TK Magazine "Wilderness Knife"

[hollowdweller]

We were talking about the newest issue of TK and reading it sort of reminds me of the discussion that we have around here sometimes.

In the Editors column "Don't Tread on My Wilderness" He sort of brings up something that we go over here from time to time

He mentions his Dozier Knife and how someone was panning it for not being tough enough for wilderness, then goes on to say:

I have a feeling that the phrase "wilderness" has different connotations to people in different parts of the country.

Then he goes onto how many trips he has gone into the wilderness, and that he has had very little need to baton anything, or pry anything and that:

Compared to the average swiss army knife equipped northwest backpacker I'm probably way overgunned taking the Dozier on my treks, but hey I like the feel of the Dozier.

Had to grin reading that particular column because I agree a lot of times people seem to relate "Wilderness" where I have been many times myself, to some sort of man and knife primitive survival scenario rather than "Smoothing It" as Nessmuk would say.

Great read if you have a chance to read it.:thumbup:

 

[plowboy]

I read it last night. Steve Dick has some interesting columns. Usually with some good practical thinking.

 

[tknife]

Yup, sounds exactly like the differing opinions and needs we have in here :thumbup: I used to see guys with all kinds of axes, saws, choppers etc in their kit and wonder what they heck they needed all that for! it finally dawned on me (duh) that people in other areas and with different skills and intentions may need a lot more types of cutting tools.

By the same token, I always thought it was strange that a lot of backpackers I have run across don't have any knife, or maybe just a small SAK or swap meet folder. I think it's a little foolish to head into the woods without any knife at all, but if they haven't needed another knife besides the little SAK, then it's great that they have found what works for them.

 

[PB Wilson]

Hmmm, I don't get the dislike for Dozier knives. D2 and hollow ground blades are fine choices.

Thanks for starting this thread. I guess that I'm also more of the "smoothing it" type of outdoorsman.

 

[kgd]

I agree. I'll make my drowning man attempt to voice once again that I don't think batoning is at all hard on a knife (fixed bladed ones, stick tang or full) if done with care. Yes, cutting with your knife can be abusive if you chose to cut through wire cable, likewise batoning with your knife can be abusive if you decide to push through the wood 'no matter what'. So I always end up responding to these threads, like I did this one, trying to defend batoning as a legitimate practice. Whether somebody does it or not or feels they do not need to do it doesn't necessarily detract from it as a skill.

So with my little detraction above, yes I fully agree. You can go out and backpack and more often then not have your SAK with you and it will cover all the bases you are likely to encounter. Especially if you are using your backpacking gear to supplement your survival needs. I.e. if you have a stove and tent, you've just eliminated many major needs for a larger and tougher knife.

There is often intermixing of what constitutes a wilderness knife and a survival knife. Maybe that is because W&SS bundles all these facets into one place There is also a great deal of truth to the statement in the OP - that my overbuilt knife feels good in the hand. Yep, we are knife nuts. There are many decisions that go into carrying which knife we are carrying on a particular trip. In the end, my personal decision on this matter rarely comes down to 'what is the minimum functionality I can get away in a blade on this trip'. If fact, that thought almost never comes into play other than, maybe I'll only take two knives this trip instead of 6

In the end, my other gear (aside from PSK or FAKs) is just gear. If they have to do triple function so be it. My knife has a special place in my heart and activities. Its coming along for the ride even when I'm looking to save a few more ounces

 

[j williams]

Yeah, that article ade me chuckle. He raises a good point.

 

[Zaner01]

By the same token, I always thought it was strange that a lot of backpackers I have run across don't have any knife, or maybe just a small SAK or swap meet folder. I think it's a little foolish to head into the woods without any knife at all, but if they haven't needed another knife besides the little SAK, then it's great that they have found what works for them.

With modern gear, freestanding tents, dehydrated meals in tearable plastic packaging, etc., I think it's entirely possible to go out on a backcountry trip and never use a knife once. This seems to have created the mindset that a belt knife is unnecessarily heavy, and at most you should carry a little SAK.

