Best Camping Folding Knife (Boy Scouts)

marcinek said:
Well, no. Except in the thread title...
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Crap.... :D Didn't see that.

Regarding the last information provided by the OP, I second the choice of a RAT 1 or 2 as a single blade pocket knife with lock. Or even a Victorinox Sentinel... you can even get a clip!
 
Yodasko said:
Thank you all for your replies, but I already have a Swiss army knife and am looking for a pocket knife with only a knife and not a multi tool. Thanks for the feedback!
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Craytab's advice to clarify the needs and restrictions with parents and troop leader is spot on.

My recommendation to my kids has been to learn how to use a slip joint like it's second nature. I'm sort of old school and am generally horrified how many people use locking folders, as locks can and do fail and when they do, can remove fingers. Better to learn safe folding knife handling with a slip joint with the constant knowledge that any stabbing or prying is a big time no-no.

If your parents want you to stick with a slip joint and you want something that is better for food and making wood shaving than an SAK, I would recommend a full-sized Sodbuster. The Case Sodbuster is a great food and general wood working knife.

Untitled by Pinnah, on Flickr

For backpacking, this is my preferred carry. I can't emphasize this enough. Never ever rely on the Opinel lock to keep the blade from closing. It's not designed for that. Treat it just like a slip joint.

Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr


If your parents and troop leaders are ok with you having a locking knife, I would look at either the Buck Bantam or Buck Spitfire (or Slimline, the Walmart exclusive version). Other good bets are the Ontario Rat 2 or SMKW/ESEE Zancudo. Here's the Slimline.
Untitled by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
Opinel. Your $50 ought to buy you three or four so you can try out a few sizes, or a couple of Opinels and a Mora, a fixed blade, but so light there is really no excuse for leaving it at home.
 
Since you have a SAK, I am left to assume (with the limited info available) that you want a larger, sturdier blade; I'll join heartily with the voters for the Buck 110. :thumbup:
 
Not sure if I'm too late with this but, when I was a scout I used a leatherman a ton. Im not up on their newest models but I know not all of them are expensive.
 
Yodasko said:
Hi all! I am a boy scout and I want to get my very first knife. I will be using it on camping trips and such. I need the knife to have around a 3" long blade and under 50$. I have a smith 3 in 1 sharpener at home but I am not That good at sharpening. Please help me choose a knife because I am not sure what to pick. Thanks
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Get a BUCKLITE Max Medium. Light, affordable, tough, and made in America.

[video=youtube;NgvU2h52Wvg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgvU2h52Wvg[/video]
 
Perhaps the OP said he is buying his first knife because someone bought/gifted him the SAK and now he wishes to buy his own. Since he asked for specific knife suggestions (not "how to buy a knife"-or procedure suggestions), maybe we should give him the dignity of answering what he asked. I gave my opinion; I dare say he appreciates others. Unless the question changes, the knife is the ONLY part.
 
-- Ontario Rat 2
-- BRK/ESEE Zancuda

If blade length of 3.5 inches is not an issue, these might be better for outdoor/camping use:

-- Ontario Rat 1
-- BRK/ESEE Avispa
 
katanas said:
Perhaps the OP said he is buying his first knife because someone bought/gifted him the SAK and now he wishes to buy his own. Since he asked for specific knife suggestions (not "how to buy a knife"-or procedure suggestions), maybe we should give him the dignity of answering what he asked. I gave my opinion; I dare say he appreciates others. Unless the question changes, the knife is the ONLY part.
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Even if the knife is the only part (and it never is, for any of us, not really and we all get that), if the recommendations are going to go anywhere beyond us all just recommending what we like for whatever reasons we like what we like, then Yodasko could help generate better recommendations by telling us more about what he needs a knife for in the Boy Scouts and, in particular, what sort of restrictions there are (we already have a hint of htat wth his around 3" blade limit, which I'll wager is either a local ordinance or local BSA restriction).

My (limited) experience with current BSA activities is that they tend toward backpacking and less towards primitive, campcraft or woodscraft skills.

IME lighter weight is better for backpacking and thin convex or full flat grinds are more versatile than hollow grinds. Buck makes a few lightweight knives in the 3" blade range. The Bucklite Max (the medium is nice), Bantam and Spitfire all fit these needs.

The Buck 110, while being a nice hunting knife (I own several) is a horrible backpacking knife. It exceeds his limit of a 3" blade and to be honest, the hollow grinds on all the Bucks is an impediment to working wood well. The tip is too frail for many common wood working cuts and it simply weighs too much.

If Buck wants to appeal to backpackers, they need to re-introduce full-flat and convexed sabre grinds like they used to use back in the day. I'm not holding my breath. Too many competitors making lighter knives with better grinds and Buck is focused primarily on hunting, where the hollow grind makes more sense. You will note that I'm not recommending the new full flat grind Buck Selkirk folder. If I'm going to use a Buck 420HC blade, I want BOS heat treatment on it. The imported Selkirks don't have that.

The Opinels, Ontario Rats and ESEE folders are infinitely better backpacking choices imo.
 
katanas said:
Perhaps the OP said he is buying his first knife because someone bought/gifted him the SAK and now he wishes to buy his own. Since he asked for specific knife suggestions (not "how to buy a knife"-or procedure suggestions), maybe we should give him the dignity of answering what he asked. I gave my opinion; I dare say he appreciates others. Unless the question changes, the knife is the ONLY part.
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That certainly seems to be jumping to conclusions. Maybe he bought a SAK, had a Swiss girlfriend, she was abducted by aliens, and now it breaks his heart to see the knife and he needs another. We don't know.

