I have carried a knife in my right front pocket for as long as I can remember. The first knife I remember toting around was a “Swiss Army Knife” style pocket knife from Yellowstone National Park. That little knife was awesome. It had a knife blade, file, scissors, tweezers, and a toothpick. That knife went everywhere with me. If I wasn’t in school it was in my pocket; if I was in bed it was on my nightstand. It was never out of reach. Eventually, I upgraded my pocket knife to a single bladed Old Timer, followed by a host of other folders. These folders ranged from no-name slipjoints and framelocks, to Benchmade Bali-Songs, to classic Case folders, and finally landing on the Holy Grail of pocket knives, the Chris Reeve Sebenza 21.
These knives served me well for many years. I used them for all sorts of tasks including trimming loose threads on clothing, breaking down cardboard boxes for the recycling bin, cutting up fruit for lunch, cleaning game, and ,not to mention, all sorts of other prying and twisting activities that are very hard on a pivot pin. None of those knives ever let me down during my daily activities, but they weren’t built for the woods. Fixed blades on the other hand could complete all of my daily tasks with ease and stand up to hard use in the woods.
I very quickly began to appreciate the simplicity of the fixed blade knife. Unlike the folding knife, the fixed blade has no moving parts, it is more stout, more comfortable in the hand, easier to clean, and perhaps most important of all, there is no pivot to get gummed up with pocket lint and various sticky substances. This realization left me wanting more out of my daily carry pocket knives. Suddenly pivot pins and locking mechanisms weren’t as charming as they used to be. It was around this time that I decided to trade in my Sebenza for a fixed blade. The only problem with my transition from folder to fixed blade is that the transition occurred around 2018 and there weren’t many pocket friendly fixed blades on the market and I didn’t want to belt carry a knife every day. The only pocket friendly blades that recall being around at the time were the ESEE Izula and a handful of CRKT minimalist designs. Fortunately for me, I had recently begun making knives and making a pocket carry fixed blade seemed like a good project. The design I came up with is now known as the Backpacker Deluxe (inspired by the original CRK Inyoni). I carried the BPD daily for almost 4 years. During this time I used the knife for everything. I used it to prep dinner, clean fish and game, cut zip-ties, clean the fuzz off of the vacuum beater bar, trim spray foam, and I even used it to score sheet rock; all the things I do, and have done, with folding knives; the only difference is I greatly preferred using the fixed blade for all of those tasks. The stoutness of the single pice of steel and the lack of a gritty and gummy pivot sold me on the pocket fixed blade for daily carry. Another benefit of everyday fixed blade that I came to appreciate was the ease of cleaning. A quick rinse and wipe and I was good to go; no pivot to hold water and rust.
I have been carrying a pocket fixed blade as my main knife for 7, going on 8, years now and I can count on 2 hands how many times I have carried a folder in this time. While they may not be as flashy as folders, I have learned that I much prefer carrying, collecting, and using fixed blades. It seems like many other people have made the same discovery as me. In the last year or two I have seen a huge increase in the number of pocket fixed blades on the market, and I have seen a lot of people take a step into the world of pocket fixed blade carry. If you haven’t tried carrying a pocket fixed blade I highly recommend you give it a go.