So this happened...

[ryguy76]

First off, if you ever get the chance to see a concert at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington State, do it. It's an AMAZING venue that provides an awesome geographical backdrop directly behind the stage.

Secondly, don't forget to leave your Spydie behind.

Most people end up camping out at the Gorge being that it's in the middle of nowhere. Naturally you have a few beers while you're camping and then you see it's time to make your way over to the venue via shuttle. It wasn't until I was watching my wife and the security guard with the metal detecting wand that I realized that I was carrying my favourite Spyderco on me. My Delica 4. With all of 4 seconds to figure out a strategy, I realized my best play was to show them I had it on me and state it was an oversight. The security guys were cool with that but said I had 2 options. Either they take it and throw it away or I return to the campsite to drop it off. Knife confiscated or a long walk back in 100ºF+ heat and then having to wait for another shuttle and stand in the lineup to get through security again. Hmmmm... neither were great options. I asked if there was a 3rd option and eventually the security guy said he would let me outside the gate through a side opening and I could hide the knife and and return through the side entrance. I took that option and found a nice little piece of wood off the beaten path near a chain link fence that seemed as good of a hiding spot as any. Tucked the knife under the wood, made sure no one was looking and carefully studied the terrain in order to find it again post concert.

Concert came and went and then came time to find it. I was so antsy as the crowd slowly filed out. I got to the opening near where I hid it only to find the chain link fence next to where I placed it, no longer there. They MOVED the friggin' fence and made a shuttle lineup exactly in it's place. Tons of foot traffic, no sign of the piece of wood that it was tucked under, but that lineup of people was exactly in the spot I hid my Delica. Using my iPhone as a flashlight, and being weird while searching around the hundreds of feet standing near my hiding spot, it din't take long to realize it was a lost cause. It was found and someone became a lucky new Spyderco owner, I'm sure.

It was a real crappy way to end such an amazing evening. I was never interested in the Delica but based on all the reviews, I took a chance and it quickly became my favourite knife of the 6 Spydies I own. Least expensive of the bunch, but for me, perfect in every way. I'll replace it eventually, but man I wish I remembered to leave it behind. Never used to carry a knife, but now that I do, I feel naked without it, (which I'm sure the lot of you do as well). Tough lesson to learn, especially since I am usually hyper-vigilant for when I need to leave my knife behind, but this time it slipped through my mind.

Any way, thought I'd share.

Cheers,
Ryan

[Slumblor]

Oh man, that really sucks. At least it wasn't something more expensive or a limited sprint run, trying to be positive.

I had a similar thing happen in the winter going into an Ottawa Senator's game, had to ditch my ZDP Delica, never to be seen again. I feel your pain.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

That's so crazy! I was just going to post that I found this Delica lying on the ground at a concert at the Gorge at George! :D

Just kidding man, that really stinks. My guess is that security guard is sporting a new (to him) Delica these days.

[illacky]

I know the feeling. I lost my Delica 4 in a snowstorm when I was at work. Someone else has that awesome blade now, I hope they are enjoying it as much as I did!

[Evil D]

That really sucks. I bet the security guy is a proud new owner of a Delica.

[SF Native]

Sorry to hear.
Maybe you converted someone to the spyderco life.

I often wonder about carrying at larger events, amusement parks and whatnot. One time I had a smaller knife with me and had to get through security, I pulled a few bills out of the wallet, put them under the clip and made sure to throw it in the basket money side up. It made it through security pretending to be a money clip.

[timlara]

That sucks, Ryan! I had almost exactly the same scenario happen to me years ago:

I had a less fortunate experience several years back when my not-yet-wife and I were still dating: We went to see Tool play at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, which was an unusual venue for a rock band because it's typically home to things like the symphony, ballet, theatre, etc. Well, not surprisingly, the security guards were NOT used to rock bands playing there (and the much different crowds they draw as compared to ballet) so security was majorly beefed up and they were doing pat-downs & bag checks on everybody who entered. I was carrying my R2 without a second thought and sure enough, security stopped me and told me I couldn't take it in. We had ridden the lightrail to get downtown, so I didn't have my car nearby to go back to. In a panic, I went into the parking garage and stashed my knife behind a vending machine. Well...apparently, somebody saw me do it, because when I came out after the show, of course the R2 was gone.

Afterward, my not-yet-wife felt so bad about it that she tracked down another R2 on the secondary market and got it as a surprise for my birthday! I shudder to think how much she probably had to pay for it. Needless to say, I ended up marrying her! :D

[anycal]

Happened to me on three occasions (couple football games and a concert). Case knives in my case, copper lock and Texas toothpick. I was able to put them in my shoe, under my foot. Uncomfortable but calculated, as they used the metal detector no lower than the knees.

Lost both of those knives going through the airport and forgetting I had them on me.

[murphjd25]

That sucks man! When I'm there for Watershed I will keep an eye out for it! I feel your pain.

[feralcomprehension]

Small ones like that can sometimes be hidden behind a metal belt buckle; clip it direct to your waistband diagonally.

I've heard.

[ryguy76]

Well, I take comfort in knowing I'm not the only one that has been through this. Had I realized before I was next to get the security treatment, I'm sure I could have thought of something. My quick thinking did make me think that if I got burned trying to be sneaky, let's say between my flip flop and my foot, then I may have been denied access to the show for aiming to smuggle it it. I figure coming clean was the best play.

Thanks for the responses, stories, kind words and tips, fellas. My first thought was the security guy was watching how far I went out. He definitely didn't see where I put it, but would have known the area for sure. Whether he ended up with it, or some random shuttle passenger in line, I take comfort knowing that somebody was just enlightened to how sharp a pocket knife can actually be.

timlara, marrying her was the right call!

murphjd25, have fun at Watershed, that will be awesome.

