Spyderco Knife For Boy Scouts

[sal]

We've always wanted to design and build a Scout knife in the USA. Haven't had any luck to date. Even their Jamboree is full.

I understand there is a new Scout organization called "Trail Life USA" that has formed recently. Over 500 troops at this time. One of their troops made a trip from Oklahoma to our store in Golden last week. I think I'll try to contact them.

sal

[bearfacedkiller]

I know this is a tangent and that this is not a Spyderco knife (it was made in Boulder, CO though) but I know that there are some boy scouts on here so maybe this will be interesting to someone.

When I joined scouts as a kid my father gave it to me and told me his grandfather had bought it for him at some point. I don't know much else about it. I never used it in scouts at all but I used it camping and hiking and fishing with my family and have even cleaned a few deer with it when I was younger. It has since been retired now for many, many years.

I assume that at some point there were some scouts carrying a 5 inch fixed blade like this one.

[spambait11]

I think it's sad that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) cannot/have not/will not partner with Spyderco to make a good, quality USA-made knife. I have no doubt you've tried in the past, Sal, and I don't know why BSA has not been more responsive. This is even more ironic as the latest issue of Boy's Life (July 2015, p.9) has a small article on the Wooden Dragonfly Kit denoting it as a "neat project." I use a Klecker Trigger knife and the Wooden Dragonfly (assembling them with one handle only) to show the boys how a backlock works when I teach Whittlin' Chip. Everyone loves these kits! I only wish either knife kit could be made bigger so the boys and parents don't always have to crowd around me invading my "blood circle"! :)

I was ready to make the jump to Trail Life, but my oldest son really likes his Troop so we're staying in BSA for now. But if you ever make a knife for Trail Life, please make it available to the rest of us as well (I don't care if the insignia says "Trail Life," I just care that it's made by Spyderco!)

Thanks as always for your responsiveness and care for your customers, Sal!

We've always wanted to design and build a Scout knife in the USA. Haven't had any luck to date. Even their Jamboree is full.

I understand there is a new Scout organization called "Trail Life USA" that has formed recently. Over 500 troops at this time. One of their troops made a trip from Oklahoma to our store in Golden last week. I think I'll try to contact them.

sal

[Doc Dan]

We've always wanted to design and build a Scout knife in the USA. Haven't had any luck to date. Even their Jamboree is full.

I understand there is a new Scout organization called "Trail Life USA" that has formed recently. Over 500 troops at this time. One of their troops made a trip from Oklahoma to our store in Golden last week. I think I'll try to contact them.

sal

Looks like a good organization. I hope you are able to make contact.

[Rapidray]

A fixed blade AND a folder in a kit would get my money. As a former scout and were I had kids, they would be going into the Trail Life USA for sure. Humm...There are the grandkids... :)

[sal]

That's a keeper Darby.

Hi Spambait,

Thanx for the kind commenbts. I think having two groups is good, for all of the obvious reasons and some of the less obvious. It will help both groups grow. Lord knows we need more Boy Scouts in these times. Anything that might increase the desire of youngsters to be a bit closer to nature without the cell phone.

Do we have enough people currently involved in Scouts here on the forum to think about what would be the best solution to meet all of the needs of function and society?

sal

[osprey]

My father had one of these kicking around when I was a boy, though I cannot say what became of it. I had completely forgotten it until seeing these pictures. Of course, I was forbidden to use any knife outside of scouting or the kitchen so I didn't get to handle it much. Eventually we came to a "don't hurt yourself, don't tell mom" agreement and I was given a small SAK to use.

[Halfneck]

Our Boy Scout Troop follows the no fixed blade rule when at official Boy Scout functions. When it is a Troop function we are more relaxed - within limits.

Our Troop is small, and money is tight for a lot of the families. The folder I recommend the most is an Opinel #8. It's very affordable, and it does a better job at wood working than more expensive knives. For fixed blades I've been recommending various Moras.

[Mad Mac]

That BSA fixed blade is very cool. My scout knife had a spoon and fork like the one below. Even as a 12-year old though, I noticed that a person could not hold down food with the fork and use the knife at the same time. Otherwise, I thought it was pretty neat.



Yes, it would be great if Spyderco could make a scout knife sized for smaller hands. (Leave off the spoon and fork.)

[bpahk]

It's a little sad to hear that fixed blades have been banned at official BSA functions and within many troops. One of the primary purposes of scouting is to turn boys into responsible men, which won't be accomplished by banning the use of potentially dangerous tools. Twenty years ago, I was lucky enough to have general contractors as scouting leaders who taught us safety and respect for tools rather than banning/avoiding them.

