Swiss Army knifes all the way I buy them from the warehouse sales for next to nothing.
Because they are great for cuttin the cheese and cannot stay sharp when cutting wood or survival - you get what you pay for,,,, easy.
It was originally designed for working on cleaning a gun.... I can't remember when the swiss had a gun....
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
I thought your comment was funny and I was about to make a comment questioning how their army could fight using those little knives...then I decided to look it up, I guess I was wrongOriginally Posted by Wise Old Owl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militar...vidual_weapons
Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are male citizen conscripts 19 to 34 (in some cases up to 50) years old. Because of a long history of neutrality, the army does not take part in armed conflicts in other countries, but takes part in peacekeeping missions around the world.Weapons marked in bold are considered personal equipment of the soldier, who is responsible for their well-functioning and must keep them at home until the end of the military service (unless living near an external border of Switzerland).[33] Between brackets is the number of such weapons in personal equipment as of 31 January 2009.[34] Swiss army knives are also issued, but are not considered weapons.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Interesting, every male Swiss citizen has a machine gun (actually an assault rifle) in his closet with 200 rounds of ammo.
It's part of how they stay neutral. Also back in the day mercs used to be there #1 export, but some treaty stopped that. They can only send mercs to one place now, the vatican.
Yeah, the Vatican Swiss Guard, most colorful army in the world!
I hate to hijack this already hijacked thread, but does anyone else bring two knives? I find I like to have a SAK knife for cutting things (rope, cheese), and a plastic knife (from a fast food place) for spreading PB, jam, butter, etc... I don't like to get gooey stuff in the hinges of the SAK and I don't have a machine gun in my closet.
Different activities call for different knives. On my thruhike the very smallest Swiss Army knife worked just fine. Then the year after the hike I discovered tall-ship sailing. On my ship, every crew member aboard is required to carry a nonfolding rigging knife at all times, especially when going aloft. For that I have a heavy professional grade sheath knife with a wicked serrated edge. That makes for messy cutting but lets you cut heavy lines fast, an important safety factor. On the Trail that knife would just be useless dead weight.
I use my knife for cuttin' stuff and my Sea to Summit spoon for spreadin' stuff.
I only carried a single razer blade to cut up my leukotape. I'd carry the smallest possible knife if I had to cut up food, though
I typically take two knives as well, my smaller folding Opinel for my food and a larger belt knife for everything else. I think I'm going to get a Mora knife next.
We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
Has anyone found a knife that incorporates a nail clipper? For those of us that do not use a bounce box.
WI have found that the scissors on my leatherman micra work quite well for cutting nails, it might be worth trying.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
I just saw the victorinox classic now comes with a built in clipper It possibly could have been the Wenger brand Swiss knife. Check both sites.
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Bear Grylls Scout Knife. Really light. I have been throwing around the issue of which knife to take on my thru also. Lately I saw some reviews of this knife and am intrigued by the Gear Grylls success. I looked over the reivews for this on YouTube and then bought one at local Wal-Mart. It does have a light handle and I think it might serve me well. Although, knowing myself I may change my mind several times before may 2013. Then i may have several different knives in my bounce box. Fun, fun. Like I said, not only are knives useful and necessary but fun to take out and look at and think of how cool they are. One of the oldest tools known to man?!? Might as well get a good one, a cool one and then you can cut cheese in style!
Last edited by SunnyWalker; 10-22-2012 at 20:59. Reason: Not complete enough
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From SunnyWalker, SOBO CDT hiker starting June 2014.
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Here are two. I suggest the first.
http://www.wengerna.com/swiss-clipper-16930
http://www.wengerna.com/giant-knife-16999
The Wenger looks perfect (not the giant 2 pound monstrosity) but at 1.3 oz looks like it fits the bill as cutting a pepperoni with a razor blade does not appeal to me. As well the cutting of toenails with a scissors seems to me an injury waiting to happen.
I carry a Dermasafe folding razor blade or a tiny little Spyderco Bug (both about the same weight, dermasafe is larger but more fragile) and the tweezers out of a swiss army knife.
I used to scoff at hikers that carried a razor blade for a knife, and now I'm one of them. Honestly, it's still more than I need.
It's almost impossible for anyone to know what's right for you. What I will tell you is that asking about a specific model is backwards. You should provide your requirements and limitations first.
I carry the smallest Swiss Army knife w/tweezers and bring along a cheap plastic disposable knife for spreading peanut butter or cutting cheese. If it breaks or gets lost, pick up another disposable one at a fast food joint along the trail.
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