The Knife Tax

lambertiana said:
Sorry to hear of your knife tax. Hopefully whoever finds it will realize what they have.

One of the knife taxes that I paid eventually involved a refund. I was climbing Squaw Peak above Provo, UT, in waist deep snow, and I had a Gerber Mark 1 clipped on (the sheath has a spring loaded clip, not a belt loop). After descending, I discovered it was missing...no chance of finding it in deep snow.

The next spring I was back on the mountain, and lo and behold, there it was. There are no trails on that peak, so the chance of taking the exact same route up the mountain was pretty slim, but I got lucky. The blade has deep pitting (L6), but I still have it over 30 years later.
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Reminds me of a user from the Bulgarian Bladeforum losing his ZDP 189 Endura on a fairly populated hike route, he posted in the "lost and found thread" and a week or so later another user found it and reunited them. There's always hope.
 
A non-knife tax with a refund that I was witness to involved a North American mini .22 revolver. In 2010 I was backpacking with a friend in Kings Canyon NP. He had the tiny North American .22 revolver with him. One day he lost it - and we were off trail, in a very remote part of the park. He thought it was lost for good. I told him that legally he had to report it to the park, which he reluctantly did. Then, miraculously, just a few weeks later, someone else was off trail in the same area and found it. The park contacted my friend, asking for a copy of his concealed carry permit, as well as the wilderness permit from the park, which was in my name. Once we supplied those two documents, they shipped the revolver to him.
 
Fingers crossed that this story will have a happy ending! Although it’s tough to read about your experience, it serves as a good reminder to be vigilant. A couple years ago while hunting, my sling got snagged on the pocket clip of my Inkosi while walking to a tree stand. Lucky for me, I felt it when it happened, and the knife fell right onto the trail at my feet. Since then, I make sure it’s tucked deep in a front pocket, usually by itself, when hunting or hiking.
Hoping that luck will turn in your favor and that the tax will be refunded to you soon!
 
I've lost exactly one knife - an early Spyderco that snagged on a seatbelt and was lost to the nether.

I did almost lose an Inkosi while hunting in South Dakota, I was wearing upland hunting jeans and the pockets are pretty thick the clip while tensioned wasn't as tight as it would have been typically. Fortunately I noticed that the knife was rising out of the pocket, I just slid it into the pants; but it was a potentially close call.
 
About 10 years ago, after my Mother died, the family got together to sort through the stuff, and get the house ready for auction. My son came down from the attic with a cigar box stuffed with old Barlows, Boy Scout knives, jack knives, etc; and showed it to us. Some had our initials crudely carved in the handles. It seems that most of the knives we "lost" as kids were picked up & "put away" by Mom. So....after 50-some years our knives showed up again.

We looked at them & played with them a bit, then gave the whole box to my son. Finders keepers.
 
I once lost my CRKT LCK Ruger. It was not expensive, but it was my favourite at the time. I spent nearly a whole shift at work retracing my steps. Then I looked in all my pants pockets, searched couch cushions, the car seats, garage, basement, everywhere. It was missing for over a year. Then one day, I open my knife drawer and it's exactly where it should be. To this day I can't explain it. It was almost like I willed it back to me. My wife believes the spirits are responsible haha. I hope I didn't waste my only wish for divine intervention. May you have the same good fortune.
 
Yes years ago I lost my benchmade 940 while doing yard work. I was unloading dirt from a truck and and hauling … lost it along the way… in my own yard. I’ve looked around for it so many times and came up with nothing. I’m sure it’ll turn up some day.
 
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Well, it appears that Knife Tax Season has hit me hard this year.
I’ve lost a Small WC 21. Not only have I lost the knife but also the box, docs, etc. To say the least, I am gutted.

The worst part is that it isn’t a “recent” loss. For the past 3+ years, I’ve been thinking that it was safely packed away with the rest of my CRKs. Prior to and during hurricane Ida, I had packed the knives in waterproof cases and placed them in a secure location. The only exceptions were a few of my EDCs which were left out with the respective boxes. In the chaotic months following the hurricane, many many strangers passed through the house while performing work. I tried to keep a close eye on anyone who was working, but it became nearly impossible to police the comings and goings of everyone involved. I can’t even say for certain if the WC 21 was one of the knives I left out of the cases during my storm prep, but it would make sense since I used and carried that one quite a bit during those days.

It wasn’t until recently that I tried looking for it, and now after a few days of searching, I have to give up and accept that it’s lost. Totally my fault and completely preventable, but to say that I am sad and angry with myself (or whoever ended up with my knife) is an understatement.
 
I lost a Randall by stupidly leaving my truck unlocked and someone relieved me of it. It took a while to figure out as I almost never left that knife in the truck, it wasn't until I found my truck knife the next day that I realized what happened. I left a SOG Spec Elite 1 at someone's house in another state, they never found it.
 
Lost a small Inkosi about 3 years ago. I still find myself looking for it but I have replaced it and will still carry my Chris Reeves knives. Never give up the search.
 
Gone Forever:
Over the last few years the waters of NW Montana have claimed 3 Spyderco Salts from my possession. I keep a few in reserve now. It’s worth the price of admission!

Hope Springs Eternal:
A SOG Zoom mini disappeared about 6 years ago. I still hope to find it someday. Not a glam knife, but dang I liked that one.

Lost & Found:
#1. A Buck 426 Light that I’d had since adolescence went missing. I’d written it off. It held some sentimental value and was a sturdy beater, but the loss wasn’t too great. Some years later I randomly found it in the side pocket of a tool bag.

#2. My first Microtech is a beauty! Drop point Ultratech, OD green with apocalyptic bronze blade and hardware. Once I saw that thing in a display case, I knew I couldn’t live without it. Anyhow, it went missing on a roadtrip, and my heart was broken. I looked everywhere; every pocket of every bag, all through the truck; every couch cushion. Again…and again. After several days passed, I was sadly accepting the loss when for some random reason I lifted the Weathertech in the back seat if my truck. There it was! I can’t explain by physics how it could have gotten there, but the reunion was sweet!

The (almost catastrophic) Near Miss:
My second CRK was a Small 21 Micarta. One of my favorites to this day! Our relationship was only 2-3 days old, and the honeymoon was in full swing. That evening my wife and I were out and happened to stop at a craft store. As I exited the car, I heard the faintest possible “clink.” I felt nothing unusual, just a barely audible sound.

I decided to investigate; it was pitch black by then, so it was as much feeling around as looking around. . To my surprise, my precious was on the asphalt under the car, having been pulled from my pocket by the seatbelt.

But for that faintest sound, we’d have been separated for eternity. I still feel lucky every time I have the knife about me.

Here are the three I’m fortunate to still have:

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