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.
Here are two of my favorite fixed-blade knives:
- Buck Diamondback Guide ($27; http://www.buckknives.com/)
This knife has a 3 1/8-inch-long drop-point blade with a texturized rubber handle. - SOG Field Pup ($60; http://www.sogknives.com/)
A four-inch stainless steel straight-edge blade with an easy-to-grip handle and nylon sheath.
Can i have a 7 inch sheath knife in boy scouts?
Knives are tools like a saw, hatchet, ax, of even a fork. Any of them can be misused.The scout motto is “Be Prepared”. How can a scout be prepared to use a tool if they are not taught? In an emergency situation, lost on a back country hike for example, a reasonable length fixed blade knife is a much better tool to have than a folding pocket knife. Just try and cut a sapling for a splint or shelter with a small pocket knife. We are teaching scouts to be young men. They should be treated as such with responsibilities to match.
I don’t think children should carry any kind of knife unless they are supervised, but the official boy scout knife is the five blade “Camillus”.
i like fixed blades alot, but don’t think their practical for scouting. they work, but are’nt really nesscsary.(dont think i spelled that right.) if you want a fixed blade get a leatherman steens, or the sog seal pup like he said. they’re pricey but well worth it.
sheath knives are very afective.my favorite knife(a sheath knife) is the gerber freeman hunter,that i got at academy.Sheath knives can do everything a folding knife can do pluss more.For instance on backpacking trips you can actualy make firewood with a good one (it is a lot lighter than an axe or hatchet)
hahahahahaha I love the fact that someone thinks that the Gear Guy doesn’t know the Knife Rules for BSA….
BOy’s Life is a BSA Publication people. They would not publish anything against the G2SS!!
Yes sheath knives are permitted.
what is B. S .A knife rules for boy scout
A knife, like any tool, can be a life saver or a life taker in the right or wrong hands. If a person has proved to be totally untrustworthy, he should not have a knife, period. A person can do just as much damage with a folding knife as with a fixed-blade knife. On the other hand, if a person has proved himself to be trustworthy, a fixed-blade knife can be a more effective tool in his hands than a folding knife can. The bottom line is: do not stereo-type people or knives, judge each situation with prudence and common sense.
don’t get a fixed blade, get a good lock back blade that works well and has a lot of uses.
No a fixed blade has more uses. You cant split kindling with a folding knife!
I think fixed blades are the best knife ever