Traveling knives.

J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
17,416
The thing about getting old and being retired is, there seems to be more things that demand traveling. Most of the time this means flying.

Someplace two days drive away is only two hours by plane, and being retired I can't use the job as an exuse, so exuses run thin, and off we go. Month before last we visited an elderly relation in Seminole Florida, and now we're going to be going to St. Simons Island Georga for a cousins reunion on Karen's side of the family. Now this being her fathers side, its a different group of cousins than her mothers side of the family that we meet each odd year at Key West. Not a bad bunch, and I understand her relation that lives there has a nice boat to take out fishing and nature spotting.

Knives.

it's a pain for a knife knut to travel. There's always the terrible decsission to check or not to check, go knifeless, or stash one in checked bag and hope its still there at the other end. Last time I had no problem with my little classic and a sak. I think I'll stay with that formula.

I have this old Victorinox bantam around, and it seems to weather travel very well. Maybe the red handles with the white cross look innocent if spoted by the TSA luggage nazi's. Maybe it will make another trip. I'm sure the bottle opener is going to be handy for the cold Corona's.

It seems a shame to go on a nice fishing trip without even a pocket knife, so I guess I'll have to check my bag. I'd like to take my bone stag peanut, but I worry that may be too tempting. I've thought about taking the old Camillus scout knife I saved from obscurity, it looks aged and stained. Maybe that would not be attractive to a bagage searching drone. But with my luck, I'll have some idiot think its a valuable antique.

I'd love traveling, if it weren't such a pain.:grumpy:
 
I have a friend who says he packs a bomb in his suitcase when he travels, because the odds are very much against two bombs being on the same flight.

Seriously, I hate to travel by plane, and one of the reasons is that you can't safely carry a knife. Not on your person or in a carry on, and not even in a locked, checked bag. I've heard of guys packing a gun in their suitcase, and declaring it when they check in. I guess those bags get special handling. One thing I've done is put my knife in a prescription or advil bottle, covered with pills. Never had a problem with that. I've been warned not to try it travelling internationally. Still other guys just buy a SAK when they get there, and take their chances with it in their suitcase on the way home.

This summer, I'll probably leave my favorite knives at home and just take an old beater slipjoint along.
 
I know what you mean. The fiancee and I are going to a wedding in a couple of months. We'll be flying. As fond as I am of my stag stockman, it'll have to stay at home for a couple of days. I'll probably take my Brown Mule instead.

I guess cheap knives do have their place.
 
jackknife said:
it's a pain for a knife knut to travel. There's always the terrible decsission to check or not to check, go knifeless, or stash one in checked bag and hope its still there at the other end. Last time I had no problem with my little classic and a sak. I think I'll stay with that formula.

I have this old Victorinox bantam around, and it seems to weather travel very well. Maybe the red handles with the white cross look innocent if spoted by the TSA luggage nazi's. Maybe it will make another trip. I'm sure the bottle opener is going to be handy for the cold Corona's.

It seems a shame to go on a nice fishing trip without even a pocket knife, so I guess I'll have to check my bag. I'd like to take my bone stag peanut, but I worry that may be too tempting. I've thought about taking the old Camillus scout knife I saved from obscurity, it looks aged and stained. Maybe that would not be attractive to a bagage searching drone. But with my luck, I'll have some idiot think its a valuable antique.
Click to expand...

Honestly, jackknife, you're way too worried about this. None of the knives you list have more than about a .02% of getting nicked by a TSA handler. I'd take any of those with zero hesitation. Only knives I'd ever hesitate to put in my checked luggage would be those with sentimental value. Lastly, when you hit the package store for beer, splurge for a sixpack of Pilsner Urquel to go in the cooler with that Corona. You'll thank me. :)
 
You can transport guns as checked baggage, but they require you label it as such (eg, "STEAL ME"). I wouldn't try packing them in your suitcase.

