What is your most precious piece of backpacking gear? | Your explanation...

What is your most precious piece of backpacking gear?

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Xymnslot

380

Jan 5, 2019

Bear deterrent? Off topic but I think that's a story worth telling. I'm not an experienced outdoorsman/backpacker, but I have to think that the one thing I literally wouldn't leave without is my knife...ESEE4.

Jan 5, 2019

XymnslotThanks for the reply Xymnslot! That’s a great point, I think bear deterrent is totally on topic, because it addresses comfort. No matter how many times I encounter bears ive never gotten over my “deer in the headlights” fear of them. I’m absolutely terrified, enough so that seeing that “BEAR ACTIVITY” sign at trail heads completely changes my mental state and ultimately effects my enjoyment of being outdoors. Anything that makes hikers feel comfortable on trail is extremely important. My strategy is always carrying a Bluetooth speaker that connects to my phone, if I’m feeling nervous I just put some tunes on and not only does it alert the bears of my presence but takes my mind off of it as well. Other strategies I’ve seen used are sprays, bells, flare guns (sorry Ben Dreamin for spilling your secret), poppers/fire works, guns and other types of noise makers. I don’t condone some of these, fire works are a fire hazard, sprays and guns can be used improperly resulting in injury. But who says they have to be used, if just having them makes you comfortable and more likely to get outside I say go for it.

(Edited)

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Jan 5, 2019

XymnslotAnd speaking of knives, also an important part of any backpacking kit, I recently lost mine somewhere in Grayson highlands, which is fitting cause I found it in the roan highlands (karma wheel...). It was a Kershaw leek and I absolutely loved it, but they’re kinda pricey and don’t know if it’s worth it to buy another. I broke the tip off and I’m not sure if this speaks on the quality of kershaw or my misuse of it. I don’t know much about what makes a quality knife a quality knife, can you recommend a replacement? I loved the feel and weight of the leek and how it kinda springs to life, is kershaw a reliable brand? Is it worth the price?

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Xymnslot

380

Jan 7, 2019

RustyBridgesYour explanation of the bear deterrent makes sense now! I didn't mean it was an off-topic thing to carry, I just assumed you had a bear encounter that I wanted to hear about (which would be a little off-topic). The Leek is a great little knife. Funny enough, I lost mine recently as well although that was in downtown Phoenix and not outdoors at all. Kershaw is a reputable brand, but they make a very wide range of knives in a large variety of materials, which affects the costs considerably. I'm an enthusiast but by no means an expert on knives, but I'm happy to share my opinion...fair warning, knives are a rabbit hole with no end and no shortage of differing opinions. The discussions on the blades section of Massdrop and other forums can be...lengthy. For outdoor use, I think conventional wisdom is that a fixed blade in the 4-6" blade length range is ideal for a 'camp' knife for basic, all around utility. You'll want a durable steel but not something that is so hard that it's impossible to sharpen on the go, so there are a LOT of knives in 1095 steel which gives a good balance. Big manufacturers like ESEE, Becker, and TOPS come to mind here. If you liked the Leek that much, then you're probably more interested in a slim, lightweight folding knife and from that perspective, you sir are in luck - again see the knife section on Massdrop...they have a lot of cool collaborations with various manufacturers that will fit your needs. I personally carry a Spyderco Delica 4 on a daily basis - the stainless steel scales on my model make it very slim and pocketable, much like the Leek, but the blade steel is slightly higher quality (over the base Leek, it has a variety though) and it lacks the spring-loaded flipper mechanism that makes the Leek so fun to deploy. I would peruse the drops here, and google "Kershaw Leek vs." to see what other competitors the internet community tends to compare to that model and you'll likely find some options that are competitive in cost. Regarding the tip of your knife breaking - I think that's a rite of passage...mine was broken as well, and the Leek in particular is known for the delicate tip. Other blade shapes are less prone to this issue, but on most any pocket knife, breaking the tip comes down to usage. Don't turn screws or pry things with it and you'll usually be OK. Mine broke because I was fiddling with it and dropped it on concrete. If I were to replace my Leek today (I'm not, because $$ and wife), I would be looking at the Brad Zinker Dogtooth that is available as a drop now for $119. The reviews seem very positive and it has a better blade steel than the base Leek (or even my Delica), and it looks awesome too. Last bit of advice I have...Whatever you do, spend what you are comfortable with! Your Leek with a broken tip served you well, so don't read a bunch of posts stipulating that some exotic supersteel is the only acceptable material for X type of work. Humans have been making do with iron, bronze, and low grade steels for many centuries...we have the benefit of choosing from an amazing variety of superior steels at all price ranges, and almost anything you buy today is going to be better than what was out there even 50 years ago. Edit: A quick note on TOPS - by almost all accounts they make high quality blades, but many are absurd designs and the costs tend to be high.

(Edited)

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Jan 7, 2019

XymnslotOoooh I got ya, sorry I miss understood, yeah I’ve had a few encounters with black bears, most in the great dismal swamp around Lake Drummond, one with cubs in the forney creek area of the smokies and one in the three ridges wilderness. Only two were in close proximity; the first was near lake Drummond, I saw it ahead of me about twenty or thirty yards and it did what most black bears do it saw me and ran away... at least I thought... I get to where it had gone of trail and it’s still there about five feet from me... my heart stopped and I froze for a sec, the bear looking at me snorted and snapped me out of it, I “walked” as fast as humanly possible probably 3 miles back to my car. The second scary encounter was the one on the forney creek trail, I came around a switch back and saw a husky looking “dog” standing in the middle of the trail, I bend down and whistle thinking “ahhh someone lost their dog” NOPE! It was a bear cub, as soon as he saw me he jumped into the brush off trail, I immediately turned around and walked back up to where the trail turned and turn around to see mama staring me down about 20 yards away, another cub crossed the trail behind her and she followed shortly after. This time I walked back up the hill I was on and sat there for 30 mins, after that I carried on with my hike and never saw them again. Both of these times I made the same mistake turning my back to them out of sheer terror but surprisingly I didn’t run. Nothing that crazy but still for me it was not a “cool” experience especially in the smokies because I was alone and on my first multi day trip, I did not sleep well that night I tell you. Thanks for the knife advice I didn’t even think about the type of steel or just searching “leek versus” and now that I think about it a fixed blade would be better, there’s no worrying about the hinge mechanism getting dirty. Your also spot on about me breaking the tip off... I was trying to unscrew something on my trekking poles with it and immediately regretted it, haha, I’ll check out those brands you mentioned , just skimming through the discussions here I see Spyderco pop up a lot. It will probably be a tax return purchase and will let you know what I end up with. Thanks again man!

Xymnslot

380

Jan 9, 2019

RustyBridgesThat IS terrifying - I've never had a wild encounter like that! Also, drop just went up it looks like - the Leek in carbon fiber: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/kershaw-link-carbon-fiber-folding-knife

Jan 10, 2019

XymnslotYeah I saw that, definitely on my radar. I found this checking out the brands you reccomended, out of my price range but I might have to treat myself: https://www.knivesshipfree.com/tops-knives-c-u-t-4-0-tan-canvas-micarta/ i really like the look of it

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