slippies in the woods

[xbxb]

Carbon for me. They get so blazing sharp and keep an edge

 

[Vivi]

Hello Riley.

I like to carry slipjoints in the woods myself. The lack of a lock has always been a non-issue for me, though when it's really cold I appreciate not having to open my fixed blade with two hands. Usually when its cold out like it is now, I'll have a small custom puukko on me (3 inches or so of blade) with either a stockman or some type of SAK on me. Both are handy, but serve slightly different purposes for me. My stockmans usually get used for whittling and carving, maybe some food prep, but not a whole lot else. The SAKs do a little of the same, but the extra tools opens them up to different uses once in a while, like sawing small branches or using the awl as a utility scraper. They work just fine for me out in the woods for making fuzz sticks, cutting up food and the other usual chores my knives see.

 

[jackknife]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the help guys...I'm sure I'll be asking alot of questions....I originally wanted a slippy because I wanted my woods knife to also be my edc so I figure that's the knife your most comfortable with, and the one your most likely to have on you in an emergency..I like the rustic non tactiacal look and I like the stockman patter for the reason that if one blade should fail you're not left without a cutting implement...what do you guys prefer for steel in your pocket knives.. carbon or stainless...Thanks again everybody for the warm welcome

I'm a carbon guy at heart, but I don't make a religion out of it. I like carbon Opinels and mora laminated, but I also love the Buck 303 that my friend Andy left me when he passed on, as well as the Wenger SI I usually have in a nylon belt sheath.

Your reasons for the stockman are sound. There must be a reason it has been a popular choice for a hundred years or so. I agree with your edc being the ones you will have in an emergency. If you carry the same thing every day, you learn to work around any weak points, and maximize its use. I used a Buck 301 stockman when I was in the army Engineers, and for many years after I was medically discharged. It gave me a wide choice of blades to use in any given situation. I could use the sheepsfoot for most things to keep my main blade very sharp.

 

[Blues]

I always have a slippie on me so there's nothing special done there.

In my daypacks for roaming on or off the local mountain trails I always include a SAK and a light Mora fixed blade. (Also a folding saw from Opinel which weighs next to nothing.)

Better to be prepared and not need your gear than need it and not have it. The mountains can be a cruel place to spend a night out when not prepared for it, especially in poor weather conditions.

 

[mnblade]

what do you guys prefer for steel in your pocket knives.. carbon or stainless...Thanks again everybody for the warm welcome

I go back and forth. I like carbon, but I'm not a total snob about it. I have plenty of SAKs and LOVE everything about them. I also have a stainless Case peanut that serves me quite well. And Buck puts a nice grade of stainless on their knives -- hey, 54 kabillion users can't be wrong, can they?

 

[jackknife]

(Also a folding saw from Opinel which weighs next to nothing.)

Everyone should try one of those Opinel saws. I'd rather have one of those in my pack for an emergency than a 6 or 7 inch knife. It cuts wood like... the term "crazed beaver" comes to mind.

 

[Sword and Shield]

I've done a great deal of camping with a Scout knife/Vic Soldier or a stockman in my pocket. The most I'll carry otherwise is my Estwing hatchet, or a smallish sheath knife.

 

[db]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the help guys...I'm sure I'll be asking alot of questions....I originally wanted a slippy because I wanted my woods knife to also be my edc so I figure that's the knife your most comfortable with, and the one your most likely to have on you in an emergency..I like the rustic non tactiacal look and I like the stockman patter for the reason that if one blade should fail you're not left without a cutting implement...what do you guys prefer for steel in your pocket knives.. carbon or stainless...Thanks again everybody for the warm welcome

I really like D2 in my Queen stockman for steel. Ask away any question you can think of we love to talk about our slipjoints here. I also have done with just a slipjoint in the woods and did just fine.

 

[lambertiana]

I always have a slipjoint in my pocket. Most often it is a stockman - Queen D2, Kissing Crane, Case Cr-V, or Eye Brand.

 

[camo kid]

I spend alot of time outdoors, hunting, fishing, woods walking, snowshoeing, canoing, and many other things. Most of the time I just use the slipjoint I have on me, some times I take an old hickory, or Dexter Russell to use if I need a fixed blade. 99% of the cutting that I need to do is done by whatever slipjoint I am carrying. Most of the time I prefer to carry carbon steel, but the size ranges from Case peanuts to Case folding hunters. joe

 

[Will Power]

Took a roam in the forest last week-end but not for more than an hour or twver here in Scandinavia there is so little daylight/twilight at this time of year,4hours max so you have to take shorter trips. Small pack with sandwich,flask,fruit and chocolate.Whistle too&mobile phone,never go out alone in the forest without these. No hatchet, but Bark River Nebula and Bark River Mini Northstar as backup in the pack. As for traditional knives (I'd take a pocketful but one must be realistic!) Generally, CASE Mini Trapper, or CASE Medium Stockman I just got 1 in Amber Bone (very nice colour)perhaps a CASE mini copperlock a useful lock-back. If I take a SAK it would be the Pioneer, the one that has a cool saw-you never know what you might need...! Must take a couple of traditionals at least, suppose you dropped one!!

Prefer stainless as this is a wet environment and I can't find fault with CASE stainless so far. As for the Spey blade (I prefer a wharncliffe) yes it is handy kept dull as a prober but it comes in useful for spreading stuff on bread outdoors too. Mr R.Riley has lodged some very interesting posts in the Survival and other forums, welcome to our manor where it's friendly&interesting too.

 

[ilbruche]

...also what's the purpose of a spey blade??

I use the spey blade on my Schrade Bearhead for cutting leather. I do a draw cut first and then cut all the way through with a push cut. It works very well.

Not exactly castration, but still cutting cow parts.

Everyone should try one of those Opinel saws. I'd rather have one of those in my pack for an emergency than a 6 or 7 inch knife. It cuts wood like... the term "crazed beaver" comes to mind.

These are really great saws. Especially for winter use. If your trying to keep warm you'll waste a lot less energy and take less risk hacking your leg using a little saw.

 

[puukkoman]

Funny... Several of you trapper-packin' guys keep your spey blades dull... I keep mine razor-sharp (super-narrow bevel, as opposed to a slightly more obtuse bevel on the clip for utility purposes). I use the clip blade for nearly everything, and save the spey for food. Helps to have a razor in your pocket sometimes, and it's always kept clean enough for me to eat with. (I've also skinned a few animals with it, for which it works better than the clip blade, and needs to be SHARP.)

 

[ilbruche]

Funny... Several of you trapper-packin' guys keep your spey blades dull... I keep mine razor-sharp (super-narrow bevel, as opposed to a slightly more obtuse bevel on the clip for utility purposes). I use the clip blade for nearly everything, and save the spey for food. Helps to have a razor in your pocket sometimes, and it's always kept clean enough for me to eat with. (I've also skinned a few animals with it, for which it works better than the clip blade, and needs to be SHARP.)

I do the same thing. I use the clip for most cutting and reserve the spey for when I need a really sharp edge. One of the benefits of having two blades.

 

[Foilist]

Careful Riley, once you pop in here, you'll get sucked right in (like I did)!

I've decided that I like the big blade/pen blade combo in a slipjoint, like on the peanut I've been enjoying for the past six weeks or so. I'd like a bigger knife in that configuration too, and the Queen Gunstock in honey amber bone has really caught my eye.

I prefer carbon blades, but I won't turn up my nose at stainless.

 

[DaveinNY]

My every day knife is well suited for the woods. The Schrade 89OT has a clip, spey and scalloped sheepfoot that's very sharp . I find that the scalloped sheepfoot will do a great job of cutting small branches for firewood or even everyday gardening and is perfect for harvesting leeks in the spring. As others have stated, I keep the spey sharp, nothing beats a spey for cutting rope or for chopping . I have way more knives than I could ever use, but this old timer just seems to be the most versatile for my personal uses.

 

[Karl5]

Of course!!
Life wouldn't be as good if I didn't have a slipjoint in my pocket.
It's normally of the moose pattern, but on occasion there'll be a sak instead (or as well).
If I feel the need of a fixed blade and bring it, the trusty slipjoint still gets to come along.

/ Karl

 

[Yosemite Sam]

My biggest mentor in camping/survival techniques would go a week in the woods with a Buck 110, a tarp, some cord, and a frying pan. He was a smoker, so he usually had a lighter, too. That guy was good.

Seems I'm like a lot of others here: In my heart I prefer carbon, but I find myself with a lot of stainless, too. Knives and guns. I've had very few problems with the steel in either case. Try as I might, I just can't be a steel snob.

-- Sam

 

[Franciscomv]

I always carry a fixed blade when woodsbumming, nothing to big, a 4" blade seems to suit me well. One hand opening, locking folders are not needed since my sheath knife is a lot handier.

Slipjoints with multiple blades are very useful outdoors. A SAK with a saw is always in my pocket, usually a Farmer or a GAK. I keep the blade on the SAK clean to use on food. For whittling and delicate cutting I carry a trapper, stockman or canoe. I didn't think much of the canoe at first and bought it as a city knife, but it has proven to be very useful and it's so slim I barely notice it in my shirt pocket.

 

[Dave_Markowitz]

Back when I was in a Civil Air Patrol ground search and rescue unit and spending a fair amount of time in Penn's Woods, I carried two knives with me. One was my Victorinox Pioneer. The assortment of tools was just right. Nowadays I might pack a Vic Farmer which is the same knife with the addition of a saw.

Second was a USAF Survival Knife, which I replaced after a few years with a Schrade LB7 Bearpaw. Between the two, I was able to handle anything requiring the use of a knife.