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Hobo or Scout. Which is the original camp knife?

As I was making breakfast this morning. I started thinking about the origins of the typical camp knife. That lead me to thinking about which came first the Hobo or Scout. While the word Scout predates Hobo, even when it comes to knife patterns, the hobo style knife predates the Scout knife by a good 50 or so years. (Perhaps even centuries!) They were actually the original "camp knives!" However, the knives weren't normally called Hobos until after WWI.

Anyone care to take a gander at why the hobo style knife is actually older than the scout knife?

Anyone know why the knife got stuck with the moniker "Hobo" instead of "Camp"

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by peter force on July 26, 2014 at 10:37

hey tobias im gonna be a little prankster here and say NEITHER!!!.. im guessing the first camp knife was a stick and a sharp stone shoved together.. or a big freakin bowie!.. but 100% a fixed blade!... i love my folders BUT FOR CAMPING or depedning on knife for my LIFE!..if i only had one choice...FIXED BLADE!. and trust me i loveeeee my folders!

HEY TRICK QUESTION..WHAT ABOUT HOBO CAMPERS????? i have a few.. where the fork folds out and has the CAP-LIFTER built into it!

also i have SETS ..they are stacked sets in sheaths....im sure lots of what i could say has been mentioned but when it comes down to it the fixed bade was 100% your first camp knife and is still my go to... dont need moving parts breking in the in middle of adventure!!!

IKC!!!...TOBIAS THANK YOU FOR SETTING UP THE QUESTION..HOPE I DIDNT STRAY FAR FROM IT..

as far as which came first as a PATTERN.. i have seen the word CAMPER knife a long time and i have seen some form of HOBO for long time.. i personally without research..have no clue..

Permalink Reply by peter force on July 26, 2014 at 10:40

hey tobias.. my daughter calls homeless foks HOBOS still..i have no clue where she gotit..and although i dont like the iage of a homless man..it does sound cute to here her say.."hey dad their goes another train hobo guy"..i just chuckle asd i never here that word...LOL!

Tobias Gibson said:

I lean toward the Ho Boy explanation as well. I've read many explanations but that sounds like the most logical. Regardless of the chore, it was common for people to hail someone with the phrase "Ho" and it was also very common for a boss to call just about any male worker, especially the unskilled, seasonal or itenerant "boy" It wouldn't be a strecch for the hobos to start calling each other Hoboys and for that to be turned into HOBO.

I can hear one come up to a house and saying "No Sir, I ain't one dem vagrants, I'za here to werk. If you got some chorin' to do I kin be yur ho-bo for some grub, sir."