Kershaw Deschutes Duo
A Solid Tandem Of Field Processors
Kershaw’s Deschutes Skinner and Caper are a well-thought-out tandem
capable of handling your game processing needs for deer season —
and a few other seasons as well!
Kershaw is best known for their folding knives but when they decided to put out fixed-blade fare, they do it up right. Such is the case with the Deschutes Skinner and Caper featured here. We typically cover solo knives but this team of coordinated common-sense game processors were too good to pass up.
Let’s look at the commonalities first. Kershaw chose D2 high carbon steel to tackle the slicing and dicing chores. The term “carbon steel” is deceptive in that it conjures up corrosion, but D2 contains darn near enough Chromium to qualify as stainless. I’ve never had a D2 blade rust on me, and I live in the damp, humid South. Both knives have a generous finger choil at the base of the blade for better grip and control. The waterproof hidden tang handles are grippy, rubberized molded Polypropylene with checkering to add even more purchase. Furthermore, they’re designed with a nice amount of palm swell to hug the hand. Both knives are delivered with sheaths sporting a black, glass-filled nylon main housing with a nylon belt loop and handle strap (snap) to secure the knife during carry.
The Deschutes Skinner is 8.56″ overall with a deep-bellied 3.90″ drop point blade, stonewashed for low reflectivity. The Caper is 7.0″ overall with a low angled 3.30″ clip point blade (stonewashed as well) for detail work. The overall length given for both blades includes the finger choil. The Skinner, which can also be used for light chores around the camp, has a lanyard hole at the handle’s base.
The black glass-filled nylon Deschutes sheaths are weatherproof,
blood-proof and secure units offering both affordability and function.
Why You’ll Like ’Em
It’s rare you get a Skinner/Caper tandem that can work together in the field like this duo. Everything is well designed, including the blade choices and sizes, for the Deschutes duo to complement each other. D2 steel is an ideal choice offering ease of sharpening and excellent bite along with enough corrosion resistance to keep you worry-free. Finally, there’s affordability — MSRP for the Deschutes Skinner is $79.99 and the Caper $59.99, everything you need to process your game for fewer than 150 bucks!
