Ask the Gear Guy
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.
Aug. 25, 2008 at 4:33 pm
these are great and all but where can i buy them
Aug. 25, 2008 at 8:55 pm
i was wondering if you can cary fixed blade knifes in the boyscouts. i made a knife at a camp and someone told me i could not cary it. i beleve that fixed blade kifes are better then jack knifes like you said thay dont fold up on your hand and thay are easy to clean and you know whare the blade is when you cant see it.
i dont like folding knifes because thay get grit and sand in the pivot and the lock on lock backs and i have a fue good scars because of folding knives with bad locks or none at all
i would just like to know what the rules are on what knifes you can cary and what you cant.
thank you
Aug. 27, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I do belive that fixed blades are not allowed on scout outings
Aug. 29, 2008 at 10:56 am
you bring up a good question i thought you cant have fixed blades but this gear guy question says you can?!?!?!?
Sep. 1, 2008 at 6:52 pm
i went to lewis n clark summer camp and you cant hve them there
Sep. 2, 2008 at 8:11 pm
i think that they are good but do i order them or buy themm at a store
Sep. 3, 2008 at 3:48 pm
The guide to safe scouting does not prohibit fixed blade knives but it does not encourage them. Scout camps may set more restrictive rules.
Sep. 9, 2008 at 9:55 am
There shouldn’t be any job a scout needs to do on a weekend or week long camping trip that can’t be done with the official Boy Scout folding knife, like the Camillus Knives: Boy Scout Knife. If you’ve had a blade close on your fingers that means you were using the knife incorrectly. A fixed blade knife as described by the gear guy is great if your name is Bear Grills, or Jeremiah Johnson and you plan on disappearing into the wilderness. I’m not saying the gear guy is wrong about fixed blade knives. I’m saying that Boy Scouts don’t need them.
Sep. 10, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Just stick you knife in your pack if they dont let you use it better to ask for forgivness then permission
Sep. 17, 2008 at 7:59 pm
i think that the fixed blade is only really effective if you know how to use one the way it is intended, skinning animals and other extremes of nature survival. most boys entering boy scouts will be too inexperienced to handle a fixed blade. i say stick with a cheaper folding knife with a serrated edge at the base of the blade. if you really want to impress your scout buddies buy a nicer knife that is a wacky color. i have a blaze orange knife from Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) and everyone wants to see it. for 30 bucks i got a serrated edge, double safety system, iron grip clip, and overall a sweet knife. oh yeah, to clean the grit out of the pivot all you have to do is loosen the bolt a little and swish it around in some water, dry it off, and put a thin layer of oil over the entire knife, tighten the bolt, and you have a brand new knife. i like Rem oil but don’t use it on a blade with a black finish because it eats the finish off. Hope it helps.
Sep. 17, 2008 at 9:02 pm
You can go to Walmart, or Dicks or even Cabelas. Walmart will sell them for the most cheap and they are of good quility. Dicks will have more knives but they coast much more.
Sep. 28, 2008 at 10:32 pm
You know what, I used to be in boy scouts. The whole thing about fixed blades being frowned upon is one thing and one thing only, political. They think it looks bad for a bunch of 13 year olds running around with scary looking fixed blades. Fixed blade versus folding, they really have their own purpose but for most situations in camping a small fixed blade is the way to go. Much more multi purpose and stronger than folders.
3-5″ anything more than that is overkill for most situations, I always thought the USAF pilots knife was a decent knife for the money
Oct. 4, 2008 at 2:32 pm
i like fixed blades but stick with a folding knife with a blade less than 4 inches long in some states 4 inch blades arent allowed.
Oct. 5, 2008 at 11:06 pm
i was never allowed to take my fixed blade knife on scouting activities but i never use it even though it is so sharp i can shave with it. i think a small folding knife is the best.
Oct. 27, 2008 at 10:43 am
This “advice” from the gear guy is pretty bad. Although the knives he recommends are probably great blades, look in your Scout Handbook. “Boy Scouts of America does not encourage the use of sheath knives.” Maybe the gear guy hasn’t read up.
Nov. 7, 2008 at 6:39 pm
cool
Nov. 9, 2008 at 7:12 pm
folding knives are better
Nov. 10, 2008 at 8:34 pm
If you using it for hunting you want fixed blade.I have a buck knife fixed blade and it works good.I had a folding one and it broke easy so if you want a good hunting knife
get a fixed blade.
Nov. 12, 2008 at 11:03 pm
I like the tip.
Dec. 4, 2008 at 7:56 pm
about the fixed blades
you can use them you just cant have the big 12 inch rambo knives
Dec. 12, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I think fixed blades are the best knife ever
Jan. 1, 2009 at 1:56 pm
don’t get a fixed blade, get a good lock back blade that works well and has a lot of uses.
Jan. 2, 2009 at 2:01 pm
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.