Most Useful Tool

[IndianaHiker]

Toss up here. My hydration bladder or my headlamp. Cant say as I really use a blade that much when backpacking.

[campclose]

Wow, some great answers here. I was going to say my compass! But that would be a lie. Mine would be my multi-knife. It even has nail clippers on it. I really don't use many tools when I'm hiking!

[Navigator]

I'm thinking like RedJasper, I would most miss my cook pot, without it I would be stuck eating snack food and Clif bars. (not that I don't love snack food and Clif bars!) About the only time I use my knife on most backpacking trips is to open a freeze dried meal or slice some fruit or vegetable, something I could work around.

[IndianaHiker]

I am like you navigator out of the last 50 times I have been out can count the times I have used a pocket knife for anything other than opening a freeze dried dinner on one hand with fingers left over. No my Bic cigarette lighter is handy to light my stove. Mountain House are to crunchy and not very tasty with cold water.

[briansnat]

I have a Leatherman multi tool that I use for a lot of things. The model I have even has a small fork and butter knife. It's too small of a fork to eat dinner with but it's perfect for eating canned sardines and smoked oysters and the butter knife is great for spreading peanut butter, cheese or tuna salad on crackers. Those are the sort of things I have for lunch on the trail.

Next to that I'd say my headlamp. I find it essential in camp.

[Grandpa]

I'll go with the bic lighter. Second is the metal cup. But if I could only have one, It would be the metal cup.

I used my multi-tool for the first time in two years on my last trip. The pliers worked great to flip the foil wrapped fish over. I really can't remember when I last used either of the two knives I carry out of habit.

[kunzr88]

I don't think I could ever leave home without my multi-tool.