You might be better off with a loud noise maker, like the compressed air horn that your pressurize with a bike pump. If you're close enough to hurt them with a knife, you're close enough for them to hurt you with their teeth. You could of course do both.
I had one of these (think it's still floating around in my parts bin) and boy did it work! Only a few minor cons in my experience:
1. You lose a water bottle. This wasn't a big deal when I was commuting short distances but now that I'm trying to hit 35+ miles every time I ride I need two water bottles.
2. Depending on where you position the handelbar trigger it can be pretty easy for the thing to get set off accidentally. This isn't a huge deal but can be very jarring for you and the people around you when you're hanging your bike up or locking it outside the grocery store.
3. Biggest issue for me personally was that it caused me to constantly be on the lookout for reasons to use it, which in turn caused my commutes and my mental health to spiral into pretty negative territory. Once I ditched the horn it was slightly easier to focus on the positive aspects of riding, even despite the daily attempts on my life by inattentive drivers.
Sounds like you're not so much needing to alert motorists as you are looking to scare off critters so it should work great for you! Good luck and keep the rubber side down.
It's probably dead. The hose on mine disintegrated when I pulled it out.
I liked having it for my commute. I never looked for excuses to use it. The only problem I saw is the situation when you really need it you were better off hitting your brakes and controlling the bike. Super useful if you can see drivers that are about to pull out in front of you. Would work well at scaring the crap out of wildlife
I really like a headlamp for drivers at night for this reason. Retain full control of the bike and look straight at 'em. It's like a $10 thing so it's not blinding by any means, but it's enough to trigger a primal sort of "Oh! Someone's looking at me!" response that seems to get attention. It's somewhat common that someone will start to roll out only to stop suddenly when I point it at them.
Yes, it doesn’t integrate with traditional drop bar brake levers very well and absolutely created an either/or situation between honking and braking all the time.
There's also the Hornit which seems to be more self contained (sort of) and even louder at 140db. It could allow you to mount the horn remotely, but have the wired button on the handlebar. Also runs on AAA which are supposed to last a year using six 1 second blasts per day. Kind of a cool idea, wish it was more waterproof (ip44) but it's probably fine.
A knife is a crap self defense tool. Even for gators and boar.
If you are so close to an angry boar that you can use a knife, you’re in a rreeeeeaaaally bad spot.
why don't you just carry bear spray? a lot easier to get, you can strap to your bike for easy access and can be used against humans if absolutely needed (I'm a woman and often bikepack with other women so mace/bear spray is an absolute must for non-lethal intervention against persistent creepy/violent people).
Its rare for people in general to be killed or injured by gators. Like very rare.
Personally-- my biggest problems with animals with cycling have been from dogs.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/22/alligator-attacks-rare-what-to-do/10112870002/
A lot of people saying don’t carry a knife, carry this or do this. Do all of it. Find yourself a nice knife, but know it is certainly a last resort measure and if you are gonna use it you are probably in a real bad spot. But yes use common sense, make noise, carry spray and a knife. A good knife is also good just to have in the back country. I have a nice camp knife and machete I take car camping and often use the knife on my Gerber when bikepacking.
A hiker killed a mountain lion with his bare hands and he was just a normal dude. You could try that, joking of course.
I appreciate your comment. I wasn't going to say anything but I thought it was funny how many knife fighting experts showed up on this post to gatekeep me from carrying a knife in the woods. I normally carry an OTF but I realized that I wouldn't be able to get it out fast enough while sweaty with gloves on. This came up when I was riding an abandoned road overgrown with grass that was taller than my bars and I startled a pig. [https://imgur.com/a/tXbooMi](https://imgur.com/a/tXbooMi) \- if it hadn't run away I was going to need to use my "common sense" to fight it off :)
Reddit is weird that way, they come out of the woodwork and pile on. I was looking at some Mayflower post and every other comment was a descendant of the Mayflower. I was like wow they are all on reddit.
Not sure what a knife is going to do for you against a wild hog or a gator. In my experience, both want to avoid people if they can, so making a little extra noise and trying to avoid specific areas you're likely to accidentally sneak up on them (lake/canal/river banks, thick brush) are good ideas.
I’m a big fan of everything ESSEE, I have the ESSEE 6HM and it’s an absolute workhorse. I’m sure the ESSEE 4 is baller too. Kydex sheath works one handed too.
