knife recommendations to take to ROTC Advanced Camp

bcc, why would I make fun of you? I'm a 1975 graduate of what was then the 4th ROTC Division Advanced Camp at Fort Lewis, WA. From that springboard (much of your school's Professor of Military Science recommendation on branch and type commission is based on advanced camp scores) I received a Regular Army commission as a "Destinguished Graduate". From that commission came a 23 year career as an Army troop leader and logistician. I spent 11 years in the active component, 1 year in the Army Reserve, and 11 years in the Idaho Army National Guard, ending my career as a Colonel and Director of Logistics. More Army Officers come from ROTC than any other way. Stormin' Norman and Colin Powell were not USMA graduates!

Now knives. I would only take the SAK. You will have little use for something else.

Bruce Woodbury
 
Well you have to lighten the load abit there bud.

Your powerlock and a good fixed blade is all you need. But if you are like all of us and want more more more.

Then the 710HS or the 806D2 are the way to go for sure.

For a fixed blade my choide would be CS SRK, SOG SEAL 2000 or my fixed cary the Fallkniven A1BLK.
 
How about a Spyderco Police or Military, and a Camillus/Becker BK-7 to go along with your SOG PowerLock?
 
I'd find out what's allowed so there are no problems when you get there.

I would never make fun of anyone for being involved ROTC.

I was never ROTC, but joined the Corps immediately after high school. I served 4 years(88-92) and learned more than I ever imagined I would.

Good luck and Fight the Good Fight !!
 
Ah the good ole Cadidiot camp out....;)
I have no information on what you can carry, but I do have a word of advice. Listen to the NCOs! It will save you a world of headache and heartache. Not to mention the paperwork it will save 'us'.
Have fun and be safe.

MedOpsPogue
 
I don't know about Ft. Lewis but when I went to Karshi-Khanabad in May-June 2002 I took a Busse Natural Outlaw, a large Sebenza, and a Leatherman Wave. The Busse got stolen and I never needed the Sebbie because the Wave did everything I needed so I never should have put the Sebbie at risk in the first place.
I literally used every blade/tool on that Wave and the only extra thing I wished it had on it was a hammer.

Take a multi-tool; you won't need anything else and noone ever questions them.
 
bcc-Bruce is right all you need is the sak. There will be little oppurtunity to use anything else. If you go into the military as a career you will find that when out in the field you will not want to carry anything big, or heavy. You will end up carrying enough equipment that you do not need (or want) anything uneccessary. I carried a f/u and a sak through Desert Shield/Storm. I also sometimes carried a leatherman for the 8 yrs I was active duty. I never carried more than two knives at any time in the field. In your situation you'll be too busy with other things to have much time to use your knives. The sak is small and non-threatening so it will probably not draw any unwanted attention.
 
I'd check the regulations first. I'd get them from your CO because his restrictions may be tighter than the regs. When I was in Germany in '83-'85 we were not supposed to have anything with a blade longer than 3" unless it was issued to us (i.e. bayonet). I was in a Combat Engineer unit, so we didn't need choppers anyway--we had axes, chainsaws, etc.

What I used most in the field was a Swiss Army Tinker (Victorinox). Today I would go with a Victorinox Outrider or Leatherman Wave.

If I was going to carry a fixed blade, it would probably go with Fallkniven F1 or S1 or Camillus/Becker Combat or Crewman Utility Knife. You don't want to spend a ton of money one something that may well get lost or stolen in the field. For example, I just lost my trusty Benchmade Griptilian. It was a bummer, but it only cost around $60 to replace. If it had been a Sebenza, I would have been kicking myself much harder ;)

P.S. I also carried a small flashlight (a Teklite), which came in handy a lot when I was not carrying the issue angle-head flashlight. Get yourself an ARC AAA or better yet and ARC LS.
 
bcc, since I was being branched Regular Army, I had to choose a combat arms as #1 or #2 choice so I chose, in order, QM, FA, MP, OD. I was finishing a BS in Food Science and the Army does food research for all the services. My advanced camp scores were very good, and with the appropriate degree, my PMS recommended QM. After a competitive company command and verious staff assignments, I was given an assignment to go back to graduate school to get an MS in food science. I got to pick the school (had to get accepted on my own) and the Army continued to pay my salary, paid for school, and all I did all day was go to school. They wouldn't let me do anything else, couldn't support the ROTC detachment or anything, just go to school. Then I spent three years at the QM school (Fort Lee, VA) as the liason between the major Army commands (the troops) and Natick Labs outside of Boston. Probably my main claim to fame is that I got the Tobascco Sauce in the MRE! Most people think it has always been there but it wasn't from 80 through 86.

At advanced camp, peer reviews are very important! Don't irritate your squad and platoon mates. It's all about teamwork, with you showing just a little more leadership than the rest of the team.

Good luck!

Bruce Woodbury
 
IF you are the guy who got the tabasco sauce put in MREs, all I want to say is THANK YOU!!!! That is about the best thing that has ever happened to improve the soldier's life in the field.. OF course that and several deployments to Thailand is waht got me addicted to spicy food!!! Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
In the '70's and early '80's troops used to carry a bottle of Tobascco with them. All I did was get it commercialized into the MRE. I did some things for which I'm not especially proud, like design feeding systems at the battalion level, rather than at company level like they used to be. It reduced the number of cook spaces in the force structure (to make "light divisions"), but made feeding A or B ration meals a lot harder. Two three stars made me do it.

...and it isn't just any "hot" sauce. My survey of troop preference was for "Tobascco" brand. The reason it's in little glass bottle is that the storage conditions for MRE's is sufficiently long that the little foil packets of hot sauce disintegrate before the shelf life is up.

Bruce
 
Bruce,
I can't even count the number of times in the field I have said "Thank God for Tabasco."

As far as the question, get a good Leatherman and just carry one of the folders you already have for the things the need to be cut in a hurry.

I never really needed a fixed blade, but if you think you do get a small one. It will be lighter, take up less space, be lighter, and weigh less ( ;) ) than those big 7" "combat knives" that everyone thinks they need (Plus you won't be called Cadet Rambo).
 
Have fun. Learn a lot. Be respectful of the enlisted men that are operating the courses for your benefit. Listen carefully.


I would not see you needing anyhing beyound the SAK or Leatherman.
 
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