Knife for Appalachian Trail

I have a 6" Super Camp for sale that's $250 and it includes a Lifter's Leather sheath. It's made from 1/4" D2 so baton away!

I can take pics later if you like.

The official ALDHA knife is the 45acp.

go to walmart AKA wallywerld and get a gerber for about 40 dollars .tit nitride edged blade, light weight and great for the trail. or ozark trail makes an all purpose blade and they should be down to about seven dollars

Depends on what you are carrying with it. If you are taking a folding saw or small axe, the knife does not have to be as robust. Anything from a folding hunter like the Buck 110 and up. If I was taking a knife alone, I would want the sturdiest one I could find. Something I could hack with and cut limbs. It would need to be a full tang knife so as not to break easily. Kabar types are not the best choice here. Lots to choose from, just depending on what you want to spend. The Puma Bowie is a good mid-range priced knife. You can find them for around $70. You might also want to look on the Smoky Mountain Knife Works web site - get them to send you a catalog. They have some great quality, low cost knives, and also high end, depending on what you want.

Personally I like the first option - Gerber folding saw or camp axe, and smaller knife. That way I'm not trashing the knifes edge when hacking something. If you go to the web site, check out the Marbles Belt Axe or Buck Camp Axe. The Buck has a more durable handle - The Marbles is a more classic design.

Buck® Camp Axe with Red Finish and Molded Nylon Belt Sheath $19.99 brand: Buck Knives® BU5784

or

Marble's® #9 Double Bitted Axe $29.99 brand: Marble’s Outdoors® MR009DB

or

Marble's® Small Belt Axe $19.99 brand: Marble’s Outdoors® MR000

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/main_front.jsp

If your going to do the AT this day in time you will need a gun. Google death on the AT. Keep a ear out for that banjo music. orchidhunter

I prefer the Cold Steel SRK or the Recon Scout. One of the 2 plus a Gerber folding saw will do wonders. Toss in a Leatherman and your tool needs are set. I've had an SRK since they first came out...and I still use it every trip to the field. I've hammered with it, hammered it into ice during the Winter mountain Warfare School, its been in salt water, fresh water and some NASTY water. I have tried for years to make it fail....I failed to do so! My leatherman case is taped to it with 100 mph tape. Improvised tape pouch on the back holds my fire rod and striker. Probably 50' of para cord wrapped around the sheath and then the 100 mph tape over that. Wire saw, fishing gear and small Inova light are all on or in there somewhere too.
Ka Bars suck for chopping duty. If you put (and You really should) a lanyard thru the handle of the SRK..take time to fit it right. Make sure you can hold the last couple inches of the handle when you chop with it. Where ya gonna put a lanyard on a Ka Bar? Also, Make sure you "dummy" cord the knife to yourself. Extended arm length plus 12" gives you enough line to secure the knife and not wonder where the hell it went to. The last time I hiked parts of the Trail I found 2 pocketknives and a Cold Steel Recon Tanto. Don't let your knife become one of those!!
Another option is the Gerber Pack Ax with the utility knife in the handle.

When I hiked on the at I always take my pocket knife, a small fixed blade and a small hatchet. Theyre all light and very good tools. Nothing was ever too hard for these three and in fact I rarely needed more than my pocket knife and if I did I used my little hatchet. I do know that gerber makes a hatchet that comes with a fixed blade knife that fits in the handle of the hatchet. Good luck!

I hiked the AT from one end to the other back in 1988 carrying a Buck Lite...I still have it.

walmart, the winchester fixed blade knife, it's $15.00. It holds a good edge and is fairly light for the side. I have taken it on all my AT hikes since I bought it. It's great!
Happy trails, dude.

p.s. if you have something that can baton through wood, it will be heavy to do anything substantial. I have hiked a good bit in my life, and have never needed a tool of the type.
bring a pack woodsaw, it will be better than any knife for cutting wood. I promise you that a saw is always better.

Cold Steel Bushman under $20. Tough and inexpensive; can handle batoning.
http://www.gwknives.com/95bus.html


Gerber folding saw under $20. Great for building emergency shelters.
http://www.gwknives.com/46048.html

Medium sized Swiss Army knife with scissors under $20. Lighter than most multi-tools plus has tweezers and toothpick.

Check out the Climber plus: http://felinevet.sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_phpshop&page=shop.browse&category_id=1c914424d2569bea3439fbcca9123a27&option=com_phpshop&Itemid=1 felinevet only sells the best used SAKs.

