how much weight does an ultralight knife really save?

[tjones]

Real question, should I freeze my water before packing it in to save some weight?

I go with dehydrated water, it’s will save you a lot of weight.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I was a bit skeptical that a havalon weighed twice as much as a forchner fibrox so...

Regardless the point here is that if you switch out a heavy fixed blade hunting knife, for a ultralight knife you could save half a pound. You upgrade your sleeping bag 1lb, pad 1lb, tent 2 lbs, bag 2lbs, drop the soft shells and get a puffy and rain gear 1.5lbs, MSR pocket rocket over a jet boil .5 lbs... you just took 8lbs out of your pack. Can you do the exact same hunt with a 65lb pack as a 45lb pack, absolutely, but do you want to?

 

[ssssnake529]

I go as light as possible with most of my gear, but I won't go into the woods without a stout knife.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

On a backpack hunt?

Well, I haven't done as many backpack hunts as I have done backpacking camping trips. I usually bring a gun on my camping trips and wear nearly the same clothes. So it's sort of the same thing, without packing meat. They weren't slouches of backpacking trips though!

I really try to pare down weight on everything else though. Unfortunately, I can't find photo evidence. So maybe I'm full of chit.

 

[LuketheDog]

There's the backpacker who goes hunting during hunting season, and the hunter who sometimes goes backpacking. One is not better than the other, but they are not the same creature.

This is an excellent point. I think there aren't a lot of hunters out there who are also good at backpack camping. If you're carrying a pack, the difference a couple less pounds in your bag makes at the end of a day, compounded over several days or a week, is waaaay bigger than most people think. Just getting in good shape and carrying less fat around is the same thing! I'm not one of those crazy minimalists or anything, but some of the heavy junk I've seen (and carried myself before I learned better) folks lug around in their pack just cracks me up. Ever played the prank where you sneak a rock into someone's pack? It's kind of like some people are pranking themselves every day...

 

[Gellar]

On Ultralight backpack trips I have opted to go with a fullhandle knife, but I cut my toothbrush handle in half to offset the weight. The difference is very noticeable and I can easily cover more distance everyday because of the weight savings.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Some weight could be saved if you take just one square of toilet paper and use it for the whole hunt. Also you could cut half the bristles off your toothbrush.

 

[rideold]

I was a bit skeptical that a havalon weighed twice as much as a forchner fibrox so...

I weighed the fibrox I have in my kitchen drawer last night while cooking dinner. I picked it up and said to myself there was no way it weighed 1.7 oz. It weighs 3.4 oz. Not sure why the manufacturer is so off on the item weight but anyway. 3.4 oz is still pretty light for a full sized kinfe.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Anyone who can't deal with 4 extra ounces of knife is going to have a hell of a time dealing with 250 extra pounds of elk meat, or 60 extra pounds of deer meat. Just sayin.

Swing and a miss on the point...no one is saying 4 oz. makes or breaks anything. Just sayin

 

[onpoint]

Back to the original question.


My opinion, and common sense, not enough to matter (unless we are going with the ax theory). Fun banter anyway.

Real question, should I freeze my water before packing it in to save some weight?

I was really looking forward to an in depth discussion of chemistry, physics, and other sciency stuff - but I guess everybody was too busy with hits of the 70's to delve into this question.
Back to the original question (which, if I understand the OP's OP - read it carefully - answered itself)..............

 

[tjones]

I tried to steer this to some serious scientific stuff with discussion of dehydrated water,,,,,

 

[GlockZ]

i'm with Stu-Mangi on this one. yes you save a few ounces, but one obviously loses comfort. i usually carry 2 knives myself, one is a Havalon, and the other is a 4" fixed blade. i feel in some cases comfort and utility supersedes a few ounces in weight savings.

 

[Redman]

I go as light as possible when I backpack hunt I carry a multitool and a Gerber replacement blade knife. I count ounces and try to keep somethings as light as possible. Back at the truck I have everything but the kitchen sink. If I am into elk close enough to the truck I live in comfort, if the elk/animals are along way in I sacrifice comfort, take what will get me by.

 

[mtmiller]

I'd be curious to hear your comparison between the two.

I did pick up a 3" pairing Victorinox a few months ago. Obviously it will do the job, but I think I am used to the larger handle and prefer the 5". If I had started with the 3" and then tried the 5", my selection may be different.

 

[Carlin59]

I think a lot of guys like the replaceable blade knives (understanding that there are other ultralite knives that aren't replaceable blades, but i would wager the majority are havalong/tyto/gerber/etc) not just for the weight savings, but for the access to a fresh, sharp blade at all times. The replacement blades weigh basically nothing, so carrying a havalon is like carrying 10 sharp knives at once for no weight penalty. Sure, plenty of guys carry a sharpening stone with a non-replaceable blade knife, but that costs time during the butchering process, weight of the stone, and requires knowledge/expertise that some guys might not have. Not saying one is better than the other, just pointing out there are other factors for carrying a lightweight replaceable blade knife besides the weight savings themselves.