4 ms·
> Taking two knives (machete and a cutting knife), as though they are out to fight nature. Isn't that reasonable? If you want to cut food, or do something that
by luckylion 4y ago
> Taking two knives (machete and a cutting knife), as though they are out to fight nature.
Isn't that reasonable? If you want to cut food, or do something that requires precision, you don't want to use a machete. If you need to bushwhack and clear some brush, you don't want to use a small cutting knife.
- DocTomoe 4y agoAs an European outdoor enthusiast ... I have never been in a situation where I needed a machete instead of just going a slightly different path. Are American forests darker versions of Fangorn?
- rascul 4y agoSome areas have less maintained trails. There have been times I could have used a machete to get through an overgrown trail.
- b112 4y agoEven if they are, it would take hours to cut a 10 foot long path in that, with a hand axe / machete.
- ekidd 4y agoIt depends. Obviously, if you're a visitor on a public trail, you shouldn't have a machete. But there are corners of my property where a machete wouldn't hurt. Sure, New England forests often have open understories. But if sunlight can reach the ground, they can also be nearly impassible.
- xrayarx 4y ago“A machete wouldn’t hurt”, I see what you did there
- marymkearney 4y agoSeems to me, if you're choosing a route through Fangorn that's so overgrown, it requires a machete (!) to clear, you're about to get really, REALLY lost. Weight of machete on hike >>> equivalent weight of water on hike, seems like a much better idea.
- tekla 4y agoIf you need a machete on a marked trail, you're lost.
- dagw 4y agoWhile there are places in the world where you need to have a machete to actually hike, they are very few and far between, and certainly not something for casual and amateur hikers. 99+% of people who bring a machete hiking absolutely don't need it and if they even use it, it is only hack randomly and pointlessly destroy vegetation.
- jimnotgym 4y agoIt is a shame he didn't have a gun as well, yet still no water map and compass. Then we could really enjoy the op's joke
- seattle_spring 4y agoGotta have 2 guns at least, for different gun situations.
- mothsonasloth 4y agoA gun for breakfast, lunch and a more formal gun for dinner.
- ielillo 4y agoActually a gun is a great signalling tool. By convention you fire 3 shoots each hour with one minute interval.
- _Wintermute 4y agoIt might be reasonable if he was overly prepared for every eventuality, but who goes hiking with a machete but not a map and compass?
- tekla 4y agoYou bring knives to short marked managed trail hikes because you want to LARP or are just that stupid, not because there is any expectation of using it. The only time I bother to bring a knife is if I'm doing multi day backpacking in bear country. Of course I have bear spray and bells and everything else you should have to deter a bear in the first place, but the last resort option feels nice to have.