What would you carry for Boy Scouts?

K

King Grinch

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Feb 6, 2000
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What would you carry for the Boy Scouts? Would it be fixed or folder? Would it be both. Things to take into comsideration:

Boy Scout rules at the time
Society and parental bias at the time
police laws at the time
budget: yours and/or parents
etc.

I wouldn't carry anything. Knives were unknown except for the Swiss Army knife.
 
The best I had that was legal.

The boy scout rules don't matter as the honchos won't see it and their rules are written from liability, not skill nor sense

Society's bias doesn't matter

I am the parent/scoutmaster

Police, that one matters. And as chopping wood is not allowed in the National forests and the fire hazards are so high that there are no camp fires due to fire restrictions, I need no chopping sized knife, hatchet/kuk/machete/axe.

Budget, the best I have within my budget. But there's plenty of good inexpensive knives. Griptilians, AG Russell Featherlite, SAKs, Spydercos....

I usually take all of my common use knives just for fun.
BRKT Northstar, Highland and now the OMF
Benchmade Rittergrip, 705 (2x including a CFM2), Pinnacle
CRKT Mirage wharnie
AG Russell Featherlite
and others as my mood dictates
 
Thirty years ago, I was a boy scout and carried with me to camp, a swiss army pocket knife (two blades, screw driver, awl and scissors) a large 10" blade german bowie, a 4" Boy Scout fixed blade by Western in carbon steel and leather washer handle, a Boy Scout hatchet and a saw. On my person always was the swiss army and the smaller fixed blade.

Now, I'd probably bring all but the large Bowie.
 
Here's a few choices, my standard answer for this common question:
- Opinel, midsize, locking
- Bucklite or similar
- SAK, or similar

Factors:
-The BSA discourages fixed-blade knives and they aren't allowed at many Scout events.
-In all liklihood, the knife will be lost. So will the replacement. And the second replacement...
-I'd let the kid pick his own out, within a set price range and parental criteria.
-stick with low-cost knives, but stay clear of Pakistan or China crap

When I was in the Boy Scouts as a youth, I carried an OldTimer, Imperial Barlow, or similar. In the many years since then I've worked and lived outdoors extensively, including ten years of staff at the Philmont Scout Ranch, 21-day desert survival program, working as an archaeological surveyer in remote areas, and recreational hiking and backpacking. In all that time I've only carried an Opinel or a BuckLite, rarely used them, and certainly never needed anything more.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
BRKT Gameskeeper, jigged bone handle. 4.5 inches of scary sharp but sheeple friendly bushcraft goodness.
 
I'd carry my Wenger Mountianeer in it's special carrying case, which just happens to be the large pocket on the sheath for my Busse Steelheart E. :D
 
If I were a Boy Scout now, I'd carry my SOG Deluxe Pocket PowerPlier and maybe a Spyderco Temperance fixed-blade.

Way back when I was a Boy Scout I carried an official Case or Camillus Boy Scout Camp Knife.
 
classic mora as it's nice and small for kids hands. Very cheap and also very easy for them to sharpen
 
I would carry a Busse Battle Mistress. If they kicked me out, well, I would have more fun on my own.

For the record, I used to be in scouts, and my dad was a leader. We both quite because it sucked so bad and all the kids were morons.
 
I started out in the Cub Scouts with one like this:

bsa885.jpg


I liked it well enough, but I gave it to my younger brother when he joined the Cubs.


After that I used my dad’s old Demo knife for a while…

1760.jpg



…until I got my own “official” Boy Scout knife like this one:

bsa045_1.jpg


I hated it. Unlike the current versions, it wasn’t stainless and soon rusted to the point where it was near impossible to open the can opener, screw driver and awl. And I could never seem to get a decent edge on the blade. :(


Finally, I got a nice new SAK for Christmas. The blade was sharp and it didn’t rust. I was in heaven – until it got stolen on the first camp out I took it on. At least I still had my dull rusty old scout knife… :mad:


I also had a boy’s axe (and later a full sized axe also), but we didn’t bring our axes on most camp outs and when we did the troop had a bunch of axes and wood saws for us to use.


My fixed blade was a cheap Utica Bowie styled hunting knife with a 4” blade that I thought was cool when I bought it (I was 10). The sheath was junk so I didn’t carry it much on my belt, I left it in my pack instead….don’t remember using it much.


