Hey Liv-2
You forgot ther Leatherman.
I have been canoeing for about 50 plus years and kayaking for about fifteen, and have never carried any of the garbage other than a spare paddle, a bilge pump, whistle, (CG required), paddle float, my water and a GPS for not getting lost in the 10,000 Islands, or for training purposes.
On the other hand if we are going for a extended multi-day camping trip we take all kinds of gear.
Back to that Leatherman. My better half never leaves home without it, so I guess you might say we do have a tiny little blade with us.
Cheers,
JackL
No Crayons! Are You Nuts???
Titanium Folder
– Last Updated: Jul-25-05 4:03 PM EST –
I have never used a knife on the water, but I do like to carry a small folder inside the PFD.
I would forget to take it out and next time I would check it would be rusted shut.
Finally spent the bucks for a Titanium folder...
long trips
yes, long trips are different. i do take a knife for example, on my 4-6 week Newfoundland trips where civilization is a small outpost of maybe 20 souls, a hundred miles up the coast. duct tape, spare paddle and such are then ‘must haves’.
locally however, on the Outer Banks and short trips of a few days, i carry very little.
Here Sharky Shark…
I just bought the Underwater Kinetics Remora. As A diver I like the 6 inch small length for the BCD mount. As a paddler I like the screws it provides for custom placement on the PFD. Leisure Pro has them cheapest online I have found.
PFD Knives
Those who carry their knives on their PFDs, how many times do you have to get up and go back to your boat to get your knife from your vest at lunch? Useless your paddling a closed-cockpit kayak wearing a knive on your belt will do just find. Try wearing shorts with strong pockets that will hold your knife. Wearing one on your vest shows that you probably suffer from identity crisis and have a need to project an image. Just having fun.
Cutting someone loose from a snag isn’t something you do without a moments hesitation. People drown in those situations faster than rescuers can get to them.
I have always carried a pocket knife
I have never rescued myself or anyone else with it. Have sliced lots of cheese and sausage, tightend screws, cut kindling for the campfire and just felt comfortable having it. Must be the Eagle Scout in me. Gerber clip knife is my blade of choice for the moment. So many knives, so little time.
ONLY TO FREE FROM LINE
I have read here where some guys go out loaded for bear, as they say. No one is more respectful of what wild life can do, but my fear does not go so deeply that I feel complelled to lug fire arms along in my kayak. That is a laughable situation.
I read that a knife might be useful if you are one of the one in millions who tangle with a shark. Those odds are so astronomical, though, that I don’t even bother with a knife.
Rust can be an issue…
…but there are steels that are rustproof even when exposed to salt water. Most dive knives fall into that category, but most of them are too big for kayaking. Benchmade’s Model 6H2O Rescue Hook holds up fine in salt water, but the smaller versions are made from a different steel that rusts badly.
One thing I’ve noticed is that highly polished surfaces tend to rust less than rougher ones. I assume it’s because the polished surface has fewer places for the salt water to “hide” in.
You’re just full of pearls of wisdom…
…aren’t you?
Has it ever occurred to you that many people paddle in pants/shorts that don’t have belts or pockets? I’ll bet that most people here also paddle closed boats with spray skirts. Not only would it be slow to access a knife/shears/rescue hook carried on a belt or in a pocket, it would expose the rescuer to the possibility of a flooded boat.
“Cutting someone loose from a snag isn’t something you do without a moments hesitation. People drown in those situations faster than rescuers can get to them.”
And you know this how? Are you somehow privy to information about every rescue situation that any of us may ever encounter? It must be nice to be omniscient.
Rescue Rule #1
Never go from rescuer to rescuee. That is rule #1 for rescuers. I know that from my Red Cross instructor days. Having known a few people who have pulled dead bodies from snags they tell me how hard it is to rescue someone. A friend of mine took 45 minutes to get a kid untangled, do to the danger. I lived near the Salmon River for over 25 years. It’s hard to live there that long without knowning someone who’s been killed in the back country.
Its legal to buy shorts with pockets that can hold a knife far better than a little tab on a vest. My knife cost $80 and I’m not about to trust it on a vest.
I’m going paddling today and will have my knife attached to a belt like I do almost everywhere I go. I wear rugged shorts with bike shorts as a liner when paddling. It easier on my skin when I get out and sit on rocks.
Practice practice so not cut oneself!!!
Just like any other skill, best to simulate the real situations and practice under that stress and environment. I stopped putting a knife on my vest after simulated re-entries and cutting tangled line with it. Once I almost cut my own fricken finger off. Not that is can’t be done safely, just make sure it works for you.
I use the rescue hook instead, flatter on the vest, and less chance of amputating myself or someone else. I do have a regular knife as part of my leatherman mulit tool.
Well 3727 you can laff at me then
cuz I always carry a gun in my canoe…
ever been attacked?
I know I have never been struck by a falling meteor, but that’s not because I am ever watchful, is it?
There is probably another reason you carry a gun and it has little to do with it’s ability to get you out of danger.
Who cares?
Carry one if you want to. If you don’t, don’t. If you do decide to carry one, there are different styles of blades for different purposes (just like kayaks). Try to figure out what style will be most useful to you and the situations you might encounter. Then play around with putting in different places that will be easiest (and safest) to access incase of your anticipated emergency.
As you can see, everybody has an asshole, I mean opinion, and that’s what works best for them (or what works best until they find themselves in a situation that they are unprepared for). Find out what works best for you. I personally always carry a half-serrated Benchmade folder clipped in my front pants pocket wherever I go (land and water), and I keep a rescue hook strapped to my PFD.
I figure the most pressing emergency that I will encounter while I’m in my kayak will be getting caught in fishing line. If I run into bigger problems, I’m confident enough that I can access my folder quickly enough to solve them. If you foresee yourself encountering something that might require a certain sized knife and don’t feel comfortable enough that you will be able to keep your cool to be able access it from a hard to reach place in an emergency, then by all means, keep it strapped right there were you can get it. Just practice drawing it, and keep it sharp.
It’s your life; protect it how you see fit.
I carry a pistol sometimes…
and I’ve used it. I haven’t had to kill anyone with it yet, but it’s definitely kept certain situations from getting out of control. Not to mention that you can’t always reason and talk your way out of an altercation with a wild or rabid animal.
But you can go ahead and call me a pussy for carrying one if you want, we all know that acting like you know everything helps with your low self-esteem.
Yes I have been attacked
Shark Self Defense
You don’t carry a knife to defend yourself from sharks. You carry a “shark billy”
Benn Fired On Twice - Returned Fire Once
– Last Updated: Jul-27-05 3:32 PM EST –
I have been fired on twice while paddling canoes in the backcountry of Georgia and Florida. In one case I returned fire..
Jim has probably never been boating out of sight of the Miami skyline....
Remember thatpahs want to be
– Last Updated: Jul-27-05 9:17 PM EST –
running a business soon. (guiding?)
Pahs, your rescue knife should not be used for everyday purposes. In the unlikely event it will be needed it will need to be maximally sharp.
You do give OK advice to flatwater paddlers but I notice that you say, Unless you are in whitewater there is no real reason for carrying a knive on your vest to cut rope. " and then totally neglect to address the idea that a sea kayaker could well need to cut a rope. If somebody's skills are so poor that they are unlikely to be involved in doing a rescue in breaking waves, then OK, they are not at all likely to get tangled in a rope. but if you get involved in towing multiple paddlers through dynamic conditions you'll need every bit of skill you can summon. and will be glad to have the extra margin of safety.
Do you really have enough swiftwater rescue experience to be saying that if someone needs a knife in a rescue situation it will most likely need to be used to help rescue an empty boat?