The Case for the Trapper

[WolfyW]

I'd like to see a picture of that knife! I think the orange persimmon bone is very attractive, but I've only seen it on smaller knives so far.

I'll try later this evening when I get baack. It'll be a simple Android pic as I'm not much of a photographer.

 

[WolfyW]

 

[nickadolin]

A lot of people who may not love the trapper don't like the "similar" blade shapes... but the Clip is the all around user shape while the spay is the ultimate slicer... Both work very well for me.....

 

[5K Qs]

I've always been a little ashamed about my opinion of the trapper , which I'd heard was perhaps the most popular pattern for a folding pocket knife. But I feel better after seeing so many folks expressing opinions much like mine , as detailed below.

While the trapper is not an ideal carry for me I love the looks of them. ...

Totally agree with solphilos! I like to look at trappers (my own, or maybe preferably, others' trappers ), but I rarely carry them. Why not? What makes trappers a less than ideal carry?

...Looks wise, the trapper remains my favourite pattern. There is just something very beautiful the way the handle swoops and rounds over at the end. But I never carry mine. The two blades of similar profIle and length I find redundant. ...

I like the trapper pattern. But to me the biggest downfall, at least in my use, is the two blades with bellies. ... When you modify it and toss a wharncliff in, then it’s about spot on perfect pattern for me. Granted, I still stick to my stockman patterns cause of what I grew up with, but I have to admit that if I needed to choose a single knife to go with me forever (please no!) then a modified (or improved) trapper would be right at the top of that list.

+5K on what jmarston and SVTFreak write! Two full size blades is less than desirable to me; I'd much prefer a larger blade and a smaller blade. And I also like the idea of more variety in the shape of the blades; one with belly and one straight certainly seems a better choice. (But this is coming from a guy who has more canoes than any other pattern, canoes which almost invariably have a spear/pen combo. ) Thus the modified trapper with a Wharncliffe instead of a spey does seem to be an improvement. More on this in a minute.

There's another obstacle to trappers being an ideal carry, namely their size:

... I really like the idea of a trapper on paper, I like multiblade knives where I have one general use blade and one that I keep fresh for select use. But the standard trapper IMO is too big. ...

... What's not to like? Too large? That's where the mini comes in.
-- Mark

...
I won a chestnut brown mini in a GAW from Barrett (@btb01) and this is to me the perfect sized Trapper. ...
Finally Will sent me a wharncliff mini - different again - an excellent slicer.
...

... The trouble is, I find the trapper just a bit too big and heavy for my tastes. ...
The mini trapper is a more convenient size, I think, and swapping out the spey for a Wharncliffe makes it even more appealing to me. I found one at a big Case dealer near Fort Wayne while traveling this summer and it is one of my favorites. I bought it more for the Wharncliffe blade than for the trapper pattern. (I do realize that once you shrink the trapper and replace the spey blade you've moved pretty far from the original concept, though. )

I concur with these opinions that the standard trapper just seems too big for comfortable pocket carry. A few months ago I purchased a Case CV chestnut jigged bone mini trapper, and find it to be so much more enjoyable to use than a full size trapper, even though the mini trapper has the equal-sized clip/spey combination criticized above. Maybe it's like the story of Goldilocks: 2 "main" blades are too big, and 2 "secondary" blades are too small (as in some old pen knives), but 2 medium sized blades are just right! The medium blades are big enough for hard use, but small enough for detail work. As Jolipapa and Ace point out, having a mini trapper with a straight/belly blade combo is even better than just right!

I have to admit that I favor the spey blade over the clip on my mini trapper (and on a full size trapper, for that matter), and I'd like to find an example of a mini trapper with spey/Wharncliffe combination; to me, that would be an improvement over the improved mini trapper!! As Ace notes, however, how many "improvements" can we make and still call the result a trapper?

Speaking of Goldilocks, Jeff plays the part with respect to size, claiming with so many others that the 4.25" trapper is too big, but expressing the position that the 3.5" mini trapper is too small, so he's found a "happy medium"!

I do like trappers, too, but not so much the current standard 4¼" or the 3½" mini-trapper. The one that works for me is the 3⅞" size that GEC and Bulldog have made. Here's one of each. I do agree that they are improved with a straight-edged secondary instead of the spey.

Nice knives , but I think Jeff's favorites would still be too big for my tastes.
Yep, this thread has convinced me that MY ideal trapper is a 3.5" Wharncliffe/spey version! A unicorn???

- GT

 

[Jolipapa]

I'd like to find an example of a mini trapper with spey/Wharncliffe combination; to me, that would be an improvement over the improved mini trapper!!

+1!

 

[NMpops]

I like trappers but I also like a knife I can choke up on for close work, so if I carry a Trapper I also carry something like a Peanut or a medium Stockman.

 

[22-rimfire]

The traditional trapper to me is the large Case trapper with the clip and spey blades. The 4.25" closed length is generally reduced in terms of pocket feel by its slimness. I have never really found a use for the spey blade other than as a back up blade, but the food slicer mentioned earlier is a good use. A trapper pattern was in fact the first GEC knife I bought. Jack knife might be a better description as it really doesn't have much similarity to the classic Case trapper.

I think the GEC Improved Trapper #48 is just about perfect. I like the GEC #42 Missouri Trapper a lot and it was my favored size choice overall for a using slip joint. The #23 was just a bit big for me to carry unless I'm hunting and want something for field chores. I am pretty content with about a 4" closed length trapper pattern or jack knife. I think the Case Mini Trapper is just a bit short to use for its intended purpose, but makes a nice pocket knife.

Most everyone says to choose a fixed blade as a hunting knife. I used a Case Barlow and later a Case jack knife of about the same size for years deer hunting (small game too) as my only knife. Now it or something similar is a backup to a small fixed blade. But I often just grab the slippie as I'm more comfortable using one.

