Spyderco Knife For Boy Scouts

[kbrouwer]

I am a boy scout and as you know they have pretty strict knife rules. Believe it or not, the Spydercos I have and carry on a daily basis are too large. Which knife do you think is safe to carry when at boy scout meetings and events?

[Halfneck]

Need to consult your Scout Leaders to find out your Troop's regulations, then work from there.

I know that in our Troop we give a lot of leeway at Troop functions. Pretty much any folder, and some fixed blades, are fine. At Council functions there is a no fixed blades rule. Biggest thing is that proper behavior when handling knives is observed. Improper behavior will get a warning or the corner cut off your Totin' Chip.

[Minibear453]

We have no limits whatsoever. As long as it's legal in state, it's okay in scouting for our troop. At most, I've seen Summer Camps list fixed blades as not allowed, but I've never experienced length restrictions on knives. Also, it'd help to know what knives aren't okay, since if you carry a Spyderco bug and it's not okay... there'd be a problem.

[APS]

You said that your knives are too large but don't tell us what knives you currently have, or what the regulations are.

[boxer93]

In my experience I would carry something on the size of UKPK or Native to events with other units. Within my unit or Camping I would use my Paramilitary (I used my SE ATR once and it bit me). I even have a Para 1 with tan G10 scales made for scouting.
For scouts younger ones I found (and gave) calypso jr. ltwt., the native I thought good for older boys. I even gave away 24 blue FRN natives engraved for eagle scouts.
Your mileage will vary for every circumstance.
My .03USD
Chris

[FrankH]

As a scout leader in Florida, I would recommend a Delica for Cub Scouts and an Endura for Boy Scouts. These both fit any legal or scout regs I am familiar with. Because most of our knife use is for food or fire preparation, I would think plain edge FFG would be best. Salts would be best for Sea Scouts also combo or serrated edges because of more rope use. The onle exception is when we camp on militayr bases and at KingsBay in Georgia there is a 3 inch limit (so Delica or Salt 1 are fine).

[SolidState]

I think that the Junior is probably perfect for scouting.

[xceptnl]

Personally I think a Native is a great size to learn with. The delica is probably also not a bad choice with its larger handle for more grip.

[PJ Garrison]

The Jess Horn is my favorite small spydie, but those aren't exactly commonplace. I love mine, it's like the Delica's dainty sister.

[kurt6652]

,I don't own one yet, but the pingo looks like a good knife to start with for kids. The knife is a good size, nice steel and no pointy tip.

[God'sMyJudge]

I had a delica all the years I was in scouting. That was about 12-14 years ago now. I've been looking for that delica at my folks' house for a long time now. I know its there somewhere, and I remember I broke the tip off.

[phillipsted]

Our Troop doesn't have any strict rules, either. If it is legal by local laws, then they kids can carry it. The only exception, as noted above, is that at Council events, there is a "no fixed blade" rule generally in place. This is mostly a safety rule dating back to days before rigid kydex-style sheaths were common.

My young Scout has a whole bevy of knives he uses - a case mini-copperhead for deep pocket carry, a Centofante III for camp, and he just stole my Salt I PE this weekend for his new main carry knife. :eek:

TedP

[Fishstalker]

Fixed blades are outlawed by the BSA. My suggestion would be a Delica 4 or Salt 1. If you're camping near water often, I'd definitely get a Salt 1 SE.

[Minibear453]

Actually fixed blades aren't outlawed by BSA. It's just often outlawed at summer camps and such.

[TAHAWK]

An old thread, but I have a "ticket" item to look for on-line threads on Boy Scout knife policy and reply to them. Fishstalker said the magic words: "Fixed blades are outlawed by the BSA."

