The diver's knife

One winter my lovely wife found ourselves in a campground on Key Largo. One of the guys staying at the campground was a Brit, in Florida for some scuba diving.

He was all excited to show me his dive knife. It looked like an all right knife to me, nothing special: stainless steel, big grippy handle, and with about a 5 inch pointed blade. It seemed like a practical sort of knife for cutting a tangled harness or freeing oneself from an abandoned fishing net. In short, it appeared to be an adequate knife for the job.

The diver seemed overly excited about a fairly ordinary knife. What I did not know at the time was that that sort of knife was illegal in England. For him, being able to carry such a knife was a big thrill.

Maybe I should have shown him my hunting knifes, a long fillet knife and the 2.5 foot machete that I was using to open coconuts. None of these blades are illegal in my home state of NH, so I don't think twice about taking them along. They are useful tools for a camping trip.

Personally, I could not imagine getting into a knife fight. I own guns.

If guns were out of the picture and I had to defend myself, a knife would still not be my second choice. That would be my hiking stick. It has a lot more reach than a knife -and I'm a trained staff fighter.

Can't wait for them to outlaw sticks.

-Sixbears

Walk softly and carry a big stick

My lovely wife asked if I was going to bring my staff along on our trip. I assured her I was. She was happy to hear that. You see, it's more than just a walking stick. It's a weapon.

I spent a few years studying staff fighting. I'd rather have my staff in my hand than a knife. While I studied a bit of knife work, it's not really my thing. Knife fighters get cut a lot. It's just as easy for me to carry a handgun than a knife.

Of course, on the road, there's some places where I can't bring a handgun. While I can legally carry a concealed handgun in New Hampshire, Massachusetts would toss my sorry butt in jail for a year.

My old shotgun, however, is sort of legal in most places. Nobody likes to mess with a shotgun. Still, sometimes I just need to teach a lesson. The lesson taught by a shotgun isn't one the student will benefit from. However, the bruises and broken bones caused by a staff will give a guy something to remember me by.

I've used a staff for defense in the past, but only against dogs. Let me tell you, dogs know a big stick is trouble.

The staff is also handy for two legged dogs, should the need arise.

It's a cool fighting method to learn. Sticks are cheap. I'm using my walking stick as a weapon, but I've seen a kayak paddle make a good fighting staff. Pipe works. Hockey sticks are deadly. In fact, many things made serviceable fighting staffs. When you acquire the skill, weapons are everywhere.

-Sixbears