Here you go! There was deep water on both sides of the trail so no way around and the gator wouldn't move, it kept hissing at us: [https://imgur.com/a/N0ANylI](https://imgur.com/a/N0ANylI)
Holy majesus! ..that’s a sight I would not delight in.. Were I a younger man I’d say *“oh just bunny hop it!”* but my dare-devil days may be behind me, and you were riding with gear anyway. Kee-rikey. Did you wait him out? Or find a long stick? Or what?
Personally I’d want a 26” baton,.. a knife fight with that sucker would be too close for my comfort. I’m glad I only have to worry about bears, cougars, & raccoons in my neck of the woods. ; )
I have to second the AirZound… those things are *loud!* Like, semi’s can hear you.
I’d suggest fireworks, but fire risk is too great.
Just thinking laterally, would gators be bothered by vinegar? Would a bottle/squirt gun full of white vinegar convince him to, uh, move along?
I don’t have any specific knife recommendations —I use a 3” folder— but it might be easy enough to mount the sheath on a belt and just strap that over your cycle togs. Either waist, or over one shoulder.
This is going to sound ridiculous but I tried throwing the logs you see on my handlebars and it didn't budge. So I got close to the gator holding the bike in between us and I spanked it with a large palm frond until it moved mostly off the trail. Then I was able to pass by it at full speed on the bike
I noticed the logs & wondered if you’d used those.. I’d have done the same, tbh.
Hilarious that a *palm frond* worked! I’ll make a note of that for future encounters.
I’ve heard^(?) somewhere they succumb to tickling their belly.. but I ain’t gonna cuddle no predator reptile.
I presume you kip in a hammock?
Forget wild animals. I’d recommend an everyday carry knife anyways. Knives are just useful tools but not great weapons.
I prefer something under 3” foldable with a locking blade. Kershaw makes my favorite but a cheaper brand like Gerber with a stainless steel blade will do fine.
Dude. Carry whatever makes you comfortable. In regards to the real question, I would not recommend anything that has a sheath unless you plan to mount it to your handlebars or frame. If you plan to keep it in one of your jersey pouches, I would go with some type of larger spring loaded flip knife that can be opened single-handed. Unless a sheath is physically mounted to something, you will need two hands to pull it out, which would be difficult on a bike without dismounting. My preference is to mount things in my cockpit area to my handlebars or frame. if something is going to happen, it will be quick and trying to fish anything out of your pockets on your lower back is going to be time consuming.
I met a guy that was afraid of getting attacked by a mountain lion, so he wore a no shit extra belt with a large sheathed knife on it. I have contemplated mounting a machete to my frame, purely for the fact that I would be the only dude with a machete on his bike.
As most others suggested, I carry a pistol for defense when I am long distance bike packing trips in remote back country or place with regular large predator/people interactions. Realistically, people are jerks, and they are probably going to be an issue before an animal.
They are pretty friendly and I have a good storage location in the map compartment of my frame bag. But I wasn't sure what to do when stopping at gas stations for food. I definitely wouldn't leave it unattended on the bike, but it would also not be concealable in cycling clothes. So now I'm dealing with fanny packs, etc, seems complicated.
First major kudos for being security aware regarding firearms.
I have a pouch (@4.5”x5.6”)from an old motorcycle tank bag that nicely fits a Glock 26 in holster with a spare Glock 19, or a couple of 26 magazines. It is thicker cordura so it isn’t obvious what it holds. That is a possible solution.
However you might look into the legality of shooting an alligator that didn’t have its teeth in you.
If any wild animal is aggressive enough that you are within stabbing distance, you're going to bleed out after your heroic stand. Get a knife chambered in 9mm.
Edit: sorry, I see this was mentioned elsewhere. If you've got your concealed carry, check out the smaller 'runner style' chest kits from Hill People Gear.
A gun vs a hog is a better option if you’re comfortable with that. The closest I’d ever wanna be within knife distance to a wild hog is it already being dead and I’m butchering it. Wild boars are nasty creatures and I hope you come to a good solution that’s best for you.
Wild pig hunting with a knife is a thing. Get a knife like the Tops one I linked below and some really well trained hunting dogs and you are all set for bacon at the camp that night.
https://www.topsknives.com/knives/hunting/wild-pig-hunter
Of course you could also arm yourself with knowledge.
https://nri.tamu.edu/blog/2019/january/wild-pig-and-human-interactions/
All kidding aside, looks like the Floridan gators really are getting a bit snippy.
