Knives Illustrated – August 2019

SPECS

Blade Material: 01 tool steel, differentially

hardened

Blade Length: 6 inches

Overall Length: 11.5 inches

Blade Thickness: 0.1875 inch

Handle Material: Polished black linen Micarta

Sheath: Leather

MSRP: $525.00

dirt, cutting wire, and using it hard, it

was time to sharpen it.

The Trail Dog’s 01 tool steel is an

easily sharpened and maintained

steel. It doesn’t require diamond

stones and a stone found in the

field can be flattened and prepped

by rubbing it against another stone

before using it on a steel blade.

The Beck Trail Dog comes with a

sharpening stone, but knowing a

replacement stone made in the field

could maintain our blade, it proved

to be an excellent point worthy of

inclusion in this review.

No Gimmicks

The Trail Dog is a capable and practical

blade for fieldcraft. The intermediate

size is just right, oˆering the fine

carving ability of a smaller blade with

the extended reach of a larger blade

when an extended grip is used.

We only wish we had the opportunity

to test it in additional conditions, as

we feel it would do well just about

anywhere. The reality of military

and SERE applications leaves no

room for catchy marketing, gimmick

blades, or high-profile survival-

celebrity endorsements. This knife,

simply put, is a true working tool

that rests on its merit. It will handle

real survival tasks with ease and be

right at home when all the odds are

against you. KI

The Trail Dog comes

with a screwdriver-tip

ferro rod scraper that

throws a serious shower

of sparks.

The 6-inch blade

features a distinctive

swedge leading to

the tip.

“THE INTERMEDIATE SIZE

IS JUST RIGHT, OFFERING

THE FINE CARVING ABILITY

OF A SMALLER BLADE WITH

THE EXTENDED REACH OF

A LARGER BLADE WHEN AN

EXTENDED GRIP IS USED.”

30 KNIVES ILLUSTRATED • JULY/AUGUST 2019 knivesillustrated.com