For alot of my life, especially this last half of my life, I've been on a quest for small. Not just generally small, but I've been increasingly curious as to how small an item can be made but still function at its intended roll. Knives, guns, flashlights, optics.
I guess some of it comes from being a backpacker in my younger day, and a life long motorcyclist. The need to pack small and light was a need of the activity. Theres just so much you can lug on your back, and theres just so much room in a pair of saddlebags. Along the line I tried out various monoculars ending up with a Ziess mini-quick for general use. If Karen and I are out nature watching I'll use a pair of mini compact binoculars.
In firearms I've downsized as well. Its amazing what can be done with light weight alloys these days. Karens little Smith and Wesson .22 revolver, model 317, is as light as one of those bags of potato chips at the store, but carries 8 shots, and is as accurite as my steel frame .22 kit gun with an inch longer barrel. It carries in a jacket pocket like its not even there, and while it may not drive off a horde of drug crazed outlaw bikers or brain eating zombies, you're not exactly unarmed either. Its all about compromise for convienence.
Like flashlights. Same thing, I've been playing with how small a light can go on a keyring and still be of real use. At the present time I've gotten to using one of those little Photon 2 lites. At about the size of a quarter it really works to light up a dark hallway, or finding your way to the circut breaker box in the dark to see what got thrown. As I always have my keyring in my pants pocket, I always have my my emergency stuff with me if I have my pants on. For the past year I've been carrying one of those little Dorcy single AAA pocket LED lites in my right hand pocket next to the pocket knife of the day. Its proven to be a rugged little lite that works well finding my way to bed without turning on a light and waking Karen who turned in before me. Okay, Okay, the knife content.
For the past couple of years I've become enamored of smaller and smaller knives. Gradually I've went from 4 1/4 stockmen and almost 5 inch sodbusters like my large Eye-brand, to peanuts and small sodies like the 3 5/8 size. But for the past two years I have to confess to a secret obssesion with the tiny pen knife. Yes, I have to come out of the closet.
When I was young, about the time we moved from flint to steel, I always saw those old guys who would take a little pen knife out of the pants pocket to cut something. I, as a young stud full of viniger, would always wonder to myself why they would carry such a usless toothpick. I mean was not the Buck 110 the end all of folding knives? If that failed was a bowie not needed?
When I was just a mosquito wing private, I had a platoon sargent, Sgt. Koellar. Now granted this was the engineers and not a glory outfit like the green breret guys or rangers. We did construction jobs. Sgt Koellar carried this little two blade pocket knife for all his cutting jobs. Like most people, he was not a knife knut, but recognized he needed a cuting tool, so he picked one that did the job with very little bulk or weight in the pocket of his fatigues. As did some of my fellow combat constrution fellows. There was this guy Sandstrom, from Wisconson, who was a big strapping Swede decent farm boy. And another guy from upstate New York who was a dozer driver. And others, who when we went to the field carried a G.I. scout knife, but for normal duty around the post carried the little two blade "pen knife". When the weekend came and we went fishing, or camping, they all had thier little knife. They were somewhat amused by my knives, and recognized that I was a knife knut, thus a bit different.
Out of the army and becoming a machinist, I noticed a similar thing. Alot of guys were like Andy. Andy was an old country boy from down southwestern Virginia, not far from Mt. Rogers. At a grizzeled 6' 4" he was no lightweight at 60 years of age. He was a hunter, fisherman, and came from mountain farm roots. Kind of a large deliberate moving kind of guy. And he carried the typical non-knife knut knd of knife, the little two blade pen knife. About 2 7/8 to 3 inches serpintine two blade job. He would keep it sharp, very sharp, and used it for all his cutting jobs.
Now I will admit to experimenting the last couple of years with the small penknife. In the same quest that led me to mini-monoculars, photon flashlights, and Smith and Wesson 317's, I've found that this old guy penknife thing is about cutting tool efficiantcy for the size. A knife like the peanut was an eye opener to this. A small package, that is compact enough to disappear in a pocket till needed, but do the job when called on. Certainly nothing to parachute into a forest and survive with, but for real world duties how much tool do we need on a daily basis. Only recently did I understand how my dad lived his whole life with a .22 Colt Woodsman for a gun, and a Case peanut for a pocket knife.
Over the last year I've even went smaller. I've carried a Victorinox classic on my keyring, in addition to what was in my right hand pants pocket. For the last year I made a habit of using the classic for my first choice of knife if possable. Kind of an experiment in something. Now I will admit my keyring is becoming sort of my bat ring. A repository of small emegency tools that are always there in my left pocket. Its funny that there are only three keys on my ring, (truck, house, truck cap) but there are more implements than keys. A photon flashlight, Victorinox classic on quick release snap, Bison aluminum whistle, bison aluminum capsule with Ibuprophen tablets for arthritus pain, and a sears keychain screwdriver. I know, I know, I should see someone. Now I'm looking in a Russell catalogue at the little titanium penknife.
