack. If you plan on having the SRK or Mora on your person, you could probably leave the Ritter mini at home.

I carry the kukri on hikes because I feel it is good trail etiquette to clear obstructions or hazards from the trail. And it helps with the wood cutting while camping.

I carry this Frosts Mora Clipper carbon steel knife along with this Victorinox One-handed Trekker (Trailmaster is it's other name) . The important features of the OHT are the locking blade, and a capable saw. I think combo would suit you well!

What SAK do you own (you don't specify in your original post)?

I've got the Outrider which adds scissors to the very useful saw and locking blade. I prefer the lock in the Outrider because my finger/thumb doesn't need to get into the blade arc.

Either your SAK or mine would be great combined with an SRK for bigger jobs. Just put the mini-RSK in your pocket for back-up.

Let's see, multitool in the wild....

- Cutting wire
- Small saw is excellent, if your multi tool has one, for any fine cuts (say, in the shelter)
- File for touching up machete/hatchet, dulling burrs if packframe (internal or external) breaks
- Pliers, easier on the fingers when moving a pot, pulling out spines/quills, and if having to pull a needle through while repairing your pack or boots
- Philips screwdriver, for opening radio/GPS case so it can dry out faster (had to do that a few times)
- Small straight screwdriver, for glasses and electronics screws
- Can opener, for obvious reasons
- Knife blade, backup blade

And we won't even discuss thier utility if you are hunting, trapping, fishing or using an ATV or snow mobile.

I'm not at all confused, Chris. Suprised, yes, but not by the gear.

I would probably keep the RSK- a stout lockback is your most versitile choice. However, the Necker fits the same kind of role, and it isn't much larger.

As for the Becker vs the SRK, how are they arranged? If I had to pick two, I'd go with the RSK and the Necker, leaving the SRK at home, OR just the SRK. Personal choice.

How much redundancy is there between the Leatherman and the SAK? The only reason I bother with a SAK any more is for the scissors, and I think a Micra or S-Squirt is a better choice. The scissors in the Micra are stronger than any SAK I've ever owned.

Lose the Mora. I know they have a cult following with certain people around here, but I've never seen one that was full tanged. I think any fixed blade that doesn't have a full tang is a liability when push comes to shove, simply due to mechanical strength. Particularly if is one of the ones with the hollow, hard ABS(?) plastic handle- it feels like a Lego block. I've had to much stuff crack on me to trust that particular handle.

If this moutain is a snow & ice job, I would take the CS and a leatherman. Why? Because the CS is strong enough to chop steps in ice if I loose my ice axe and the Leatherman because its a good tool.
If it's below the treeline, I would loose the Becker. Keep the rest but distribute them about my person so that I always have a knife on me. The CS can go in the pack.

Tom,
Of the knives you listed, which have you used most? Which are the most useful to you? We've all got differing opinions because we all have different experience about what's worked and the types of knives we feel comfortable using.

I always have a locking folder available so I will always vote to keep the mini-RSK in your pocket (not in your pack). Of the other knives, I find strong fixed blades useful and Mora's not so useful. You may find Mora's useful and you'd save more weight by ditching the SRK. The SAK and Leatherman may be useful depending on which specific tools they are and how you use them. SAK's and Leatherman covers a lot of different knives/tools so we really can't judge them.

Why not list the knives/tools again specifying models and state why they are in the pack -- what you had in mind when you bought them. You should see the redundancy.

I still need to lighten my knife load, lots of redundancy.

I think the greatest utility in sharp pointy things is a fixed blade, a Leatherman Wave (or Charge Ti) and a folding or Gerber Sportsman's saw.

I had an SRK and gave it away because it was clumsy to use. I prefer the CS Master Hunter in carbon V.

I think a good fixed blade knife is worth carrying, no mater what its weight. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I agree with ironraven. We took a group of scouts on a backpacking trip. My leatherman was used twice for on trail for last minute pack frame adjustments, once for needle "assist" in repairing some webbing that came unstitched, and once when a hipbelt buckle split. I used zip ties to cinch the buckle back together, but the pliers helped get them tight enough so that the male end didn't slip out.

I compromised due to weight considerations. I really wanted to carry my Wave (better file & saw), but ended up carrying my original leatherman. I carried my RSK in my pocket, but my leatherman was in the pack. Very handy on the trail.

If you have a new Wave you can get a pocket clip for it. I carry my Charge Ti clipped in my pocket all the time, even when hiking. I don't notice it is there. It comes out and open as fast and easy as any other one-handed, clipped, pocket knife. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hi Tom!

Just wondering if you had made a final choice regarding your original question?

I was unpacking my hiking pack yesterday and realized that I had a Gerber Mini-paraframe in my PSK, a Leatherman Micra in my FAK, and a stainless steel KJ Ericsson Mora... starting to think that redundancy might not be such a great thing when I do difficult hikes. I might take the Micra out of the FAK, put it in the PSK, and lose the Gerber...

These things add up after a while!

I picked the same two knives that you did plus my Ritter M2 which is my EDC and always in my pocket.

I am leaving the becker out because the handle is to small to fit in my hand comfortably and I am not taking the SRK because it is to heavy and anything that I would try to chop with it could be safer sawed with the SAK.

Your two choices are the best IMO.