But then, my solution is to not fly. Nope, forget it. I'm not going to support an industry that wants to treat its customers like they do today. I've already told my relatives to not expect any visits. I can't believe as many people still fly as do. People treat it as though it were a life-or-death necessity, when in fact most don't enjoy it in the first place. Even 20-30 years ago a big trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people. Now everybody is trying to be a jet-setter. :)

If you must fly, try mailing your knives to yourself at the destination address. If visiting friends, send a package to them. Then mail them home to yourself and they'll be waiting when you get there.

-- Sam
 
Yosemite Sam said:
You can transport guns as checked baggage, but they require you label it as such (eg, "STEAL ME"). I wouldn't try packing them in your suitcase.

But then, my solution is to not fly. Nope, forget it. I'm not going to support an industry that wants to treat its customers like they do today. I've already told my relatives to not expect any visits. I can't believe as many people still fly as do. People treat it as though it were a life-or-death necessity, when in fact most don't enjoy it in the first place. Even 20-30 years ago a big trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people. Now everybody is trying to be a jet-setter. :)

If you must fly, try mailing your knives to yourself at the destination address. If visiting friends, send a package to them. Then mail them home to yourself and they'll be waiting when you get there.


-- Sam
Click to expand...
+100
I too am retired. I do not fly unless I HAVE to. One of the blessings of being retired is the luxury of time. I will not support an industry that treats folks like criminals because of some misguided POLITICAL CORRECTNESS.
 
I flew once for a family emergency 1200 miles away. I probably won't fly again unless the same situation reoccurs. The cost was astronomical. Logistics of getting to and from airports, both coming and going, was an incredible ass-pain. And having to drive a rental once there, instead of my nice car, was enough to make me homesick.

Anyway, with regard to knives, "Replaceability" should be the key factor. Consider both availability and financial hardship. Current-production products from Wenger, Opinel, Case, Buck, etc. could be replaced with very little effort.

I wouldn't carry anything that's out of production, expensive, customized, was received as a gift...

I've thought about taking the old Camillus scout knife I saved from obscurity, it looks aged and stained.
Click to expand...
A perfect example of a knife I would ~not~ carry. Something like that would be very difficult to successfully replace with any satisfaction.

Anyway, Maryland to Florida or Georgia looks like an easy drive. Why fly if it's going to cause grief and anxiety?
 
I have never lost a knife to a baggage handler. When I was working in sales, I used to travel about 10-15 days per month.

Take your knife/knives and roll them up in a pair or two of socks. Jam the socks into a pair of shoes. Stick the shoes at the bottom of your suitcase with all your clothing on top (you probably do this anyway).

The random bag handlers don't have access to x-ray/screening info, so unless they grab your whole bag, they won't notice anything tempting on top, and they don't have time to pull apart everything in your bag.

Just a tip that has worked for me for years.
 
Never had a problem with packing a knife in my checked bag. I understand the concern with anything of value (knife wise) and wouldn't pack it if I didn't want to lose it.

Stop by a Lowes and pick up a Vic (sorry forgot the name) "scout" knife for about $12 or Dicks Sports for a Wenger SI @ $15. Remove the plastic, tuck in into your sock, and let it ride.

Or, just stop at a Walmart once you get to your destination, pick up a Vic, and gift it to a relation before you leave.

I travel a lot...make sure all your carry on toiletries are in a quart sized zip lock bag, or you will have to toss them into the trash. Good luck. ft
 
I remember getting on a plane with my leatherman traveling for a machine install. After 9/11 it was checked. That and old trusty copperlock.

Jacknife, you could always leave the knife at home and buy a nice knife when you get down there . Go to a nice antique shop or hardware store. Then just send it back before your trip home.
 
I hate flying in this new world we have. I like to carry a nice pocket knife everyday and even more so when I'm on vacation somewhere far away.

Now I have to settle for checking my bag with something reasonably replaceable in it.

