Knives for boyscouts?

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Minibear464

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Jul 14, 2011
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I'm writing a whole manuscript to advise scouts on what knives to carry, since I'm pretty sure 440A steel, random china made knives don't really cut it. I need suggestions for knives. Nothing over $100, since I think that's too expensive for a group of boys. Just something nice, for camping and hiking, around 4". I'm mainly looking for knife names, but it'd really help if you write a little on why you liked the knife, as well as the steel/special things about the blade. Thanks guys!
 
Pretty much any mora. The 511 has the guard, while the clipper/companion models have a different grip.

Reasoning here is this:

They are SUPER cheap (Got mine for $8 I think). They have a skandi grind, so they are easy to sharpen (and more importantly LEARN to sharpen). They are lightweight so they're easy to carry around. They are also tough, so the kids won't break them. Only possible problem is they are fixed blades, and I can't recall if those are allowed.

If not that, then I would say something like the KaBar Dozier Folder. They come in a couple different colors and sizes, and they are good solid inexpensive folder.

Good luck :).
 
Being a boy scout, I can say out of the few knives I've carried / my limited experience, I'd have to say anything Spyderco, Kershaw (depending on model) or an Ontario Rat 1 will do the job for 50 or less. My Kershaw's are meh to me, my spyderco centofante was everything I've ever wanted, but price wise I'm shocked at how my Rat 1 is holding up. And isn't a 4'' pocket knives kind of big for scouts? I know my troop still goes by if the blade is longer than your palm it's not allowed rule...

Also, something I've found is that a heavier knife is in my opinion better. It's more weight, but I can tell if its in my pocket or not, which on hikes is a great plus. I particularly recall a 1 am 2 mile hike with a veryyy grumpy friend to a lean too in search of a spyderco.
 
Ps ocnLogan, I have yet to find a scout troop that allows sheath knives. It absolutely sucks, but it's the truth. To many problems I guess.
 
I think Victorinox swiss army knives have been seen as ideal/standard for them for a long time. Very cheap to replace and much more useful for learning boys than popular, one-hand opening, single-blade knives.

Can use corkscrew to loosen knots, reamer to put holes in wood, leather, etc. It's easy to learn to sharpen on the relatively soft steel that is also very rust-resistant and forgiving of stupid moments. Their saw is very effective and safe. Screwdriver will save their blade tips if they decide to pry. Doesn't frighten anybody if used in public areas.
 
Heh, those have been the standard foreverrrrrr. So true. Yet something I've seen in those that are awful is, well... story time!

Scout 1: "I can stab the tree harder than you!" (To a kid with a linerlock which amazingly held). Three seconds later, before I could intervene, SHANK!
Scout 2: "Holy ****!"
Scout 1: "WHAT THE ****! DAD! DAD! DAD!"
Random panic ensues. Plus lots of blood. Obviously the swiss army knife closed on the kids fingers. Of course, non locking knifes are safer to close if your careful.
 
Swiss Army Knives are great items for scouts. They're available in a wide range of prices, depending on blades, which makes them ideal for young people of every budget. Something like the Recruit, for example, costs $15 and offers a nice combination of tools and excellent quality.

Are you in Scouts? I worked at Philmont for ten years and probably saw more SAKs than any other kind of knife or tool.
 
My troop was very lax about knives, so we were allowed fixed blades and all sorts of other things.

So yea, check out moras if you're allowed.

Also, the Becker BK14 is also not a bad idea. They run around $30, but will last forever. The blade is a bit shorter though (3in ish).

For folders I prefer a blade with a lock, which generally moves me away from swiss army knives. However, I LOVED my gerber multitool as a scout. Used that thing for everything. So you might keep that in mind as well (aka, be open to SAK or multitools, perhaps in addition to a locking folder or a fixed blade).

For other good sturdy folders, the RAT-1 is good. The Syderco Persistence/Tenacious are also good cheap knives.
 
When I was a boy I'd stab stuff with them....using the reamer.

They can even get something like the Outrider or One-Hand Trekker now.

I think most grown-ups are also probably better off with them than most of what is considered popular and cool.
 