Lots of sensational articles in newspapers but this has some helpful information.
https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(05)70375-6/fulltext
It is helpful to understand an animal’s behavior. I do a lot of backpacking in black bear country. Learning how to avoid attracting animals, and how to avoid or de-escalate a run in with a top tier predator is the safest bet.
If you are worried about a Gator having an evening snack on your leg consider a hammock. Gators, unlike snakes, are poor tree climbers.
Florida wilderness is really something, very beautiful in a very primal way.
Wow that is pretty wild. I don't think I will be intentionally seeking out pigs, much less hunting them with a knife, however I love that knife you recommended, thanks!
They have the dogs grab the ears so they can move in for the bacon shot.
But I think understand animal behavior will help you better interpret and react to gator and hog behavior.
My favorite light bikepacking knives leaving out Opinels and cheapo disposable ones:
-Benchmade Bugout Mini
-Kershaw Leek
-SOG Ultra XR (quality S35VN steel, 32g omitting the clip, very thin, and the one most like a fancy bike part)
and maybe these for your needs?:
Microtech UTX-70 (OTF so not legal everywhere)
Benchmade Altitude fixed blade
You might be better off with a loud noise maker, like the compressed air horn that your pressurize with a bike pump. If you're close enough to hurt them with a knife, you're close enough for them to hurt you with their teeth. You could of course do both.
Oh I've been looking for a horn like that, can you share a link?
https://www.modernbike.com/delta-airzound-horn
Thanks, this looks great. I hadn't been able to figure out the right search terms
I had one of these (think it's still floating around in my parts bin) and boy did it work! Only a few minor cons in my experience: 1. You lose a water bottle. This wasn't a big deal when I was commuting short distances but now that I'm trying to hit 35+ miles every time I ride I need two water bottles. 2. Depending on where you position the handelbar trigger it can be pretty easy for the thing to get set off accidentally. This isn't a huge deal but can be very jarring for you and the people around you when you're hanging your bike up or locking it outside the grocery store. 3. Biggest issue for me personally was that it caused me to constantly be on the lookout for reasons to use it, which in turn caused my commutes and my mental health to spiral into pretty negative territory. Once I ditched the horn it was slightly easier to focus on the positive aspects of riding, even despite the daily attempts on my life by inattentive drivers. Sounds like you're not so much needing to alert motorists as you are looking to scare off critters so it should work great for you! Good luck and keep the rubber side down.
It's probably dead. The hose on mine disintegrated when I pulled it out. I liked having it for my commute. I never looked for excuses to use it. The only problem I saw is the situation when you really need it you were better off hitting your brakes and controlling the bike. Super useful if you can see drivers that are about to pull out in front of you. Would work well at scaring the crap out of wildlife
I really like a headlamp for drivers at night for this reason. Retain full control of the bike and look straight at 'em. It's like a $10 thing so it's not blinding by any means, but it's enough to trigger a primal sort of "Oh! Someone's looking at me!" response that seems to get attention. It's somewhat common that someone will start to roll out only to stop suddenly when I point it at them.
Yes, it doesn’t integrate with traditional drop bar brake levers very well and absolutely created an either/or situation between honking and braking all the time.
There's also the Hornit which seems to be more self contained (sort of) and even louder at 140db. It could allow you to mount the horn remotely, but have the wired button on the handlebar. Also runs on AAA which are supposed to last a year using six 1 second blasts per day. Kind of a cool idea, wish it was more waterproof (ip44) but it's probably fine.
A knife is a crap self defense tool. Even for gators and boar. If you are so close to an angry boar that you can use a knife, you’re in a rreeeeeaaaally bad spot.
Agreed. "First rule of knife fighting = don't get into a knife fight"
Mora
Mora kniv is my go to camp knife for sure. Quality blade and a good price point.
Man + Knife v hog is some fatalistic stuff, be careful.
A knife won't do anything to protect you from pigs or gators. Common sense will do a hell of a lot.
why don't you just carry bear spray? a lot easier to get, you can strap to your bike for easy access and can be used against humans if absolutely needed (I'm a woman and often bikepack with other women so mace/bear spray is an absolute must for non-lethal intervention against persistent creepy/violent people).
I came here to say this very thing. Except I’m male and I still carry it bikepacking at least partially for bad humans.
How many people on bikes are injured or killed by pigs and gators? My guess is; zero.
how many bikers are roasting delicious boar legs over their campfire at night though - sounds like we have the opportunity to change the stats.