If I were a Scout now, I would want a Vic. Farmer:

53964_l.jpg




If I could afford them, a SwissTool and a One Hand Trekker would be nice too…a Spyderco Salt would be great for canoe trips and a Temperance would be just the thing to keep in the pack for camp cooking….


….but at the time I would have considered myself lucky to have just the Farmer and would not have missed out on any fun. :p





- Frank
 
I was a Boy Scout years ago and am an adult with a Troop now. (Camporee this weekend in Dorchester, Ont. :D )

As a Scout, I carried an official Boy Scout utility knife and a Cattaraugus 225Q sheath knife given me by an uncle. I still have both.

In our Troop today, a Scout who has earned his Tot'N'Chip may carry and use a knife up to 4.5" blade - fixed or folding. (Carrying "large" FB knives is "discourged.")

Come Councils prohibit "fixed-blade" knives or "sheath sknives" in their camps. We comply with such rules on the rare occasions when we are guests in such camps - with the understanding that it does not apply to "kitchen knives" because most of those Councils sell such knives.

Our Scout leaders and all the adults "discourage" carrying knives that are not suitable for camping use, either becasue they are junk or because they are optimized as weapons (stilettos/so-called tantos). Most Scouts actually carry SAK's.
 
Most Scouts actually carry SAK's.
Click to expand...
That's what I've noticed too. Working ten years at Philmont Scout Ranch, most of those years in the backcountry, I've seen Scouts from all over world and every sort of outdoor gear imaginable. The 'fancy' high-tech knife types carried Spyderco Delica/Endura or similar. Most Scouts carry very common and inexpensive knives, like SAKs. And I saw far too many Chinese-Pakistan-crap knives, even among the staff.

Reading the question differently than I first did, if I were to join the Scouts today as an adult leader I'd want something practical, something inexpensive, something of quality, and something that meshed with the current BSA policy and uniform trends. After much thought, I'd carry a Spyderco Endura/Delica or a mid-size Opinel. I'd probably never use either of those to their fullest capability, but being a role model is one of the major elements to being a Scouting volunteer. "Be Prepared."

-Bob
 
WAY back then... Over the years I carried a couple cheap SAKs, couple cheap multitools, and decent slipjoints...
In my final year of scouting(before I went over to air cadets fully, year in both at the same time), I carried a wegner and 110.

First outdoor event with air cadets I picked up a 4" meula skinner and loved it.

If I had to go with stuff I know about now and go back those years, I'd take a Leatherman PST and a mora.
My sister is looking for knives for camping this summer, she's getting a mora and the 110. When her daughter is old enough for a knife, I'm starting her on a 3" warncliffe custom(no lock to worry about, 1084 is easy enough to maintain, and the 3" handle is just right).
 
I would carry pretty much what I've carried all my life.
A medium or small fixed blade. Not a tactical, I like shiny metal, stag handles and brass. :) I just feel naked without a proper fixed balde knife.
Some kind of SAK (probably a Huntsman, Hunter or Farmer) and perhaps a light back up locking folder like an Opinel (which would of course end up doing most of the work).
Nowadays I would add a multitool, but I wasn't able to afford those until I was sixteen.
Of course, since all Boy Scout activities in Argentina are church sponsored, the thought of joining them never crossed my mind.
 
Well Of coarse the sak was always on me but also with me (and I'm supprised it wasn't been mentioned yet) was a whittling knife. I belive mine was a western and I bought it at one of the boyscout trading posts at scout camp. it had 3 blades for differnet types of cutting and it was great. Maybe my troop was the only one whittling as there was no merrit badge for it. :o
 
Knife11 said:
Well Of coarse the sak was always on me but also with me (and I'm supprised it wasn't been mentioned yet) was a whittling knife. I belive mine was a western and I bought it at one of the boyscout trading posts at scout camp. it had 3 blades for differnet types of cutting and it was great. Maybe my troop was the only one whittling as there was no merrit badge for it. :o
Click to expand...

It was either marked "Imperial" or "Camillus" and was, in either case, made by Camillus. (That was the second Christmas Scout gift from my parents -- and I still have it. Clip, pen and coping blades. Great little knife.)
 
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