Important notes:

• You may only take a knife on a hike or camp if permitted.
• Before the start of the hike, you must notify a leader that you have a knife and they must check it.
• The knife must be carried by the most responsible member of the team in the bottom of their bag.
• Only 1 knife is needed per team.
• The knife must be of a legal type to be carried. (see below)

The law and knives

Despite what you may have been led to believe, our knife laws are amongst the most sensible in the modern world.

In Britain we benefit from laws which promote the sensible use of knives, yet discourage those who seek to abuse what are, in effect, well engineered tools. In short, be aware of the following points, although please read the linked articles for more in-depth information.

• The Criminal Justice Act (1988) says that you must not carry a knife with a blade greater than 3 inches or 7.5 cm in length.
• It also says that the blade must be folding. This means a sheath knife is not permitted.
• It also says that switchblades, automatics or 'flick-knives', gravity knives, balisongs or 'butterfly knives', push daggers, belt buckle knives, sword canes, or knuckle-duster knives are not allowed.
• Late on in 2004, an amendment to the law was introduced which restricts the sale of any knife which is not readily detectable by the normal methods of detection, i.e.: either x-ray or metal detection. This means it cannot be one that is made out of something other than metal.
• Use your loaf - a knife has no place at a football match, in a pub, nightclub or school and becomes an offensive weapon in these circumstances in just the same way as a screwdriver, or any other inanimate tool.
• Ensure that you comply fully with the law. The Police take breaches of knife law very seriously, and take our advice, you really don't want to be caught on the wrong side, it's just not worth it. This has become even more serious recently with the amount of knife attacks.

Please note that this information is supplied for your information only. We are not solicitors nor policemen, so please follow the links for more 'official' information, or seek legal advice.

• The Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act (1959)
• The Criminal Justice Act (1988)
• The Offensive Weapons Act (1996)
• The Knives Act (1997)

The use of a knife and hiking

Sometimes that little boy we all call Justin Case is an important piece of survival equipment. For example, the Swiss Army Knife is useful just in case of emergencies. The great part of a these knives is they cut down the things you need to carry. Having other features on top of the plain knife can be life saving. For more advice on Knives Click here.