Knives of the "real" pro's.

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The thread by STEVENKIM and the posts within got me to thinking some about the old " pro's from Dover" that I've seen over the years. We got to talking about Chuck Yeager, a genuine American hero if ever there was one, and if he really carried a sak executive. That go me to thiking about some of the knives I saw in the old Field and Stream and the old tv show "The American Sportsman" before they turned the fire hose on it and watered it down for political correctness.

Two names come to mind, Grits Gresham in his old trademark weather beated stetson, and Curt Gowdy. (I can't remember if thats with a k or a c.)

Some of you may not be old enough to recall Grits, but he was a regular on the American Sportsman, as well as a contributing editor of the Field And Stream magazine for many years. Hunting Caribou in Alaska, or pheasent in Nebrasca, he seemed right at home just about anywhere. He was such a recognizable person for so long, it stood out when he was in a photo someplace. I recall seeing one of those "The Knife I carry" blurbs that had him in it. He was holding up a Gerber Micro-LST as his favorite pocket knife. It grabbed my attention as it was such a small little thing, so I read what he had to say about it in the short paragragh. It seems like alot of people he does not like alot of weight in his pocket, and the tiny mini LST fit that bill. He also expressed that in case of loss, he liked that he could replace it cheap and easy. this from a man who shoots fine rifles that cost more than most of us made in a month. But for him it worked and did what he wanted.

Then there was Kurt Gowdy. I don't know if the would have been any better spokes person for the hunter than him. He was everyplace. hosting the American Sportsman, writing for Field and Stream, Sports Afield, and testifying in front of congress at to the impoertance of the American hunter in the role of conservation. And yet again when I saw him in the "Knife I Carry" in a very old knife magazine, it was a small two blade serpintine jack from Schrade he was holding out in his hand. He said he carries a regular hunting knife when hunting, but the little Schrade did everything else in the way of cutting.

The name Peter Capstick should be familar to most hunters. autor of Death In The Long Grass", Death In dark Places" and others of the same ilk, he was one of the last of the old Kenya white hunters. In his time he'd gone after everything up to and including roque bull elephants and man eater lions. When asked what his favorite knife was he replied without thinking, a sak.

The name Charles Lindberg is familiar to history and aviation buffs. Being one of my childhood hereo's and the inspiration for me to take flying lessons when I was in the army, I read everything I could on him. He actually was quite a sportsman, loving hunting and fishing growing up in rural Minnisota. Even as an older man, he loved to travel and camp his way across what ever country he was visiting. While living in Europe in the 50's attempting to stay away from American press, he bought a Volkswagon beatle in 1957 or so. Over the next decade, he drove that car all over Europe, and the African contenents camping and exploring. There is a funny tale his daughter Reeve Lindberg tells of him picking up two Massai tribesmen in a remote part of Kenya and giving them a lift. The Massai spears would not fit in the VW so he got the tribesmen into the car, then with the door closed he had them hold the spears outside of the little bug. Later he used the same bug to explore the backroads of the U.S., camping out and sometimes sleeping in the vw by taking the two rear bolts out of the seat on the passenger side so he could recline it and sleep diagognally across the inside of the bug. In the book "Under A Wing" Reeve tells of her fathers liking for a Swiss Army Knife, and a small "pen Knife".

And then there's the afor mentioned Chuck Yeager.

I'm not going to voice any opinion here, but its interesting to see what some experianced outdoorsmen and explorers carried in their pockets.
 
jackknife...food for thought, as usual! Thanks!

I think we all know what the "real pros" carry....a peanut.:)

It is interesting to consider what is needed vs. what is wanted in a knife. There's nothing wrong in either as far as I'm concerened...they're just different.

If one wants a Titanium Pry-Bar-o-Nator Tanto...Great! Get it! Enjoy it! Open FedEx boxes with it at the office! Peel apples with it! Have fun.

But I think our Ranger and Gator Wrasslin' friends have shown us you don't really need it.
 
Some others from yesteryear:

Townsend Whelen carried a Remington R1123.

John Jobson a stockman. (Not sure if a Remington or other brand.)

Johnnie Johns (Jobson's hunting partner who lived, hunted and trapped in the Yukon) a Remington R1303.

Nessumuk: Texas Jack (Basically a Moose with a spear point instead of spey blade)

Horace Kephart: From his description it sounds like a stockman (or even potentially a whittler).

Just some more food for thought. In the right hands a small knife can get most any job done.
 
Kephart's personal knife can be seen here:http://www.wcu.edu/library/digitalcoll/kephart/onlineexhibit/outdoors/hunting.htm.

