Ditching the Fixed-Blade?

Tyson Norris said:
I think that as knife & survival/bush-craft nuts we may tend to over prioritize our knives. But, I really don't know. I'm not quite there yet, just thinking out loud. Keep in mind, I don't want to spark a controversy or offend anyone, and I'm definitely not suggesting what people should be doing, after all I've always had a solid FB on me (maybe one of my 5 fallky's, lol) and am not yet relegating the sheath knives to drawer duty, but I thought it would be interesting to see what the lot of you thought on this and to help organize my thoughts. :D
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I would agree with that. I have way more than I need. My Granddad would laugh at me. ;)

Again, I feel my tools are very situation specific. As I said in my other post, there are times when a folder and a saw is all I need. Most often if something is going to go wrong it involves a broken ankle/leg/insert any bone you want....... or someone gets lost. A fixed blade certainly would be helpful, but not the deciding factor for your survival IMHO.

There isn't a tool out there what will be more useful than your BRAIN/SKILL LEVEL. ;) Of course YMMV.....

Basically ditching the fixed blade for me isn't a bad idea depending on where/when/with whom I'm going with. Then again on certain trips it would be flat out stupid for me to leave it in my truck.
 
Tyson Norris said:
Ditching the Fixed-Blade?

So, I'm not quite there yet, but I seem to be thinking about it a lot.


Anyone else moving in this direction?
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I have moved in the other direction.


Many years ago I mostly employed folders for my cutting needs.

These days, though I usually have a quality folder available, I almost always reach for a fixed blade.




Big Mike
 
Camping and hiking trips are the only chances I get to actually carry and use some of my favorite fixed blade. I carry a 3"-4" folder everyday. I get out there to have fun and do things I cannot do in regular day living.

I think what you need is something a little more fun to carry and play with to keep your interest in fixed blades (I am not saying that the F1 is not awesome, it just sounds like Tyson's folder fits the F1 bill). If you like Fallknivens you should pack a nice big A1. Find some junk to chop. Baton a bunch of dead wood. Feel cool wearing it around. Put it in your pack if it gets to be a pain. If the weight is an issue leave it at home or in your car.

I personally love to take a good folder and great fixed blade. If hiking in I usally do no more than 3 miles so weight is not an issue. I like to take my Spyderco Endura ZDP-189or BM Stryker and either my Swamp Rat M6 or Camp Tramp. I just got a Busse Terror Monkey DSF and I cannot wait to hit the trail with that thing!

It is all about what works for you. If you are all about utility it sounds like the folder has you covered. I know my folder gets 75% of the work load on a camp trip for me.

But think about all the fun you are missing not carrying around a sweet camp knife! Don't give up on your far flung fantasies, MAKE THEM BIGGER!!!!!

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Hey jdigi101, nice to hear from you! Funny thing is... I do own an A1! I even brought it with me (and a few others) on my solo last year -- just doesn't see any use with me. Awesome knife, but not for me, I prefer my 4" fixed blades. :thumbup:
 
Maybe it would be useful for you to try challenging yourself on fire craft with just the folder you would like to take. I agree there are a tonne of work-arounds using alternative tools or even crafting what you need just from the environment. Still, the thought-experiment can be deceiving on many fronts and I usually throw in my gambit with experience. Besides training of this type is a lot of fun, so without further ado, launch yourself into a safe setting but work with your kit in a downpour or do a self-dunk on a hot summer day and see if you can make that fire in 10 minutes or so as you get to shore. Based on that exercise ponder what worked and what didn't. Maybe the knife you used (folder or fixed) really isn't this issue, but you figure out that stowing extra emergency tinder or a better scraper for your firesteel or waterproofing that bic is the bigger priority. I know that experiences like these, and the occasional unintended dunking, have shaped a lot of my thinking on my kit contents. For example, I learned that tying stuff to your pack is a great way to lose essential gear, that having a pot to sanitize water is far more important than I previously figured, ziplock bags which I thought waterproofed my contents did not perform as intended, water-logged charcloth ain't worth a crap, antiseptic packages are convenient but only good for one use and your run out of them quicker than you get out of the field.....and others...

Anyhow, there is no wrong way on the folding versus fixed blade. Just like some folks claim to never go in the woods without an axe or hatchet, others feel totally comfortable forgoing such tools. All depends on what you know, what you can do, what you might encounter, whether you prepared yourself to deal with the situation etc. Good luck on your decision. Hey, it can be a lot of fun just figuring out if all you really need is that folder and a jock strap...
 
kgd said:
Hey, it can be a lot of fun just figuring out if all you really need is that folder and a jock strap...
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Yeah the process is a lot of fun and will likely change what you like or dislike over time. Before I was all about fixed blades then hit the trail with a folder and a tomahawk and found I much preferred that combo. Who knows, maybe in another 10 years I'll switch back or go on to something completely different. Nothing says you can't decide to go back to your old fixed blade ways once you've experimented with folders only.
 
Shotgun said:
Yeah the process is a lot of fun and will likely change what you like or dislike over time. Before I was all about fixed blades then hit the trail with a folder and a tomahawk and found I much preferred that combo. Who knows, maybe in another 10 years I'll switch back or go on to something completely different. Nothing says you can't decide to go back to your old fixed blade ways once you've experimented with folders only.
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Very similar to what I found. Hatchet/medium axe + SAK is my preferred method as well. Then I found the Bahco saw and that messed that idea up. Now I'm messing around with a Tram 12" machete and finding I may well change my mind again. What a mess. ;)
 
I have multiple woods combos, but they all contain a fixed blade of some sort, be it a Mora or machete. That being said, I carry at least a SAK in all these combos as well. I'd drop the SAK before I'd drop the fixed blade. But it would be a tough choice for me. The SAK gets most of the work, but the fixed blade would make me feel better if the chips were down.
 