First, basic to Scouting is the notion that we are to help rear youth to make good decisions. "The basis of all our moral training is trust." That being so, "zero tolerance" rules in Scouting are highly suspect and need to be justified as they violate basic Scouting principles. The rationalization for prohibiting fixed-blade knives is that, thirty-five years ago, Scouts started "carrying" "Rambo" knives. If that were true, and I do not recall seeing it, the Scouting response would be a meeting of the senior boy leaders to craft a rule about what knife is reasonable within the context of the Scouting program.

Next, BSA's written policy discourages, but does not prohibit, "large" sheath knives as "heavy and awkward to carry, and unnecessary for most camp chores except for cleaning fish." Note that safety is not mentioned.

Also note that BSA recognizes an obligation to teach the safe use of all legally-owned knives. Fixed-blade knives, if not carried concealed, are for the most part legal to not just own but also carry in most areas. We cannot meet our obligation to teach the safe use of a tool if the tool is banned by a wrong-headed zero tolerance rule. As almost every home has fixed-blade knives, we need to get busy teaching, not issuing zero tolerance decrees.

Finally, in 2008, the Boy scouts of America published the following commentary:

"The best type of knife for camping trips — and most any other outdoor activity, for that matter — is a short, fixed-blade knife with a beefy handle.

Folding pocketknives can fold up on your hand while cutting. Not fixed blades. And remember: When it comes to blades, bigger isn’t always better. Avoid blades longer than four inches. A small, sharp blade can cut just as well as a long one, but it’s safer to handle and easier to maneuver in tight spots. With a good fixed blade you’ll be set for most anything the outdoors can throw at you — whittling, cutting, notching, butchering, filleting, even spreading peanut butter."

Boy's Life, June, 2008.

In conclusion, while B.S.A. allows units and Councils (but not districts, which are not entities but merely administrative subdivisions of councils with no authority to promulgate any rules) to create rules on fixed-blade knives, a rule absolutely prohibiting them is clearly contrary to the B.S.A. statements quoted above. It would be more appropriate if the zero tolerance crowd got with the program.

[Doc Dan]

Thanks for that. I think a Bill Moran or clip point or spear point Enuff would make great Scout knife choices.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Perhaps the Atlantic Salt or Rescue, with the sheepsfoot pointed blade, but, that may limit its usefulness in some applications?

[spambait11]

Many Boy Scouts I know are enamored with large blades, spring-assists, tactical tanto blades, and think liner locks are God's gift to mankind. I've also seen older scouts carry fixed blades at summer camp so fixed blades are not "outlawed" in every Council. However, I think the bigger problem is that the knives they carry around and buy are junk. I've warned my sons NOT to buy any knives at the Trading Post! But the Scouts around here always seem to go for looks, not quality.

As a Cubmaster, I always start my Bears off with Victorinox Spartans. It will hurt me otherwise to start them off with junk. (Hurts even more when some of them lose their knives, but we've built the cost of the knives into their dues structure at my insistence.)

As for me, whether I'm with the Troop or my Cubs, I carry a Dragonfly. I wish Spyderco would give us a group discount for Dragonflys: that would be the official knife for our Pack. But it's a bit too much at $45 a pop, hence the SAK.

[GoldenSpydie]

It is correct that fixed blades are not outlawed. I also believe (last time I checked) that there is no official, nation-wide blade length rule.

I usually carry a Spydie (PM2/Manix/etc.) and a fixed blade in my daypack...I'm an Eagle, and I am lucky to belong to a small, down-to-earth troop.

[wrdwrght]

Gads! I was an Explorer way back when (do they still have Explorers?). Neither our Post nor our affiliated Troop (oldest west of the Mississipi, so it was claimed) had any knife restriction. Knives, in fact, were a celebration (mine was a trailing-point Case) of our strong outdoor orientation (Pioneering, 50-mile hikes).

I sense the Scouting movement is now much less about wild and rural places and more about the ever-growing urban experience.

But, really, what is it about a sheathed fixed blade that is unsafe after proper training?

Or, do Scouts now go at each other with knives?

****! Pass the Purelle.