26 August 2008
Boys’ Life Advises You to Get Fixed
Posted by admin under: Equipment .
http://www.boyslife.org/outdoors/askgearguy/4856/choosing-a-hunting-knife/
Q. I’m going on a camping trip with my troop, but my hunting knife broke. I see a lot of different hunting knives advertised. How do I know which one to buy?
- Knifeless Neil, Summerville, S.C.
A. The best type of knife for camping trips – and most any other outdoor activity, for that matter – is a short, fixed-blade knife with a beefy handle.
Folding pocketknives can fold up on your hand while cutting. Not fixed blades. And remember: When it comes to blades, bigger isn’t always better. Avoid blades longer than four inches. A small, sharp blade can cut just as well as a long one, but it’s safer to handle and easier to maneuver in tight spots. With a good fixed blade you’ll be set for most anything the outdoors can throw at you – whittling, cutting, notching, butchering, filleting, even speading peanut butter.
I thought the Boy Scouts had a policy against fixed blade or lockable knives, but the only thing the Guide to Safe Scouting says is: “Avoid large sheath knives”. It’s not even a rule, but a suggestion. Well, then. I have a whole new section of toys to look at.
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2 Comments so far...
Dan Says:
4 September 2008 at 3:52 pm.
Keep in mind some Scout camps have rules forbidding fixed blade knives.
Personally I wouldn’t want younger Scouts to have a fixed blade knife. I’m not worried about them misusing it or having an accident with it while they are using it but rather when they are not. How many Scouts do you know that have lost a knife in their messy tent? So if its a switchblade no big deal, a fixed blade?
I’d agree with the article that for a hunting (and fishing) I’d want a fixed blade, everything else (camping) I’d want a multi-tool. Much more versatile. Personally I carry a Leatherman Wave I picked up prior to heading overseas in 2005. Great knife, tool, and crab leg crackers
admin Says:
4 September 2008 at 8:04 pm.
LOL. Crab leg crackers. Now I have an excuse to boil some crab in the field. Thanks!
