WHAT DID YOU CARRY IN THE MILITARY?

[EVISCERATOR]

Wondering what people carried in the military. In the 80's and 90's, I generally carried a Cold Steel Master Tanto or serrated Gerber Collins River knife handle down on the left side of my web harness.

 

[Danke42]

 

[jerok8]

Buck 110

 

[madcap_magician]

A new knife each time the last one was lost or stolen...

 

[jdswitters]

SAK spartan, I was a helicopter hydraulics mechanic and the corkscrew is the perfect tool for o-rings.

 

[jux t]

Not my picture. Upside down on my left shoulder:

Edit: also a PST II

 

[zippifish]

In the early 80's serving in a Light Infantry Unit over in Europe, while in garrison a Buck 110 which was the first knife I ever purchased, when out in the field the Buck, standard issue Bayonet and a SAK. most of the guys in my squad either carried a Buck 110, or SAK or both.

 

[The Grendels]

I hated that knife so much, especially when it was on mandatory exercise kit lists, and now it's treated as a collector piece. I gave it away to a family member, when I was thinning out my excess knives, and even the young guy I gave it to didn't think much of it.


I carried a few different ones.

I had a Buck 110 variant with a second folding heavy duty cross cut saw that got lost pepper potting on the Prairies, when the webbing pouch that also contained my KFS got torn off my webbing. First and last knife I ever lost.

I carried a Ka-Bar Utility fixed blade until I broke it throwing it at fence posts, because I was pretty brutal to fixed blades as a teenager.

The one I carried the longest and still have was a half-serrated Spyderco Walker folder (below, seen left) that was mostly used for cutting paracord. It was half-serrated because back then I had terrible taste in knives, unless they were given to me. The guy at the knife store who sold it to me probably needed counseling after my horror about the idea of buying a knife that cost more than $40 and how hard he had to work to make that sale. Over $40 is a lot of beer.

 

[Danke42]

I hated that knife so much, especially when it was on mandatory exercise kit lists, and now it's treated as a collector piece. I gave it away to a family member, when I was thinning out my excess knives, and even the young guy I gave it to didn't think much of it.

For me it's not about if it was the best knife in the world. I also carried a nice SAK but a free knife that you could wreck and replace for free had a lot of appeal. I for sure regret not drawing a belt knife after becoming an assault pioneer.

 

[dogstar]

WHAT IS WITH ALL CAPS?

 

[dan35]

Original leatherman, unit issued. Spyderco Mariner SE. 1988-1993.

 

[Triple_D]

Ontario 499 (issued)
Camillus utility knife (issued)
Some kind of shroud cutter (issued)
SAK (mine)

Edit: Thought I lost this picture, but it was just buried in the files.

 

[JurT]

Andrew Jordan Wolverine and last years Winkler dynamis and hfb fog seaf jr

 

[1911bphil]

I carried a Gerber Folding Hunter when I was in the US Navy. Most of my shipmates carried a Buck 110, but I wanted to be different. It was my first expensive knife, I paid between $60-70 USD in 1984. I carried a marlin spike also because I was a Boatswains Mate. If I was in now, I would carry a Leatherman tool.

 

[GmpaJim]

USN ‘67/‘71

 

[Redhat]

At first, a mini-buck lock back.

Later on a SAK alox Soldier and Leatherman.

Carried several larger folding knives over the years but the above stayed with me all the time...1986-2011.

 

[Neener Neener]

Gerber Multi-Plier. I actually still have it.

 

[os_tempore]

Folder: Microtech socom delta tanto - all black.

Fixed: TOPS CQT SERE - OD green.

 

[Ironbut]

USN ‘67/‘71
View attachment 2092368View attachment 2092369

Yep, same here. USMC 1966-70. I still have the survival knife, but not the original TL-29.

 

[K.O.D.]

WHAT IS WITH ALL CAPS?

I guess that when you're going deaf you don't just talk loud, you type loud as well!