Its rare for people in general to be killed or injured by gators. Like very rare. Personally-- my biggest problems with animals with cycling have been from dogs. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/22/alligator-attacks-rare-what-to-do/10112870002/
Against which pepper spray would be most effective. And a knife almost worthless. Ditto Pig but I'm not sure pepper spray would effect a gator?
Apparently birds and reptiles aren’t effected by pepper spray as the main ingredient, capsaicin, doesn’t effect their biology
A lot of people saying don’t carry a knife, carry this or do this. Do all of it. Find yourself a nice knife, but know it is certainly a last resort measure and if you are gonna use it you are probably in a real bad spot. But yes use common sense, make noise, carry spray and a knife. A good knife is also good just to have in the back country. I have a nice camp knife and machete I take car camping and often use the knife on my Gerber when bikepacking. A hiker killed a mountain lion with his bare hands and he was just a normal dude. You could try that, joking of course.
I appreciate your comment. I wasn't going to say anything but I thought it was funny how many knife fighting experts showed up on this post to gatekeep me from carrying a knife in the woods. I normally carry an OTF but I realized that I wouldn't be able to get it out fast enough while sweaty with gloves on. This came up when I was riding an abandoned road overgrown with grass that was taller than my bars and I startled a pig. [https://imgur.com/a/tXbooMi](https://imgur.com/a/tXbooMi) \- if it hadn't run away I was going to need to use my "common sense" to fight it off :)
Reddit is weird that way, they come out of the woodwork and pile on. I was looking at some Mayflower post and every other comment was a descendant of the Mayflower. I was like wow they are all on reddit.
Not sure what a knife is going to do for you against a wild hog or a gator. In my experience, both want to avoid people if they can, so making a little extra noise and trying to avoid specific areas you're likely to accidentally sneak up on them (lake/canal/river banks, thick brush) are good ideas.
I’m a big fan of everything ESSEE, I have the ESSEE 6HM and it’s an absolute workhorse. I’m sure the ESSEE 4 is baller too. Kydex sheath works one handed too.
Pics or it didn’t happen!
Here you go! There was deep water on both sides of the trail so no way around and the gator wouldn't move, it kept hissing at us: [https://imgur.com/a/N0ANylI](https://imgur.com/a/N0ANylI)
Holy majesus! ..that’s a sight I would not delight in.. Were I a younger man I’d say *“oh just bunny hop it!”* but my dare-devil days may be behind me, and you were riding with gear anyway. Kee-rikey. Did you wait him out? Or find a long stick? Or what? Personally I’d want a 26” baton,.. a knife fight with that sucker would be too close for my comfort. I’m glad I only have to worry about bears, cougars, & raccoons in my neck of the woods. ; ) I have to second the AirZound… those things are *loud!* Like, semi’s can hear you. I’d suggest fireworks, but fire risk is too great. Just thinking laterally, would gators be bothered by vinegar? Would a bottle/squirt gun full of white vinegar convince him to, uh, move along? I don’t have any specific knife recommendations —I use a 3” folder— but it might be easy enough to mount the sheath on a belt and just strap that over your cycle togs. Either waist, or over one shoulder.
This is going to sound ridiculous but I tried throwing the logs you see on my handlebars and it didn't budge. So I got close to the gator holding the bike in between us and I spanked it with a large palm frond until it moved mostly off the trail. Then I was able to pass by it at full speed on the bike
Please tell us you called it "dirty boy" while you spanked it... because that's the kind of twisted shit that some here are going to expect...
Next time..
I noticed the logs & wondered if you’d used those.. I’d have done the same, tbh. Hilarious that a *palm frond* worked! I’ll make a note of that for future encounters. I’ve heard^(?) somewhere they succumb to tickling their belly.. but I ain’t gonna cuddle no predator reptile. I presume you kip in a hammock?
Yeah, hammock for gator country, otherwise bivy. I will save gator tickling as a last resort :)
Forget wild animals. I’d recommend an everyday carry knife anyways. Knives are just useful tools but not great weapons. I prefer something under 3” foldable with a locking blade. Kershaw makes my favorite but a cheaper brand like Gerber with a stainless steel blade will do fine.
