EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Looking back on more than a half century on this Earth, my love of pocket knives dates back to my boyhood – Boy Scouts, Indian Guides with the YMCA and summer camp with the Catholic brothers of the Salesian Order of St. John Bosco, to name a few favorite memories.
Of course, what boy could resist the siren call of the Swiss Army Knife and all those gadgets in one handy tool?
But the folding hunter knife was what really set my heart aflutter and still does.
I still carry a folding hunter knife almost every day as my primary EDC.
My friend HT over at HT’s EDC recently reminded me about why I like carrying this style of knife so much.
Buck 110 LT on a Junkin Genius hank. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM
HT created a group or “club” for his YouTube channel called “HT’s Hunter Herd” for people who like, enjoy and carry a folding hunter knife. And he sent me a few stickers to cement my membership in his “herd.”
HT calls the folding hunter the sturdiest traditional pocket knife out there and the closest that a folding knife comes to the strength of a fixed blade. Have to agree 1,000 percent.
Going through my collection, I have a handful of these super handy, sturdy knives.
Of course, I have a couple of Bucks, from the company that really set the knife world on its ear back in the 1960s with the creation of its iconic Buck 110 folding hunter knife.
I have a Buck 110 LT, which is a lighter version of the iconic Buck 110. Instead of being made of wood and brass, its handles are made of molded nylon, giving it a much lighter feel.
While it is certainly lighter than the classic 110, it still is a substantial pocket knife that is capable of handling almost any task around the home, yard or campground.
Buck 112 Slim Select, left, and Buck 110 LT. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM
This knife was a gift from John over at J.O. Ventures Outdoors and he included a handy sheath he made for it for convenient carrying on my belt.
Has to be one of my all-time favorites and is one of the staples of my EDC.
I also have a Buck 112 Slim Select, which is the little brother of the Buck 110. This one is made of black nylon fiber instead of wood and is a great lightweight EDC knife.
This one has a pocket clip making it even more convenient.
Both are great all-around knives that I enjoy carrying and using. There is also something cool about carrying a Buck and having all that history and heritage attached to your hip in a sheath or clipped to your pocket.
Buck 112 Slim Select with pocket clip showing. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM
Regular readers of this column may remember what sent me down this rabbit hole of EDC in the first place — my Cold Steel Double Safe Hunter.
If you have heard this story before, forgive me.
A couple of years ago, wifey had lost my camping knife that I had carried around for nearly 30 years.
To replace it, I did what I always do when approaching a new subject – I did a ton of research. I ended up buying my trusty Cold Steel.
Cold Steel Double Safe Hunter. Photo by Dave Burge
This knife comes with a GFN handle (glass-filled nylon), a super sharp clip-point blade and two locks – a lockback and a sliding secondary lock on the handle.
That knife got me back into collecting knives — big time.
Of course, my old camping knife did eventually show up. A little explanation is needed. Each year, we decorate our house and yard for Halloween. My knife showed up the following Halloween when we opened up some of our decorations and it was there hiding in one of the boxes that we had put back into storage for the year.
As much as I love those two Buck knives and my Cold Steel, I have a surprising favorite among my folding hunter knives – my Rough Rider Desert Fox.
Rough Rider Desert Fox Folding Hunter with leather sheath by J.O. Ventures Outdoors. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM
This one I bought from Smoky Mountain Knife Works for about $16.
It comes in orange and black micarta handles, came super sharp with a clip point blade and is a bit over 5 inches closed, making it one of the largest knives I own.
For the price, it is a great knife and I love using it as a “work knife.”
I also carry this one around in a sheath that John over at J.O. Ventures made for it. In fact, this was the very first project that we worked on together.
Here are links to knives mentioned in this column:
Rough Rider Desert Fox Folding Hunter
I have had great luck finding good deals on Bucks at Chicago Knife Works. Here is a link.
Here are links to the YouTube channels I mentioned:
Here are some links to other YouTube channels I watch for EDC and knife content:
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