Why trappers?

D

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Jan 23, 2011
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As far as I can tell, trappers have two blades of equal length, most commonly a clip and a spey. I'm trying to understand the intent of this design. My guess: clip is the all-around blade, while the spey is for skinning game. What do you think?

If you process game, I can see how you would find this design very suitable. For a city slicker, I prefer a Jack of different blade lengths, using the small blade for utility tasks, while saving the large blade for food or "big" jobs. This pattern seems very popular... how do you use it?
 
Trappers are a pattern that is intended for hard use. Used for skinning out game or
In the castration of farm animals. The Spey blade shape keeps the user from puncturing the animal while castrating it. From a hunters stand point the Spey keeps a hunter from puncturing the hide while skinning out game. I carried trappers for years and these knives can take a lot of hard use. Lately I've been experimenting with smaller knives and they are more pocket friendly, they can't stand up to the tasks I need them to on the farm. I about destroyed a small stockman trying to cut a five gallon bucket in half the other day. So I'm slipping a trapperlock in my pocket today.
 
Uhh, what he said. :)
I find, as a hunter, that a Spey works well as a field dressing blade (essentially just gutting for me, the deer aren't big enough to be worth skinning) because of the belly at the tip and the lack of a point. If you puncture the guts at all during field dressing the meat is ruined and all the work you did for that meat is for naught. Although a spey works well, I personally prefer a sodbuster type blade, solely because of more belly.
I also find that the spey blade is a good shape for hard use in construction or around the farm becase there's no point to break off and lodge into something that it isn't supposed to be in.
 
Any of you hunters ever experiment with a Copperhead as an alternative to a Trapper? It's a sturdy knife with good carry characteristics and usually has Clip / Skinner blades.
 
along with the things already mentioned above, some people might just like the look and feel of the trapper. what pattern someone caries is a personal issue, its a matter of taste. yea sure, people will choose a pattern that suits their needs well but if they dont like the look of the pattern it probably won't get used. For instance, I love the muskrat pattern and carry one daily. I don't really need the second clip blade and I have never used it but I just like the pattern so I carry and use it.
 
willgoy said:
Any of you hunters ever experiment with a Copperhead as an alternative to a Trapper? It's a sturdy knife with good carry characteristics and usually has Clip / Skinner blades.
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the ones I've seen either had too little belly, too much tip, or weren't the right size.
 
My take on the trapper pattern:

Clip - Utility Blade

Spey - Portable butter knife

Be it, I don't have any cows around me in probably a vicinity of like a four mile radius. There's a lot of butter and nutella to be spread though....
 
Trapper, why? Just 'cuz... they are big, & if it's a two bladed Case they fill the hand, and if a slimline they just work and are light and thin in hand.
 
SurfingSalmon said:
My take on the trapper pattern:

Clip - Utility Blade

Spey - Portable butter knife

Be it, I don't have any cows around me in probably a vicinity of like a four mile radius. There's a lot of butter and nutella to be spread though....
Click to expand...

I carried a trapper for a bit (still miss it on some days). My wife called it my "picnic knife." To her, it was one blade for cutting apples, sandwiches, tomatoes, etc., and one for spreading stuff on bread. :)

-- Mark
 
My old man swears by the trapper pattern for skinning. I for one love the spey blade and feel it serves quite well for fleshing and skinning as well. All in all the trapper is a fine pattern for the hunter IMO.
 
My mum's first impression of my trapper knife was kind of mystified - 'why do you need a knife with two blades?' :confused:
Anyway, as said above, the trapper pattern was and is useful for hunters and farmers. In contrast, I have carried mostly trappers in my urban environment over the last 6 months, the drop point is used for most things, and the spey (on one of my knives at least) is reprofiled at 30 degrees and not used too often, so I have something nice and sharp as a backup, also if the main blade needs oil after use, then there is always some on the generally unused spey blade. This pattern of use wasn't really a conscious strategy, more like a habit I grew into.
 
mnblade said:
I carried a trapper for a bit (still miss it on some days). My wife called it my "picnic knife." To her, it was one blade for cutting apples, sandwiches, tomatoes, etc., and one for spreading stuff on bread. :)

-- Mark
Click to expand...

You know, I've never really thought the trapper pattern useful for my needs because of that long spey blade, but this makes a lot of sense! I wouldn't mind dulling the spey to use it as a lunch spreader...
 
I usually reprofile the spey into a shorter wharncliffe blade. This makes it a lot more useful
 
I keep the clip hair whittling, and the spey hair popping sharp. The spey is also great for slicing veggies, because it won't poke the hand holding the veggies. I also keep the edge more obtuse for strength, but still sharp.
 
The trapper pattern is a general purpose knife for woods use. Trappers need to cut multiple kinds of things in the woods from skinning a smallish animal to general cutting. They need a knife that allows them finese cutting. Typically a trapper will have multiple cutting tools including a hatchet, perhaps a fixed blade in more remote terrain, and the smaller trapper pattern folder. When I trapped, I carried a hatchet and a folder knife. For a true skinning pattern, I choose the muskrat pattern.

The large trapper is my favorite slip joint pattern and have a good selection.
 
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