Travel knives?

O

OmegaA

Joined
Feb 13, 2004
Messages
282
I want myself some folding knife/knives to accompany my SAK SwissChamp for travels. I guess you first question will be: "What kind of travel, where and for how long?" It will be mainly to cities, but anywhere in the world - though I live in Europe, I like travel frequently to South America and Central Asia, but now start travelling to Africa and soon will go to South East Asia. So, quite a diversity of conditions and climates.
When I travel, I usually travel to countryside for about 7 days as most, though there were occasions when I had to travel for more than 2 months.
I will use knives mainly to cook, but it should be for other purposes as well - if I don't have an axe to cut tree branches for fire, what else will I use?
I am not keen on fixed blade knives because in some countries they will require obtaining permits becuase they are considered "weapons". Therefore a folder is the way forward.
Also, I would like something beatiful - at the end of the day, we all can use stones for cutting, but beauty is also important, though functionality is even more important.
So, something light, relatively tough, convenient for cooking, but iwth ability to do some relatively heavy work - I guess something like batoning blade through wood.
Suggestions?
I was thinking about Sebenza or RatTrap, but not sure if they can take a lot of really hard work in form of batoning...
Thanks,
 
for cost effectiveness and funtionality you might try a buck 110 or a buck ranger, (also nice to look at in a classic sense) the Ka bar doziers or rat folders are also worth a look
 
Is a lockback knife acceptable? In the UK, they are considered a fixed blade knife and may be in other countries as well.
 
I travel professional as a trainer and my full time hobby is that of a "student" attending classes all over North America. I learn more from my mistakes than my successes - so don't ask me how I know but I do and suffice it to say you might learn from my failures here!

I only travel with knives that serve my mission and are not irreplaceable. I have spend many hours pondering "just exactly what my mission is" and what tools will serve most useful during this mission. I would advise you do the same and then match the tools to the mission.

Also, when I travel I take along tools that will impress the elements (i.e. urban or wilderness environment & survival) and my enemies and NOT my friends or those I met on the street, hotels, or in restaurants! So I wouldn't take a $400 CR! When I travel I put on my "gray man" mindset as I do not want to draw attention to myself and I do not want anyone to remember me. I just blend in and mind my own business. I do not carry expensive knives, jewlery, watches, goofy hats, or wear expensive designer cloths. I just blend in. If I must wear those "trendy" cloths to an event or meeting then they go in the suitcase until the event/dinner/meeting but not a moment before. I look like "Johnny Anybody".

I take one fixed Mora and two Benchmade Griptillians in my suitcase if I travel by airplane. Generally I can legally possess them in most states. In the states that doen't allow gravity knives like the Grips then I go with Spyderco Delicas for the folders. Do your homework and find out what you can legally carry and then have a back up plan if you're knives are taken from you by the authorities - now what are you going to do? (Been there - done that - don't ask me how I know!) If a knife is an important tool for you for your suvival then HAVE A BACK UP PLAN!

I want rugged, useful, tools that can be replaced if lost, stolen, or taken - and one or the other WILL happen when you travel - expect it! If I lose them then I can go to Bob's Hardware and replace them. I buy Mora's by the dozen and sharpen to my specs and then throw one in my travel pack and one in my suitcase.

Same thing with a handgun - my travel handgun is a GLOCK 23 because I can get ammo and mags for it just about anywhere and if I lose it or it get's stolen I can afford to replace it - I wouldn't take a $1200 Kimber or $2500 Wilson with me on the road!

I also carry a Surefire E2D with me everywhere and a back up Fenix light in my pocket. Light is your second best friend after a knife! I almost lost an E2D the other day on a flight to Minneapolis. I unhooked the seat belt and stood up and the light (clipped to my pocket) went flying under my seat. I was late for a connection and the flight was full. I waited as long as I could but couldn't spare the time to look for it any longer. I had my back up Fenix anyway. Then at the last minute a passenger came up to me and said "are you looking for this?" Now, I no longer clip it but keep it in my vest pocket. So much for the gray man - everyone in five rows knew I was looking for a "funny looking flashlight with crennelations on it".

As someone who in a former life put himself in harms way for other - I can personally vouch that a good flashlight and knife are two tools you MUST take with you when you travel - heck for EDC!
 
