I'm looking for a really light knife and scissors combo for my emergency kit. My philosophy is to keep this sort of stuff so light, that I will never be tempted to leave it out.

I currently have the smallest Swiss Army knife (SAK) with scissors, 1.3" blade, nail-file-mini-screwdriver, and mini tweezers. At 0.8 oz, weight is hard to beat.

The SAN scissors have worked great over 10 years -- mainly for cutting moleskins and tape.

Never used the tweezers or nail file. I use larger, tougher tweezers for pulling out cactus spines.

The SAK blade is OK, but pretty marginal for tasks like cutting webbing. The blade is just long enough to catch TSA attention. I tried to make some tent stakes (from branches) with it last year, and that was pretty funny.

I was thinking I should replace the combo with a separate small pair of scissors and a simple, larger blade... but nothing seems to come close in weight. I just checked out the knives at REI, and even the simplest carabiner-clip knives were a few ounces, and the blades were hardly bigger.

Ideas?

PS just saw this:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... knife.html

and at 0.5 oz,
http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CDMQ8wIwAg

Now for the scissors...
http://www.longwalking.com/gear-scissors/

Or both!
Kershaw's folding TwoCan
http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CDUQ8wIwAw

MoapaPk wrote:I'm looking for a really light knife and scissors combo for my emergency kit. My philosophy is to keep this sort of stuff so light, that I will never be tempted to leave it out.

I currently have the smallest Swiss Army knife (SAK) with scissors, 1.3" blade, nail-file-mini-screwdriver, and mini tweezers. At 0.8 oz, weight is hard to beat.

The SAN scissors have worked great over 10 years -- mainly for cutting moleskins and tape.

Never used the tweezers or nail file. I use larger, tougher tweezers for pulling out cactus spines.

The SAK blade is OK, but pretty marginal for tasks like cutting webbing. The blade is just long enough to catch TSA attention. I tried to make some tent stakes (from branches) with it last year, and that was pretty funny.

I was thinking I should replace the combo with a separate small pair of scissors and a simple, larger blade... but nothing seems to come close in weight. I just checked out the knives at REI, and even the simplest carabiner-clip knives were a few ounces, and the blades were hardly bigger.

Ideas?

PS just saw this:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... knife.html

and at 0.5 oz,
http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CDMQ8wIwAg

Now for the scissors...
http://www.longwalking.com/gear-scissors/

Or both!
Kershaw's folding TwoCan
http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CDUQ8wIwAw

Without a successful test drive I'd forget that two-can. Two knives aren't the same thing as a pair of scissors; they don't sharpen the same and they don't cut the same.

This guy should cover 50% of your request: razor edge, but still ergonomic and so tiny you forget about it, whether it's in the kit or on a 'biner:

http://www.trango.com/paraphernalia/Pir ... bing_Knife

these little suckers are fantastic

Buz Groshong wrote:
Without a successful test drive I'd forget that two-can. Two knives aren't the same thing as a pair of scissors; they don't sharpen the same and they don't cut the same.

That was my first thought, but then I read some positive hands-on reviews. It's supposed to be very sharp-- my main fear might be that I'd cut off my toes while trying to clip nails.

I'll try a bunch of these options for cutting moleskins, toenails, and webbing... and report back.

http://www.multitool.org/Knives/Folding ... wocan.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYvjypbV ... r_embedded

I carry a pair of these http://www.rei.com/product/745494/coghlans-folding-scissors in my first aid kit. They seem to do OK. I'm not one who has to have a big bad knife, so I just carry a Swiss Army knife in my pocket when I'm hiking.

I gave a pair of those to TSA 9 years ago!

Leatherman Micra is pretty good but 1.8 oz http://www.leatherman.com/product/Micra

Edit: Just saw this one, .81 oz Leatherman Style http://www.leatherman.com/product/Style

Edit 2: Re-read the post and realized this isn't what you're looking for. Sorry.

I pretty much have the same "swissie" as my girlfriend calls it. I have the knife, scissors, file with screw driver, bottle opener with phillips, tweezers and the tooth pick. This may be the worlds greatest knife! We check a bag to bring this thing and I'm not kidding. I was recently hiking the GC and and had a group, without a swissie, survive because of this tool! Well, the guy just fixed his sunglasses with it but hey... You have the tool you need already. Just buy a new one for $20 bucks and you'll have a very sharp blade. I bought mine in Interlaken for 50% more than you can get them here so I'm bias.

MoapaPk wrote:I gave a pair of those to TSA 9 years ago!

I always put the questionable stuff in the checked bag. So far all I've lost to the TSA is one liner glove.

Long ago, I made a deal with the airlines: I wouldn't give them my luggage, and they wouldn't lose it.

So I got a "Two Can" for a low price.

The blade cuts much more easily than my mini SAK-- was able to cut sample tent stakes pretty quickly. The scissors don't feel as precise as the SAK, but boy they work. I went through 15mm tubular webbing much faster with the Two Can scissors... than I could do with the main blade of the mini SAK. I cut moleskin, even sliced a bunch of small tomatoes...

. ..and it cuts a little too easily. I currently have a bandage over my left thumb, from accidentally adding blood to the tomatoes.

The Two Can is going into my pack to replace the mini SAK. I just have to put in some more bandage stuff.

I tape a hardware store razor blade into the back of my helmet. Little rectangle that you might use to remove paint. It cuts through nylon like butter.

DanTheMan wrote:I tape a hardware store razor blade into the back of my helmet. Little rectangle that you might use to remove paint. It cuts through nylon like butter.

May not work that well for cutting moleskins and tent stakes.

I'm never without this one:

http://www.victorinox.com/content/produ ... ode=1.3703

I use a micro leatherman tool. Scissors, blade, and pliers, all in one very small and light package

http://www.amazon.com/Leatherman-831195 ... 792&sr=8-1