Do I Need a Knife?

Jack, that vulture…
… didn’t follow you out of gratitude. He figured that anyone as old as you silly enough to be out paddling would soon become a free meal. He just didn’t count on the fact that you are tougher and healthier than someone your age would normally be. I’m sure that when he finally left, it was out of boredom or frustration.

Oh, I see …
… that Delphinus thought of this too.



Anyway, if that bird waited for “Jack’s Time”, it would be just like the vulture in the old Warner Brothers cartoon; old, feeble, and “can’t eat nothin’ but marshmallows.”

Consider Sea Snips instead
http://www.diversdirect.com/search.cfm?kword=sea+snips

River shorty in the PFD pocket
I attach it and the whistle to a small elastic leash.

Better to have and not need than need and not have.

Watch Les Stroud or Bear Grylls. Knife is essential outdoor gear IMHO.

rescue hook worn where?

– Last Updated: Aug-13-10 2:05 PM EST –

Brian, I also asked you this on the other thread -- how and where do you attach that rescue hook to your PFD? I think it's gotta be really handy to grab.
I too carry a Swiss army knife -- mine's in a little drybox that goes in my PFD pocket -- with car keys and seasick medicine and a 20-dollar bill. I am PREPARED!!!! (To buy a submarine sandwich and cut it in half. And open a beer.)
g

Thanks For Your Support!

You can mount it on a lash tab…
…which is what I do (it’s attached with zip ties), or some people prefer to mount it to a shoulder strap. It depends on the layout of your PFD and your personal preferences.

Probably was my smell !
Jack L

thanks!
Just what I wanted to know. Appreciate it.

G in NC

Although I rarely carry one
A good knife is very nice to have. Boye dendritic cobalt is the way to go I think, if you are willing to shell out the money for one.

More budget-wise, I stick to Cold Steel knives. Fairly cheap and I lose them often, so thats important.

When I am way out in the sticks, I carry two knives and a hatchet. The hatchet really saves on the knife edges by allowing you to use it for heavier work.

Gransfors Bruks makes the best chopping tools on earth.

Carry one
I added one to my PFD last year on advice from a wiser paddler than me. My boats always have painter lines on them, and I carry a throw rope (but have never had to use it, so better remind myself to practice with it). The knife cuts through rope lickety split. That’s only from testing it, though.



But it also cuts apples and cantaloupes really well.

Ever try to cut anything with it?
Out of the package, you can barely cut butter with a River shorty, because Gerber plates the blade AFTER sharpening it, which results in a nicely rounded “edge”.

Thanks All
It appears that in spite of its cool Rambo looks a non-folder on this sea kayaker’s pfd is ‘over the top’. Probably cut myself badly. I found a little Leatherman tool with scissors sitting in a drawer. I’ll stick it in the pfd pocket and hope I remember to take it out and rinse it after salt water trips.



Thanks again.

What are you going to do when you need a
knife and don’t have one?

nope, not Rambo-esque
Kudzu, you won’t look like Rambo with a small knife on your PFD or with Brian’s Benchmade rescue hook (which I would consider if starting from scratch today). Depending on the design of your PFD, you can wear a rescue knife or hook pretty high up so that it’s hardly noticeable at all. But it’s there for you.

G

I carry
one, always. I’ve used it alot, as a knife. rescue tool (?)…it hasn’t come up (yet!)



steve

My Gerber Came Sharp and Still Is
My Gerber River Shorty was scary sharp when I bought it 15 years ago. Two years ago it kept me out of a jam by quickly and easily slicing a piece of webbing holding a pinned boat.

This year it made short work of a throw rope knot that was too tight to undo, again with little effort or fuss on my part.



It also stays in its sheath unless I take it out.

Maybe I got the only good one?

Nah I got a second about 12 years ago and that one is just as good.

Good for spreading peanut butter, slicing cheese and modifying outfitting as well. Can’t say that for your rescue hook.

I Changed My Mind
I ordered the $20 stainless folder that JackL has. My birthday’s coming up. If I drop it… what the heck.

Just received a Model 7 H2O…
…for my girlfriend, to replace her rusted Model 5 (which I had just cleaned and sharpened). It’s nice and light, slightly smaller in the hand than my Model 6 H2O, obviously plated for protection and VERY sharp. The Nylon sheath is well made, but it requires pulling down a Velcro flap before you can remove the hook. It looks doable, but it’s still more complex than the “grab and yank” sheath of the Model 5/6. Fortunately, it looks like the Model 7 will fit in the little Kydex sheath for the Model 5/6, so I’ll test it this weekend. Overall, I’m impressed with it on first examination.

Happy (early) Birthday, Kudzu
Purdy blue folder showed up today. I can now ‘be prepared’.