Ultralight vs Robust: Choosing Your Outdoor Knife Maintenance Kit

Ultralight vs Robust: Choosing Your Outdoor Knife Maintenance Kit

Our EDC knife is a convenient tool that we rely on in our day-to-day lives, but when it comes to adventures in the wilderness our knife is more than a convenience, it's a lifeline! When we spend time in the great outdoors, knives serve as a means of processing wood to help start fires or craft things, help prepare wild harvested or prepacked food, and can assist in a number of potential emergency situations. Though heavy use during all these processes even knives made from the most premium steel options can show signs of wear that can ultimately damage your knife or reduce functionality.

Exposure to corrosive materials such as salt water and acidic components of plants and animals knife blades can quickly develop rust. The blade edge is also live to see a good bit of wear while constantly processing wood and may even become chipped if you hit a hard knot in the wood or a bone while processing an animal. Having the right tools with you in the field will ensure that, even if you encounter these situations, your knife will be ready to perform when you need it! While it's not practical to carry an entire guided sharpening system in your backpack, it is easy to create a compact kit to get your knife maintenance done anywhere!

When it comes to creating your compact maintenance kit, size and weight are your biggest considerations. Are you an ultralight enthusiast and want to carry as little as possible? Or are you comfortable carrying a small pouch in your pack to give you more functionality? This article will show off two of my personal kits. One is ultralight and minimalist and the other is a little more robust and functional.

Ultralight Maintenance Kit

When you want to be able to move as fast as possible in the wilderness, weight matters! The less weight you are carrying the faster you can move and you can cover more distance with less fatigue! To keep things simple I have created an ultralight maintenance kit that also holds a small fixed blade knife! This compact kit weighs in at only 5.61 ounces over all and can easily be slipped into my pocket or a small compartment in my pack.

PNWBUSHCRAFT EDC Travel Tray: This is the component that holds it all together, and it also doubles as a clean dry surface I can do any of my maintenance on. When in travel mode it neatly houses all the other components, and when I'm ready to do maintenance it unsnaps to create a flat surface or can be snapped into a tray so you don’t have to worry about losing anything!

Sagewood Gear Pocket Strop: This super compact micarta strop weighs next to nothing, but is the perfect size for honing the edge of your small fixed blade or folding knife. Despite its lightweight the micarta base is robust and will not break during carry and use!

KPL Original Lube: Original KPL is the perfect solution to keeping your outdoor folding knife pivot from jamming up with dirt and grime! A few drops is all you need to keep your pivot operating at peak performance, plus it can also double as honing oil in a pinch. 

Wazoo Viking Whetstone: The Wazoo Viking Whetstone is made out of a naturally occurring stone called Novaculite. This is a stone that has been traditionally used to sharpen knives and Wazoo has brought it to market as a stylish necklace that will sharpen your knives, fish hooks, and more! I have modified mine to remove the leather cord and used a ranger band to secure it to my Knives By Nuge Wicket sheath.

Robust Field Maintenance Kit 

For longer outdoor adventures and camping trips you may have the room and weight carrying capacity to have a more robust kit and adding more functional items is never a bad idea for longer trips! This set up incorporates all the elements from my ultralight kit while adding a few more tools. This allows me to leave the main kit at my base camp and just grab the ultralight kit if needed and allows the maintenance of larger knives, especially those used in food or game prep!

Larger Pouch: Any pouch large enough to hold both your Ultralight kit as well as your additional items will do. I am using a large PNWBUSHCRAFT Zipper Pouch as I appreciate the robust durability and water resistance of waxed canvas.

Worksharp Guided Field Sharpener: This is one of my favorite portable sharpening systems. It had both fine and coarse stones, a ceramic rod, and a small strop. The Guided Field Sharpener provides 20 degree guides so you can ensure that you are getting an even functional edge every time!

KPL Knife Shield: Your one stop shop for cleaning and rust protection! A few sprays and a cloth is all you need to clean any pine sap, fish guts, and food residue off your outdoor knives. Not only does Knife Shield clean your knives it leaves an invisible barrier of rust prevention on your blade so you can confidently carry and use your knife in the harshest environments.

Final Thought

I have used both these kits for sometime now and they have always served me well! As is they will cover most of your outdoor maintenance needs, but you can add or subtract things to suit your individual needs! As a thank you to our readers we would like to extend you a special discount code "Black Flag" for KPL pivot lubes, Knife Shield, or anything else on the website!

Three EDC Essentials you Shouldn’t Leave Home Without

Three EDC Essentials you Shouldn’t Leave Home Without

Everyday carry, commonly called EDC, is a term that originally described the essential tools that people carried on a daily basis to help them with the tasks that they needed to accomplish. By this definition, it would be very normal to see very little change in people's daily gear as the best tool is the one you can rely on and are comfortable using. As time went on EDC has evolved to identify any tools, gear, and “pocket jewelry” that people carry on them, and has grown to not just include those who require tools daily, but also as a viable hobby for both enthusiasts and collectors. While it is easy to get excited by cool looking gear and fun pocket items like coins, fidget spinners, and other collectibles; EDC is still a great way to ensure that you have all the tools you need to get through your day and never get caught unprepared for a challenging situation!
Fox Knives Anso Zero 2.0 Review

Fox Knives Anso Zero 2.0 Review

Zero 2.0 is designed by famed Danish knife maker and designer Jens Anso who is known for designing knives for a number of major companies including Kershaw, Spyderco, Giant Mouse Viper Knives, MKM, and many more. Mr. Anso is passionate about designing knives that are highly functional and aesthetically pleasing, and the Zero 2.0 is no exception! The Zero 2.0 is brought to life by Fox Knives in Italy, a company well known for making quality knives trusted by outdoor and EDC enthusiasts as well as supplying equipment to NATO organizations. The Zero 2.0 incorporates some classic knife design elements, such as the rugged back lock system, with modern materials to produce an excellent knife that will serve well as a daily companion and ultralight outdoor knife.
Two Easy Steps to Make Your New Folding Knife Better