I should be excited about my upcoming trip to Santa Fe, but I find myself fretting over what slip joint to pack. I'm sure I'll get over it, but it offends me that I even have to.

It's a small price to pay I guess.
 
I always pcak several knives in my cheked baggage, I usually put them in the pockets of the trouzers I'm bringing...I'v never had a problem, and I fly quite a bit... they did once lose my luggage So I had to bum around a carribean Island w/out a knife for a bit untill they found it..I ended buying a fake sak while there just to have something...ANy way when I do trave I usually bring something that I can depend on but that is replaceable and won't break the bank If it does get misappropriated..usually I bring a sak..and I think my buck 303 or 301 might come along as well in the future.
 
I've heard the perfect safe technique for traveling knives. Get some skanky looking old underware, stain it appropriately(not with the real deal) wrap your knives up with it, put in a plastic ziploc bag inside your luggage. Nobody will touch it. :)
 
I have heard of putting your knife in an envelope with an address and a return plus a stamp. If they steal it out of the envelope it becomes a federal offence. I might try it next time I travel. On another note I have been buying SAKs for $1.00 each here in Ga that have been confiscated at Airports.
Chickenplucker
 
You can have your luggage screened then locked with a TSA padlock.
This takes longer and is a different check-in line
 
jackknife said:
...I've thought about taking the old Camillus scout knife I saved from obscurity, it looks aged and stained. Maybe that would not be attractive to a bagage searching drone. But with my luck, I'll have some idiot think its a valuable antique...
Click to expand...

I went to Europe in April, 2007 and that is what I packed for the trip, in carry on that is. It wasn't an old one, 20 years old maybe, I bought one for each of my sons when they were scouts and a third for me. I got the hairy eyeball all through Britain, except York for some reason, but Paris, Brussels and Cochem had no problems with it.
 
I have tor travel for work regularly enough. I have a small leather pouch that I keep a SAK waiter and a mid-size lockback. No problems with TSA thus far. Still I do dislike the feel of not having a knife.
 
I rack up quite a few frequent flyer miles for work. I usually check a bag just so I can have a knife with me on the other end. Even on short hops.

My two go-to travel knives are a Wenger SI or a Case Sodbuster Jr (SS). So far I've yet to lose one to the bagage gnomes.

Chris
 
jackknife said:
The thing about getting old and being retired is, there seems to be more things that demand traveling. Most of the time this means flying.

Someplace two days drive away is only two hours by plane, and being retired I can't use the job as an exuse, so exuses run thin, and off we go. Month before last we visited an elderly relation in Seminole Florida, and now we're going to be going to St. Simons Island Georga for a cousins reunion on Karen's side of the family. Now this being her fathers side, its a different group of cousins than her mothers side of the family that we meet each odd year at Key West. Not a bad bunch, and I understand her relation that lives there has a nice boat to take out fishing and nature spotting.

Knives.

it's a pain for a knife knut to travel. There's always the terrible decsission to check or not to check, go knifeless, or stash one in checked bag and hope its still there at the other end. Last time I had no problem with my little classic and a sak. I think I'll stay with that formula.

I have this old Victorinox bantam around, and it seems to weather travel very well. Maybe the red handles with the white cross look innocent if spoted by the TSA luggage nazi's. Maybe it will make another trip. I'm sure the bottle opener is going to be handy for the cold Corona's.

It seems a shame to go on a nice fishing trip without even a pocket knife, so I guess I'll have to check my bag. I'd like to take my bone stag peanut, but I worry that may be too tempting. I've thought about taking the old Camillus scout knife I saved from obscurity, it looks aged and stained. Maybe that would not be attractive to a bagage searching drone. But with my luck, I'll have some idiot think its a valuable antique.

I'd love traveling, if it weren't such a pain.:grumpy:
Click to expand...

Jackknife,

Could you email me.
callfam@netvision.net.il

Thanks,

Neeman
 
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