I would have to agree with those who say take a saw, but in all my growing up years I seldom found it necessary to have something larger than the saw on my Victorinox BSA Huntsman. Today I'd say get a Leatherman Charge with the S30V blade and you've got it covered with a saw and a good knife bladed multi-tool. I'd still say take a good fixed blade sheath knife, I've had a Cold Steel SRK that has been great. I'd definitely trust it without hesitation. I also really like my new Ontario Knives Rat 5 in D2.

I've spent lots of nights backpacking and always got by with a pocket knife, usually a Swiss army knife. The Super Tinker was one of my faves. Decently long blade, scissors for cutting moleskin, and the usual handy SAK stuff (can opener for the tuna, tweezers for ticks, screwdrivers for fixing the stove, etc.) Today I might take my One-Handed Trekker so I could have a one hand opening lock blade and a saw. I'd miss the scissors.

Thing is, in most places along the AT you can only burn wood that's dead and down. Occasionally I've been camping with someone who had a Sven saw that was handy for gathering firewood. They're light enough that I'd prefer one to an axe.

Honestly, though, you could save weight and money by forgoing a big knife, ax, or saw. Extra weight tends to get dumped along the way. After hiking 20 miles a day you're not going to have much time or energy in the evenings to chop firewood. You'll collect whatever's dead and down and call it good.

For long-distance hiking, you're not really going to need a heavy knife, nor an expensive one, since chances are good that somewhere along the line you will lose it. Thus I'd recommend a Mora knife from Frost's of Sweden, a selection of which you will see here. These knives all share some common features that make them good selections for backpacking: light weight, easy to maintain, and a quality knife for an inexpensive price.

Another good choice is the Cold Steel Bushman already mentioned above, for the same reason: Inexpensive, durable, lightweight.

Weight will become a huge concern on the Trail, and doing everything you can to lighten the load will become an obsession. A lightweight knife will be far more useful than a heavy one.

Fallkniven S1 Forest Knife with the Zytel sheath (the leather one has no retention strap). In my opinion, the BEST knife on the planet for your purpose, although it is a bit pricey. I am also a backpacker, and this is the only knife I would consider for an extended trip like an AT thru hike. Above all else, the knife you choose has to be 100% reliable. I only wish I could go with you!

http://fallkniven.com/S1new.html

The website pic doesn't show it very well, but the full tang of the knife actually extends about 1/8" out from the butt of the handle. This makes it very good for batoning. Also, it weighs less than 7 oz.!!! The Fallkniven A1 is the tried and true big brother of this knife, and certainly fills your criteria, but it costs a bit more and weighs almost twice as much. If I was heading out for a 2000 mile hike, I would opt for ultra-light EVERYTHING.

These can usually be found for $130 or so. I got mine on eBay.

If you look into a saw as some of the previous posters suggested, check out the Sawvivor. It can cut up to a 5" log and weighs 9.5 oz! I've had one for about 15 years and I love it!

orchidhunter:
If your going to do the AT this day in time you will need a gun. Google death on the AT. Keep a ear out for that banjo music.

orchidhunter

Click to expand...

Is the whole Appalachian Trail able to be hiked with a firearm, now that the National Park ban has been lifted?

As for the knife, you probably don't need such a large blade with you and it is just going to add extra weight. The longest hikes I been on haven't been anywhere near 2200 miles. Infact it closest to a little over 100 miles and I felt good with a 3 inch bladed knife and a folding saw or hatchet, which is far more useful than a big 7 inch blade.

Get Valkman's Super Camp! It has a big flat on the spine you can pound with a rock to split wood. He guarandamntees it!

I was going to suggest the Dozier Wilderness knife. Maybe a tad expensive and perhaps too heavy for long distance backpacking. But I like the knife.

I have only hiked portions of the AP, so I'm no expert. Some knives to consider are the SOG Revolver Hunter (with the saw blade and plain edge blade). It is a great knife and much tougher than it looks. The saw blade is quite aggressive for cutting. The hunter version comes with a real nice leather belt sheath.

I would always carry my favorite SAK. In my case that is the Adventurer model. Some like the ones that have the saw blade, but I think it a tad short for much more than a tent stake. It is the only knife I own that if I loose it, I feel something is missing and have to replace it as soon as possible.