Two Easy Steps to Make Your New Folding Knife Better

It's new knife day, for a knife enthusiast this is a pretty big deal! Nothing beats taking your brand new knife out of the box and examining all the design nuances, pivot action, and blade details. While modern knives are pretty awesome out of the box, there are few quick and easy maintenance steps we can take to make our new knife perform even better and protect it from damage to ensure it lasts for years to come. In this guide we will cover a couple of quick maintenance applications for your new folding knife!
Rust Prevention: Choosing the Best Options for You

Rust Prevention: Choosing the Best Options for You

Here at KPL we are passionate about making sure your knives are properly maintained so you can they’re ready to be used when you need them most! One of our top priorities is preventing harmful rust build up on your pocket knives, fixed blades, and kitchen knives. With very little exception, steel is susceptible to rust. While we know that high carbon steels are more prone to rust build up, even highly corrosion resistant super steels such as Magnacut can develop rust when exposed to the elements and during use. In this article, we will talk a little about some of the reasons why blades can rust as well as the products that we offer to help protect your knives from these rust build up!
Two Easy Ways to Make Your EDC Fire Capable

Two Easy Ways to Make Your EDC Fire Capable

The ability to start a fire is a primal skill that propelled that ultimately led to the advancement of the human race. Fire gave us the ability to keep warm, light the dark, cook food, and disinfect water. Today fire is still one of the driving forces that keep us safe and comfortable in our daily lives. While the technology has advanced and we have things like lighters, torches, furnaces, and internal combustion engines, these things can all break, run out of fuel, or simply not be available when we need them. For those who love the outdoors or people who are just into being prepared for emergencies, the ability to start a fire in a pinch is a top priority. Today we will discuss two awesome compact tools that you can keep on your person at all times that will make sure you always have the spark you need to get that fire started.
KPL Dry Film: High Performance Lubrication With No Mess

KPL Dry Film: High Performance Lubrication With No Mess

For years KPL has formulated and produced excellent pivot lubricants, starting with our original and later evolving into heavy and ultralight options to meet the specific needs of our community. When we heard that many members of the knife community were on the hunt for an effective lubricant that would not leave any oil or waxy residue behind, we knew that we could formulate the best dry lubricant to meet those needs! After extensive research and testing we were able to launch KPL Dry Film Lubricant in 2023 and it has become a staple in our product line ever since!
Best EDC Fixed Blades of Blade Show 2024

Best EDC Fixed Blades of Blade Show 2024

Blade Show 2024 is a wrap and we had another amazing year getting awesome maintenance products into the hands of the knife community! One of my favorite things about Blade Show is the opportunity to see the hard work of the many amazing knife companies and makers out there. This year I was a man on a mission, I was on the hunt for the best EDC fixed blades made by small companies and makers! With all of the booths and tables across the two rooms of Cobb Galleria, not to mention the massive crowds of knife enthusiasts filling the aisles it is hard to see everyone, but I was able to identify some amazing EDC fixed blades and speak to the people who made them! Join us as we take a brief look at some of our favorite EDC fixed blades of Blade Show Atlanta 2024!
The Wharncliffe Blade: a Brief History and Modern Uses

The Wharncliffe Blade: a Brief History and Modern Uses

There are many different blade shapes available to the market, while a novice may think the differences are purely aesthetic, but the reality is different blade shapes are suited for different jobs. In this article we will be exploring the early history of the Wharncliffe blade as well as the modern applications of the blade style. The design originated in the early 1800’s, and modern iterations draw inspiration from designs that have been around for centuries. The Wharncliffe blade shape is a style that has had fluctuations in popularity over the years, but the utilitarian value it brings to the table is undeniable and allows this classic design to remain relevant nearly two centuries beyond its first iteration!
Why EDC a Fixed Blade?

Why EDC a Fixed Blade?

Fixed blades have long been associated with the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and tactical applications but recently we have seen a great deal of enthusiasm for EDC fixed blades. Thankfully, many small makers and production companies have noticed the trend and started designing fixed blades specifically for EDC purposes! In this week's article we will be exploring some of the advantages to carrying EDC fixed blades as well as the innovations makers have come up with to make carrying an EDC fixed blade easy and comfortable.
What is an EDC Knife?

What is an EDC Knife?

In the greater knife community we often hear the term EDC, which stands for everyday carry, but the question often comes up as to what this actually means. At the root of the term it literally means the things that we carry on us on a daily basis. By this definition every single person has some kind of EDC. It could be a wallet, their cell phone, keys, briefcase, purse, and the whole litany of items that modern people take with them when they set out into the world. Within the Knife Community this term has taken on new meaning, while it still on the surface represents the original definition, it has now become an entire community of people that are enthusiastic about the things they carry on a daily basis. As with all communities there are a wide variety of specific interests and styles that can influence people's definition of what the proper way to EDC is and a lot of strong opinions that come along with it. As we care about the community as a whole, in this article we will explore some of the factors that apply when choosing an EDC Knife and hopefully dispel the idea that there is a right or wrong way to EDC.
EDC Organization Essentials

EDC Organization Essentials

No matter what we are up to on a daily basis, we all love to carry our knives and EDC gear with us! Some people like a minimalist set up while others prefer a comprehensive kit, either way having the right organization can make carrying your gear a lot easier. Today we are looking at just a few of our favorite options out there for organizing and carrying your EDC essentials on a daily basis!