I ran a small trap line as a teen (muskrat and mink mostly) and have skinned many muskrats. Back then, I used a Case Barlow (clip and pen blades) and I can understand the OP's father using a stockman for trapping. The extra blades come in real handy when skinning or even cutting stakes and things along the trapline. I however don't see a lot of use for the large spey blade skinning and prefer a pointy blade for it's precision cutting.

 

[akaMatt]

I have never handled the full size trapper, as they just look too big for my taste. But I love my Case mini, dressed in amber bone. Personally I really like the two similar blade lengths, as it gives me one for general use (clip), and one for food (spey). I was also able to get a really keen edge on both blades with the Tru-Sharp, although admittedly I don't do much hard cutting. It is sharp when I need it, although I don't use it as much anymore since I got my Peanut.

 

[Bugdoc]

Wonderful Morrow's Gary!!!!
A couple of Ken's to go with em!
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Dave

Beautiful stag Dave!

Hello all, new guy here and very first post. I LOVE this thread. Nice knives ! I chose to make this thread my first to post in as I just received my first Trapper ever this week. A Case in Orange persimmon bone SS. Ordered it early to inspect it first for my upcoming 50th b-day near New year. Carried Shrade Stockmans since 14, still have them. SAKs this past year. Just dressed a Squirrel today with my Pioneer. Got turned on to the Trapper pattern recently watching an outdoors related video. It just makes sense for those of us who hunt, fish, camp, cook and just plain enjoy knives. Now I somehow have to keep my paws off mine until January....

Welcome Wolfy. Yes, please get us a pic or two, would love to see orange persimmon on a Case.

The only trapper I own is one I put together myself from a Rough Rider parts kit.

Nice pic and very nice knife. Please explain the parts kit.

1989 62048 lightning S, made by Camillus under contract for Case.



I prefer the single blade versions.

Lordy JB, that's a looker!

My only trapper

This is from EIG, a now defunct Solingen manufacturer.

Unlike others, I don't mind the size, in fact I prefer a bigger folder. As for the blades, they aren't that similar to me. I always like a clip in the kitchen, or when making long draws as in box cutting. The spey on the other hand is less pointy, so comes out when I'm doing home and garden work while moving around with an open knife. I tend to carry my trapper on weekends. Come to think of it, I need a few more.

 

[boy&hisdogs]

Nice pic and very nice knife. Please explain the parts kit.

They are called "Rough Rider Custom Shop" kits and this is what they send you. You pin, polish and sharpen. They cost about 12-15 dollars and there's a trapper, a stockman and a few lockbacks.

 

[Arathol]

My only trapper
View attachment 804988
This is from EIG, a now defunct Solingen manufacturer.

Just FYI EIG Cutlery Inc. was an importer and retailer, not a manufacturer. Saul Eig sold just about everything- knives, guns, sporting goods. EIG also imported a ton of knives from Italy and Japan.

 

[Arathol]

Heres a couple of my Case 54s-
A red scroll 54 that stays in its box wrapped in its original paper-

A 1997 Case XX with smooth black composite scales I carry almost every day

 

[nickadolin]

Just saw this. I think will sell fast....

 

[Bugdoc]

Just FYI EIG Cutlery Inc. was an importer and retailer, not a manufacturer. Saul Eig sold just about everything- knives, guns, sporting goods. EIG also imported a ton of knives from Italy and Japan.

Thanks for this info. It has been difficult to find much about EIG. Do you know who the actual Solingen manufacturer was?

They are called "Rough Rider Custom Shop" kits and this is what they send you. You pin, polish and sharpen. They cost about 12-15 dollars and there's a trapper, a stockman and a few lockbacks.

That's very cool. I wonder who exactly is behind RR? They seem to have a real interest in knives.

 

[Planterz]

I've got 5 trappers, but the pattern itself is incidental. 3 are single bladed, the other 2 are 2 blade with clip/wharncliffe. I'm not a fan of spey blades. Also have a few muskrats (another "trapper" knife), but again, they're Hawbakers rather than with redundant blades.

I wouldn't mind picking up a case single blade mini-trapper with just the clip blade, but the only ones I ever see have a freaking Ford emblem for the shield (don't care for EO notches like posted earlier).

 

[WolfyW]

Welcome Wolfy. Yes, please get us a pic or two, would love to see orange persimmon on a Case.

Post #42, it's there

 

[solphilos]

Totally agree with solphilos! I like to look at trappers (my own, or maybe preferably, others' trappers ), but I rarely carry them. Why not? What makes trappers a less than ideal carry?




- GT

For me they are just too much to pocket. That, and the spey blade is redundant for my needs. The Case Peanut and Small Texas Jack are two patterns I gravitate towards nine times out of ten, so that pretty well sums up my ideal carry.

Still, I'm going to get one soon simply because they look good and that is all the reason I need to give one pocket time

 

[YellowSwiss]

Picked this one up recently. Obviously I have quite a taste for the Trapper pattern. Add to that double locking blades, and it seems I found a great carry knife.

I got this Boker Plus for under $16, so I was a bit wary. I had no reason to be afraid, this is an excellent knife with decent steel and it works smooth and locks up tight. I look forward to testing this knife thoroughly.

 

[jc57]

Just saw this. I think will sell fast....

So they have finally re-released a 6254W? I have one of the older ones in red jigged bone. If I were still in the market for knives, I'd snap one of those green ones up.

 

[HatchetKnot]

@SVTFreak add a wharncliffe (like Tony and Reese did years ago) and it makes the pattern more useful for me. I suspect very few folks actually use trapper patterns for skinning or fleshing out hides anymore.

Worked superbly last weekend.