Going hiking up in the Sierra, are there any restrictions on open carrying knives, for example a fixed blade hunting knife or a Kabar ?

Thanks guys.

IIRC, it must be carried openly - not tucked under your shirt, not inside your waist band, not "accidentally" hidden by your jacket if you put one on.

That's right out in the open no restrictions. If its in your pocket the blade should be smaller/shorter then your palm.

If u get stopped always declare u have a knife in your pocket .

Correct, a concealed knife is a felony in California.

I was broader line on a folding knife I had on me. (I always have a knife on me, inside my pocket with the clip exposed.) I was stopped by PD at an outdoor mail in Los Angeles. Was pulled aside and asked to pull out all object ts in my pockets. I did. Was asked why I had the knife. Told them I always do. Checked the size of the blade a I asked why. He said it can't be longer them my palm.

I was stopped and asked because two things... I was Hispanic and there was a reported stabbing earlier that day.

Paul is 100% correct. There is no blade limit for folding knives from the state.
I have a few police officer friends that have said the same damn thing too. Everyone's palms are a different size, how are they supposed to determine whose is the correct length?
It's a stupid rumor that keeps getting repeated.

Correct, a fixed balde knife, or a folding knife carried with the blade in the open position, cannot be concealed.  Being inside a sheath is not considered concealed.  A folding knife can be concealed.  Switchblades over 2.5 inches are illegal (I think the section is 653k P.C., but I am not going to look it up right now).  Many cops get confused with this section.  They seem to think that a spring-assisted knife, or a folding knife that can open with a snappy flip of the wrist, is a switchblade.  If you read the section closely, this is not true.  But, in some cases, be prepared to spend a couple nights in jail until it gets rejected.

ETA:  Just to clarify, the wrongful arrest I have seen for spring-assisted or similar knives were more complicated than just possession of the knife.  The arrestees usually had other illegal stuff, i.e. dope, guns, etc, or were just being an a$$hole to the officer.  The officer would use the possession of the knife, in part, to justify a search (incident to arrest) of the person.  In the case of spring-assisted knives, these cases were rejected or thrown out b/c possession of the knife was not illegal, therefore the arrest was in error and search incident to arrest was violation of rights (fruit of the poisonous tree).  Long story short, if you have a spring assisted knife, are polite to officers, and are not carrying anything else illegal, you should be okay.

So, did they stop every Hispanic in SoCal that day?  If that was there only reason, it's pretty darned weak, if not made up on the spot.  I'd have reported it.

That is a 'wobbler'-it can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor.



"or in the state prison" means that if it is charged as a felony the possible prison that a judge can hand out are 18 months,  2 years, or 3 years in state prison.



On the street wobblers are treated as felonies by law enforcement.





 

Concealed fixed blade knife is against the law.



Folders are good to go.