Does your unit have its own knife policy?

7 Comments

  • Halsey - 9 years ago

    My Troop is currently building our knife policy. We are looking for input from troops who have similar rules.

  • Brian - 10 years ago

    Our troop has a verbal policy that the knives must be a folding pocket type knife, unless they have made a sheath knife themselves (not purchased), Fillet knives are allowed in their fishing tackle box. Our summer camp however does not allow sheath knives to that also works into this verbal policy.

    Probably should work with the scouts to develop a written policy.

  • Steve Savoie - 11 years ago

    Out Troop has a policy of folding knives only and that length of the knife closed should be approximately the width of the boy's hand. No sheath knives are allowed for scouts and the adults don't carry any knife that boys don't carry. Only scouts who have earned the totin chip can carry a knife on a scout trip.

  • Brian - 12 years ago

    We only allow bears and webelos who have earned their whittiling chip to use a knife at camping events. But we have no written policy. Which we will have this year since I read this article and I am the new Cubmaster.

  • Clarke Green - 12 years ago

    Boys (and men for that matter) buy knives that they like, that they think are kind of cool. They learn quickly whether or not the knife they chose is useful or not.
    I don't see a whole lot of use for sheath knives but that wholly depends on the knife's design. I carry (in my pack, not on my belt) a thin bladed sheath knife I made myself. It would be at home in a kitchen drawer and is very useful for cooking. It's heavy enough to split small branches if I need to. I also routinely carry a filet knife (a sheath knife as well.)
    Given enough boys and enough knives someone is going to get cut eventually. Most of the cuts I have seen in thirty years came from pretty plain folding pocket knives and never once from the kitchen knifes a patrol carries in a cook kit and never once has one Scout cut another Scout.
    I think a unit policy does not make sense with knives, what makes sense is good safety training and practices as described in the Scout Handbook. I don't care for 'the blood circle' or the 'I hold my knife until you say than you' stuff. The only time I have seen a Scout come close to cutting another Scout was when he was spinning around with his open knife telling everybody to get out of his 'blood circle'.

  • Paul - 12 years ago

    We do not allow any sheath knives {it's rare we go where someone may need to skin a bear during a campout :-) }, they have to follow the rules of the totin chip or we'll take it away. We've never revoked a card and it's rare we have to take a corner, when we do it's usually the older boys because they are complacent and think the rules are no longer for them.

  • Rich Toyon - 12 years ago

    Our policy is NO FIXED BLADES whatsoever. Only folding blades 3" or less. We strictly follow the Totin Chip guidelines and have taken only one knife once for carelessness, and have never revoked a Totin Chip card. We feel our scouts are pretty safe following these rules.

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