what kinds of knives do whitewater guides carry?

redsquid2

redsquid2

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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just curious. i have never been down dangerous rapids, and it seems like on canoe trips nobody brings any special kind of knife. just your regular folders. but i was reading where this whitewater guide says you always need at least a 4 inch blade. does anybody know what kind of knife is carried on these adventures?
 
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there was a picture of her knike and it was a buck, but they did not say what model, but it looked like a trailing point hunter with black micarta handle.
 
hmmm, having been on a few whitewater rafting and canoe trips, I cant think of why a four inch fixed blade is "always needed". Frankly, rapids can be rough and people get tossed around. I'd almost prefer the guy next to me did NOT have a large fized blade.

How about a Pacific Salt?
 
Seems like a Buck 119 with a pointy clip point would be the last thing you would want in many of those inflated whitewater rafts....
 
she said a boatman always carries a knife , in case of entanglement.
 
Hey guys, I've been a rafter since I was 5(18 now) and am now a guide myself. Rafting has been in the family for 25 or so years now. For a whitewater knife, you want something that is very grippy when wet, good for cutting salami and cheese...(as that is what it is most often used for) but most importantly, it needs to be able to cut through webbing (rigging straps) thick rope, clothing, and anything else that could cause entanglement if you were a smimmer. I like a serrated blade. Spyderco's salt or rescue series are favorites of mine, though I've been looking for a good fixed option for ease of deployment.
 
olybears57 said:
Hey guys, I've been a rafter since I was 5(18 now) and am now a guide myself. Rafting has been in the family for 25 or so years now. For a whitewater knife, you want something that is very grippy when wet, good for cutting salami and cheese...(as that is what it is most often used for) but most importantly, it needs to be able to cut through webbing (rigging straps) thick rope, clothing, and anything else that could cause entanglement if you were a smimmer. I like a serrated blade. Spyderco's salt or rescue series are favorites of mine, though I've been looking for a good fixed option for ease of deployment.
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thanks, olybears
 
I'm not a whitewater "guide", but I got me a brand new Benchmade water knife en route for all my boating, diving, rafting, "Katrina" adventures...

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olybears57 said:
Hey guys, I've been a rafter since I was 5(18 now) and am now a guide myself. Rafting has been in the family for 25 or so years now. For a whitewater knife, you want something that is very grippy when wet, good for cutting salami and cheese...(as that is what it is most often used for) but most importantly, it needs to be able to cut through webbing (rigging straps) thick rope, clothing, and anything else that could cause entanglement if you were a smimmer. I like a serrated blade. Spyderco's salt or rescue series are favorites of mine, though I've been looking for a good fixed option for ease of deployment.
Click to expand...

Have you had a look at the enuff or the jump master?
 
Any knife on the spyderco H1 rustproof line. As mentioned above, Enuff or Jumpmaster for fixed blades, the Tasman, Pacific, or Atlantic Salt for folders. Can't go wrong with those blades. Serrations will be helpful if your concerned about tangles.
 
Some guys like to run flat tips/sheepsfoot blades, I like the ability to stab through raft material if necessary.
 
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