SAK's On The Road.

J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
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Soooo, we're here in sunny mild California now. Left Georgetown Texas at 6AM Sunday morning, and drove strait through to Mission Viejo California on a whim instead of stopping at Tucson like we usually do. Both Karen and I wanted to see if we could still do it now as old farts. We did it in 24 hours, including a 2 hour stop at a rest area in El Centro California in the wee hours of the morning.

At the last minute I did a switch, and left home with my Wenger SI, Leatherman squirt, and old standby classic back on the carabiner in its old leather pouch sheath. It opened plastic snack food wrappers, trimmed a chipped nail for my wife. Outside of Las Cruses New Mexica, the small Leatherman driver was used to tighten a hinge screw on Karen's sunglasses. This morning used the Wenger to drill some starter holes for wood screws to mount a battery powered light in the tack room where granddaugher works at a local stable to offset the cost of her riding lessons. Then used the can opener tip to drive the Phillips wood screws to mount the light. The girl is batty over horses. At 13 she wants to become a horse vet.

So far, life in suburban Mission Viejo is like life in suburban Georgetown. Not much use for a knife, but having a screw driver is handy. The storm door needed some adjustment and my son in law is not a real Harry Homeowner. So again the Wenger SI dealt with the Phillips screws mounting the storm door, and some cardboard from a Keenex box was sliced up for shim material on the bottom hinge to re-set the door so it swings shut all the way without hanging up on the doorframe.

So far I've needed the Philips capability more than a knife. Cutting jobs were handled by the classic.

Will update as needed.
 
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I’m getting ready to hit the road in a little over a week. Decided to drive back to Wisconsin for a class reunion. Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and Oregon are all the states I’ll be hitting for a total of at least 17 days, maybe a few more. Ill only be 2 miles from Illinois so I’ll be sure to cross the border just to say I did it.

I’ll be visiting friends along the way, doing a little fishing and checking out some sights I’ve never seen. I’ve been looking at google maps and am planning on trying to stick to the two lane roads most of the time. I keep a Huntsman in the car but plan on taking a traditional and another SAK or 2. I’m not sure what yet but I’ve been thinking about the Passenger Spikediesel Spikediesel made for me and maybe the Outdoorsman with green micarta scales. I’ll definitely have to make a massive effort to take lots of photos on the way and post some knife pictures. And maybe I’ll have a story or three how I saved some damsel in distress, stopped an avalanche or just helped Dad fix something in his house;)
 
We are currently on a trip in Lapland. We went to Fianceés grand parents old place (with train in European fashion) and we are staying there with in laws. I took my Classic SD for town expeditions, SwissTool for any possible household chores and Izula II for any possible camp cutting. So far no use at all. 😂
 
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Day 4 in mission Viejo.

After a shooting session in the desert the other side of the mountains inland from the Orange County area, the flat screw driver of the Wenger SI was used to break down son-in-law's Ruger 10/22 for a good cleaning. During the gun cleaning a few bottles of nice cold Heineken were opened with said Wenger SI. Later in the day, the SI was again used to adjust the folding doors on the utility closet where the washer and dryer are housed. The doors had gone out of adjustment and the little slide things that hold the sliding plastic part on the top edge needed to be reset, and the Wenger SI can opener SD tip made a goo Phillips driver. I do love my son-in-law, great guy to go shooting and drinking with, but handy Harry Homeower he ain't.

Classic was used to slice open a new bag of Purina One for the Abby girl, our Australian shepherd.

A dedicated knife would not have made it.
 
jackknife said:
Day 5 in sunny Orange County.

Used the classic to zip open a package of chicken breasts to marinate for a while before tossing on the grill. Then it sliced some little Key limes to go in the Vodka tonics. Easy day today, not much SAK work.
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Looks like the Classic is again proving its value in a suburban setting.
 
jackknife said:
Yes, the 58mm SAK's are a great little everyday tool for the urban/suburban environment. It cuts, snips, screws, and files. If need be, it can pluck. A lot of versatility in a teeny tiny package that gets lost in a pocket or keyring.
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I agree. The 58mm SAK's are easily one of the most versatile tools for use in the real world. The real world where packages need to be opened, a splinter needs to be removed from a finger and small screws need to be tightened.
 
I was on the road today. We traveled down to Arlington Texas for a Rangers game. My pioneer and classic both made the trip along with my beloved Peanut. They had to stay back at the motel for the game. Wasn't anything that needed cut or fixed today but i had them just in case.
 
