Carrying a knife . . . .

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Roger Kipwell

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Like most of you, I carry a knife on a daily basis and have done so for nearly as long as I can remember.

The other day, I stumbled across a Facebook posting of a video in which two guys came across a sea turtle stuck tangled in some trash on the beach. They tried to free the turtle and said numerous times "We need a knife!" The finally free the turtle but two men and no knife? Really.

My daughter gave her adult cousin a Kershaw folder for Christmas. He said that it was great because he was thinking of getting a knife to see if he was comfortable carrying one. WTF?

Years ago, I gave the above mentioned fellows father a nice pocket knife (he said that he wanted a pocket knife) but he never had it on him. Why? He only carried it if he thought that he might need it. Really?

I carry a knife all the time (except on airplanes) because I know that I'm going to need it, I just don't know why I'll need it.
 
TBH, the vast majority of people do not carry a knife and it doesn't negatively impact their day-to-day life. We're the odd ones out here with how much importance and value we mentally attribute to the ownership and carrying of pocket knives.
 
I was born and raised in Alaska, just like my cousin in this story. We both moved down south and occasionally reconnect. He was driving one day and encountered a big rig that had crashed and was starting to smoke. The driver was having a medical emergency and unable to self-extricate and the people, like my cousin, couldn't get his seat belt undone--and nobody had a knife. After shaking my head, I threatened to revoke his Alaskan card...... No knife on him, none in his car, not even a strap cutter. Fortunately, they managed to get him out before the fire really started cooking, but any kind of cutting tool could have been useful.
 
There is an old saying about a man who carries a knife is worth a dollar more an hour. Not because he has a knife, but he has a prepared mindset.

I can't think of a better reason - with it I feel more prepared for what may unfold, without one I feel decidedly unprepared, to the point of distraction.
 
Comeuppance said:
TBH, the vast majority of people do not carry a knife and it doesn't negatively impact their day-to-day life. We're the odd ones out here with how much importance and value we mentally attribute to the ownership and carrying of pocket knives.
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Agreed, the majority of folks don't carry knives or tools of any sort. But I have lost track of the number of times I have performed some cutting task or used my EDC bric a brac to fix somebody's small issue. It bugs me to see people unable to solve the simplest of issues because they refuse to prepare in any way. That includes the ones who moan their poor health yet won't go to the gym, and those who need to use my jumper cables because they won't change their battery..... But I am officially a grumpy, middle-aged man.
 
The world has just changed alot since I was young ... at that time you would have been hard pressed to find a man that didn't carry a knife ... everywhere ... from work to church to their kids ball games at school ...

even in high school most boys carried pocket knives ...

but the world is different and most people aren't truely self sufficent ... other than finacially supporting themselves ...

they wouldn't be able to plant a garden skin and clean animals for food ... or cut anything without looking for something to cut it with.
 
Roger Kipwell said:
Like most of you, I carry a knife on a daily basis and have done so for nearly as long as I can remember.

The other day, I stumbled across a Facebook posting of a video in which two guys came across a sea turtle stuck tangled in some trash on the beach. They tried to free the turtle and said numerous times "We need a knife!" The finally free the turtle but two men and no knife? Really.

My daughter gave her adult cousin a Kershaw folder for Christmas. He said that it was great because he was thinking of getting a knife to see if he was comfortable carrying one. WTF?

Years ago, I gave the above mentioned fellows father a nice pocket knife (he said that he wanted a pocket knife) but he never had it on him. Why? He only carried it if he thought that he might need it. Really?

I carry a knife all the time (except on airplanes) because I know that I'm going to need it, I just don't know why I'll need it.
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I could give 2 sh*ts abt cutting boxes, but I'm a US citizen and support my 2nd Amendment 100%. You will never find me without a weapon of some kind.

Edged weapons/tools and firearms are 2nd Amendment protected devices. If you are a US citizen, protect your rights to carry!
 
I carry a large-ish pocket knife (3.75" - 4" blades) as well as a SAK Explorer daily.

Cant tell you how many times I have made use of these tools, both for myself and others.

Just last month my father in law's steering column popped an O Ring that allowed you to switch gears. Super easy fix with just a zip tie and my SAK. I was the only one out of 5 adults with any form of tool or ability...it's easier to wash your hands of a situation due to ignorance or lack of means and is therefore the default for most people.

My Grandfather fixed everything. Literally everything. While he was bridge operator at work, at home he was a plumber, electrician, mechanic, and general contractor. I looked up to him very much. He always carried a knife and a handkerchief and instilled in me this practice as well. That's why I carry a knife on me always.

I'm not sure what generation it was that abandoned the common practice of carrying knives but I believe those that do are now the minority. There is even a stigma in certain cases that borders on ridiculous.

Thankfully my state has very lax laws.
 
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Preparedness is a different animal these days. If you want to find the employee worth the extra dollar an hour look for the one carrying an external battery more than a knife. Might be sad, but it's true.

