knife question

[prairie]

I have read the thread about some councils dislike of the sheath knife, how do they feel about assisted opening locking blade knives like the Calillus Robo series? While not perfect the 3 inch one I have is real handy. I often have only one hand free in the work I do.

BTW, the other style of knife I carry sometimes is the cheap snap blade style sold in home improvenent stores, if I have to cut into something toxic I can throw the blade away.

[ozemu]

In Oz Council does not have any rule of their own. State and National rules apply.

 

A knife is a tool.

 

So my answer is that a knife that is correct for the job in the hands of someone trained to use it and in the environment in which it is designed to be used should be ok.

 

Sheath knives are ok where you use a strong knife often and move about during the task at hand.

 

Folding blades are good for jobs done when moving about carrying your gear but when you are stationary during the course of the job.

 

Filleting knives...well...boats or shore, in the presence of fish...

 

We are not allowed to carry, as a member of Scouts Australia, a folding blade of over 4 inches and sheath knives are out altogether. Stupid rule but I obey...except when teaching shelter building, skinning, canoeing or rapelling (I use a plastic handled hook safety knife for those two - not really a sheath knife).

 

And I carry at Scouts several different folding blades depending on what sort of activity we are doing. None at all when out amongst the public - not legal to carry knives in town.

 

I don't see how I can teach Scouts some things without the correct tools. But I obey - mostly.

[Beavah]

There's no BSA rule on sheath knives. Boys should be taught to choose the proper tool for the proper job, and should be trained to use any tool safely. And, yah, in this day and age, we should remind 'em of state and school rules lest they be "zero toleranced."

 

From G2SS:

 

"A sharp pocketknife with a can opener on it is an invaluable backcountry tool. Keep it clean, sharp, and handy. Avoid large sheath knives. They are heavy and awkward to carry, and unnecessary for most camp chores except for cleaning fish. Since its inception, Boy Scouting has relied heavily on an outdoor program to achieve its objectives. This program meets more of the purposes of Scouting than any other single feature. We believe we have a duty to instill in our members, youth and adult, the knowledge of how to use, handle, and store legally owned knives with the highest concern for safety and responsibility."

 

I interpret "avoid large sheath knives" as avoiding the military-style combat knife than many boys get enamored of because of the movies.

 

Not sure what's up in Ozland. Sheath knives are generally safer than the folding-blade pocket knives we see most often in the States. Gotta love safety rules that make things less safe for appearance' sake.

[kenk]

Our council-owned camps have forbidden Scouts from bringing "sheath knives" onto their property, BUT our troop does allow reasonably-sized fixed blade knives.

 

In Scouting, knives should be viewed as tools, not weapons. Of course just about anything (water, soap, fire, tents, ...) can be dangerous if used incorrectly.

 

My only thought about the assisted-open knife is to make sure it is legal with respect to local and state laws. Some states only allow their use by persons in law enforcement.

 

About the disposable blade, well, there are certainly uses for a disposable blade, but in Scouting we generally tend to try to avoid disposables of anything where possible and reasonable (excluding toilet paper?). That is why we use mess kits instead of disposable plates/utensils. Hopefully you're not truely dealing with toxic materials, and if you're referring to food-related nasties or plant sap, then a little soap and/or WD40 or light oil does wonders at cleaning up a blade.

[prairie]

Last use was cutting sealing foil on restricted use herbicide jugs a few months ago, I mostly brought this up because I hate to use a good knife on nasty stuff like that and then carry it around in my pocket. Pulled the quickly rusting blade out, rinsed well and put the rest in work jeans pocket and ran it through the clothes washer.