RE: [Paddlewise] Knives and tethers

Peter asked:
>Do any Paddlewisers clip knives to a holster on their PFD

Peter, I know this is one of the religious debates for kayakers - so let me
state at the outset that I'm not trying to make any conversions - this is
just my point of view.

I have finally found a solution I am happy with. Yes, I have always carried
a sheath-knife clipped to my PFD and with a non-stretch lanyard, just as
long as my arm, which tucks into a pocket about 2" (50mm) below where the
haft rests when the knife is in its sheath. Until July, it was a cheap
stainless knife - of the sort that anglers keep in a tackle box - which did
occasionally fall out of its sheath in rescues.

This was not good - and I did (a few years ago) buy a lovely Gerber knife
with an incredibly powerful retaining clip - which in theory would have
allowed the necessary one-handed 'draw', but would certainly have prevented
_any_ inadvertent release. However, the more I played with it, the less I
liked it - it was too sharp, with a double-edged blade and the release
required spot-on application of considerable force with/by a thumb-tip. I
could never bring myself to deploy it and it's still sitting on my 'will get
around to it soon' table.

This July, we passed through Vancouver (on the way to paddle SE Alaska) and
we needed to buy a number of items that couldn't fly the Pacific with us
(from home to North America). Since there was a shopping list, somehow a
better knife snuck onto it ;-)

To cut (ouch) a long story short, I love my little Wenoka Squeeze Titanium.
It set me back about $45 Canadian / US. It is small, light, and obviously
low maintenance (it has zero corrosion in the salt water). The retaining
clip seems robust, intuitive, low-effort, but infallible - just about
perfect. It has one smooth & one serrated edge - with a nice line hook
(which may or may not ever achieve anything in a panic ;-) It has a 'Tanto'
end (ie: like an screw-driver end, but cut at an angle). I didn't find this
sufficiently blunt - the Tanto end was sharpened and I'd say that the
pointiest bit would stick into flesh pretty easily - so I sat on the beach
and gently dulled these bits on a rock. Making sharp things dull is well
within my capabilities. For the uses I will put it to, I suspect that the
rest of it will stay sharp forever.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=8455244425
42697&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302701313

There is a stainless version for about half the money, which is probably
worth what it costs. (I've seen some negative comments about the
edge-keeping ability of the stainless used.)

Oh, and no, I have never had to use my knife in earnest - and I hope I never
will - but I do feel it's got some 'insurance' value. Mostly it gets used
for cutting apples, rope, shaving furry bits off my GP, and repelling sharks
(well, it's been pretty passive in this role ;-)

Best Regards
Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************