I recently flipped through a book on backpacking that said that carrying anything more than a 2-1/2 inch folder is a sure sign of "a greenhorn."

All I can say is, that's a strange thing to feel superior over.

 

[Fiddleback]

Yep. Walking into the woods with some heavy assed chunk of steel dragging your pants down just in case you need to pry is ludicrous.

 

[OldPhysics]

Yep. Walking into the woods with some heavy assed chunk of steel dragging your pants down just in case you need to pry is ludicrous.

True. But there's more than a little bit of the clown in me.

I, also, don't get the complaints about Doziers. They're outstanding knives and have served me VERY well.

Of course, I prefer my Woodsman.

 

[mtnfolk mike]

i flipped through the new TK issue yesterday for a few minutes, saw "the Bush Mater" article, i'll probably go and pick it up today.. though now that my subscription ended, i have a hard time paying $7.00 for a magazine..

 

[Don Rearic]

I recently flipped through a book on backpacking that said that carrying anything more than a 2-1/2 inch folder is a sure sign of "a greenhorn."

I would love to see that writer's truly unvarnished opinon on knives in general as well as firearms. Seems to me they're just trying to shame people into not carrying knives. There is a word for those people, A-Holes.

 

[texastonydobbs]

Yep. Walking into the woods with some heavy assed chunk of steel dragging your pants down just in case you need to pry is ludicrous.

LOL ,So True !!

 

[Fiddleback]

True. But there's more than a little bit of the clown in me.

I, also, don't get the complaints about Doziers. They're outstanding knives and have served me VERY well.

Of course, I prefer my Woodsman.

The fun of having a big honking beastie to batter the undergrowth with is not lost on me bro. Certainly I've never used my khukuri's on anyone's neck, and hope to avoid doing so.

And, your taste in Woodsman is impeccable, of course.

I had a few conversations from Dan at Dozier knives at last year's Blade Show, and had the opportunity to watch his grinding demonstration too. Really good folk, really knowledgable, really excellent knifemaker.

 

[Rick Marchand]

..... I recently flipped through a book on backpacking that said that carrying anything more than a 2-1/2 inch folder is a sure sign of "a greenhorn.".....

Call me green then....


I remember a swimcoach in my old highschool saying that anybody who couldn't swim a full length without coming up for a breath was a poor swimmer. We all tested ourselves time and time again without fail. At the community outdoor pool we would swim across and back multiple times. One day we got in early and the cover was still on.... nobody would try it for fear of being stuck in the middle if we ran out of breath.

I can make due with a small a knife or no knife at all, but would never intentionally set myself up to get "stuck in the middle".

Swallow your ultralight pride and pack safe.


Rick

 

[Fiddleback]

I recently flipped through a book on backpacking that said that carrying anything more than a 2-1/2 inch folder is a sure sign of "a greenhorn."

Yea, if you ever go to one of the ultralight hiking forums, like the ones that cater to the AT trail hikers, they'll jump your ass if you say you're planning to bring a Mora, or a Nessmuk, or sometimes, even a SAK.

 

[Zaner01]

Swallow your ultralight pride and pack safe.

That's exactly how I see it.

I think Don's right, too. It's not just "look how ultralight I am" and "look how modern and up-to-date I am," but also a reflection of attitudes towards knives in general. And I'm granola-crunchy enough to disagree with Don often.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

I read it last night. Steve Dick has some interesting columns. Usually with some good practical thinking.

Steve Dick is also the man that Bob Dozier developed the Wilderness Knife for.

 

[hollowdweller]

He mentions that.

 

[coaldigger]

[QUOTE

I can make due with a small a knife or no knife at all, but would never intentionally set myself up to get "stuck in the middle".

Swallow your ultralight pride and pack safe.

:thumbup: I agree 100% 'Ol Bud ! Better to have & not need than to need & not have I always have & always will carry at least a good midsized fixed blade on my belt ( not counting whags in my pockets & my pack )

 

[hollowdweller]

I think his point was that his knife did everything he needed it to when he was in the wilderness.:thumbup: