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Carrying non military issue knives

He was always entertaining. The ones I've encountered always had some form of Japanese sword as well. It always had (insert interesting battlefield usage here).
 
You would have loved the assassin I bumped into.  Cpl working as enemy force for a PLQ course. This guy had 6 knives on him.  Not all smal ones either.

Boot knife.
Knife strapped to his theigh.
two on his belt.
Empty scabbard (don't want to even guess where the knife was)
Knife upside down on his tacvest (Kbar vietnam style) and;
knife  hanging around his neck.
 
Grimaldus said:
You would have loved the assassin I bumped into.  Cpl working as enemy force for a PLQ course. This guy had 6 knives on him.  Not all smal ones either.

Boot knife.
Knife strapped to his theigh.
two on his belt.
Empty scabbard (don't want to even guess where the knife was)
Knife upside down on his tacvest (Kbar vietnam style) and;
knife on a necklace hanging around his neck.

The only thing cooler that 4 popped collars is 6-knives guy...............
 
Was he PLF? I totally know that guy.

Grimaldus said:
You would have loved the assassin I bumped into.  Cpl working as enemy force for a PLQ course. This guy had 6 knives on him.  Not all smal ones either.

Boot knife.
Knife strapped to his theigh.
two on his belt.
Empty scabbard (don't want to even guess where the knife was)
Knife upside down on his tacvest (Kbar vietnam style) and;
knife on a necklace hanging around his neck.
 
Redeye said:
Was he PLF? I totally know that guy.

Didn't see his headress.  Shorter, filipino-ish maybe?  Petawawa GD in 2009
Why does he carry an empty knife scabbard? So he has a place for a knife when he takes one away from his opponent as a trophy?

 
The stereotype of a "knife fanatic" as a usually young, dumb male who harbors latent insecurities is not always the truth.  I haven't seen many but two always come to mind.  One's actions (back in the mid 1970s) resulted in the carrying of all non-issued sheath knives being banned in 1 CBG.  During a BAA ex in the Sarcee trg area, he became a little exhuberent while playing enemy force (even though he wasn't supposed to be with them) and nearly severed the thumb of a 1 Fd Amb MCpl MSE Op.  What made it more strange was that he was a doctor and the CO (. . . Rene in the bush).

It's odd that the other knife nut I ran across was also a doctor, but in the USAF.  I met him on a cold dark night on the ramp at Ramstein Air Base.  An evac flight from downrange (it was during Desert Storm) had recently arrived and we were unloading the patients and moving them into the ASF.  As I was surveying the activities, an individual left the plane and came over to me with a couple of questions about onward evac to hospital.  Though he was dressed in typical flying clothing (flight suit and jacket), he was also wearing webbing and a helmet.  There were knives attached (hilt down) to each of the shoulder straps, a knife was on each hip and smaller knives strapped to each of his boots (his flight suit was bloused over his boots).  It took some control not to laugh in this senior officer's face.

Is having a non-issued knife useful; I would have to stongly agree.  I've had one and have been carrying the same item since the late 1970s (both in uniform and out).  I've used it frequently on course, on exercise and on operations.  I bought it at the Sally Ann in Lahr (actually I bought a couple - they were only a few marks each).  It's a Swiss Army penknife (a very small blade, a file/screwdriver, a scissors, a toothpick and a tweezer).  Most often it's on my keychain, though I have also clipped one to my dogtag chain on occasion.  I've occasionly carried a belt knife in the field and when we were issued multi-tools that also became an item to consider, but no other edged implement has been as useful as that tiny little red knife.
 
Bring your multi-tool, the 2ish inch blade is enough. When you eventually end up in the field you will have a bayonet which your course staff will make you carry and that can handle anything your multi-tool can't.

I have a knife guy in my platoon he carries three knives one being an 8" fileting monster as well as leatherman and gerber multi-tools, and two flashlights. Looks ridiculous, well it use to till his Sgt got wind of it and put an end to it all.
 
Years ago on a forced march on the field portion of a course, this kid was having one heck of a hard time.  Half way through he asked me if he could ditch some kit in the woods and go back for it later.  Needless to say the answer was no (there may have been some expletives used).  It was a bit strange because he was in pretty good shape.  Mind you for some, a first BFT can be rough.  Anyway he made it through but at the end I went to check his ruck and could barely get it above my knees.  I got him to open it up and you should have seen the junk in there.  Among the many useless items he also had a hatchet, a camp stove, pot set, one of those collapsable shovels, a rambo style knife (you know with the compass on the end) and about a half dozen throwing knives  :facepalm:

He basically said he had the throwing knives "just in case".  I guess he had heard about the drop ninjas that roam the forests of pettawawa....
 
We had one guy on course this summer who insisted that his collapsible shovel is the best thing known to mankind.  He even sharpend the edges for some strange reason to turn into a shovel/hatchet/knife/sword combo.  Our staff found out, laughed, and then told him to dig a hole with it.  The shovel part failed.  Then he was asked to cut a small branch with it.  The sharpened part failed.  I think it broke the next day when he tried to dig a trench with it, or start a fire, or chop down a tree I can't remember which.
 