The little Victorinox classic has been a learning experiance. Its surprising how little we need to get by.
I guess some of it comes from being a backpacker in my younger day, and a life long motorcyclist. The need to pack small and light was a need of the activity. Theres just so much you can lug on your back, and theres just so much room in a pair of saddlebags. Along the line I tried out various monoculars ending up with a Ziess mini-quick for general use. If Karen and I are out nature watching I'll use a pair of mini compact binoculars.
In firearms I've downsized as well. Its amazing what can be done with light weight alloys these days. Karens little Smith and Wesson .22 revolver, model 317, is as light as one of those bags of potato chips at the store, but carries 8 shots, and is as accurite as my steel frame .22 kit gun with an inch longer barrel. It carries in a jacket pocket like its not even there, and while it may not drive off a horde of drug crazed outlaw bikers or brain eating zombies, you're not exactly unarmed either. Its all about compromise for convienence.
Like flashlights. Same thing, I've been playing with how small a light can go on a keyring and still be of real use. At the present time I've gotten to using one of those little Photon 2 lites. At about the size of a quarter it really works to light up a dark hallway, or finding your way to the circut breaker box in the dark to see what got thrown. As I always have my keyring in my pants pocket, I always have my my emergency stuff with me if I have my pants on. For the past year I've been carrying one of those little Dorcy single AAA pocket LED lites in my right hand pocket next to the pocket knife of the day. Its proven to be a rugged little lite that works well finding my way to bed without turning on a light and waking Karen who turned in before me. Okay, Okay, the knife content.
For the past couple of years I've become enamored of smaller and smaller knives. Gradually I've went from 4 1/4 stockmen and almost 5 inch sodbusters like my large Eye-brand, to peanuts and small sodies like the 3 5/8 size. But for the past two years I have to confess to a secret obssesion with the tiny pen knife. Yes, I have to come out of the closet.
When I was young, about the time we moved from flint to steel, I always saw those old guys who would take a little pen knife out of the pants pocket to cut something. I, as a young stud full of viniger, would always wonder to myself why they would carry such a usless toothpick. I mean was not the Buck 110 the end all of folding knives? If that failed was a bowie not needed?
When I was just a mosquito wing private, I had a platoon sargent, Sgt. Koellar. Now granted this was the engineers and not a glory outfit like the green breret guys or rangers. We did construction jobs. Sgt Koellar carried this little two blade pocket knife for all his cutting jobs. Like most people, he was not a knife knut, but recognized he needed a cuting tool, so he picked one that did the job with very little bulk or weight in the pocket of his fatigues. As did some of my fellow combat constrution fellows. There was this guy Sandstrom, from Wisconson, who was a big strapping Swede decent farm boy. And another guy from upstate New York who was a dozer driver. And others, who when we went to the field carried a G.I. scout knife, but for normal duty around the post carried the little two blade "pen knife". When the weekend came and we went fishing, or camping, they all had thier little knife. They were somewhat amused by my knives, and recognized that I was a knife knut, thus a bit different.
Out of the army and becoming a machinist, I noticed a similar thing. Alot of guys were like Andy. Andy was an old country boy from down southwestern Virginia, not far from Mt. Rogers. At a grizzeled 6' 4" he was no lightweight at 60 years of age. He was a hunter, fisherman, and came from mountain farm roots. Kind of a large deliberate moving kind of guy. And he carried the typical non-knife knut knd of knife, the little two blade pen knife. About 2 7/8 to 3 inches serpintine two blade job. He would keep it sharp, very sharp, and used it for all his cutting jobs.
Now I will admit to experimenting the last couple of years with the small penknife. In the same quest that led me to mini-monoculars, photon flashlights, and Smith and Wesson 317's, I've found that this old guy penknife thing is about cutting tool efficiantcy for the size. A knife like the peanut was an eye opener to this. A small package, that is compact enough to disappear in a pocket till needed, but do the job when called on. Certainly nothing to parachute into a forest and survive with, but for real world duties how much tool do we need on a daily basis. Only recently did I understand how my dad lived his whole life with a .22 Colt Woodsman for a gun, and a Case peanut for a pocket knife.
Over the last year I've even went smaller. I've carried a Victorinox classic on my keyring, in addition to what was in my right hand pants pocket. For the last year I made a habit of using the classic for my first choice of knife if possable. Kind of an experiment in something. Now I will admit my keyring is becoming sort of my bat ring. A repository of small emegency tools that are always there in my left pocket. Its funny that there are only three keys on my ring, (truck, house, truck cap) but there are more implements than keys. A photon flashlight, Victorinox classic on quick release snap, Bison aluminum whistle, bison aluminum capsule with Ibuprophen tablets for arthritus pain, and a sears keychain screwdriver. I know, I know, I should see someone. Now I'm looking in a Russell catalogue at the little titanium penknife.
The little Victorinox classic has been a learning experiance. Its surprising how little we need to get by.
, another Spyderco, this one a mini Dyad, and a Buck mini tool.
