I used to be a walking EDC junk pile. I had more gawdamned crap in my pockets than Batman. I used to run a small branch office located in a little strip mall of other small businesses. Welp… one day the power went out and we were all plunged into darkness. It didn’t affect me because I was dead in the office till the computers came back, and big windows kept the office lit well enough. The next door neighbour came in and borrowed my snazzy little Mag Lite. Then two others came looking for it. I’d been carrying the stupid thing for years just in case and the one time I might have needed it… yeah.
Every couple of days at airline company we'd get a frantic call about a broke airplane at the gate. I'd grab my tool bag and gather what I needed. Never failed I had to use my leatherman. Nothing like walking into an airplane where half the people were pissed and the others were scared. A lot of time the young stews were scared. I always had an inappropriate remark to make it worse. "I you let me look down your shirt, I'll make this thing fly".
ReplyDeleteNot sure how old ye are Filthie, but I am old enough where it was REQUIRED to have a pen knife when attending school, from age 8 on up. It was called a pen knife then, even though we no longer used goose quills except the one time we were taught how to make a pen for ink well use with said goose part, a most fun exercise as few had the dexterity to make the small hole with the knife point before slitting the quill on two axes.
ReplyDeleteHave carried one always and sometimes two since then. This has caused no end of games with the TSA as I absolutely refuse to be pocket knifeless at any time. My batting average is about .95 in arriving at destination with said accouterment and the funny thing is I used to be able to buy back the confiscated knives for pennies on Ebay when the TSA dumps their haul on the market. Just a game for an old fart.
Of course, I also have four nice machetes of various styles and purpose, well honed and used. Those are not transportable unless checked and even then cause issue with the unwashed who have no concept of their legitimate use and porpoise.
I do miss the 1970's and 80's where no one blinked when folks boarded flights with Buck #10 on belt or even some Texan with a .22 derringer on their belt buckle (carried knife, observed several with buckle).
Carry on old chap.
I remember being just out of school, a young engineer at a big company in South Texas. I was in a training class composed of old salt field technicians who were training a mixed group of new engineers and new technicians. During a manual exercise a situation arose and I simply pulled my pocket knife out (a Schrade Old Timer 3 bladed folder) and cut whatever needed to be cut. The grizzled old fart trainer just looked at me all weird and said "ain't you an engineer? Engineers ain't supposed to carry knives, that just ain't right." I replied that I've been carrying a knife ever since kindergarten and he replied that I'm gonna be a problem. That's been my goal ever since - don't be part of the problem, be the whole damn problem.
ReplyDeleteTHAT'S the right attitude!
DeleteMy EDC is a small Shrade, 3 blade, Old Timer, a $5 Chinesium, imitation Spyderco, a real Spyderco, a fixed blade, belt knife and the blade on my 1st gen Leatherman. The pick up has an 18" machete behind the seat and a 24" machete in the tool box, anong with a pick, Pulaski, a double bit axe, figging gear and a sharpened Eastern European (Com block) entrenching tool.
Living in the sticks, working in tree service and being the one to call when a friend gets "stuck", means that you have to have available kit.
ONE TIME, I got pulled out of a ditch, a shame I'll never shake off.
I'm just waiting for the day I get pulled over and the cop asks me if I have any weapons in the truck - Oh boy, let me make a list! I got multitools, folding knives, fixed blades, hand axes, big axes, machetes, fish filet knives, tree saws, hammers, mallets, shovels, a length of pipe, and oh yeah, my gun.
DeleteBefore I loan my knife, I always ask two questions..."Where's yours?" and "What for?". You'd be surprised how many times it's for something crazy and not something that a knife should be used for.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid in the 1960's, they used to make boots for boys that had a little sheath on the side for your pocket knife.
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