I just finished backpacking for a week in Yosemite. I carried a Bark River STS-3 and my Izula. I never drew the STS-3 out of it's sheath once! I'm in a similar conundrum. I'm thinking about leaving the STS-3 at home and only going with the neck knife - especially after schlepping that biotch all the way to the top of Yosemite falls and camping in the back country without ever, not once, using it. The folders are too hard to clean and I'm afraid I'll lose it out of my pocket.
 
OwenM said:
I carry a Delica, too. It's about all I use any more, but there's a Victorinox Hiker in my fire/first aid/signalling kit. I've had a bunch of nice fixed blades in the 3-5" range, but always found myself searching for a reason for them. Nowadays, I only carry a fixed blade when I intend to have a fire. Upgrading my first aid kit was more realistic for handling the survival situations feasible for my activities than carrying a fixed blade. So that's what I did.
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Things very rarely fail as planned.
 
kgd said:
I once was asked by my dad on the fly to demo for him the bowdrill technique. He was calling BS on my claims. I only had a SAK in my pocket and I routinely keep paracord as boot laces in my shoes. So I went along his property, collected some willow for drill and hearth and made a top piece and bow from maple. The willow was only about 2/3 the thickness of my wrist, but I still had to split it. I was able to do so with my SAK blade but I sure didn't feel very confident doing so. At that point, I was willing to sacrifice my sak to save my ego and make my father eat his words :D
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So, with nothing but what was in your pocket + your skills & knowledge you made a fire? I think your dad did you a huge favour getting you to put yourself and your EDC gear to the test, it must be good to know it is doable with nothing but a SAK.


I EDC a SAK and a Multi-tool, if I found myself in a survival situation I'd be pretty grateful for any gear I happened to have with me, though given the choice I'd like to have my machete or one of my Beckers with me - there's something to be said for having gear that you KNOW you can rely on. Having my BK-7 + SAK + MT would enable me to do pretty much anything I had to, then I'd only have to worry about the serious gaps in my knowledge.
 
pitdog said:
Not a chance in hell that I'd quit my fixed blades for folders !!!!:eek:
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I agree with you 'Ol Bud..."it's better to have it & not need it than to need it & not have it" If you ever meet me I always have at least 2 folders(1-slip 1-locking)& when always a couple of fixed blades very close by if not on me ! When I go fishing or to the woods I've always got a good fixed blade ! Instead of dropping the fixed blade you shoud try down sizing the fixed blade...like going down to the ESEE Izula or KA-BAR/Becker BK11 or a nice custom necker !
 
In the last few years I have undergone a huge swing in what i carried into the woods.I carried big fixed blades.Then fixed blades and a folder.then a smaller fixed blade and a multi tool mow I carry a small (ESEE-3/Izula) fixed blade and a multi tool. In extended trips i carry a huge fixed blade (Junglas/Martindale golok/Ontario 22" machete) for the grunt work.
 
Few things that I read on this thread that I find worth considering...
First thing is that alot depends on ur ability to use a knife, not just on the blade itself. My ancestors have wandered for ages with a traditional non locking folder and it fulfilled all their needs...furthermore, we are not all involved in the same kind of treks/hikes, nor we need or use a blade for the same purposes. For example, I know people who spend weeks in the outdoors that almost never light a fire when they camp, preferring a stove (weather around here is mild unless in full winter).
As for ergonomics, it's a very personal matter. Maybe for the OP the Delica fits in his hand like no other fixed blade he has tried so far...maybe such "fitting" blade does exist, but he hasn't found it yet.
I have tried many alternatives, and made up my mind about it. On longer hikes, I do bring a small fixed blade (never more than 3,5") and a small folder/SAK for food processing (and eventually a folding saw). On shorter treks, I carry a One Hand Trekker and nothing more.
I know the BF motto is "use both"...but personally, I believe that u should just try both, and if in the end ur Delica is what suits u better, u shouldn't care being one of the few (even the only one) carrying a folder in the outdoors.
:cool:
 
Tyson Norris said:
The knife just seems to become less and less important as time goes on.
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Blasphemy !!! :D

up till about 8 months ago I was carrying fixed blades all the time, everywhere.. Now I only been carrying folders.....Now for the bush no way............ its fixed or forget it.. matter of fact, for me its a machete or walk home...... a scandi fixed, and a folding saw..

I kinda think we all tend to go thru periods or cycles where what we're doing for that moment lends itself toward what we really need..... or think we need :D...
 
I hate folders, period.
BK11 is small enough for me.
But if you are good with a folder go with what works for you.
Have fun stay safe.
 
Downsizing is something I think most of us do over time. The hacking and chopping becomes more work than fun (as does packing heavy tools) and less of it is done. I still like pretty much all sizes of knives, but lately I have noticed some changes of my own. In the warmer months especially, I am finding myself carrying a 1/8" thick machete with a 12" blade over my 3/16"-1/4" x 7-10" blades because of the lighter weight. I've bought more knives with 4" or less blade length to pair with it than I have the 6" or 7" knives of the past. I do always have a folder, hell I was batoning fatwood with a Wenger Ranger the other day just to make a point. But, I'd still always rather have a fixed blade than a folder in the bush or on a trail, even if it is one with a 2.5" to 3" blade. Intentionally trade out my fixed for a folder? Not a chance.
 
Don't compromise on the fixed blade especially the one you're talking about! Do you have the leather enclosed sheath one? If so, I envy you! Back to topic I do not, and would not carry a folder instead of a fixed. Fixed blades are convenient and put you in a handicap in a emergency situation. Bottom line carry that fixed and folder knife.
 
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