It would be awesome if spyderco were to produce a BSA knife, fixed or folding. I'd definitely carry it with pride.

[spambait11]

Lord knows we need more Boy Scouts in these times. Anything that might increase the desire of youngsters to be a bit closer to nature without the cell phone.

Amen to that!

Do we have enough people currently involved in Scouts here on the forum to think about what would be the best solution to meet all of the needs of function and society?

sal

This is a very interesting question: to meet the needs of both the Councils and the Scouts themselves!

For most Councils nowadays, the safest bet is to produce a folding knife. Folding knives are also easier for Cub Scouts to carry.

In terms of what kind of knife:
1. Two blades would be nice: a locking large spear point or elongated Dragonfly blade (not too threatening looking; one hand opening nice, but not necessary); one smaller blade for finer cuts (non-locking is fine). For my Cubs, just for the sake of simplicity, I teach them to use the small blade on their SAKs for most cutting: whittling, cutting, etc., and the longer blade for food prep. So at camp outs, the boys shave sticks and whittle with their small blades, but use the longer blades for cutting cheese, sausages, etc.

For the locking blade, best if lock is ambidextrous (backlock?).

2. Nowadays I don't see the need for a bottle opener or can opener. On the SAK, their usefulness is mainly for the flathead screwdrivers: we hardly use cans anymore when camping, and when we do, it's mostly "glamping," so someone (usually a parent) always has a full-sized can opener. At their age, our kids don't need a bottle opener for anything. Maybe replacing these can/bottle opener with some kind of screwdriver set with light prying capability? (I've seen a couple of our scouts use the flat head on the bottle opener to pry things apart.)

3. A saw would be nice, but we don't teach their use for Cubs (too much temptation to saw live trees). Boy Scouts are a different story.

4. Scissors are a luxury, and useful for the first aid kit. But can be left out.

5. My bias is that an awl would be useful, but placed with the main tools like on an alox Pioneer, not on the back like cellidor SAKs. Can also be used to strike fire steels.

6. No need for corkscrew.

7. I'd personally love to see a tweezer and toothpick option that can use standard SAK parts.

8. Steel pin VERY useful especially for removing splinters!

9. FRN handles would be a great option.

10. Lightweight. Less than 3oz.? (<-- Hoping. Pipe dream, I know.)

11. As thin as possible; no bulk. (No wider than three layers on a SAK.)

12. Lanyard hole, or able to clip with 2" carabiner.

13. Main blade made in H1 or other "rust proof" steel (<-- personal bias. :) )

14. Pen option a luxury.

15. 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 closed length.


Thanks for allowing us to dream Sal! :)

[TomAiello]

The Boy Scouts don't allow fixed blades?

Crazy how things have changed.

I am an eagle scout, but I'm over 40 now, so it's been a few years. We had no knife rules of any kind in our troop. I even remember winning a fixed blade knife as a scout-o-rama ticket sales prize when I was a cub scout.

Feeling suddenly old...

[acohio]

We've always wanted to design and build a Scout knife in the USA. Haven't had any luck to date. Even their Jamboree is full.

I understand there is a new Scout organization called "Trail Life USA" that has formed recently. Over 500 troops at this time. One of their troops made a trip from Oklahoma to our store in Golden last week. I think I'll try to contact them.

sal

I know this is an old post, but did you ever connect with anyone from Trail Life USA? I'll be at the Trail Life national leadership conference next week (10 year anniversary). I'm just a regional volunteer, but If there's still interest in collaborating with Trail Life, I will beg and plead with the decision makers!

[Michael Janich]

Dear acohio:

Welcome to the Spyderco Forum.

Stay safe,

Mike

[Mad Mac]

What about the ClipiTool Standard?
It has a bottle opener and can opener,
two screwdriver blades and a wire stripper.
Just add tribute etching on the blade for Trail Life.
And it is more affordable for scouts.

As for the toothpick, whittle a point on a twig.
That's what the blade is for.

[Hopweaver]

My son is in Boy Scouts. I've bought him a Spyderco Delica, Kershaw Link, and Bradford Guardian 3 (and probably a few more I cannot remember). All are working just fine for him.

[Manixguy@1994]

I plan to donate a folder to our town troop . I first will ask for parameters with Scout Master not to ruffle parental feathers . I was a Scout myself fixed or folders were carried by everyone . Must say long time ago . MG2

[ladybug93]

it would be great to have a spyderco woods multitool.

tools:
se h2 salt 2 blade
pe lc200n salt 2 wharncliffe blade
wood saw
awl
can/bottle opener combo
tweezers
toothpick
pin


it would be hard to beat my trusty rangergrip sak, but i think a spyderco version would be great.