thanks friend --- i was just there for the college money back then not knowing how much a few years in my young adulthood would affect the rest of it
@CowcatcherJust a show n tell post - but i am soliciting opinions on someone who could make a sheath for the bottom blade -- an Explorer Wilderness - I have 2 of them and although a custom sheath would cost more than these kinives are worth - why not? Gotta carry the darn thing somehow to use it
I was a kid in the 80's so who wouldnt want a knife with a compass in the cap, and the ability to carry a garrote wire , some fishing line , hooks and matches in there too ?
The black Explorer Wilderness 2 - (5" clip point bowie style) was actually carried by me in DS1 - my dad bought it for me for my 14th birthday and it accompanied me on lots of childhood adventures and culminated with a tour in the sandbox
Knife's not visible in the pic but is probably on my LBE --- never had a concern about this rather fragile knife design not holding up because i used it for things that you historically do with knives (cutting things) ---- not for splitting wood or doing prybar stuff
Just getting old and reminiscing on a Sunday i suppose ----- but i would pack that serrated knife in a truck box or something for sure with a better sheath
And since i went down the rabbit hole of 80's knives and DS1 -- heres the stuff that was issued --
very old school Navy MK-2 survival knife and IMO the best US issued knife of all aside from a Randall's Raiders Bowie --- the original multi tool -- i still have it and use it regularly !
Dude and his wife do excellent work.
Awesome that these knives elicit some memories here and there -- id rather have a knife, than an old Rubiks Cube as a souvenir from the 80's
Mine - (the original one ) was purchased for me by my dad on my 14th or 15th birthday -- dont know where he got it -
When i was in the service, another guy had the bigger version with the sawteeth (like the one i need a sheath for ) ---
And for most of us in the armed forces, -- our big fixed blade knives were more like lucky rabbits feet than things we thought we'd actually need for CQB or something --- but due to hours and hours on guard or CQ duty, we would keep them razor sharp and ready to go anyway
--- maybe a decade or so back, i got nostalgic and figured i would pick up a couple more of these on ebay to keep in my vehicles and such , so that resulted in the camo model with the compass and the sawtooth knife --
Unless it has a continuous edge between the teeth it's a saw back.Yeah, it wasn't sawteeth like the Lile "Rambo" knife. It was a more slanted, serrated back. It had an OD green handle with an OD green leather sheath. It started my OD obsession.
Mine has the compass as well as matches, fishing line, hooks, fire starter in the hide hole. Had it strapped to an emergency back pack in my vehicle for years. Hence black worn off handle. Never really used it.
Likely roughly the same strength level of a Mark 2 - put either one in a vise and apply a bit of sideways pressure and you’re one piece knife becomes a 2 piece at the guard. - they are a full tang but the tang is quite narrow and rickety
My army unit was issued those instead of Ka-Bars and most of the mark 2’s got left in footlockers and civilian cutlery was carried
Even so I’m glad I kept my mark twos for nostalgia, And as I alluded to in another post, those old carbon steel blades can still hold a darn good edge
I'm not a forged in fire tester.
