80s jungle knife bonanza

baxtrom

baxtrom

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Jan 15, 2012
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Growing up in the 80s, all straight male generation X’ers must confess to at some point having experienced a strong craving for one of those hollow handle “jungle knives” found in mail order catalogues of the time (otherwise typically featuring Samantha Fox posters, vhs copying hardware et c).
I had one of those knives. It featured a serrated-ish back and a useful, hollow handle with a compass, some fishing line and whatnot. I seem to recall it had a simple camo coating, and that there was a sharpening stone attached to the leather sheath. You get the picture.
For sentimental reasons, I find myself looking at eBay to see if I can find an identical such knife. Do/did you own one? Don’t be ashamed, please share 😎

Edit: I found it. $5 or thereabouts (Swedish ebay). Nostalgia 🥰

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No, I never did get one, though I always wanted one! Parents were not convinced it was a good idea!
I did eventually get a survival knife, a Marco Polo. The image below is one off the net as mine is sadly long lost.
s-l400.jpg
 
Wurger190 said:
No, I never did get one, though I always wanted one! Parents were not convinced it was a good idea!
I did eventually get a survival knife, a Marco Polo. The image below is one off the net as mine is sadly long lost.
s-l400.jpg
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing! That’s about all you need when you are lost in the jungle 😀
 
Never wanted one as a kid since I liked my compact machete more and I had pockets to carry things in, like my smokes. I used fishing line for my shoelaces so I always had it on me.
 
Those and boot knives, butterfly knives, shuriken, ‘chucks, etc.

I had a flea market purchased (same one where all that other stuff was sold to pre/early teen ‘80s ninja movie obsessed kids without much of a fuss😁) one with a black handle.
 
Just found mine this February at the bottom of a large clay planter on my childhood home while cleaning out stuff for upcoming renovations.

A little rusty, compass is missing, handle paint almost all fone, but otherwise, the same chineseum/aluminum build quality I remember from back in the day.
 
I always wanted one -- I think there were ads in Popular Mechanics or various men's mags that I used to read on the sly in the magazine/tobacco store (this was in the dark ages before color TV when smoking was still OK). I figured I could use the sawback to cut an exit in the fuselage of whatever aircraft I had crashed in, then the compass to figure out which way to go, and the fishing gear to catch piranhas or whatever for food, and the blade to clean the fish. Never got one, though.
 
Alberta Ed said:
I always wanted one -- I think there were ads in Popular Mechanics or various men's mags that I used to read on the sly in the magazine/tobacco store (this was in the dark ages before color TV when smoking was still OK). I figured I could use the sawback to cut an exit in the fuselage of whatever aircraft I had crashed in, then the compass to figure out which way to go, and the fishing gear to catch piranhas or whatever for food, and the blade to clean the fish. Never got one, though.
Click to expand...

Exactly! Still you managed to survive somehow! I live in the middle of Sweden, and we have some bad ass bush around here, it makes Cambodia look like Kansas, so best to be prepared 😁
 
Does the Walther Jungle Tool count? :D

walther_jungle_survival_kit.gif
I saved up for months to get one, back when I was 11 or 12. There's a hollow-handled knife which threads into the shovel/pick piece.
I'm pretty sure I still have it somewhere around. It's not a bad tool, either.

Edit to add: I didn't exist in the 80's, but I figure the principle's the same. ;)
 
I had one! Wish I’d kept it for sentimental reasons. Looked almost exactly like the pic from jlauffer above, but it had a metal handle. I realized pretty quickly that it was junk and gave it away to someone - that was many years ago though - don’t even remember who got it...

Also, I’ve posted this before but I thought I was done with saw-backed knives until I happened to see a picture of the SawManDu from Swamp Rat and I instantly knew I was going to get it. My overall favorite knife now probably - here she is 5 minutes ago with an old grinder I just acquired:
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Yes - being a Gen X’er probably has something to do with it... ;)
 
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I was not really interested.What do you expect for $6-$10 ? My exwife bought me the most beautiful knife I had EVER seen which was a PUMA "Great White Hunter" in 1970, which I took halfway around the world. The sheath fell apart, but I still have the knife!
 
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