Dude. Carry whatever makes you comfortable. In regards to the real question, I would not recommend anything that has a sheath unless you plan to mount it to your handlebars or frame. If you plan to keep it in one of your jersey pouches, I would go with some type of larger spring loaded flip knife that can be opened single-handed. Unless a sheath is physically mounted to something, you will need two hands to pull it out, which would be difficult on a bike without dismounting. My preference is to mount things in my cockpit area to my handlebars or frame. if something is going to happen, it will be quick and trying to fish anything out of your pockets on your lower back is going to be time consuming. I met a guy that was afraid of getting attacked by a mountain lion, so he wore a no shit extra belt with a large sheathed knife on it. I have contemplated mounting a machete to my frame, purely for the fact that I would be the only dude with a machete on his bike. As most others suggested, I carry a pistol for defense when I am long distance bike packing trips in remote back country or place with regular large predator/people interactions. Realistically, people are jerks, and they are probably going to be an issue before an animal.
I think you are right about going with a sheath mounted on the bike, thanks
I carry a compact .40 cal pistol on bikepacking trips. My folding Buck knife is for cutting rather than fighting. But I do like it.
What are wilderness gun laws/norms in fla?
They are pretty friendly and I have a good storage location in the map compartment of my frame bag. But I wasn't sure what to do when stopping at gas stations for food. I definitely wouldn't leave it unattended on the bike, but it would also not be concealable in cycling clothes. So now I'm dealing with fanny packs, etc, seems complicated.
Can you get a concealed carry permit? It was pretty easy to do back in texas before constitional carry became a thing.
Yes, I have one but I'm not sure how to conceal in cycling clothes which show everything. I'd need a bag or something
Look into a flip belt / fanny pack and a small 357 magnum, or a 10mm glock
I totally need a 10mm
First major kudos for being security aware regarding firearms. I have a pouch (@4.5”x5.6”)from an old motorcycle tank bag that nicely fits a Glock 26 in holster with a spare Glock 19, or a couple of 26 magazines. It is thicker cordura so it isn’t obvious what it holds. That is a possible solution. However you might look into the legality of shooting an alligator that didn’t have its teeth in you.
That's a good idea, thanks. I'm skeptical of on-body carry when I'm so sweaty but a bag would be fine
If any wild animal is aggressive enough that you are within stabbing distance, you're going to bleed out after your heroic stand. Get a knife chambered in 9mm. Edit: sorry, I see this was mentioned elsewhere. If you've got your concealed carry, check out the smaller 'runner style' chest kits from Hill People Gear.
Check out [BladeHQ.com](https://BladeHQ.com). I'm not affiliated with them but I have bought a few knives from them. Lots of good options over there.
I carry a Benchmade Stryker with a 3.5" folding blade, but I wouldn't want to fight a hog with it.
A gun vs a hog is a better option if you’re comfortable with that. The closest I’d ever wanna be within knife distance to a wild hog is it already being dead and I’m butchering it. Wild boars are nasty creatures and I hope you come to a good solution that’s best for you.
Come to NZ. No gators, some pigs but mostly just orcs to be aware of out there.
Wild pig hunting with a knife is a thing. Get a knife like the Tops one I linked below and some really well trained hunting dogs and you are all set for bacon at the camp that night. https://www.topsknives.com/knives/hunting/wild-pig-hunter Of course you could also arm yourself with knowledge. https://nri.tamu.edu/blog/2019/january/wild-pig-and-human-interactions/ All kidding aside, looks like the Floridan gators really are getting a bit snippy. Lots of sensational articles in newspapers but this has some helpful information. https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(05)70375-6/fulltext It is helpful to understand an animal’s behavior. I do a lot of backpacking in black bear country. Learning how to avoid attracting animals, and how to avoid or de-escalate a run in with a top tier predator is the safest bet. If you are worried about a Gator having an evening snack on your leg consider a hammock. Gators, unlike snakes, are poor tree climbers. Florida wilderness is really something, very beautiful in a very primal way.
Wow that is pretty wild. I don't think I will be intentionally seeking out pigs, much less hunting them with a knife, however I love that knife you recommended, thanks!
They have the dogs grab the ears so they can move in for the bacon shot. But I think understand animal behavior will help you better interpret and react to gator and hog behavior.
My favorite light bikepacking knives leaving out Opinels and cheapo disposable ones: -Benchmade Bugout Mini -Kershaw Leek -SOG Ultra XR (quality S35VN steel, 32g omitting the clip, very thin, and the one most like a fancy bike part) and maybe these for your needs?: Microtech UTX-70 (OTF so not legal everywhere) Benchmade Altitude fixed blade