Sorry if my English isn´t perfect but here is a little test:
There has been a lot of questions about carrying our beloved tools when we travel.
Of course we want to have our favorite carry knife / knives when we travel abroad but sometimes we have to walk through security systems like metaldetectors or put our belongings through x-ray.
Of course we´re all nervous about losing our knives.
I recently came back from a trip to Egypt and the middle East and took the opportunity to test some of the securitysystems.
In the countries I traveled to there is metaldetectors on almost every hotel, museum and in many restaurants too mainly due to the threat of terrorists. In all museums in Egypt there were also x-ray devices.
I brought some knives and carried a medium sized victorinox all the time. Most of the time it was accompanied with a mini AFCK. At my hotel in Egypt I tested the sensitivity of the metaldetector. If I removed all other metal objects the alarm never went of when I carried only the Victorinox or the AFCK.. When I carried both knives the alarm went of every time. Almost every other metaldetector I entered worked the same way.
When putting my gear through a x-ray thing they were always able to spot the knife if they wanted to. In a museum in Cairo they immiditely could identify what kind of knife i had in my bag.
I was also frisked ( I think thats the term, light body search) numerous times. They never found or bothered to find my victorinox even though they did it the right way ( not patting). My AFCK was always found no matter if it was iwb or any other place.
I was asked to leave the AFCK to the security personal sometimes but always got it back without problem. I was only asked to leave my victorinox one time and it never gave me any trouble anywhere.
Conclusion:
When travelling a knife or two is extremely versatile and dont worry about bringing a good folder. Never try to hide anything. Be open and always have a smile to spare. A Swiss army knife, opinel or any other traditional looking small folder is still social acceptable on the airlines and museums where I went.
Happy traveling
Martin.
There has been a lot of questions about carrying our beloved tools when we travel.
Of course we want to have our favorite carry knife / knives when we travel abroad but sometimes we have to walk through security systems like metaldetectors or put our belongings through x-ray.
Of course we´re all nervous about losing our knives.
I recently came back from a trip to Egypt and the middle East and took the opportunity to test some of the securitysystems.
In the countries I traveled to there is metaldetectors on almost every hotel, museum and in many restaurants too mainly due to the threat of terrorists. In all museums in Egypt there were also x-ray devices.
I brought some knives and carried a medium sized victorinox all the time. Most of the time it was accompanied with a mini AFCK. At my hotel in Egypt I tested the sensitivity of the metaldetector. If I removed all other metal objects the alarm never went of when I carried only the Victorinox or the AFCK.. When I carried both knives the alarm went of every time. Almost every other metaldetector I entered worked the same way.
When putting my gear through a x-ray thing they were always able to spot the knife if they wanted to. In a museum in Cairo they immiditely could identify what kind of knife i had in my bag.
I was also frisked ( I think thats the term, light body search) numerous times. They never found or bothered to find my victorinox even though they did it the right way ( not patting). My AFCK was always found no matter if it was iwb or any other place.
I was asked to leave the AFCK to the security personal sometimes but always got it back without problem. I was only asked to leave my victorinox one time and it never gave me any trouble anywhere.
Conclusion:
When travelling a knife or two is extremely versatile and dont worry about bringing a good folder. Never try to hide anything. Be open and always have a smile to spare. A Swiss army knife, opinel or any other traditional looking small folder is still social acceptable on the airlines and museums where I went.
Happy traveling
Martin.