Pocketknives in the wilderness, more specifically slipjoints in the wilderness

silenthunterstudios

silenthunterstudios

Slipjoint Addict
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When you look at old advertising, you normally see a pocket knife, axe and a .22 or .410 shotgun being used by a woodsman, of any age. I love a good fixed blade with a 4" blade, but other than skinning, most of my fathers and grandfathers generation used folding knives most of the time in the woods. I'd like to keep this question here for the woodsmen/women in this forum.

As my skills have grown over the years, I've determined what I need, rather than want. It is fun to carry a sharpened prybar and destroy as many fallen logs as you can, but to actually use a knife in the woods, Nessmuk had it right in my opinion. Stout folding knife, 4" fixed blade and an axe. I'm sure all of our choices would vary, but I'd like to know which folding knives you depend on in the wilderness.

Several years ago I took a survival course taught by Kevin estela. Kevin knows I like slipjoints, and asked me to test out my slipjoints on certain tasks. Steven Dick wrote an article for TK several years ago on the Nessmuk trio, and used a Queen stockman to get some fish ready for the frying pan.

I know that a lot of you are strictly fixed blade users, and if you have a folder it's probably a SAK or a multitool, but I'm interested to hear which folding knives you depend on in the wilderness. Paired with a fixed blade, or by themselves.

I've done fine on day hikes (3 miles or less, not crazy like some of you with the distances achieved) with my Gossman PSK Jr/Case peanut/SAK Pioneer. Granted, if I trapped a rabbit and cooked it over a fire on these trails in northern MD/southern PA, I'd probably be in jail.
 
If I'm going to cut something that is likely to make a mess, like fish or fowl, I'll choose a fixed blade. If I'm cutting string, fabric or wood, I'd use a stockman. I've slaughtered and skinned a few elk with a stockman or a German folding hunter and my biggest complaint with them is the cleanup; I don't like putting those back in my pocket when I'm done.
A fixed blade with a reasonable handle filets fish more easily because the handle is symmetrical side to side where a SAK blade may be 1/8" above the scales on one side and 1/2" above on the other.
Either fixed or folder can do the job on a hike or hunt; the choice is just convenience.
 
In the sticks the only ones that interest me at this point are these Rogers. It's what I carry on the bike because they come very close to box cutters for utility value. Inverted I find them great for peeling most things. I can peel spuds like the clappers with these. In fact, from taking a cutting off a plant like a gardener, through peeling veg, cutting tube, cable ties, line, bodging something up with gorilla tape, poking splinters, to hacking through fabric and sewing repairs and so forth, I just love the design. That the steel is no better than Mora steel and that they have some anonymous resin handles is all something I can overlook because of the design. I don't tend to support Sheffield made 'cos frankly most of it is overpriced rubbish. Even the Little Mesters' offerings that some are still clinging to are often abominations upon inspection. But these turn up now and again at trade shows and a trawl through a box full can turn up a good one. Truly one of the most useful knife patterns I have ever used, period. For me, a thinned out one of these is a slippy for life.


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I use an alox bushcrafter sak along with a fixed blade. The bushcraft has a nice thin blade for food prep and it also has a good saw and an awl.
 
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Just got back from 3 days camping with the family. The state park we were at didn't allow wood to be harvested so we brought our own and I left my Hawk at home. A L.T. Wright Small Northern Hunter and Vic Red Alox Farmer were my only knives. Mostly used the fixed blade for some food prep, and the Vic Farmer saw and awl got more use than the blade.
 
until I was 16 or 17 I only carried folders into the woods. Most boy scout troops and camps don't allow fixed blade knives, so I didnt own any until I started doing my own hikes and camping trips. And still to this day there's always a SAK (hiker or super tinker) in my pocket that handles a lot of camp chores. I don't hunt, but I must say I don't even like preparing food like cutting meat, spreading butter or peanut butter, etc. with my folding knife. I will, but cleanup is a pain, especially if you're not immediately near water. I mostly just carry a mora craftsman/companion for those tasks and my SAK or a mini leatherman when I hike now. Car camping includes a Kabar, and sometimes a proper el-cheapo chefs knife.
 
I generally carry a SAK and a 5-6" fixed blade in the woods these days. Use machetes a fair amount in the last 5 years. I guess they replace what a lot of people here use chopper knives for in the woods for me.

For the first 30 years of my life, I always carried a slip joint folder in the woods exclusively. I have no problem at all field dressing a deer, rabbit, or squirrel with a traditional knife. I used a Case Barlow for this until it was worn out and replaced it with a Case two blade jack knife of similar dimensions. I started using the "110" type knives in the mid-70's-early 80's for general outdoor purposes including hunting from time to time. But I still had the traditional slip joint with me. I got one of the 110 sized Gerber Gator's back then and used it for a while in the woods. Still have these knives and the Gerber isn't a half bad knife.