Elmer Keith liked his own model that he designed, see #10 here: http://www.artknives.com/Gil_Hibben...ives_Archives/gil_hibben_knives_archives.html.

Bill Jordan had a model made by G.W. Stone that looked like a Randall # 1, but with more drop to the handle.

Ross Seyfried likes the Cold Steel Master Hunter and a small hunter/ caper set by Bob Loveless.

Harry Archer while famous for the Loveless Parachute knife was a big fan of the Victorinox Farmer backed up by a 12" machete.

Countless older writers also used Remington, Marbles, Ruana, Randall, and Morseth designs.
 
The Colclesser Bros. also made the pocket ax that Kephart was enamored with.

What I was basing the stockman/whittler pocket knife on was his description of what to look for in a pocket knife from the "Personal Kits" chapter of "Camping & Woodcraft".
 
Roald Amundsen carried a pretty standard scandi.

amundsenknife1250.jpg


(Sorry about the bad picture, all I could find right now. The lanyard is simply to connect the knife and sheath for “documentation” in an archive, is was not there when the knife was in use. The picture is of a replica, not the original, so I don't know why they cared about the lanyard.)

As far as I can tell from http://www.canterburymuseum.com/museum_highlights.asp , he used a SAK style folder as well.

Scandi + SAK, a pragmatic combo.
 
This is an interesting set of posts. Does anyone know what men like Hemingway or Zane Grey preferred? I know Hemingway was a gun and knife nut.
 
Very Interesting post. Three items on Charles Lindbergh.

I grew up in Little Falls, and met Charles Lindbergh Twice! The first time he came to our grade school (in the early 60's), and I was just a pup. The school was named after him. We had a gymnasium where he spoke to us about something..can't really remember what, but it got us out of class!

The second time I met him and got to shake his hand, Charles was in Little Falls visiting a friend of his who was in "the Lutheran old folks home". This was in the early 70's and my grandfather was also in that home. Charles was walking down the hall by himself, and my Dad recognized him and we stopped and had a few words with him. I think that he was then living in Hawaii.

In May of 1927 after Lindbergh flown across the Atlantic, he returned to Minnesota and flew to a few towns. My Dad who is now 83 was 3 at the time. My Dad told me that it was "his turn" to go into town with his father. On that day, Charles flew his plane in, and landed on a farm field North of Little Falls. My Dad was sitting on my Grandpa's shoulders, and tells me how fun it was to see his first airplane, and it was Charles Lindbergh flying it.

The next time I go to Little Falls, I will go to the Lidbergh museum, built next to the house he grew up in, and look and see if they have any of his pocket knives there!

Kent
 
Hemingway, it figures he'd have a corkscrew. I looked and Zane Grey had his own line of K-Bars, couldn't find any decent pictures though.
 
When they found George Mallory's body on Everest in 1999 (he disappeared in 1924), he was carrying a stag handled lambsfoot slipjoint.

http://images.rgs.org/imageDetails.aspx?barcode=30023

This may or may not have been the first knife to the summit of Everest. I would bet that the vast majority of those that have made it since have been SAK's.

iSaur
 
When they found George Mallory's body on Everest in 1999 (he disappeared in 1924), he was carrying a stag handled lambsfoot slipjoint.

VERY cool link, iSaur. Thanks!

Was a little disheartening though, to see the keywords under which that page had been filed: "Keywords: ARTEFACTS, EXPEDITION EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING, weapon, knife, belongings, possessions." I mean, come on! :jerkit: It's a folding pocketknife without even much of a point - the very definition of a tool, not a weapon. And check out what it's listed with at this page.
 
This thread is interesting with all its factual historical data...but...being a "folksy" forum, this thread is sadly lacking in "tall tales."

Teddy Roosevelt once killed a charging rhinoceros using only his toenail clippers!

There...I feel better.
 
According to the Maher & Grosh advertising of the day, Teddy Roosevelt carried one of their knives, a model known as the Montana Mountaineer, which is basically a sleeveboard framed stockman with a pen blade in place of the spey. And Stanley carried one of their cokebottle folding hunters in Africa (or was it Livingston? It has been a while since I saw the original ad from Maher & Grosh). It was a two-blade model with a pen blade.

I have an old Maher & Grosh that looks exactly like the folder that Nessmuk had.
 
I think Maher and Grosh had knives for both Stanley and Livingston. They also had the Custer model a rebranded Ulster coke bottle with extra pen blade.

Grover Cleveland had his own model too, but I don't remember what it was, I seem to remember a smallish folder:).
 
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