Okay, we're back from our vacation in Key West, and we had not checked bags since we were traveling light, not to mention not feeling like spending 25 dollars each way for baggage. So, not wanting to be without a knife for the better part of a week, I mailed a knife down to myself. I chose a Victorinox recruit for a couple of reasons. Easy to replace if lost in transit, known quality, a couple of tools just in case,(and they did come in handy.) and it would make a nice gift when I left it. It was going to be a one way trip for the knife.
Over the course of six days, I lost track of how many limes it sliced up for both icy gin and tonics and cold Corona's in the cooler. It did for duty with sandwich making, as well as opening those pesky plastic packs of mustard and mayo. Doing kitchen duty back at our place, it sliced up salad makings and anchovies with no problem. We had a half day charter fishing trip, and the recruit cut bait consisting of mullet and squid. The main blade had no trouble even with the rubbery squid.
Of course, we all had rented motor scooters for transportation around the island. Most of the scooter rentals push these little things to the limit. No sooner they are turned in, than they go right back out again, so there's no real maintenance until something breaks. The third day, Karen's scooter was really running like crap, even worse than when picked up. The carb was filthy, and I 'borrowed' a spray can of gummout from our host's son. Better but still no cigar. I used the screw driver on the recruit to adjust the Honda's carburetor to where it should be, and things were good in our little tropical paradise again.
Of course, the ladies all went shopping, so there was all these little plastic tags to cut off. There was T-shirts from Sloppy Joe's, The Schooner Warf Bar, and other places.
But most of all, there were the cigars. Son in law John and I went off in search of the best cigar place and found a little hole in the wall stand that sold Cuban seed long leaf hand rolled Dominicans. Don't ask me to repeat all that after a few gin and tonics. The knife blade of the recruit was put to sevice many times for the neat cut on the end of the cigar. John is a cigar aficionado, but left his cutter at home because of TSA regs, so he was impressed I'd had the for sight to mail myself a knife.
The afternoon we left, I handed it to the guy who did all the grounds keeping at the Southernmost Point Guest house where we had stayed. He was a hard working guy, and even in the heat of the day was mowing grass, trimming palms, bushes, whatever. He was a little mystified when I gave it to him, and his English was not very good. Thankfully my better half is part Mexican, and her Spanish was good enough to make it clear to him that it was a tip for keeping the place so nice looking. You'd of thought I'd had handed him a great treasure. Lot's of mucho gracias, called me Jefe, and hand shaking. I just felt good knowing that I'd left the SAK in the hands of a hard working grounds keeper.
I usually carry a traditional pocket knife as my edc, while having a SAK around close by. But for this vacation, the SAK made a good pocket tool to have on hand as my only knife that was destined to be left behind. In the days we were there, it did everything I needed, never failed, even when left in the pocket of my short when swimming in the ocean. Everyday we had thunder storms about 2 o'clock, and it was hot enough that if we were out, we didn't bother going for shelter. So every afternoon, the SAK was soaked in a pocket that had been in seawater. Never saw a speck of rust.
For a vacation in a hot wet tropical place, there's a lot worse choices than a SAK.
Carl.
Over the course of six days, I lost track of how many limes it sliced up for both icy gin and tonics and cold Corona's in the cooler. It did for duty with sandwich making, as well as opening those pesky plastic packs of mustard and mayo. Doing kitchen duty back at our place, it sliced up salad makings and anchovies with no problem. We had a half day charter fishing trip, and the recruit cut bait consisting of mullet and squid. The main blade had no trouble even with the rubbery squid.
Of course, we all had rented motor scooters for transportation around the island. Most of the scooter rentals push these little things to the limit. No sooner they are turned in, than they go right back out again, so there's no real maintenance until something breaks. The third day, Karen's scooter was really running like crap, even worse than when picked up. The carb was filthy, and I 'borrowed' a spray can of gummout from our host's son. Better but still no cigar. I used the screw driver on the recruit to adjust the Honda's carburetor to where it should be, and things were good in our little tropical paradise again.
Of course, the ladies all went shopping, so there was all these little plastic tags to cut off. There was T-shirts from Sloppy Joe's, The Schooner Warf Bar, and other places.
But most of all, there were the cigars. Son in law John and I went off in search of the best cigar place and found a little hole in the wall stand that sold Cuban seed long leaf hand rolled Dominicans. Don't ask me to repeat all that after a few gin and tonics. The knife blade of the recruit was put to sevice many times for the neat cut on the end of the cigar. John is a cigar aficionado, but left his cutter at home because of TSA regs, so he was impressed I'd had the for sight to mail myself a knife.
The afternoon we left, I handed it to the guy who did all the grounds keeping at the Southernmost Point Guest house where we had stayed. He was a hard working guy, and even in the heat of the day was mowing grass, trimming palms, bushes, whatever. He was a little mystified when I gave it to him, and his English was not very good. Thankfully my better half is part Mexican, and her Spanish was good enough to make it clear to him that it was a tip for keeping the place so nice looking. You'd of thought I'd had handed him a great treasure. Lot's of mucho gracias, called me Jefe, and hand shaking. I just felt good knowing that I'd left the SAK in the hands of a hard working grounds keeper.
I usually carry a traditional pocket knife as my edc, while having a SAK around close by. But for this vacation, the SAK made a good pocket tool to have on hand as my only knife that was destined to be left behind. In the days we were there, it did everything I needed, never failed, even when left in the pocket of my short when swimming in the ocean. Everyday we had thunder storms about 2 o'clock, and it was hot enough that if we were out, we didn't bother going for shelter. So every afternoon, the SAK was soaked in a pocket that had been in seawater. Never saw a speck of rust.
For a vacation in a hot wet tropical place, there's a lot worse choices than a SAK.
Carl.
