The Older I Get...

I'd prefer to carry a smaller blade but I define my needs by my morning apples, say about 2.8" or so.
 
Late as usual to the party having night when you have day.
Anyway I want to take part in this as I to has gone older.
Im going to turn 50 this march and altough I dont feel any agecrisis its a time to evaluate things.

My Knifes has turned smaller during the years. The Lifestyle is rather consistent with psycotherapist work, and building and being in nature on my spare time. For work I can carry anything as I dont use the knife much att all. Apples and letters is its main work. For my free Life I use different knifes, mostly my main EDC traditional folder and Another knife may it be a fixed blade or bigger folder. The EDC has gotten smaller during the years. When I turned 40 years old I got myself a Queen #9 stockman, When I was 43 forummember Sunny D gifted me a Case stockman I Think is called 32, a 3 1/2 stockman anyway. A few years later I bought a schrade duckstamp 3 1/4 stockman and a old but mint schrade OT 34. Also in the same time I was gifted a Buck 303. Missfortune was that my computer crached in that time and I lost the name on the fine gentleman gifting me this nice knife. These 3 stockmans together with a Case small scout, a case swayback jack and a case mini trapper is now my prefered size for an EDC knife. I have a few more In that size I seldom use but still a nice size about 3 1/2 inch. Lately since this last summer I have got even smaller. I now often use a Wenger/EKA cooperation called Classic woodline, Bsically like a victorinox Classic. I also use a midnight manager an celidor Classic, an alox Classic and a minichamp, all from victorinox, and letherman micra. Until last summer I concidered these to be to small but last summer I started flyfishing from an Gomotex inflatable canoe. A terrific and sturdy canoe but knifes an inflatable canoes is still risky so I started to carry a small knife with scissors around my neck to prevent the risk of punkture. As this knife Always was Close and the bigger knife was Deep in a throuserpocket inside the waderpants, to use I gradually discovered that the small blade most often was enough. So I started to use them at a regular basis, works just fine but they are a Little boring. Mabye I try to find a small carbon steel 3 or even sub 3 inch traditional like mabye a peanut, but the small knife with scissors that could be hung around the neck sometimes is here to stay Im certain.

Bosse
 
I've always liked small knives, I hate having a lot of weight in the pockets.

Mind you, I like and admire bigger knives too, winter time I carry them comfortably in the outdoor coat. Nothing changing with age, except I don't look as good as I used to:eek::D

This Queen Cutlery Stockman No.26 is what I'm carrying today and is ideal for me: compact, lightweight, 3 different blades in D2 a kind of Gents' Stockman or 3 blade Pen.

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I wanted to return to have an opinion on Another theme. That about Codger 64 and cleening moose with a small slipjoint. As Im not a person with English as my own language I may have missunderstood greatly. There is very possible to cleen a moose with a small knife. Opening throut, belly and to skinn it domt require a long blade. The skin and the meat under the moose isnt that thick at all. Cutting inside and i throut isnt extensive eather. Taking of the bones in the kneejoint is more about precition than strength. Taking care of game even big game is a lot more about experience than big Tools. I havent done this extreemly often but I would say I have done about 10 mooses alone and mabye 250 mooses together with hunting friends. I usually use knifes like Mora 2000 or lately EKA swingblade but once when my Fallkniven U" was brand new I desided I wanted to see what the SPGS steel was abaut. That day I got a moose bull that I cleened myself and later helped Another man to cleen Another moose bull. Before the day was over we also skinned and sawed them in half. All the time I used my U2. That knife has a blade about 6 cm long and its a lockback. Evaluation would be it has enough blade but a few cm more is better. Handle is far to small for convinient handling.

Bosse
 
So... I now checked a little better. Found the post about the small knife and also found Out about who codger 64 is. So the part about mistrust can be ignored. Just take that post as one more post about using a small knife for big game. Sometimes Its a little diffikult to understand english the right way. Writing can be even harder. 2 Times I got infraktions for bad language when i have used direkt translation from swedish. We give different expressions and words different meening sometimes.

Bosse
 
It might change, but I can't foresee myself ever not carrying my S&M stag sowbelly. It's been in my pocket every day since summer of 2012.
 
Hey Bosse! It was I who sent along the Buck 303 to you, sir! I am happy to hear it is still in use. I, too, have found my pocket knives getting smaller as I grow older. I just don't care for the weight and bulkiness of a heavy, long folder in my pocket. I have a GEC #77 Washington Jack, a CV Case 63032 and 6318 stainless, as well as an old, well-used Schrade 34OT that are some of my favorites.

Best Regards from Texas!
Ron
 
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That 3.5" mini trapper ruined my edc for sure. It's my gold standard for compact edc now. Just enough blade to do alot, in near a weightless package!

I recently picked up a rather fine barlow and tried to edc it but it didn't size up as neatly as the mini trapper in girth and weight.
 
Here and there I like to go as small as possible with the knife, So from time to time I try to live with CASE 6201 as an EDC, with 2 5/8 " closed and a big blade of 1 9/16 " - sometimes it works, sometimes it is really uncomfortable - but it is usable to open letters, to cut ropes, to cut onions and paprika and carots and to "whittle" my wooden walking stick.
 
My pocket knives have stayed the same (full size stockmen or trappers). My sheath knives have gotten smaller, from 5" to 6" blades down to 3" blades.
 
Ron. I,m so glad I posted about this so I could find you again. Yes that knife is in regular use. Often as my pocketknife when I,m in nature as backup for a fixed scandi knife. Its probably carried more than 100 days.

Bosse
 
I think my favorite smaller knife is probably the SAK Cadet. I work with my hands and am always catching and tearing fingernails, so the file comes in very handy. The blade stock is slightly thinner, so they get incredibly sharp. And they are just so light and thin and come in a variety of satisfying colors. So far I have silver, red, OD green and orange. They're just hard to beat!

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That's great Bosse! More and more, I enjoy carrying knives in the 3 1/4" to 3 1/2" range. They are just easier to carry and use!

Ron
 
As I get older I am like the OP with appreciating smaller knives. My previous EDC was a Sebenza Insingo and before that a GEC 73 but now I EDC a GEC Tascosa. It is a great little knife and I do not miss the extra blade length of either of my prior EDCs.

 
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I agree with NirreBosse on the size of the knife used to gut and skin game animals. Most knives called "hunter" are large for me, over 4". The handiest knife for the job is the one that's handiest for EDC, about 3-1/2" closed. The two I've turned to lately are a couple of Queens, both in D2 steel. There's a reason that some of the best custom skinning knives are made in D2.
I sharpen mine to 15 degrees per side, and polish that bevel, then put on a micro bevel by hand with a 600 grit diamond hone, and they are more than up to the task. Here are my go to's, a Queen Country Cousin, and a #69 Barlow.

 
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