My first boy scout knife was a swiss army explorer knife. This was the perfect knife I though for a boy scout. I thought this till I got my first folding knife. The first folding knife I got was a gerber AR. I found myself using this far more than the swiss army knife. During the majority of my scouting I used the gerber and a swiss tool. I found that this was a much more practical knife than the swiss army knife. Being a Eagle, I know that the boy scouts do not always advise scouts to use these kinds of knifes. In my troop we were also forbidden to carry fixed blades. The combination of the Gerber and Swiss tool with my hatchet was more than enough to handle anything that came my way. As far as folding knifes go I have a SOG vulcan mini that I wish I had back then. The blade is VG-10 and it holds up to almost everything I have thrown at it. As far as a good fixed blade, I know that the gerber LMF is pritty good. Also, the SOG Seal pup eliete is a good one. If they spring a little more the Benchmade nim cub is a 3.5 fixed. Or a short Kabar.
 
Minibear464 said:
I'm writing a whole manuscript to advise scouts on what knives to carry, since I'm pretty sure 440A steel, random china made knives don't really cut it. I need suggestions for knives. Nothing over $100, since I think that's too expensive for a group of boys. Just something nice, for camping and hiking, around 4". I'm mainly looking for knife names, but it'd really help if you write a little on why you liked the knife, as well as the steel/special things about the blade. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

buck has a lot of good, wallet friendly knives.

dollar for dollar, i doubt you can beat a mora. i got this mora companion MG (stainless) from baryonyxknife.com. the 4" blade is made from 12c27 sandvik stainless steel, the handle rubber is very grippy and it locks into the sheath well. at $13 it's a steal.

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rgrimes22311 said:
My first boy scout knife was a swiss army explorer knife. This was the perfect knife I though for a boy scout. I thought this till I got my first folding knife. The first folding knife I got was a gerber AR. I found myself using this far more than the swiss army knife. During the majority of my scouting I used the gerber and a swiss tool. I found that this was a much more practical knife than the swiss army knife. Being a Eagle, I know that the boy scouts do not always advise scouts to use these kinds of knifes. In my troop we were also forbidden to carry fixed blades. The combination of the Gerber and Swiss tool with my hatchet was more than enough to handle anything that came my way. As far as folding knifes go I have a SOG vulcan mini that I wish I had back then. The blade is VG-10 and it holds up to almost everything I have thrown at it. As far as a good fixed blade, I know that the gerber LMF is pritty good. Also, the SOG Seal pup eliete is a good one. If they spring a little more the Benchmade nim cub is a 3.5 fixed. Or a short Kabar.
Click to expand...

This is basically what my progression of knives was as well while I was a boyscout. From a single SAK like knife, to a gerber gator and gerber multitool and hatchet or saw (depending on travel).

Also, what age of boyscouts are we talking about? Are these tenderfoots or life scouts working on their eagle?
 
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Yea. I'm currently working on my eagle. I was at Philmont last year too! Had to chase a bear. Haha, memories.
 
Years ago we were not allowed fixed blades in my troop or summer camp. Even if it is allowed in your troop you might look into whether they will be allowed at your summer camps before you make it an official type policy. It has been 25 years since I was at Philmont but I thought they were not allowed there as well?

If fixed blades allowed I fully agree on a Mora. My choice would be red handled Clipper in Carbon steel because they are easy to sharpen and will teach tool maintenance.

If no fixed blades: I carried an Official BSA knife for awhile but then progressed to a 3 blade stockman and a Buck 110 (modern day one hand openers had not been invented yet). I would suggest you look at the Spyderco Byrd line, especially the FRN handled ones. They are a very good knife for the money with Spyderco quality if you can overlook where they are made. I have been carrying a Spyderco Endura of one kind or another since 1991 and they have never let me down. If you really want to spend up to maybe $70 then a Spyderco Delica or Endura would be my number 1 choice hands down.
 
here's a few good folding knives around the the 3"-4" range:

kabar dozier folder
bucklite max folder
buck vantage
byrd cara cara
spyderco tenacious, endura or manix2
cold steel american lawman, recon1 or voyager
kershaw junkyard dog
 
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Fixed blade knives are not banned by official BSA policy, but individual troops can set limits.

Silly PC garbage IMO. When I was young, we all carried sheath knives. No one ever got badly hurt. What have we come to, that a boy can't enjoy a good knife?

The official BSA 5 1/4 inch Western, with the stacked leather handle, was the most popular in my area. I still love them. I have one of the 4 inchers now, too, which is a great little knife.
 
Ok let me chime in real quick about knives in Boy Scouts. There are no official rules regarding knives and it is often up to the troop or district to set guidelines for edged tools. Most Boy Scout camps will not allow fixed blade knives on their premises and many units discourage or do not allow sheath knives for this reason. Many troops that I know or have worked with limit the blade length of folding knives to 3" to comply with state and local knife laws. Throughout most of my time as an actual scout, I survived perfectly well with a good swiss army knife and a hatchet.
 
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