Camper / Scout Type Knives

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harlycarly

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Oct 1, 2008
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This might be the strangest post you read today, definitely the strangest one I've posted on this forum. Here goes:

My wife has been involved in a community response to homelessness, and has been trying to address the living conditions of folks who are for a myriad of reasons living out there on the edge. Before any of us make judgements or get into a political discussion about the how and why of this, I just want to say that regardless of circumstances being homeless and trying to live outdoors in a Vermont winter ain't easy. Despite our "mild" winter, it is 14 degrees here right now, the sun has set and it will get colder with snow coming tonight. A young woman who works as an advocate / outreach worker is helping to make a list of things that just might make the prospect of surviving the outdoors a tad easier. One of the things she came up with that would be very handy and useful is a basic SAK type pocket knife. Simple is best. A blade, a can opener and a bottle / can opener and an optional awl with a ring so it could be attached to one's person are really all that is required. If it came with a small type of carabiner, all the better. We don't need scissors, saws that don't work, etc and dubious quality is fine. Probably something of Chinese manufacture will suffice, along the lines of your basic 4 bladed boy scout knife. They have to be very, VERY inexpensive as they'll be part of a survival kit of food, toiletries, warm hats, sox, bungee cords, etc. PLEASE eliminate Victorinox, Wenger, etc. as cost will be prohibitive. We will be footing the bill for a bunch of these ourselves along with a bunch of other stuff that will serve as part of a prototype kit she hopes to develop to pass out among people that could use them. Any suggestions as to brands of manufacture, etc?? I know it isn't cool to post "Where can I find this knife for the lowest price?", so feel free to suggest places but please be respectful of that forum rule.

I've been scouring the web, Ebay, importer sites, etc and have found dozens of knives with 15 "tools", etc. Don't need anything like that, just the basics with a ring so they can be attached. I figured I'd ask here on BF, and appreciate any suggestions you might have.

Thanks in advance.
 
Thanks, my bad. At the risk of making myself look like even more of an idiot, how do I eliminate this thread?
 
No problemo.
Dont believe you can at your current membership level.
No biggie - a MOD will come along and take a gander.
 
I think this is a great idea.

I'm not sure where to tell you to find some, or what 'cheap' brands to recommend, but I can give you a few ideas on how to acquire them....

Depending on how many you need for an initial run of "prototype" kits, try a local flea market or gun show. There is always someone there with a table full of cheap, Chinese knives. You could probably haggle down to a few dollars each if you're buying 10 or 20 of them.

Also, having worked with charities, and procuring things for groups of volunteers, to to put in thank you bags, or even emergency kits like you're doing, orginazations are often willing to step up and donate what you might need. Many corporations have internal programs, incentives, or budgets for charity donations. Talk to a manager at a local Wally-World, sporting goods store, hunting/camping outfitters, etc... You may be surprised what and how much they will donate. You may have to talk to someone in a regional office, vs just a store manager, but you'd be surprised at how many companies, big and small, have community enrichment programs of some sort. Even if the don't supply the stuff directly, they may offer to foot the bill.

Finally, look online for places that do custom printed promotional items like pens, stress balls, note pads, and yes, even SAK's. Depending on how many you need, you may be surprised at how cheap you can get them. Bonus is, you can have the handles printed with a shelter name, a help phone #, or such. Only downside is, you may be limited on the actual SAK options. I can give you some links if you PM me, as not to violate forum rules.

Edited to add.... you may want to contact one of the sponsor vendors here, and see if there'd be willing to donate some, or even cut you a deal on a small volume.
 
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I think the Ozark trail " hobo knife " is like 4$
Coghlans also has a scout type knife for around 5$
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Ended up going with the Marble GI type, found them for under $7 and the reviews were fairly positive. The other suggestions were also very helpful and appreciated.

Apologies again about the duplicate post.
 
jaseman said:
I think this is a great idea.

I'm not sure where to tell you to find some, or what 'cheap' brands to recommend, but I can give you a few ideas on how to acquire them....

Depending on how many you need for an initial run of "prototype" kits, try a local flea market or gun show. There is always someone there with a table full of cheap, Chinese knives. You could probably haggle down to a few dollars each if you're buying 10 or 20 of them.

Also, having worked with charities, and procuring things for groups of volunteers, to to put in thank you bags, or even emergency kits like you're doing, orginazations are often willing to step up and donate what you might need. Many corporations have internal programs, incentives, or budgets for charity donations. Talk to a manager at a local Wally-World, sporting goods store, hunting/camping outfitters, etc... You may be surprised what and how much they will donate. You may have to talk to someone in a regional office, vs just a store manager, but you'd be surprised at how many companies, big and small, have community enrichment programs of some sort. Even if the don't supply the stuff directly, they may offer to foot the bill.

Finally, look online for places that do custom printed promotional items like pens, stress balls, note pads, and yes, even SAK's. Depending on how many you need, you may be surprised at how cheap you can get them. Bonus is, you can have the handles printed with a shelter name, a help phone #, or such. Only downside is, you may be limited on the actual SAK options. I can give you some links if you PM me, as not to violate forum rules.

Edited to add.... you may want to contact one of the sponsor vendors here, and see if there'd be willing to donate some, or even cut you a deal on a small volume.
Click to expand...

This is the way to go. After having given away my old Boy Scout Kamp King decades ago, in a fit of nostalgia, I mentioned it to a friend who likes to shop flea markets. He found one in almost perfect condition for which he paid $1 and passed it on to me. These sales go on all over the country, and almost invariably there will be someone who specializes in pocket knives. Buy a bunch and your quest is ended. Good luck and happy hunting.
 
The big "Mart" sells an Ozark Trail multi-tool for less than $4. It would be another option if you decide to do more. As much as I like my Swiss Army Knives I would think the multi-tool would be more versatile for the people you are trying to help. If you decide to do more send me an email and I would be glad to pitch in and help if I can.
 
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