If you love to rough it in the wild or you simply enjoy camping, you probably know the desirability of owning and using a knife for setting up a campsite and other camping-related activities. You can attribute the invention of the pocket knife to first-century Romans, who developed the first knife that featured a folding capability. They made the knife easy to carry for explorers and soldiers. However, as the use of sheathed knives became more popular, the use of the pocket knife fell by the wayside.
A Time-honoured Tradition
However, by the 1500s, the pocket knife began to regain its once-popular status. Both lawyers and farmers started to carry the small yet useful knife. The portable tool could be used for a variety of tasks, including eating on the go or clearing brush. Needless to say, men have been carrying pocket knives for hundreds of years. Therefore, it is one tradition that happens to be time-honoured, especially by campers, adventurers, and thrill-seekers.
How the Knife is Used
The knife can be used for various activities, like cutting ropes or making sparks for a fire. You can also use a Swiss army knife for cutting moleskin and cleaning your nails. The tasks of splitting wood and preparing kindling are also more easily facilitated with this kind of knife. Do you need to open packets of food? Then take out your handy pocket knife.
While the above activities do not sound exceptionally robust, they offer enough reasons as to why you should carry a lightweight knife, especially if you’re venturing into the backcountry or when you are on a camping trip. If you wish to plan for any eventuality, having this kind of knife in tow is one way to do so.
Other Ways You Can Use the Knife
After all, how many times have you been in a certain situation and said, “I sure wish I had a knife right now!” Besides the aforementioned activities, you can also use a pocket knife for opening boxes or for cutting tags and strings. If you wish to cut fruits or berries, you can use a pocket knife. You can even use this type of knife to defend yourself if push comes to shove. Whilst it may not be the most efficient weapon, it is certainly better than having no weapon at all.
On a camping trip, you may not need the knife for opening a letter. However, you can use it to sharpen a stick into a point. Then you can use the pointed stick to stab your prey – the prey, in this instance, being a frankfurter. Whilst selecting a knife is a personal undertaking, most users of the common pocket knife happen to love the Swiss army variety. This is one knife with which you can bond – one that feels good in the hand and makes you feel proud that you are carrying it.
The Most Popular Pocket Knife
With that being said, there are still three common designs employed in the manufacturing of pocket knives. They are made in the form of a pen knife, a multi-purpose knife, and a jack knife. The multiple purpose Swiss army knife is the most well-known pocket knife, as it features a number of amenities. These amenities include such tools as scissors, screwdrivers, and even tweezers. Naturally, this is the knife to take with you when you are backpacking or camping.
