More on new Spyderco Light Weights: Let's discuss!

[youmakemehole]

slysz bowie LW :p

Thinking of it now though something like a LW spydie chef would actually be way cool and way practical. I think if it was priced competitively, say around $100 they would fly like hotcakes if hotcakes knew how to fly

[steelcity16]

Lil Native LW Salt please! Will take a Lil Native LW in Cruwear as well.

Also, still waiting on my grail piece, a Native LW in Cruwear. DLC would really make it the ultimate grail for me! :)

[vivi]

I remember Colin Fletcher advocated cutting the handles down on toothbrushes and trimming the margins off topo maps. He wore three pound boots.

The actual importance of an ounce in hiking, backpacking and all that is vastly over rated.

How many times have you bicycled 200 miles in one day, then slept on gear you carried with you in freezing temps?

Perspectives change quite a bit with experience. On trips like that, I squeeze out half the toothpaste of a travel tube when I pack, and other things people think to be silly and over the top. When you're pushing the physical limits of your body, these things matter.

Sure, if you're biking 3 miles to work, an ounce doesn't matter. Even a pound doesn't. But if you're riding like you're competing in the RAAM, it absolutely does.

This extends to all sorts of activities. If you're hiking a mile from your SUV to a camp site, go a head and bring a 50lb pack. If you aim to hike 20+ miles a day for over a month, you'll hate life carrying that much weight.

I've had office jobs where I didn't mind the extra weight. I've had wilderness security jobs where I had to walk 12+ miles per shift, where I did mind it. Not everyone lives the same lifestyle. Telling folks "weight isn't a big deal" to people who live an active lifestyle can be like telling Lance that "Corrosion resistance isn't a big deal," or telling Deacon that "Left hand friendly locks aren't a big deal."

[MichaelScott]

Well, I have backpacked extensively, climbed technical rock and mountaineering in Colorado and Wyoming. I remember always carrying a bunch of gear we never used. An ounce or two made absolutely no difference.

The only climbers I knew back then who went light were the two who would occasionally free solo. All this obsession with ultralight gear is 99.9% overblown.

[vivi]

With your dismissive attitude I'd wager to guess you weren't backpacking 20 miles a day for weeks? Those sorts of trips play out much different than an overnighter or weekend get-away.

[vivi]

I remember Colin Fletcher advocated cutting the handles down on toothbrushes and trimming the margins off topo maps. He wore three pound boots.

The actual importance of an ounce in hiking, backpacking and all that is vastly over rated.

Colin Fletcher was a bit of an odd bird, let's just leave it at that.

The thing about ounces is that one here and one there and pretty soon they add up. But this business of trimming topo maps and cutting tootbrushes gets silly. I cut the handle down on a tootbrush and carried it for a while, but it annoyed me so much I threw it away and went back to a full sized one.

As for boots, the saying is that a pound on your feet is like 10 on your back. And I absolutely believe it is true.

But when it comes to knives, it is just a matter of selecting the right knife. I won't carry my ZT 0630 on a backpacking trip. I did carry my fixed blade Spyderco Junction on my last trip and hardly noticed it. But my usual choice is the native.

When it comes to a knife on a trail run (getting back to Vivi's comment) I find it is about making a reasonable choice consistent with what clothes I am wearing. I am usually wearing some kind of cargo shorts and they will support most sensible knife choices. Actually what I often do is to use some 1 inch tubular webbing as an impromptu belt tied with a knot and add the Street Bowie and hardly notice it at all. If I was running with some elastic waist shorts I would have to pick something different (perhaps a Pacific Salt, if I still had one).

Perrin Bowie is a great choice when you want a robust fixed blade that doesn't weigh you down. The blade length to weight ratio was the first thing that made it stand out to me.

The Pacific Salt is my go to for trail running. I have a Tasman Salt I used to clip IWB when mountain biking that filled that role well too.

[Bloke]

I travel light in all I do and take only what I consider essentials to the point that I hide car keys rather than carry them for no reason.

Spyderco already has a wide range of FRN "Light Weight" knives and all said, I have no interest in a light weight knife made arguably lighter by simply changing scale material from G-10 to FRN and wonder what the actual difference in weight will be?

Perhaps Budget Line would better describe this line of knives as opposed to Light Weight. :confused:

[MichaelScott]

With your dismissive attitude I'd wager to guess you weren't backpacking 20 miles a day for weeks? Those sorts of trips play out much different than an overnighter or weekend get-away.

Yes, dismissive because an ounce or two is mainly irrelevant for most. While for you it may, in the wider scope of things for the vast majority of people it really doesn’t matter.

It’s merely my opinion, you don’t have to take it personally.

[vivi]

With your dismissive attitude I'd wager to guess you weren't backpacking 20 miles a day for weeks? Those sorts of trips play out much different than an overnighter or weekend get-away.

Yes, dismissive because an ounce or two is mainly irrelevant for most. While for you it may, in the wider scope of things for the vast majority of people it really doesn’t matter.

It’s merely my opinion, you don’t have to take it personally.

There's a difference between taking something personally, and pointing out that dismissing the opinions of forum members because you live a different lifestyle is not conducive towards discussion.