A basic fixed blade that I carry in the woods hiking is the SOG Seal Pup Elite (plain edge) which is a strong light fixed blade. The blade may be a tad thick for veggies. But otherwise it is a great medium price knife that will serve you well. The canvas sheath has a pouch that will easily fit most any SAK also. The sheath is bulky, and I have mixed emoitions about whether I prefer the canvas sheath over the kydex as I have both.

Speaking of Ka-Bar, they make this knife in D2. It's a great size, it has a full tang, and it's made of D2 so it's going to take abuse like you can't believe. Knife and sheath together come in at just over 12 ounces.

Consider Ontario Randall's Adventure & Training Knives

Check out the RTAK:


or the Rat 7:

Having hiked lots of different parts of the AT, I can tell you, that you won't need anything more than a small sak or pocket knife.

The very fact that you're backpacking, you have weather proof shelter with you, as well as suitable clothing and gear for less than perfect weather. You won't be batoning any wood, simply because open fires are very stricly prohibited for most of the trail. If a park ranger finds you with an open fire in some areas, you will not just be given a summons, you will be arrested. espcially if there is drought conditions in mid summer. Because of the population of people using the trail in recent years, rules are taken extremly serious by the park service personel. The shelters have a fire ring, but you want to stay clear of the shelters as they are magnets for the vermin. Both four legged and two. They are infested with mice that will chew holes in your gear to get into your food while you sleep. The two legged vermin are the proffesional woods bums who disguise themselves as back packers, wait till you're sleeping, and steal your gear. I know one person who woke up and found his whole pack gone.

Once in the area of Wolf Mountain, my better half ran into a really shady charater on the trail with no gear, meaning he came from one of the small towns nearby, and he was pan handling right on the trail. He got a bit aggresive till I slipped a hand in my pocket and used some very vivid and strong lanuage on him. Too many parts of the trail are VERY close to depressed small towns, and the local yokals sometimes like to park thier pickups close, walk in, and hastle the hikers.

You're a young guy, and probably won't have a hastle, but keep your wits about you, and you can have a great trip. You'll be on the AT, not walking through Disney World. Keep that in mind. Not everyone you meet will be a nice peacefull hippy backpacker.

Select only the lightest and most esential gear.

Have fun.

As I got older, I had to cut my load, and I got tired of carrying a sheath knife that never left its sheath.

Be carefull on the trail from southern Virginia to mid Pennsilvania, alot of trail crime happens there. Robberies, a few killings, some rapes.

While I wouldn't bother carrying a sheath knife, I would certainly carry a small pocket pistol, and keep it totally concealed for the whole trip ON MY PERSON. Most trail crimes seem to be commiteed with a knife or blunt instrument, as in the case of Gary Hilton. He used an asp type of baton. It's quieter. Same for knife. Even a NAA .22 revolver will beat that. Aside from the girl on Blood Mountain in Ga., Hilton also killed an eldery couple in North Carolina for thier ATM cards. A small hide out handgun would have saved thier lives. Same for the couple in Virginia killed by Randall Smith.

Keep every once of weight down that you can from your pack. There are parts of the trail where you will be climbing up grades for a whole day, making your way uo a mountian.

STAY CLEAR OF THE SHELTERS!

This one:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=119796555

Or one equally light. Every quarter-ounce helps.

Carl, You should of had Banjo music playing behind your post. orchidhunter

I doubt you'll actually have the need to baton through anything, so you don't need a big, heavy fixed blade. An SAK or Leatherman with a saw would serve you well and be able to do any emergency woodcutting. If you want something for very quick deployment, consider the Mora Swedish Military issue knife. It's less than fifteen dollars, has a good sheath, and is very light. Most Moras fit most of those categories, but the SMK has better sheath retention than other Moras. You could even strap it to one of your strap packs.
Definitely pack a pistol, heavy enough to stop two-legged predators. If you can't, at least do this:
1. Carry a good stick, something strong enough to hurt someone when swung. If you're using trekking poles, you could see how well of bludgeons they make. If they don't do that well, you could stash a Cold Steel Sjambok somewhere on your person.
2. Get a 12" Tramontina or Ontario or Cold Steel machete. Fashion a sheath for it (if it doesn't already have one) and strap it either to your belt or over your shoulder, claymore style. Make sure you can deploy iy quickly, and read up on slashable human anatomy.