My brother in law showed me a couple Randall's back in the early-80's. Picked up a couple when I started going to gun, and knife shows around the mid-80's. I also attended the Blade Show starting in 1990. I'm a pretty regular attendee. This is back when the Rambo influence was going on. Never really liked using a fixed blade outside the kitchen. But these days, I do carry and use a fixed blade in the woods. The blades vary from 3-7" depending on my mood. But I still enjoy and depend on a SAK or larger traditional knife for the bulk of my cutting in the woods.
 
I always carry a penknife in a belt knife pouch and a skeleton in kydex in my side pouch

EDC I carry a trad penknife, most often a Queen stockman, that has three different shape blades all sharpened for different use

Out and about I always carry a SAK and a small 3" fixed blade
Travelling I carry a Waiter that has a blade, a bottle/can opener and a corkscrew, which makes an excellent awl and does the honors on a wine bottle
Hiking and woodsy stuff a Pioneer or Huntsman for the saw and the standard extras (the Huntsman has two blades and large scissors)
The fixed blade can be an Opinel #7 that locks, a #2/0 Classic Mora or a leather sheathed Scout Mora, or one of the Battle Horse knives, or a Enzo skeleton when travelling
I tend to favor my Battle Horse knives as they are full tangs

When I did long distance self contained backpacking I carried a SAK Tourist, and had minimal use for it
 
I love the SAK farmer for woods use but also will on occasion carry a Stockman or a Trapper style knife. The stockman can be nice for carving.

[video=youtube;fjP5fozzBPA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjP5fozzBPA[/video]
 
Orange Farmer, GEC Hayn helper two blade, large trappers and stockmen, and a modded BM Grip. Those are the main ones i take to the woods.
 
For most outdoor uses, a folding knife is suficcient. Sheath knives are cool though so there is that.
 
I carry a OH SAK almost exclusively since I got it in 2001, overseas a SAK Huntsman. Around the house I have a stag handled Schlieper Sodbuster and often a puukko too. About a folder, old time Outdoors writer John Jobson wrote in his book "The Complete Book of Practical Camping" about a guide he knew in the Yukon, Johnnie Johns who used a folder (Remington 1123) and who used only that knife for many years. He says that Johns had skinned well over 100 grizzlies and scores of other animals like Dall sheep, caribou, moose and beaver with that knife, as well as making stoves out of 5-gallon metal cans, cutting openings with the knife. So a folder will work, probably more to do with the knife users knowledge and ability, but I do like a fixed blade even though I have used a SAK far more than I ever did a fixed blade. John
 
Every once in a blue moon, when I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll carry a buck 110 and SAK cadet.

Impromptu outings usually just have me with whatever folder is in my pocket and a multi tool.
 
I tend to pair the knife to the task. I have a lot of choices, and use a lot of knives. On occasion, it will be a slip joint knife.
 
For me, it's a Mora #2, a Kershaw leek and on occasion a machete. I've found that an axe doesn't do me much good in my simi tropical environment.
 
I carried a Kingston made utility knife as my primary edc for about 12 years, so much of my woods adventures involved it. Some bastard stole it years ago, but I found a pic on the net to give ya an idea:
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I also had a Camillus made Boyscout pattern that I carried sometimes as well. I like a stockman pattern now (though I need to get a new one), since it gives blades with the point above center, in the centerline, and below center. This makes for a very useful combo. Right now I have a SAK Hunter pattern in my pocket, that my little sister brought back from Switzerland for me.
 
I'm gravitating towards folders more and more. If I know I'm going to split or chop I'll add that tool to the folders but I'm thinking folder only if I don't have that need. Right now I have a sak electrician which I just have to come to terms with. I'm not going to find a better edc. I've spent a lot of time and money with other knives and always come back. It just does the work with no fuss.
To that I'll add a whittling or food prep folder. Using a svord now but I'm going to try a zdp189 endura. I may end up with three folders and no fixed. Still experimenting. The experimenting stops eventually right? Right? :)
 
Shotgun said:
I'm gravitating towards folders more and more. <snip> ..... I may end up with three folders and no fixed. Still experimenting. The experimenting stops eventually right? Right? :)
Click to expand...

Always liked folders. Too handy not to. What kind of or which folder is the big question? Fixed blades... like them too. Just never really use them. (That doesn't mean I don't carry them in the woods however.) They're a money pit. The experimenting stops when you get bored and take up another hobby so you can spend some more money, over and over again. At least your hobby isn't lawn mowers. Imagine storing those. Take pleasure in the simple things.

Added: I was looking through some books on pre-1920 country living the other day. I just love the old photos of Joe and Bob holding their pump 22 rifles with a stern look on their faces. I suppose if you could see a knife, they'd pose with them.
 
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I carry whatever is handy. A could weeks ago, I went camping in Sequoia for a few nights, took all sorts of things. A couple folding saws, a BK9, hatchet, Mora 2, Benchmade MiniGrip...honestly, used none of it very much. Hatchet split a log into kindling one night, which wasn't needed. Mora made marshmallow roasting sticks. My benchmade did everything else. Opened some food packages, some minor food prep, some marshmallow sticks on the second night, whittled a bit...just did most of what I needed it for. I'm not about to get into "less is more", but it worked on this trip. Granted, it was car camping, but it was kinda fun to experience it that way.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
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