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Update on SAK trip.

Its now been almost two weeks. Left home the morning of the 30th of July and arrived in Mission Viejo on the morning of the 1st of August. Most SAK use has been pretty tame, everyday stuff. Fixed a few things around the house for Jess, as like I said my son-in-law is not exactly Harry Homeowner. Most use was as a Phillips driver. The Wenger SI did scrw driver duty except for adjusting the storm door latch. The screws were recessed and the SD tip of the Wenger can opener wouldn't reach. I used the SD tip of the classic and it was enough to reach in and tighten down the recessed Phillips screws. Most of the packages, a 6 pack of small Phillips head wood screws, plastic wrap, some nylon cord for granddaughters tether ball, and other cutting jobs were done with the classic. The thin small blade is like a box cutter and goes through stuff almost as good as a real box cutter. Two days ago, we took a hike in the Cleveland National Wilderness area up in the mountains. Before that we had a beach trip out to Huntington Beach with a picnic. SAK's did sandwich duty.

Getting ready for the drive back to Texas, and we have snacks and bottles of water stored in the car. The SAK will be used to slice open some bagels and slice some Havarti cheese and open granola bar wrappers. In the almost two weeks since leaving home, traveling through the California desert country, Arizona, New Mexico, and doing home maintenance and small repairs for the son-in-law, nothing more that a SAK has been needed. I can see on arriving home I may follow in K. Coper's footsteps and give away the last of my non SAK knives pocket knives. Thats two Opinels, and my old Christy knife. I may keep the Christy just out of nostalgia as it was my dad's last knife that he carried after he retired his old Case peanut.

But being 1,300 miles from home with only a couple SAK's has been an eye opener.
 
I've posted this before (as nauseum), but when I lived overseas in Taiwan for nearly a decade ('85 to '93), the only knife I took with me was a Victorinox Spartan SAK. I never really felt under-knifed. And the can opener, bottle opener, screwdrivers, etc., got lots of use. My old Spartan was the one that didn't have the tweezers and toothpick.

I probably could have also used either a Classic or an Executive as a companion to my Spartan, but I didn't have either of those at the time, only the Spartan.

Nothing bears an SAK or two when traveling, IMO.

Jim
 
Sooo, home again after two week. Arrived last night and unpacked, and took stock. In the entire trip, all cutting was done with the two SAKs I carried. The classic in its keyring shah, and the Wenger SI in a nylon belt pouch. They cut food items on a beach picnic, cut food items on a mountain hike, unscrewed and screwed various fastenings on home repair jobs for the daughter, light prying opening a can of plastic wood filler, then a can of some Minwax stain/sealer. On the trip home, rather than eat junk food burgers, we had fresh bagels from Einstein, and some smoked turkey in a soft sided cooler. Made sandwiches while on the road. The Wenger SI sliced the bagels and spread mustard just fine, as well as cut the smokey turkey into bagel sandwich sized slices.

Yes, I still look at and sometimes want another knife. But I know thats just the residual knife nut in me. Tighten leash and it goes away. I'll be following in Copter's footsteps. Just too bad it took me a lifetime to really come to the realization that a SAK to two is all I need. This morning, going about my business in Georgetown Texas, I'm still carrying the team of classic and SI. The SI will probably go back on standby duty and I'll just carry the classic and squirt. The squirt was used twice in California. Once to crimp down a clasp ring on Daughter Jessica's necklace, and one to squeeze down on a spring on a back porch screen door. I sometimes need a small pliers, and the squirt is small enough to team up with the classic. When a plier is needed, nothing else will really do. With the exception of food use, I really can get by well with the small blade of a 58mm or squirt. If I'm making food, then my kitchen has a nice compliment of Victrinox kitchen knives. If we're out and about, my wife always has her Vic waiter in her purse.

Its been an interesting two weeks. The bottom line I found out again is, in my so called 'normal' life, I just done need much knife on me. But a do find I need a small tool like a screw driver, file, tweezer, bottle opener, can opener now and then. The knife blade on the 58mm will open any UPS/FEDEX/Amazon box, but twine, plastic packaging, just fine. If I need to go bushwhacking, theres a 12 inch Ontario machete in the emergency kit in the trunk. I'll call it the "Costa Rican model."
 
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