Leaving to Cambodia/Thailand tomorrow, can I legally bring knives back in my suitcase?

ErocSD said:
I will definitely enjoy the trip, I don't plan on taking any special detours to get a knife. My wife wants to hit the markets in Phuket and Bangkok, so I was only asking for that purpose. If I see a Dah I want to take it home and get thrown in jail. But it would be cool to have a keepsake to memorialize my trip. I'm also gonna keep my eyes out for the whiskey with a Cobra in it. I'll grab as a few to keep on the mantle. Habusaki I think it's called.
Click to expand...
You will find the cobra head whiskey anyplace they are selling stuff to tourist.
 
Bow Commander said:
They are unlike anything you'll see elsewhere. Have your camera ready, and soak in everything the temples have to offer. Watch out for "happy" food. Unless you're into that :D
Click to expand...
The last time I tried to photograph temples in Chiang Mai the monks sigged their dogs on me and chased me away with a stick. I was told later they wanted money for the privilege of taking photos of it. Not very friendly. :)
 
USMCPOP said:
If you are a bushcrafter or an outdoorsman, get your self one of the the local cloths that is called Pakama in Thai. Cambodia has them as well, and patterns vary widely. It's a strip of cloth maybe 3 ft wide +/- 1 ft and about 6 feet long. Used somewhat like an Arab shemaugh. Very useful and cheap, though a nice hand-loomed one or made from silk can be a bit more $. See post #108 here: https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/the-haversack-useful-or-hyped.242042/page-3#post-4237526

I met my future wife in a market in Thailand about 42 years ago. Her sister sold clothing. We chatted and I didn't need clothes but asked about a homemade pakama. They had one and I met them a couple days later at a festival to get it. The rest is history. My wife is in Thailand now and will be bringing me about three new hand-loomed cotton pakamas in April.

I have one that is a Cambodian pattern.
Click to expand...

So I went to the silk island today. Got a pakma looking scarf as you described, it's a wonderful handmade beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It was really amazing seeing them take a silk worm pod and turn it in to such a beautiful piece of fabric.
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
You will find the cobra head whiskey anyplace they are selling stuff to tourist.
Click to expand...

Got a bottle of whiskey with a Cobra and a scorpion in its mouth. I'm actually really happy about the find.

Found some Autoknife, actually a lot of auto knives. I was amazed how many Browning stamped blades I saw. As far as I know Browning doesn't make a knife. It was apparent that it was a knock off. Lots of balisongs, brass knuckles, and auto knives, lots of taser flashlights too. I opted not to buy the flashy knockoff crap. I'm holding out for a nice fixed blade or Dah. I'll update when I have something.

Also I'll update the whiskey bottle when I get home and access to my laptop.
 
Last edited:
ErocSD said:
So I went to the silk island today. Got a pakma looking scarf as you described, it's a wonderful handmade beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It was really amazing seeing them take a silk worm pod and turn it in to such a beautiful piece of fabric.
Click to expand...

Was it the one down river from Phnom Penh?
 
So I found my Dah, Mohogany and handmade "allegedly". I certainly hope that is true. I think it's a solid Dah but the steel leaves much to be desired. .. .. Which actually makes me believe it may have actually been made in a village local here in Cambodia. It has blemishes and tool marks on the blade and wood but still a decent blade overall. I wasn't expecting a shigurov quality or anything.

Two days ago I went to a small village in Phnom Penh and they were taking silver ore and smelting it in to jewelry right in front of us in a village. Hand stamping and detailing it with hammer and punch. I bought the wife an elephant bracelet and I got a few engraved shot glasses. So now we're in Siem Reap and it looks like I got an authentic blade.

So without seeing this one smelted and forged in front of me I have a bit of skepticism but I'm ok with the fact that either way i helped a family eat for a while with my purchase.

It's got no blade play, stiff steel and is surprisingly well balanced too! Needs a bit of time on a whetstone to put a real edge on it though, I wish I had a belt grinder to put a nice factory bevel first.

So anyways here's my Dah, I'm pretty happy with it.

https://imgur.com/LSgVLY1

https://imgur.com/2kYiShO

Thanks again for all the input everyone! Now I have to make it through customs haha .
 
Last edited:
Sidehill Gouger said:
I went there a couple of years ago. Like you say, it was interesting to see the silk from worm to finished product.
Glad you found your dah. I guess I didn't look outside Phnom Penh
Click to expand...

I'm all fairness I looked everywhere and couldn't find anything of any real quality. I found a decorative silver knife that was as flimsy as a tin can and it was $100 but I passed on it for obvious reasons.

We hired a local guide to take us on the Angkor Wat tour as well as silk island and we had him for 4 days for some other adventures like zip lining etc.

He is the one that found the village with the silver smelting family and he found me the Dah. I don't think I wouldn't have found it without him. He even negotiated the price down for me. I gave him a nice tip and he was grateful.
 
It's hit or miss trying to find nice knives. You find a few tourist trade or wall hanger types made to be pretty. Then there are somewhat crude everyday farmer types. I have seen a few true antiques but they are pricey. I mainly hunt for good working knives that are reasonably priced. I have gotten a few OK old blades from Thai scrapyards or my Thai sis-in-law who is a part time junk dealer. Stuff in the free to 50 cents price range.

One trip my relatives hooked me up with a very old blacksmith of some reputation out in the sticks. Our family spent half a day on his little farm and we forged two blades. Then we wandered around his place, ate, jaw-jacked and had a right good time. True country hospitality. Probably cost us $10, don't recall.

The two blades we forged came out slightly different. One was a bit thinner in profile, the other had a bit more belly. The old smith said that one was male, the other female. :)

When I worked in the refugee camps, I visited the Hmong smiths regularly. I would buy files in town and resell them at cost.

Thais have or had a superstition about knives. You don't give someone a knife for free. If they admire a knife, you offer to sell it to them for 25 cents or some minor coin. I was gifted knives and didn't have to pay, but I'm a white devil so they didn't care.
 
Last edited:
shane45-1911 said:
A) What border?
B) Who are you asking?
C) This is a 4 year old thread.
Click to expand...

We've all accidentally necro'ed a thread. Any knife-related search will land on Bladeforums, probably before the third page. If you're just happy to find anything relevant to your search (other than five hundred links to online retailers), you may not think to check the date of the last post.
 
Nardeant said:
So, is it allowed to transport knives across the border?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't chance it. No matter how liberal any country is with it's laws, you can always end up face-to-face with an official who makes it his business to "encourage" people to contribute a little extra to the local tax base. Because we gotta ensure that you're not a criminal, you see. Or, a thrower just steals them out of your luggage at the terminal.

Sure, it probably won't happen, but if you can manage to box 'em up and mail them to yourself, that's likely to be an easier answer, any place in the world.
 
Shorttime said:
I wouldn't chance it. No matter how liberal any country is with it's laws, you can always end up face-to-face with an official who makes it his business to "encourage" people to contribute a little extra to the local tax base. Because we gotta ensure that you're not a criminal, you see. Or, a thrower just steals them out of your luggage at the terminal.

Sure, it probably won't happen, but if you can manage to box 'em up and mail them to yourself, that's likely to be an easier answer, any place in the world.
Click to expand...
I think finding a place to "mail" them home in places like Cambodia will be harder than you think. Other than one return trip where I changed planes in Shanghai, I've never had any problem with knives packed in my checked luggage.
 
I don't guess when flying. I check the airlines rules and check the airport rules I'm flying in and out of and see if they have any goofy rules, and some do! Good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top