I would get a good quality folder that suits your taste for looks and take a folding saw. That takes care of the firewood/batoning issues and the weapons issues too. IMHO, batoning with a folder is a last-ditch proposition.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Form and function impress my eye as much as fancy file work and engraving. If you can afford a Sebenza, that is a perfect example of beauty in form and function. The idea of batoning one makes me squirm though. The Ontario RAT 1 folder is still available and cheap enough that I wouldn't feel guilty about beating it up ($60-ish on Ebay). You probably won't be getting on the plane with the knife, increasing the chances of loss or theft of an expensive knife in checked luggage. My EDC du jour is a Benchmade Griptilian and knives of that class are a good balance of quaility and cost. The Bencmade/Ritter knives would be excellent for cooking and general bush work. The 111mm frame Swiss Army knives are great travellers as are the larger multi-tools and they aren't seen as offensive weapons.

It may be worthwile to just buy local woods tools like machetes and goloks and give them away when you leave. IMHO, a quality trio like the Benchmade Ritter RSK Mk1, a Leatherman Charge TTi, and a Gerber Exchange-a-Blade folding saw would make a world travel kit without making you look like a mercenary.
 
In the UK, you can have any knfie as long as you have a good reason to carry it. Police does not stop and search you like they do in Russia or Latin America.
I find that once I am out of Western Countries, it is difficult to be "Johnny Anybody" - different clothing, behaviour, colour of the skin, facial features, language and even the shape of the body. So most foreigners do stand out in such circumstances.
While in Western countries, I find my Spyderco Delica is sufficient, it is not always the case in other places. I give you example.
My last trip to Kyrgyzstan. I had SwissChamp and Delica. While I walked in the capital (Bishkek), it was ok. But when I went to countryside, I started feeling my knives were inadequate - you need a knife to slaughter a lamb (requires relatively long blade to cut the neck), skin it (needs belly what Delica does not really have), cut it to pieces (requires a bit of prying when cutting between joints, Delica is not particularly strong for this), cut wood (not large logs of wood, but tree branches, SwissChamp's saw can cut it, but I usually find it is quicker with a knife if branch is not too thick). And this type of work was almost every day with some variations.
This year I intend to go to Brazil. While most of the time I will be in cities, I will spend a week in jungles and a few days in villages, so I expect a lot of cutting again.
One of the reasons why I thought about Sebenza is because you can disassemble it without losing warranty. I thought I could tighten it up if the blade got lose from work that requred little prying (as I understand, the weakest point in this knife is the blade, I do not think I will use such prying pressures that I brake the blade). But in truth I would prefer something much cheaper.
Regards,
 
In addition to your SAK, take a larger ( #9 or 10) Opinel ( or several). They look classy, are very inexpensive, and are tough enough for your needs. Maybe most importantly, Opinels are hardly threatening. Don't worry about the carbon steel either. Carbon is the rule amongst the natives in the areas you listed. Just use it, wipe it off, and oil it when you cook. Plus, you can take a few to give a gifts to folks you meet along your journey.

todd
 
If you are using it for butchering or camp chores like you described I would second the Opinel, very unthreatening. Get a few and scatter them throughout your gear. If you could find one of the old Cold Steel Twistmasters in Carbon V steel you would have an even stronger one. Now if you want to get the knife into action quickly and you still want one that is tough... I can recommend the Cold Steel Voyagers 4" or 5" plain edge clip points. They are kind of like a modern Buck 110 to me. I EDC a Spyderco Endura but if I need to pry something I get the Voyager out of the glove box. They have not failed me. I do not really like any of the other Cold Steel folders other than the two above though. The Voyagers (and Opinel) are also easy to sharpen IMO unlike some of the new super steel knives.
 
OmegaA said:
In the UK, you can have any knfie as long as you have a good reason to carry it. Police does not stop and search you like they do in Russia or Latin America.
Click to expand...

Not entirely accurate I'm afraid. Under UK law a blade is an offensive weapon unless it's a non-locking folder (slipjoint) with a blade length not exceeding 3 inches. If the blade complies with these requirements then it's up to the police and CPS to prove that you are carrying it with intent. You can carry a larger blade, locking folder or fixed blade if you can prove you have a good reeson. Note the word prove. You will more than likely be charged and prosecuted and the burden of proof shifts to you. Having and being able to state a good reason is very different from being able to prove good reason in a court of law. I don't like it but that's the way it is.

Unfortunately in the current climate our civil liberties are being slowly eroded and police stop and searches are becoming more frequent.
 
I thought about Opinel - very cheap, classic blade - but are they stronger than SAKs?
 
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