There are definitely still places and professions where carrying a knife is damn near a necessity, but for a lot of people it's a convenience, at best, and in a lot of places it's a convenience that can carry legal and social ramifications with it, so some folks just decide it's not worth it.

I carry a knife because I like knives, primarily, and secondarily because they make my life easier. I also do it because I believe we should all be able to choose to do so, or not to do so, as our preference dictates. I don't look down on those who choose not to. Hell, I don't carry an umbrella, and if I was really about the preparedness mindset I likely would.
 
JJ_Colt45 said:
but the world is different and most people aren't truely self sufficent ... other than finacially supporting themselves ...
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Sadly, some don't even go that far.

I carry a knife because I have no fangs or claws.

I carry a flashlight because I can't see in the dark.... and there's a 100% chance of dark each day in my latitude.

I carry a BIC lighter, because sometimes a fire comes in handy.

Maybe those aren't good reasons to carry such items for some folk... but I ain't your average some folk.
 
Times have changed. Phones are mobile and have internet. No one gets lost. Some see no need to be prepared as they are a phone call away from anything. Im 28 and have been carrying a knife since i was 11. I carry a knife, flashlight, lighter, leatherman squirt, and firearm. In the truck i have jumper cables, gas can, tow straps. I have jumped other peoples cars. I live on the saying its better to habe it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
 
like most have posted above --times have changed and it is a lot different out there then it was 20 yrs ago.I like many of you always have a blade of some type on me (usually a folder but sometimes a small fixed blade)and a handgun discreetly carried with a spare mag.The knife is a backup if things go real bad and my last resort but it is a good idea to have at least that if you dont cc a gun.Just MHO.
 
I think there’s a lot more knife carrying than we often realize or recall, even among young people. I see a LOT of pocket clips around in Oregon. Usually low end stuff, but Benchmade, Kershaw, and CRKT are fairly common here.
 
I remember a news story that happened many years ago (I don't recall in which state) about a woman who was stopped in traffic, along with other cars, waiting next to a construction site. For some reason her car began to catch fire, her seatbelt became stuck, and she was unable to get out of it. Several workmen from the site ran over to try to help, but they couldn't get her out of her stuck seatbelt, and apparently, *not one of them had a cutting tool* with which to cut the seatbelt (or if they had, they hadn't thought to use it). She ended up burning to death sitting in her car.

Jim
 
BitingSarcasm said:
It bugs me to see people unable to solve the simplest of issues because they refuse to prepare in any way. That includes the ones who moan their poor health yet won't go to the gym, and those who need to use my jumper cables because they won't change their battery.....
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Thats because for most of those people its somebody elses problem, and when it isn't its somebody elses fault. I see it all the time, especially with types who have been handed everything they ever had their whole life, either from the govt or from their parents. Self sufficient is not part of their vocabulary.
 
Everyone carries something that makes their day easier. Most people its now a phone, because that's just how they think. There is a common theme about carrying a knife for a CCW or whatever, and everyone has their own reason, that's fine. But if the reason is because then you feel superior to the people around you, then maybe you need to re-think that. Lots of us carry a knife, pretty obvious. How many carry a first aid kit and keep their first aid and CPR updated? Which is more likely to "save a life"?
Yes more people should carry a knife, more people should know when its legal to carry a knife, and more people should be more ready for more things. But in the mean time, I don't think it helps the cause if it creates a superiority complex in anyone. In many cases I've met more people who just didn't know that they were capable of learning these sorts of things because no one took the time to teach them, not because they refused to know. There is an impression that "people" blame everyone but themselves, and it does happen, but I think its more visible because you don't see the person blaming themselves for something they had no control over. I think that is worth keeping in mind.
 
Used to be that almost all men and most women carried a knife of some sort. Some for major tasks and some for those little things that come up. Times have changed and knife carry is rather discouraged in our society-can't carry them here can't carry them there. The result though is less self sufficiency IMO, but I doubt they care -they lack in many areas other than a knife(again IMO)
So says the grumpy old man :)
 
It's a messed up world, now. Knives are commonly viewed as weapons, and - accordingly - prohibited. If a child brings a knife to school, a suspension can be considered getting off light. Many workplaces have policies against knives... and, wrong as it is, one can be fired for carrying a small pocket knife (despite the likelihood of having large scissors or kitchen knives accessible).

I nearly lost my job once for forgetting I had a small fixed blade in my backpack; while the person that reported it faced no issues (he'd found it while rummaging through my pack/belongings). I pointed out to the HR person how ridiculous it was that i was fighting to save my job because I had a knife in my backpack, which was in a locker room, while I was 3 floors away in another building. I also pointed out that I could take him on a walk through the facility and find no fewer than a half dozen knives (that were twice the size) in various breakrooms and desk drawers.
 
I’m 54 and have carried a knife since I was a Cub Scout in 1972. It boggles my mind how anyone can leave their house without one. Most people do it though, even some that know better.
 
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