- Joined
- Jan 24, 2005
- Messages
- 2,792
A bit of a story, here…
At age 12, I joined the Boy Scouts, and ASAP, went to the BSA department at a major store in town to stock up on Scout stuff. When I came to look for a knife, there were two to compare, both with the same construction and tools, the only exception being that one was decorated with a Scout insignia, the other not, but it was @ $2 cheaper. Well, you know “A Scout is thrifty,” so without hesitation, I chose the Kamp King instead.
That was my one pocket knife for the next 25+ years, during which time I did everything required in a scout-type knife; opening cans, notching tent stakes, cutting food, playing stretch and so forth. Later, it accompanied me to college, the Army, grownup camping trips and etc. where it It got pretty uglified, but always remained functional. The last I ever saw of it was when saying goodbye to a girl I thought I would never see again, I impulsively gave it to her as a keepsake.
(Footnote: many years later, I did see her again. Amidst the reminiscences, I asked her whatever became of the knife, and she replied that two weeks after I gave it to her, she “lost” it. Can’t say I blamed her.)
So anyway, years later and half a continent away, I was reminiscing about the knife, by then long replaced with various SAKs and others, to my friend Jack, who owned a record shop near a college campus. He seemed to have been barely noticing, if that, so I let the matter drop and went on to other topics. That may have been the one time I even thought about that knife, so there the matter rested, or so I thought.
Two years later, although I thought Jack hadn’t been listening, he presented me with the exact same model Kamp King knife I had described to him. He had come across it while hunting for antiques at a trade show, and was able to pick it up for $1.00. It was in near perfect condition. So he had been listening after all!
In any case, by this time, having been spoiled by the use of an equivalent SAK, instead of carrying it, I put into my small box of knifely treasures, where it resides to this very day.
I call it my Jack knife.
At age 12, I joined the Boy Scouts, and ASAP, went to the BSA department at a major store in town to stock up on Scout stuff. When I came to look for a knife, there were two to compare, both with the same construction and tools, the only exception being that one was decorated with a Scout insignia, the other not, but it was @ $2 cheaper. Well, you know “A Scout is thrifty,” so without hesitation, I chose the Kamp King instead.
That was my one pocket knife for the next 25+ years, during which time I did everything required in a scout-type knife; opening cans, notching tent stakes, cutting food, playing stretch and so forth. Later, it accompanied me to college, the Army, grownup camping trips and etc. where it It got pretty uglified, but always remained functional. The last I ever saw of it was when saying goodbye to a girl I thought I would never see again, I impulsively gave it to her as a keepsake.
(Footnote: many years later, I did see her again. Amidst the reminiscences, I asked her whatever became of the knife, and she replied that two weeks after I gave it to her, she “lost” it. Can’t say I blamed her.)
So anyway, years later and half a continent away, I was reminiscing about the knife, by then long replaced with various SAKs and others, to my friend Jack, who owned a record shop near a college campus. He seemed to have been barely noticing, if that, so I let the matter drop and went on to other topics. That may have been the one time I even thought about that knife, so there the matter rested, or so I thought.
Two years later, although I thought Jack hadn’t been listening, he presented me with the exact same model Kamp King knife I had described to him. He had come across it while hunting for antiques at a trade show, and was able to pick it up for $1.00. It was in near perfect condition. So he had been listening after all!
In any case, by this time, having been spoiled by the use of an equivalent SAK, instead of carrying it, I put into my small box of knifely treasures, where it resides to this very day.
I call it my Jack knife.
Last edited:
memories on top of memories right there
