We are in the midst of revising our troop policy manual. I am working with the Scoutmaster to change the "No sheath knife" policy into a more realistic one that actually reflects the true BSA position. "NOTE: The Boy scouts of America does not encourage the use of large sheath knives. They are heavy, awkward to carry, and unnecessary for most camp chores."

We will use our descretion as to what's acceptable, just as we would for many other safety issues, and include proper care, carry and use into our annual Tote N' Chip class we conduct each spring for new scouts.

Honestly, I don't have much experience myself, having bought my first sheath knife a little over a year ago. I bought a Scandanavian grind Helle knife from Ragnar's Ragweed Forge. His site has some info on sharpening but I'd like to know if there are more sites I can visit for research. Then I'll help design a "curiculum" (more of a sheet of guidelines) for the leaders to use this spring.

Thanks.