Fixed blade yes/no?

[lry]

Legal length fixed blade kershaw on my belt, classic mora on my neck. Kershaw is my general use knife, defense, splitting, etc. Mora is used only for skinning and prepping food or the like. Both are dirt cheap, maybe $50 between both of them.

Normally if cop hassles me, he only disarms me while we talk. Never had any knives taken, not yet anyway. But I never carry anything illegal.

 

[Deleted member 20]

Then you gotta get out more & meet some of the cops I come across. Perhaps you aren't breaking enough laws when you are talking to them.

I have had experiences where they give them back too. Just a few years ago I passed out drunk while squatting in an inner city type apartment building. There was vomit on the carpet & the cops woke me up smiling & asked me what I was doing. It was apparent that I was a traveler, camo everywhere, pack & that I was passed out drunk with a small pile of puke on the rug.

The cop was actually waving the knife like a giggling child saying "what do we have here" I told him that's my knife. He says, he knows & that he found it in my pack.

So they called an emt who was berating me for vomiting on this poor renters common area, etc, etc. The cop was like yeah hes had a few too many but looks fine. He told me to take off & that I may want to look in the planter on the sidewalk for my knife. He left it there & to me was a solid dude. No arrest, no pc, got the knife back & didn't have to be treated like a criminal.

 

[Tick Dickler]

Legal length fixed blade kershaw on my belt, classic mora on my neck. Kershaw is my general use knife, defense, splitting, etc. Mora is used only for skinning and prepping food or the like. Both are dirt cheap, maybe $50 between both of them.

Normally if cop hassles me, he only disarms me while we talk. Never had any knives taken, not yet anyway. But I never carry anything illegal.

fuck yes neck knives are the shit right?! i never see anyone else with knives around there neck. its the ultimate carrying position imo, especially when sporting a bigger knife too.

 

[Erable]

Then you gotta get out more & meet some of the cops I come across. Perhaps you aren't breaking enough laws when you are talking to them.

I have had experiences where they give them back too. Just a few years ago I passed out drunk while squatting in an inner city type apartment building. There was vomit on the carpet & the cops woke me up smiling & asked me what I was doing. It was apparent that I was a traveler, camo everywhere, pack & that I was passed out drunk with a small pile of puke on the rug.

The cop was actually waving the knife like a giggling child saying "what do we have here" I told him that's my knife. He says, he knows & that he found it in my pack.

So they called an emt who was berating me for vomiting on this poor renters common area, etc, etc. The cop was like yeah hes had a few too many but looks fine. He told me to take off & that I may want to look in the planter on the sidewalk for my knife. He left it there & to me was a solid dude. No arrest, no pc, got the knife back & didn't have to be treated like a criminal.

Sounds like a pretty cool guy.

 

[kecleon]

Didn't read all of it but a fixed is like a folder that's not gonna cut your fingers off and will let you a lifetime. You can abuse the hell out of it, chop wood, cut up a metal barrel whatever get the edge sharpened or reground good as new bit less steel plenty left. Wouldn't be without one in my pack or on my belt on the woods

 

[Deleted member 2626]

I've always had a fixed blade western I got for free from an old boss. I've been carrying a small Gerber hatchet. My buddy hitched with it on his hip to meet me in Cheyenne. Wonder if cops would confiscate it

 

[CelticWanderer]

Knives are varied & can be specialized tools for specific tasks like filleting, cutting rope/cordage, skinning, combat etc. Fixed blades are great for a camping trip. Folding knives are perfect for everyday carry & for many unforseen uses!

That being said. If you ever plan to hitchhike, hop trains, trespass, spange, loiter, busk, drink in public jay walk or otherwise get on the radar of law enforcement than "DO NOT" carry any large fixed blade over the legal length here in the US. It just aint worth it given the context of STP & how most exist & what we do. If you are doing any of the above & much more the police can & will search you & harass you for little to nothing. I wont say I agree with this practice but it is common. I assumed since I didn't first notice the wilderness comment when first posted that travel may be involved.

If you are planning to use the knife for self defense than again KISS (keep it simple stupid). Large survival knives do little except cause further criminal charges & harassment where as a small even slightly over lengtg tactical folder is viewed as a pocket knife. Its hard to conceal & even more illegal at times if found hidden on your body. That leaves storing it in your pack, thus not easily available everytime you need a blade. Both will cause self inflicted injury in actual combat so not real practical to the untrained. Since I always wear shorts or pants with pockets everyday I always have a knife clipped on on me when out of the house. Its an all around legal tool that even boy scouts carry. Only Rambo, Crocodile Dundee & b-movie horror movie characters carry large fixed blades while traveling.

There are some really nice legal length fixed blades but they aren't that common.



Side note:
To dispute young Tick Dickler again. Who isn't even old enough to legally, buy, own or sell any knife in the US; Save New Hampshire.
"it looks cool, but doesnt do anything else than stabbing people.
folders are good, just not for the road".

YOU ARE FLAT FUCKING WRONG about Folding Knives "just not for the road"!!! WTF?

Those 2 brand names are great knives but definately isnt practical for traveling. Esse blades are super expensive & often way past legal carry length. No one wants to loose $80-$200+ on a knife just to have a cop pocket it or bag it as evidence & add it to some criminal charges.

I do like those inexpensive mora knives though especially for carving soap , lol.

Just don't try to sell yourself as an expert in traveling if you haven't even started yet!

Good post, I think this sold it for me. I took a big ol Army issued combat knife with me on my first adventure, never had any trouble but I was lucky I think. I'm going to hike the AT and I feel like the large knife I have will be useful, but I dunno, the legality of it feels like a hassle/risk that's not worth it. My little folding pocket knife should be able to do I everything I need it to. save for splitting wood.

 

[ottawafm]

I prefer box knives. The blades can be changed out and their legal.
I'm only using them to make notches for traps and skinning squirrels and rabbits. So I don't really need a knife that needs sharpening all the time. Plus the blades can be picked up at just about everywhere.

 

[danknuggetts]

http://www.knifeup.com/knife-laws/