The only thing the OP has definitively told us is that he wants a "Best Camping Folding Knife (Boy Scouts)"

And in that context, the suggestions that Craytab and pinnah have made make perfect sense.
 
05' eagle here. I would recommend you choose what your intended tasks are: rope cutting, fish and food prep, whittling, cutting open everything and of course...whipping it out for no other reason than to show it off.

scouts abuse their knives pretty badly -anything seems to go from prying, being used as a screwdriver all the way up to sharpening with a random rock (3" limit is there b/c of throwing, dropping them between toes, and of course accidental cuts). Poor Saks...I love em and have 4 distributed all over my kits, BUT they are a more "unforgiving" knife with scouts cutting themselves all over the place with improper whitting, cutting technique and are inherently slippery. No clip design. And I still HATE opening them with my fingernails.

considerations for abuse:
1. serrated
2. strong lock
3. bigger and well textured handle
4. Cheap (we lose them all the time) if we dont break them

would recommend the Cold Steel Med Voyager with the serrated 3" - theyre going for $25ish; GL - please inform us of your choice and please be careful out there
 
pinnah said:
Perfect for the car slashing merit badge!
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pinnah wins.
 
I will second Pinnah's suggestion regarding the Case Sod Buster. I earned my Eagle in the early 80's and I was lucky enough to have a Scoutmaster who served behind Japanese lines in Burma during WWII. His woodcraft skills were legendary and he primarily carried a Carl Schlieper, ebony wooden handle sod buster type knife and so did I (currently around $35.00). The Sodbuster would be an excellent choice for all around camping use.

I also carried a WWII British navy knife that had a very useful marlin spike, a largish sheepsfoot blade, a can opener, a flathead screwdriver at the end and a bail to attach a lanyard (we did a lot of rope work i.e. splicing, lashing, monkey bridges, bosun chairs, etc. and the marlin spike was invaluable for this type of work.) Current cost is well under $50.00.

Another consideration, if you do a lot of wood work, (i.e. carving pothooks, making shavings for fires, etc.) would be a wood handled Tina grafters knife, sharpened on one side only, with a Sheepsfoot blade, it carves wood like nobody's business. Forestry Suppliers used to carry them, but they are hard to find. There are a few on fleabay at the moment

(( Please do not link to eBay auctions ))

I believe you would find an Alox Solo to be highly useful, if you decide to go the SAK route again.

I think it's quite commendable you have sought the advice of those who have knife experience, rather than simply picking what you might think is 'cool,' but is likely not the best choice for your particular usage. I would also recommend that you avoid any knife with a recurve blade, a tanto blade, serrations or any of the "tactical" knives at this point in your camping/outdoor career. I think a traditional slipjoint is the way to go and is what you should be looking for. I might also add that I had a Buck 110 during my scouting days, but I did not use it much. I found the weight and blade size to be too much for general camping use and I think the Buck 110 is more of a hunting knife, which may be more useful for skinning game. Opinel knives, although a great, sharp knife, are nearly useless when they get wet. In my experience, the wood swells terribly when it gets wet, which I do not believe is desirable when camping. For me, one of my objectives in camping was to carry only what I needed with a minimum of hassle. Depending on your activities, a boy's sized axe (vintage & made in the USA, or possibly Swiss) would also be invaluable. I would be happy to answer any additional questions you might have. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you and always ask yourself if what you are about to do is safe.
 
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High_Noon said:
Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you and and always ask yourself if what you are about to do is safe.
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^Very much in agreement. I'd ask that you take the utmost care when choosing a knife. A lot of traditional knives have very slim profiles and can be literally long razors. Proper training will mitigate most adverse events...

Still...I just put 23+ sutures into a 74 yr old gent two weeks ago in the ER. Cut his palm ALL the way down to the bone. He had no feeling and I barely had to numb it. Anyways, if he were a younger man, I would not have accepted his refusal to see an ortho surgeon and go to the OR. I sent him home with a tetanus shot, a shot of Rocephin and 5 more days of antibiotics. The risk of permanent injury is real; Nonadults do not have the option of refusal (yes I can override your parents) so in addition to the $5k ER bill, you may see an additional $12k+ for surgery.

I am leary of recommending traditional knives to those unfamiliar with knives (especially our youth) b/c of the severity of the injury; please don't let gramps strop your knife please. Remember other scouts will be borrowing your knife.* Yes I've seen SAKs and plenty of other knives cut down to the bone so same rules apply; injury to your nerves, tendons, etc. will result an extremely expensive and possibly permanent disability.

Still the edges I've seen on some slipjoints are just scary~ they're far far sharper than surgical blades (in fact if you've seen the angle...think of a slightly slimmer Xacto blade)
 
Take a look in the exchange for a spyderco delica they usually go for about the $50 mark.

Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk
 
Folders, single blade, besides a SAK for camp/Boy Scout Stuff... Case Sodbuster, Opinel #8-9, Ontario Rat 1, Cold Steel Voyager Medium, or Svord Peasant, would work well and would come in under your budget. Personally I'd want an Alox Farmer :D
 
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