If I went into the pocket pistol threads and said "The LCP feels like a toy, pony up and buy a manly pistol, a few extra ounces aren't going to hurt for 99% of people" that wouldn't promote a good discussion.

[MichaelScott]

As a final word, since I don’t want to start or participate in an argument, I am dismissing the basic argument that lighter is to be preferred to heavier generally when discussing a matter of one or two ounces. There will of course be exceptions but in the main such distinctions are effectively irrelevant.

I was not and did not intend to dismiss forum members opinions. I merely disagree with that basic assumption [see above].

[Wartstein]

Wartstein my friend and others here: Please speculate for me: If Spyderco were to ever make a Light Weight Tanto Military or Para Military, with FRN grip, what would it feel like and how would it handle and cut? I am dreaming here :)

Hi SEF, I just wanted to apologize: You wrote some very kind words about my posts and also asked me (alongside with others) some questions in the last couple of days. I really appreciate that, but did not find the time to answer at all or at least properly. Sorry for that!!! I very mucb like how you keep the conversation going on this forum!

Just so you understand: I don´t reply to questions like the one above just very "shallow", but like to think about it beforehand. Additionally, writing in English takes a bit longer for me than in my native tongue, in which I am of course more fluent.

I had more work to do lately PLUS was a lot in the mountains when not working (we still have a lot of snow here in Austria, and one of the top three things in my life is probably backcountry skitouring and powder descents... ).. so, less time for the forum, my friend!

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Thank you. I look forward to your analysis, Wartstein my friend.

[thewoodpecker]

If the Caly 3.5 LW happens I hope it has the same texture as the UKPK

Same. Big fan of the waffle pattern on the UKPK scales. Such a simple and classic design.

FRN Caly 3.5 in the style of the UKPK is a grail knife for me.

^^^ This 100%!

[thewoodpecker]

A lightweight Dodo would be interesting. It is already a lightweight platform but perhaps a more budget friendly option with BD1N/FRN would be appealing for this unusual design.

[curlyhairedboy]

ooooo, a Dodo LW to bring it back from extinction?

[roger-roger]

I would love to see a Military LW with an ambidextrous friendly clip and some LW friendly lock, preferably a backlock. While I'm dreaming, it'd be great if it came in a cruwear upgrade in the same way the police is going to come in an upgraded steel.

Military and Para Military. Backlock is mandatory imo for thinness and simplicity, and in this configuration Salt versions make a lot of sense.

[chalet]

I would be really excited for a Para 2 lightweight. That also seems like a knife that would be competitive with other knives price wise that compete with it (in my opinion, no expert here). I’d own several just for backpack knives, leave one in the car, etc.

[rabbitanarchy14]

I remember Colin Fletcher advocated cutting the handles down on toothbrushes and trimming the margins off topo maps. He wore three pound boots.

The actual importance of an ounce in hiking, backpacking and all that is vastly over rated.

How many times have you bicycled 200 miles in one day, then slept on gear you carried with you in freezing temps?

Perspectives change quite a bit with experience. On trips like that, I squeeze out half the toothpaste of a travel tube when I pack, and other things people think to be silly and over the top. When you're pushing the physical limits of your body, these things matter.

Sure, if you're biking 3 miles to work, an ounce doesn't matter. Even a pound doesn't. But if you're riding like you're competing in the RAAM, it absolutely does.

This extends to all sorts of activities. If you're hiking a mile from your SUV to a camp site, go a head and bring a 50lb pack. If you aim to hike 20+ miles a day for over a month, you'll hate life carrying that much weight.

I've had office jobs where I didn't mind the extra weight. I've had wilderness security jobs where I had to walk 12+ miles per shift, where I did mind it. Not everyone lives the same lifestyle. Telling folks "weight isn't a big deal" to people who live an active lifestyle can be like telling Lance that "Corrosion resistance isn't a big deal," or telling Deacon that "Left hand friendly locks aren't a big deal."

alright. i heard both sides and understand them. your group of radical lw packers is so slim compared to the majority. yes there are ppl who do all that and ppl who just hike a few miles, but very very very few ppl actually go and hike like you are talking or climb like you are talking. yes this lw obsession is just that a state of mind in obsessing over something very very very few ppl will ever experience let alone think seriously about doing.
i am sorry if it feels i am disrespecting you but you took it to the extremes very very few ppl will. there is nothing wrong with liking light weight knives but do not for one second go radical and say every once counts or talk bad to "normal" ppl and say everything has to be lighter, it is a preference ONLY for most.

[Tdog]

Lightweight 3.5 in LC would make my day....and my years. Would no doubt become my instant favorite folding Spydie. :spyder:

[Tims]

Interesting weight discussion. As an ex-cyclist and weight weenie I can relate to Vivis argument. Dropping weight becomes an obsession and while an ounce on its own doesn’t sound like much it adds up. It’s easy to get carried away though and unless you’re competing at a high level, there are variables other than gear weight more worth you’re time. Ie, bodyweight.

Personally, when I think of lightweight models from Spyderco, I just think frn and less $s. Not necessarily a lighter version of an existing model. The street beat is a good example.

What it comes down to for me with lightweight models is a preference for frn over g10. I just don’t like g10. Being cheaper is a bonus