As I’ve said before, I can’t imagine not having a knife in my pocket. And I also can’t imagine being in a woods camp without a good fixed-blade sheath knife. The one you see here is the classic Marine Corps fighting/utility knife from KA-BAR.

With the onset of the Second World War, our Marines were issued the old brass-handled trench knives from WWI. These old knives just weren’t up to the needs of our fighting men. The handles were uncomfortable and the stiletto blades tended to break. In short, most of our fighting men, not just Marines, went to war with personal knives. The Marine Corps set out to do something about the problem and the KA-BAR USMC Mark 2 Combat Knife was the result.

Still manufactured today, the KA-BAR knife features a 7-inch, clip-point blade that is manufactured from carbon steel, and a leather washer handle. Carbon steel is to be preferred in such a knife because of the ease and speed with which the knife can be resharpened. The clip-point blade is about perfect for cutting and slicing, as well as stabbing. It’s a perfect design for keeping camp as well as fighting. I am confident that you could do an inventory of the Sand Box this next week and you would find a large number of KA-BAR’s present and in service.

I find this KA-BAR knife to be a dandy hunting companion, too. I don’t generally carry a sheath knife on me, preferring to just keep a smaller lock-blade in my pocket. But this big KA-BAR rides in my day pack to help with the heavier chores like building an impromptu blind or dealing with large bones while butchering our game. I wasn’t in the Marine Corps or WWII, but I’ll be happy to salute this KA-BAR classic.