Knife guys are always good for a laugh....

I've bought/carried/tried out more then a few in my 13 years... I've found that in Garrison there is rarely ever a need to carry any more then the multi-tool (issued Gerber, or a Leatherman if you're fancy...) and a simple, sturdy folding blade pocket knife... I use a Gerber with a Tanto blade semi serrated... I would get a better high end knife but so far this is holding up...

In the field I carry a SOG Seal pup on my TV and it has come in handy many a time.

I've yet to see a need to carry anything with a blade larger then 6".... Hell, I dont even keep my bayonet on the TV most times as its large clumsy and just gets in the way...

To each their own, but as a mechanised support troop there is no need for a Rambo knife,  or a Samurai Katana, or a Roman Gladius or anything like that.... We have rifles for a reason....

My belief is that if you want to carry some sort of "High Speed Special Ops Commando Knife" maybe you should apply, pass, and become a "High Speed Special Ops Commando" first....  Over there I never say any of the CSOR or JTF guys I ran across carrying any giant fighting knives...

Just my .02 though.
 
Using a Gerber Crucial.  Smaller and lighter than the issued one and the components are on the outside. Plus the needle nose pliers are somewhat better.  Also have a foldable pocket knife for quick work here and there.  It's also half serrated and tanto style.  Does the trick.
 
Robert0288 said:
We had one guy on course this summer who insisted that his collapsible shovel is the best thing known to mankind.  He even sharpend the edges for some strange reason to turn into a shovel/hatchet/knife/sword combo.  Our staff found out, laughed, and then told him to dig a hole with it.  The shovel part failed.  Then he was asked to cut a small branch with it.  The sharpened part failed.  I think it broke the next day when he tried to dig a trench with it, or start a fire, or chop down a tree I can't remember which.

I attended the BSERE course at CFSSAT, 17 Wing.  For cutting tools, we had a Laplander saw (awesome piece of kit) and a folding e-tool, somewhat sharpened on one edge.  I cut down numerous hardwood and softwood trees with this, and used it to de-limb them, and that instance it was perfect and allowed me to work smarter not harder.  I can't imagine how long the laplander alone would have taken me, particularly on the de-limbing part.  This was all we had to build a lean-to, smoke generator, etc.

The key is to hold the thing by the shaft as close as you can to the shovel head, and to NOT use too much force.  If you do those 2 things, its a great piece of kit for more than just digging.

Not that you expect to be in a survival situation on many FTXs...
 
Redeye said:
Was he PLF? I totally know that guy.

Oh please tell me the PLF has not dropped to the level that they would allow that.
 
Buddy of mine got one of these (if memory serves) years back from a CF mbr family friend who picked this up at an American PX in Afghanistan...  Either way it's under 4inches and was a really nice knife if one ever has the desire for a nice locking blade.    http://www.crkt.com/M16-14-Desert-Big-Dog-Tan-Tanto-AutoLAWKS-Combo-Edge?&search_id=1073763

If the OP wants to get his friend a knife, I don't see why you'd need anything more than this.
 
As I recall from reading "All Quiet on the Western Front" (albeit 25 years ago), the German Army started issuing saw-toothed bayonets to soldiers at one point during WWI.  The usual routine for new troops arriving at the front was for the veterans to immediately take the saw-toothed bayonets away from them and replace them with the older straight blades.  They would then dispose of the saw-tooth blades.  The reason?  They had found some of their dead comrades in no-man's land with various bits sawn of them. 

Sometimes if a weapon is too nasty, your enemy may turn it against you.
 
CountDC said:
Oh please tell me the PLF has not dropped to the level that they would allow that.

You missed the 90's?
 
Wow, I didn't realize that our country had declared war on Manbearpig.

;)

http://youtu.be/xf69EEL3WBk
 
Rogo said:
Buddy of mine got one of these (if memory serves) years back from a CF mbr family friend who picked this up at an American PX in Afghanistan...  Either way it's under 4inches and was a really nice knife if one ever has the desire for a nice locking blade.    http://www.crkt.com/M16-14-Desert-Big-Dog-Tan-Tanto-AutoLAWKS-Combo-Edge?&search_id=1073763

If the OP wants to get his friend a knife, I don't see why you'd need anything more than this.

This is the one knife I carry.
 
To the OP,

I have a 4" SOG 'hunting style' knife. It worked super handy for all the RQMS jobs I had and was really happy with it. My unit's SOP was 'if it is worn on your belt and it is concealed by your tunic, then it is okay' (the exception was a jump knife which had to be earned).

The guys thought is was really nice and I had compliment galore on it...

...then it was stolen.

Lesson: if your friend wishes to wear a knife, he should be prepared that it may go missing one day. IMHO, sentimental stuff shouldn't be worn daily.
 
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