fixed blade for youth campers

great suggestions Keep them coming.
Mora was on my list and the scandi grind is a plus for ease of use.

The izula was an idea as well but for half the price a becker necker seems to a nice alternative. Any ideas on this?
In either case the ability to modify the knife for each of the users is a huge plus. I'm hoping to instill a greater appreciation of their gear. How these kids treat their stuff is a joke. $250 tents being left wet to mildew is a sin in my book, especially when i'm out there with my $30 tarp and living just fine.

As for multi-tools I'm hoping to get away from the techie side of things and get back to basics. These kids carry a ton of gear to make up for their lack of ability. The goal with going with a fixed blade is form and function. I want them to get to the level of skill that they are solving problems with thought not just more technology.

As for group gear such as axes and saws we have these things available as well but they aren't really functional when trying to go light and fast. Low impact and leaving no trace is the way I have camped for years and axes and saws tend to leave a bigger footprint then I would prefer.

Thanks for all of the ideas so far. Any others?
 
I have a Necker and an Izula. Both have some advantages and disadvantages over the other, I think the izula is overall better, but the Necker is awesome! I love it just about as much. I especially like the sheath on the necker better. The Necker with the KA BAR TDI clip is an awesome combo.
 
I like mora's but they are not a all-around knife, most of them lack a tang and look kinda like a dollar store knife if ya didn't know any better. My suggestion would be a Glock field knife :eek: Why? you ask, it has been my dirty work knife for a few years now and after putting a convex edge on it, its almost a perfect. It work well at all tasks and for the price it well worth looking at. Its a very tough knife also I use it mostly for batoning and using a ball-peen has yet to break it.
 
trailrun,

welcome to bladeforums!

i have 3 brand new frost moras sitting in a drawer. if you are willing to send me $10 for shipping (assuming you are conus), you can have all 3.

give them out as prizes; keep them and loan them out as needed; give them to the 3 kids who deserve them most; whatever you think.
this will give you an idea of how they will treat their (or your) knives. if they break them, lose them, or generally mistreat them, you aren't out any $$, nor are they or their parents.

they are all sharp, and come with belt sheaths. the sheaths aren't the greatest, but can easily be replaced.

i would rather have them out being used and appreciated than sitting around collecting dust.

click on my username and send me an email.

mark
 
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I would suggest the following:
A bucket full of Mora plastic handled knives or Hultafors for the kids.
A "fancier" 4" for you, like a Fallkniven F1 :)

Then get a good 2-3" folder. A midsized Victorinox with locking blade (Vic Rucksack is good) and teach the kids to use it properly.

The thing is not to have a too "combat" looking knife. A Kabar, Glock knife or LMF II look like that and might scare parents.

Good luck.
 
Then get a good 2-3" folder. A midsized Victorinox with locking blade (Vic Rucksack is good) and teach the kids to use it properly.
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If you want to teach them to use a knife properly, then get them a slipjoint. I don't care if you think this is a can of worms-- if someone is taught to not use a knife in an improper manor, and when they do, actually can get cut rather than being warned about it, then that creates a much better object lesson than otherwise.
(That said, the Alox models do have a stiffer backspring than the non-Alox ones.)
 
jim preston said:
If you want to teach them to use a knife properly, then get them a slipjoint. I don't care if you think this is a can of worms-- if someone is taught to not use a knife in an improper manor, and when they do, actually can get cut rather than being warned about it, then that creates a much better object lesson than otherwise.
(That said, the Alox models do have a stiffer backspring than the non-Alox ones.)
Click to expand...

If they accidentally use a knife in a improper manor, they may risk losing a finger, an example of how that may happen is if they are whittling some wood, the blade get stuck, and they try to pull it back out and the blade folds up onto their fingers.

Get them a locking SAK and teach them proper cutting techniques to them.
 
jim preston said:
If you want to teach them to use a knife properly, then get them a slipjoint. I don't care if you think this is a can of worms-- if someone is taught to not use a knife in an improper manor, and when they do, actually can get cut rather than being warned about it, then that creates a much better object lesson than otherwise.
(That said, the Alox models do have a stiffer backspring than the non-Alox ones.)
Click to expand...

I have to say this is exactly how I learned to use my knife. I have no problem with a slipjoint knife. A little background about this. The first extended trip I took growing up was a 14 day canoeing trip that turned into a 28 day trip when we convinced our dads to blow off a couple extra days at work. During that trip we got caught out on the lake in a bad thunderstorm during a day trip and had to bivy on a small island for the night. All I had was my old camillus boy scout knife. It was one my dad gave me and I had restored. During that night we had trouble getting a fire started and in trying to get to dry wood for a fire to cook some fish that had been caught I snapped my blade. Sad day. That is moment is what is pushing me towards a fixed blade.

nodh said:
I would suggest the following:
A bucket full of Mora plastic handled knives or Hultafors for the kids.
A "fancier" 4" for you, like a Fallkniven F1 :)
Click to expand...

So all those who are following this thread here is the plan.

Moras as a first fixed blade
Prove to me that you can take care of your stuff and we can move into a more robust knife.
I'm currently thinking a bk11 (becker necker) or izula for the shy parents
or a RC3, F1 or equivalent for those who are looking for a bit more handle and blade.

