***Official Hiking/Camping Thread***

Cree flash light is the way to go. I got one at the LaSportsman show for $20. Lights up my neighbors house 150 yards away.

I have three leathermans and like then, but I still carry a pocket knife. I just like the leatherman for the pliers and screwdriver accesories, not sure if I ever use the knife part of it.

None of those. Bring the smallest lightest blade you can find (swiss army small, a tiny spyderco). I brought a tiny pair of medical scissors) and a headlight. You don't need a flashlight or a multi-tool.

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Bring the smallest lightest blade you can find

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Ounces are important when packing. I wouldn't see the need for a big knife.

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I cut my toothbrush in half before I even made it to North Carolina.

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Never thought of that. 15lbs is light.

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you might need to baton wood or do a lot of cutting a fixed blade is called for

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+1 even tho it may add weight it could save your life. Id rather carry few more ounces than be cold all night.

skip the hand held flash light get a nice head lamp, but if you do the in expensive small led that you can get at sams club are not bad. If you get both head lamp & hand held make sure they both use the same battery. How far you going

There is not a single place on the AT that you need to chop wood or cut down any trees. Why kill something when there is plenty of dead wood already on the ground? Besides, it burns better.

ETA: Dressing properly is your best bet to avoid being cold at night. That fire isn't goig to go far when you're stuck in freezing rain.

IMO having a big knife is not even a question. I normally carry an ESEE 5, a Leatherman charge, and a Spyderco Military combo with me in the woods. I have no problem carrying all of those plus a Camelback with tp, a flint striker, an MRE, maps, tree painting cans, 3 rolls of flagging tape, etc. I also carry on my person a 100ft logger's tape, an aluminum clipboard, compass, GPS, and cell phone and cigs.

The first few days I was working, my back muscles were a little sore, but after 2 or 3 days, I was good to go.

That was all of my "essential" items for a day in the woods that would normally last 10-12hrs and I (70% of the time) would walk between 10 and 15 miles. I had to think about the "what-if" factor of me getting hurt or not making it back home that night.

I think that you definitely need a big, solid knife, a multitool, and a pocket knife for all of the random uses that a knife needs to be readily accessible.

Some other quality knife companies that I have used or seen are Swamprat, Zero Tolerance, the Gerber Gator, and Busee. I have also used SOG, Benchmade, Columbia River, and Gerber. The Spyderco Military, Zero Tolerance, and Benchmades were tha best out of that bunch. I have broken a few SOG and Columbia River knives over the years.

As far as a headlamp, Petzl makes some very nice ones, as well as CREE. You really get what you pay for with these.

Here are the links for some very good, bigger knives:

Swamp Rat
ESEE
Busse
Zero Tolerance

You might also start thinking for a camping axe or axe/shovel combo.

For knives, this is the best company that I have dealt with: https://www.knifeworks.com/
They are fairly local to BR and I normally get shite within a day or two. I get all of my Zero Tolerance and Spyderco knives from them.

thats what 30-40 miles?
not a nice hike either I would suggest packing heat you'll get up there in the NE GA mountains with those ridge runners all jacked up on meth carry 2 wallets one to give away and your real wallet that you keep but not in your back pack good chance they will take that too