Isle Royale Forums

Not specific to Isle Royale, but my trusty old Swiss Army knife finally gave up the ghost, so now I'm in the market for a knife to take on backpacking trips. I'm hoping you all can give me some suggestions.

I'm looking to simplify down to just a blade. I rarely used any part of the Swiss Army knife except the two blades anyhow. Use will generally be lightweight.

Intended uses in deceasing order of likeliness: Cut open small food packages, slice moleskins or tape, cut cord, occasionally some whittling or making a "fuzz stick"
Unintended uses (or things I don't need the knife to do) in same order: Cut food, start a fire, knife fight with a bear, mumbleypeg

I'm not an ultralight backpacker, but I do want something I can keep in my pocket without trouble. Under 3 oz would be nice. I'd rather not pay an arm and a leg, but I'm willing to pay for something that will last more than a few trips and keep its edge.

https://www.swissarmy.com/us/en/Product ... D/p/0.6223

Everything you are looking for with it only being 0.7oz. It's all I have ever needed while hiking. It does have more than a blade but the other (only 2) things are useful too. Esp the scissors (cut quite a bit of leukotape with ours)

I'm a huge fan of the Gerber LST. $23 on Amazon, weighs in at 1.3 oz with a 2-1/2" blade and thin enough to keep in your pocket all the time. Wouldn't do much against an armed bear, but more than adequate to take on an ornery chipmunk.

I have the SAK Victorinox Ambassador. It is the same as the SAK Classic, but slightly larger which makes the scissors more functional for people like me with fat fingers. The blade is small, but still larger than the Classic.

https://www.victorinox.com/global/en/Pr ... r/p/0.6503

Another vote for the Gerber LST.

I took a different path. I went with this as my knife option: https://www.rei.com/product/738186/gerb ... ated-knife 1.4 oz
I went with this for multi tool: https://www.rei.com/product/840641/leat ... multi-tool 1.58 oz < 3.0 oz for both.

I carry a little Benchmade drop point Mini Griptilian that weighs between 2 and 3 ounces. It's been a great knife and has been in my pocket almost every day for over 15 years.

If I'm fishing, I carry a little Leatherman Skeletool. It's gotta be 6-7 years old now, so I'm not sure if they even make them anymore.

Thanks, all -- this has been very helpful. The Gerber LST looks like a perfect fit for me (and the price is right) so I've ordered one.

I forgot to mention that, while I did love my old Swiss Army knife, I hate its thumbnail notch with a fiery burning passion. So, no more of those for me!

For what it is worth, i bring a Leatherman, with the pliers. I use the pliers to lift hot lids and, once, when the metal shank in the arch of a boy scouts boot somehow jutted out of the boot, to remove that.

I've been using the Gerber LST for quite a few years now. It works well for me. I hope you like it too.

I bring a Leatherman squirt in the first-aid/fix-it kit, and a Gerber LST in with the food prep stuff. Pliers, scissors, tiny screwdriver for my eyeglasses, and a knife for peanut butter, bagels, and trimming paracord.

Am I the only person who has the burning question:

what is a fuzz stick??

I don't remember when I learned about fuzz sticks, but it was a long time ago, but I didn't have a name for them. I also definitely don't make them as well as the guy in that video!

A few years ago my father in law gave me a copy of a delightful book from the early 1970's called "On your own in the wilderness". It's a bizarre combination of detailed, step-by-step instructions for people who have never been outside, dramatically out-of-date gear advice, and offhand references to things that "everybody" knows (most of which I have no clue about). One of those offhand remarks is about a "fuzz stick", and that's how I learned the name.

I don't recommend the book, except as a glimpse into a very different era of both backpacking and the world in general, but for those purposes it's quite interesting.

Fuzz stick - was in the Girl Scout handbook back in the 1960s. I learned how to make them at day camp when I was like nine years old, as they taught us to respect and safely handle knives.