I'm going to start looking into Moras to make a decision about specific model.
Right now I thinking carbon not stainless.

Thanks for all the input. I have another question coming. Hope to continue to hear from you all.
 
My 8 yr. old god-son just got a BRKT Snowy River. Seems like a great knife for a young scout-camper type kid.
 
Id suggest the Smith & Wesson Guide Master. It's a medium sized blade, full tang, and a wrapped grip. It holds a beautiful edge if your willing to sharpen it and refine it to a razor edge, which it will hold for a long while under mild to moderate use. It will hold a decent edge for a long time with medium to heavy use. I used it to shave, make kindling, and other random camp chores. For heavier duty stuff, I carry a camping axe, which is about a 3/4 size axe. Its good enough for trees to make fires, de-limbing, that sort of thing.
 
I found a great Mora on Ragweedforge (I use them as an example because they have pictures) namely the 511 and 546.
Considering SS or carbon for knives that are not likely to survive a year, well, get what is cheapest. If you are teaching how to sharpen a knife I guess carbon is easier to grind.
The Moras I have are either brand new or dull. Over here in Scandinavia they are treated like the heads on your shaver. When they get dull its easier to get a new one.

Anyway.
First suggestion Mora 511 or 546 because they are a bit smaller in size.
Then move on to the 740/760 series
To finish off the Mora streak with the 2000. A really great knife but needs some care because it lacks finger guard.

Then if a parent asks what to get to their now knife trained kid I would suggest Fallkniven F1, similar sized Bark River or RC/RAT. You dont really need a bigger fixed than 4". Then you use an axe or saw. Also with a "smaller" knife it doesnt intimidate parents who are scared about knives. Maybe the WM1 works well too.
A nice, but plain looking knife in a proper leather sheath hanging from the hip looks less "murder-death-kill-rambo" then one in a huge sheath on your thigh.
After all, it is the boy scouts, not special forces in A-stan.

Yes I know I am a Fallkniven fanatic, but there are other 3,75" knives out there that works as well, as long as you dont drop the scouts in the middle of nowhere.
 
The Mora sounds like the basic knife to get them started and trained. I did like the Buck Knives at Knifecenter for a basic knife and it is stainless which will help the kids keep it semi clean when they forget to clean it. I also like the idea of them going from a more basic knife, learn the upkeep, and then go and spend a little more $ for a better knife.

I have enjoyed this discussion, I wish other threads can be like this without resulting to name calling and offensive language (I know, offensive to one may not be to another, but it can get too much).

I guess the old PiotsSurvival knife with a 5 inch blade wouldlook to much like a tactical knife and scare some parents, huh?

Also, sorry one last edit, a Swiss Army knife would be a handy too also to go along with it. The bigger knife for more robust jobs and the pocketknife for the evryday smaller jobs.
 
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I guess that when the kids are well trained they end up with good multitool (for a small blade and the other gadgets), a 4" fixed and a decent axe or folding saw.
 
I would say look into the short ka-bar.

Back when I first started getting into wilderness, camping, hiking etc, I purchased one of these. It kept my attention because of the "cool" factor - its a Ka-Bar!, but also provided a very tough blade. Since then my tastes have moved on, but I just pulled it out of the drawer yesterday. I look at the worn blade and think of all the things I have exposed it to - batoning, throwing, hammering, and rediscovered my confidence in mid-end blades.

With kids (and adults :P), like it not, the "cool" factor is an issue. This smaller version of the familiar Ka-Bar is just the right size for bushcraft, IMO, while being a compromise for the parents - gung ho enough for the rambo crowd, while having the rooted history for the sheeple crowd.
 
For people saying that you dont need a A fixed blade for this class, your wrong, the kids should have a small to medium sized fixed blade, and a decent muti-tool or swiss army style knife.

For fixed blades, I reccomend Buck 119 special, assuming that they will be doing a good amount of beating up on the knife, or A Gerber Big Rock serrated or non dosent matter.

For multi-tools, Any swiss army knife with a saw, and Any leatherman with a saw. the reason being is that if your going to do any bow and drill type stuff you need to make a notch in the fire board.

I know you can get the Buck 119 at walmart as well as the multi-tools, And you can also get the Gerber big rock serrated (or non) at dicks Sporting goods as well as the multitools. Hell you could even go to Amazon.com to get them!
All in All my opinion is to have a big chopping type blade (no to big though) and a smaller multi-tool for smaller jobs.
 
I agree with those who are recommending Moras.

If you want something that's a step up and suitable for wooodcraft, I'd have them get the Ontario Air Force Suvival knife for $40. It has a 5" 1095 blade, stacked leather handle, and a decent sheath. I also think it fits you back to basics concept.

http://newgraham.com/store/product/6080/499-Air-Force-Survival/

on499.jpg


Whatever you get keep it in the 4"-5.5" blade category. You might consider adding another tool, such as the small Estwing hatchet (Sportsman?) that's available at a lot of sporting goods and hardware stores for under $40.

Bear in mind some people are going to recommend the latest knife they got, their favorite knife, or the knife that's the latest rage regardless of the OP's specific needs.
 
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For a first knife for camping, you couldn't go wrong witha vic farmer...mine is always in my pocket...
 
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