: Although I carry at least one knife IN the kayak for camp duties, I gave up
: on carrying one on my PFD, as I came to the conclusion that I'm more
: likely to hurt myself with it than to actually need it. I've tried a few
: small-medium sized sheath knives and the problem they all suffer is that
: during rescues and other vigorous activities, they have a nasty habit of
: falling out of their sheath and flailing around on their lanyard (an
: unsecured knife is a lost knife). I've come close enough to getting cut
: that I'm no longer willing to take that risk.

: I now carry a rescue hook, which is all that's necessary for dealing with
: emergency entanglements while sea kayaking. The one I like is the Model 6
: H20 by Benchmade. It's an ideal size for easy handling (even with gloves
: on), it won't rust, it comes razor sharp from the factory (REALLY!) and
: you can't hurt yourself with it unintentionally. There are many other
: rescue hooks on the market that will do the job equally well.

: If you're paddling rivers and you think there's actually a possibility of
: having to cut something more substantial than a tow rope, perhaps carrying
: a knife is justified, but otherwise, it's more of a liability than an
: asset, IMO. I can't think of any good reason to choose a knife over a hook
: for use on open water.

Btw, mine is intentionally untethered, for the reasons stated above. I'd rather lose it than have a lanyard attached knife nearly as sharp as a razor blade flailing around me on it's tether.

Might have to look into getting a hook instead...seen them somewhere, right now don't remember where.

Bill H.