A Classic minimalist two weeks ahead

mnblade

mnblade

Joined
Feb 7, 2000
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Am sitting in an airport, heading west for a business trip to the States; two weeks. I decided to pack VERY light. My only knife? My old, beat up Victorinox Classic. My grandfather gave it to me in the 8th grade. What's that? About 25 years ago, I reckon. It has one scale and the spring on the scissors broke long ago. Still, it's a good little knife. Should be interesting to see how it goes.

Full disclosure time: During the second week of my trip, I'll be visiting my mom, and I know there's a slightly used Buck 303 waiting for me at her place (I purchased it some weeks back on a popular online auction site).
 
This may be the trip that you have the awakening on, as to how much you don't really need. I predict you'll do fine, as long as you don't have to do any wilderness survival stuff with the classic.

Backpacking expert and author of The Complete Walker, carried a Vic classic as his only knife on some pretty long treks. Air Force General (Retired) Chuck Yeager carried a Victorinox Executive as his only knife on two week treks in the Sierra Neveada mountains on backpacking/fishing trips after the California Golden Trout, as explained in his book Press On. And Charles Lindberg who had a great mania bordering on fetish, of making everything as small and light as possable, carried a Vic classic as his only pocket knife while exploring 4 continents in his 1959 Volkswagon beatle. Of course his main knife was a Marbles sheath knife.

You'll do just fine. If you start feeling doubtfull, just remember that our great ancestors got by using a single flint or obsidian flake. :thumbup:
 
JK, you hit it right on the head! I'm sure our friend will find that "smaller is better" in this case. About the largest pocketknife I carry on a regular basis anymore is my Case Medium Stockman 63032CV! If it's not that one it's my yellow Peanut or a Vic SAK Executive! mnblade will be "well-armed" for his trip here.
 
I tell ya what mnblade, I dare you to not use the cadet while you're here.

Better yet; I double dog dare ya to go with just the classic!:D
 
I'm not sure, but it sounds like some of you may be using the word "minimalist" to mean "small". In that case, I'm the biggest(?) minimalist of all. I've got a gillion small knives. Does that count?

Mike
 
I somewhat envy you. You will probably appreciate that Vic Classic more than I appreciate whatever I will be carrying. Thats not a bad thing.
 
malextwo said:
I'm not sure, but it sounds like some of you may be using the word "minimalist" to mean "small". In that case, I'm the biggest(?) minimalist of all. I've got a gillion small knives. Does that count?

Mike
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This is a very good point, one I've thought of many times myself.
If I carry a Peanut in my pocket, a P-51 can opener and Craftsmans 4 way screwdriver on my keychain, and a Swisscard in my wallet, does that mean I am "minimally" prepared? What if just carried a Leatherman Wave on my belt loop? Which kit is the most minimal?
I ask because if you look at it this way, the Leatherman is the most minimalist kit since I am just carrying ONE item that does it all, rather then FOUR items stashed away in THREE different spots.
What If I chose a Vic Classic one day, and the next a Buck 110. Which day was the minimalist day?
Again, depends on how you look at it. One day I carried a knife, scissors, tooth pick, tweezers, nail file, small flat head/phillips head screwdriver, the other I carried a knife.
I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.
Who was the crazy nut that started this whole Maximum minimalism stuff anyway? ;)
 
you'll do just fine with that little knife.
i went to hawaii one year with a classic, before airline restrictions, cut a whole pineapple into bite size pieces. sure it was alittle messy but got it done just the same
 
I think that the most exiting thing here is that you chouse the classic your grandfather gave you. One knife is enough, small or big on a trip, witch one to use is a personal matter of preferance. Travelling light is minimalistic but small or big knife as long as its just one dont make much differance to me. An classic on a trip or a sodbuster on a motorbiketrip is bouth a basic way to look at ones needs.

Bosse
 
I think you will be pleasantly suprised with your classic.They're a great knife.
The Executive model Jackknife mentioned is one of my favorites too.
I carried one for years after I saw a picture of Chuck Yeager with his in Blade years ago.
 
jackknife said:
I tell ya what mnblade, I dare you to not use the cadet while you're here.

Better yet; I double dog dare ya to go with just the classic!:D
Click to expand...

You're on!


'Course fiddling around with the Buck doesn't count, right? I just won't tote anything but the Classic.
 
mnblade said:
You're on!


'Course fiddling around with the Buck doesn't count, right? I just won't tote anything but the Classic.
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Nope.

No fiddling, fondling, petting, carreassing, stroking, or speaking lovingly to another knife, exept for eating with table ware. Total sensory deprivation of knifedom so as to leave out the sense of comparison. Cold turkey out of a sense of scientific experiment. :eek:

Come on, you can do it.:thumbup:
 
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jackknife said:
Nope.

No fiddling, fondling, petting, carreassing, stroking, or speaking lovingly to another knife, exept for eating with table ware. Total sensory deprivation of knifedom so as to leave out the sense of comparison. Cold turkey out of a sense of scientific experiment. :eek:

Come on, you can do it.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Man, you play hardball!
 
mnblade said:
Man, you play hardball!
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I'll tell ya what, have a go at it, and I'll tell you of the time in 2003 we flew down to Key West for Karen's cousins reunion, and since I left all my knives home because we flew with only carry on, I did the whole vacation with only a classic that Karen mysteriously came up with when we got there. :thumbup:
 
So far, so good, guys. It's been tough to with the Buck 303 in the drawer calling my name - but nothing but the Classic has been in my pocket.

Even on the canoe trip with the alligators that I took today. :-) Afterward, Ma and I shared a picnic lunch of smoked fish and fixin's and a frosty beverage or two. If you look closely, you can see the aforementioned Classic (don't try this at home, kids) ...

JDLunch.jpg


I'll post a full report when I'm back home, safe and sound.
 
Man, I'm proud of ya!

Pull this off and you get inducted into the Royal Order Of The Peanut, for sticking it out with a teeny knife as edc.:D

* Royal Order Of The Peanut, is a double secret society of carriers of Peanuts, Eisenhours, Tiny Toothpicks, and Vic classics, as thier EDC. Strick initiation rites are in place!
 
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