PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
52 Year old male
6' 0'' (183 cm) in height
163 lbs (74 kg) in weight
Email address: rick (at) BackpackGearTest (dot) org
Personal Hiking Page: http://www.imrisk.com
Trail name: Risk
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a three-season base pack weight of about 17 lb (8 kg) and skin out weight of 25 lb (11 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of about 1100 miles (1770 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock camper, and I make much of my own equipment.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Spyderco
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer's Link: http://spyderco.com
MSRP: US$39.95
Listed Weight: 2.8 oz (79 g)
Measured Weight: 2.8 oz (79 g)
Listed length overall: 7-7/8 in (200 mm)
Listed blade length: 3-1/8 in (79 mm)
Measured length overall: 7-5/8 in (194 mm)
Measured blade length: 3 in (76 mm)
Listed blade thickness 5/32 in (4 mm)
Measured blade thickness: 5/32 in (4 mm)

REVIEW
The Vagabond knife (Model #FB12P) is a fixed blade knife with a plain drop blade.  Its blade has considerable heft due to its thickness. The knife feels well balanced in my hand with blade guard folded into the handle.  Its essential difference from other fixed blade knives is the integral folding blade guard that folds back and inside the handle. For a detailed description of the knife, please consider reading my Initial Report.

I have carried the knife nearly every day of the testing period.  Occasionally, I carried it in my pocket.  I never had any difficulty with the guard retracting and the knife poking a hole in either my clothing or my leg. I have also carried the knife in my pack from time to time, and the blade guard protected my other pack goods such that there was no damage to any other equipment. However, most of the time I carried the knife in a simple leather pouch hung around my neck by a leather thong. I have become so accustomed to carrying the knife, that I feel almost naked when I forget to slip the neck sheath on from time to time. This is a lightweight knife and its length and thickness is comfortable in the hollow of my chest.  

I have used the knife.  Yea, I have used it frequently. Let me recite some of the uses:

- For making a walking stick, the knife is wonderful.  I have made 4 such sticks for myself.  It is easy to whittle the base of a couple saplings just a little thicker than my thumb and then cut the saplings off at the level of my nipples for a pair of walking sticks.  I then clean up the ends of the sticks and peel the bark so that the green wood dries quickly.  In addition, I made 10 additional sticks to be given away as door prizes for a talk I gave to a outdoor club.  That was a lot of carving and peeling, but despite needing to spend several hours on the project, the handle still felt good in my hand.  There was no tendency of the folded guard to either pinch my hand or form a blister.

- Cooking tasks work great with the knife.  It cuts steak like it was butter, and the blade is just about the right length for peeling and cutting most vegetables. I use the knife and an artificial flint to light either an alcohol stove or a cannister stove.  No matches needed.

- As an aid to fire making, the knife is exactly what is needed.  I use it as a froe, to split logs the thickness of my wrist and get dry kindling on the wettest day.  (I hold the knife with the blade across the log like a wedge, and then use a second log to beat the end of the blade down through the log while I hold on to the handle.)  The thick bladed knife is up to this woodcraft task and has performed flawlessly.  After getting the tinder and kindling ready, I use the knife and an artificial flint to ignite a couple drops of fuel alcohol at the base of a candle wick.  The candle is then an easy source of multiple fire starting "matches" made by dipping a small twig in the melted wax at the base of the candle wick and then lighting the paraffin soaked twig in the candle flame.  

- Of course, the knife works well for opening packages, peeling fruit, trimming flowers, cutting paper, trimming threads on clothing, and a hundred other uses for which a knife can be used when it is the primary tool carried on my person.  I have become so well known among my friends and family for my carrying the knife, that when one of them needs to open a cardboard box or letter, he or she often asks to borrow my knife as the solution to trying to get the package open.  

In the initial report I said that I would be interested in the following items.  This is how the questions are coming along:
- How long does an edge last?  The edge lasts longer than I would have anticipated.  More than a week with average use.
- How easy is it to put a new edge on the knife? It is simple and fast to get a very sharp edge with my Tri-Angle Sharpmaker.
- Is the handle comfortable when I work on a small project such as carving a walking stick? No blisters or hand fatigue after making 10 walking sticks.
- Is the blade strong enough to use as a froe when splitting small wood for kindling on wet days? Yes.
- Does the blade cover adequately protect my pocket when the knife is stored there? Yes.
- How easy is it to keep the knife clean with daily cooking chores? I have used the knife in cutting a deer hide's edge and washed it with dish washing detergent and then immediately used it for cutting vegetables.  It easily and completely cleaned up going from a messy task to one that requires clean utensils.

What I like so far:
- Very lightweight knife for its size
- Easy to stow the blade guard with one hand
- Blade Guard protects my chest.  Making a pouch for carrying the knife on my chest is very simple
- Easy to keep the blade super sharp.

FIELD CONDITIONS FOR THE TEST PERIOD
For the Field reporting period, I used the knife on overnight backpacking trips to Hot Springs, North Carolina; a long overnight walk along the Mad River in Ohio; and for an overnight hike in Zaleski State Forest in Ohio.  In addition, I have carried the knife in a hand-made leather neck sheath nearly every day of the testing period. I have used it on more than a dozen day hikes.  For the Long Term testing, the knife will be with me across the deep freeze of winter.  When I sleep out in the coldest weather, the knife will be on my chest for general tasks, and also for emergency use to get out of frozen zippers - not so much because it will be needed, but more for peace of mind in the middle of the night.  I will be using the Vagabond in cold, wet, and dry conditions with the emphasis on cold as I plan to use the knife in the coldest temperatures that Ohio will offer this winter.  Altitudes will range from river valleys to mountain tops.