[ZrowsN1s]

Take it as an excuse to buy a Delica Sprint! There's a lot of nice ones out there. ZDP, Hap40, Damascus, Salt, ...Hap 40 with Wood Handles? Look at this as an opportunity!

[ZMW]

I forgot my persistence was in my pocket as I was walking into a Cardinals game. 5 feet from security I realized it was in my pocket so I u turned and walked 50 ft and hid it under a traffic cone that was off to the side on some landscaping. After the game I returned and it was still there. Lucky! Or piss poor security...

[SkullBouncer]

First off, if you ever get the chance to see a concert at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington State, do it. It's an AMAZING venue that provides an awesome geographical backdrop directly behind the stage.

Secondly, don't forget to leave your Spydie behind.

Most people end up camping out at the Gorge being that it's in the middle of nowhere. Naturally you have a few beers while you're camping and then you see it's time to make your way over to the venue via shuttle. It wasn't until I was watching my wife and the security guard with the metal detecting wand that I realized that I was carrying my favourite Spyderco on me. My Delica 4. With all of 4 seconds to figure out a strategy, I realized my best play was to show them I had it on me and state it was an oversight. The security guys were cool with that but said I had 2 options. Either they take it and throw it away or I return to the campsite to drop it off. Knife confiscated or a long walk back in 100ºF+ heat and then having to wait for another shuttle and stand in the lineup to get through security again. Hmmmm... neither were great options. I asked if there was a 3rd option and eventually the security guy said he would let me outside the gate through a side opening and I could hide the knife and and return through the side entrance. I took that option and found a nice little piece of wood off the beaten path near a chain link fence that seemed as good of a hiding spot as any. Tucked the knife under the wood, made sure no one was looking and carefully studied the terrain in order to find it again post concert.

Concert came and went and then came time to find it. I was so antsy as the crowd slowly filed out. I got to the opening near where I hid it only to find the chain link fence next to where I placed it, no longer there. They MOVED the friggin' fence and made a shuttle lineup exactly in it's place. Tons of foot traffic, no sign of the piece of wood that it was tucked under, but that lineup of people was exactly in the spot I hid my Delica. Using my iPhone as a flashlight, and being weird while searching around the hundreds of feet standing near my hiding spot, it din't take long to realize it was a lost cause. It was found and someone became a lucky new Spyderco owner, I'm sure.

It was a real crappy way to end such an amazing evening. I was never interested in the Delica but based on all the reviews, I took a chance and it quickly became my favourite knife of the 6 Spydies I own. Least expensive of the bunch, but for me, perfect in every way. I'll replace it eventually, but man I wish I remembered to leave it behind. Never used to carry a knife, but now that I do, I feel naked without it, (which I'm sure the lot of you do as well). Tough lesson to learn, especially since I am usually hyper-vigilant for when I need to leave my knife behind, but this time it slipped through my mind.

Any way, thought I'd share.

Cheers,
Ryan

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wow -- the parallels our particular experiences share in common are almost skin-crawling, thinking back to how close I came to losing two particularly rare and expensive Spydies at Red Rocks Amphitheater west of Denver a couple of weeks back now, the headlining band was 'Blues Traveler' and my friend Martin bought 4 tickets in a row --- SWEET show, and one of my favorite bands. :cool:

We had the shuttle bus thing going also as the very long walk up from remaining available parking would have been a bit much for me (all uphill and in similar temperatures).

Same situation with security wanding at the upper lot where the shuttle left us off, just beyond was the top of the amphitheater. In retrospect, a very close call and under similar circumstances as said.

I got to within 6-8 people waiting to be admitted in front of me, THEN I realized I'd had two of my EDC Chinooks ( models 1 and 2) clipped to both front pockets.

I immediately made my friends aware of my plight, backing off the line to discuss my best course of action. One friend advised me to hide them both under the front end of a minivan, there is limited parking at the upper lot, and the owners of the van sitting in lawn chairs beside the van were asked by my friend if they would keep an eye on them until the show began, at which point I was faced with having to ask this security guy if he would watch over them thereafter until the end of the show.

By the time I had drawn the attention of this particular security guard, I ventured in telling him of my situation -- I try to be straight up in scenarios such as this, and told him we were stashing the knives inside a collapsible umbrella under the front of the van and behind a parking block, and asked him if he would be there for the duration of the show. He replied yes, but the arrangement wasn't sitting well with me as I presented my ticket and was wanded by this particular security guard, who turned out to actually be a very reasonable individual.

I entered the theater, we went down together to our seats -- and by then it was eating at me so badly that I informed my friends I wasn't willing to risk losing the knives one way or another -- my imagination raced.

I returned to the top of the amphitheater and exited the way I'd entered, making sure to tell the same security guard that I'd decided to take them back down to where we had parked, and I inquired about re- entry, which was a technical 'no- no' under the circumstances. He told me that when I returned, he'd bend the rules with some semblance of sympathy to my evolving situation.

The shuttle services were free, thank God, and the knives were still there, after the van owners left for the entrance.

Got down to where we had parked (I was concerned that I might have trouble locating the car, which wasn't the case. Things were looking up).

I put the knives in the trunk, took another shuttle back to the upper lot, was wanded again by the same guy and re- admitted, with a friendly reminder from him that I was being done a favor, which I did not take lightly, and thanked him profusely -- I had dodged a BIG bullet, but was willing to wait the concert out, and sit in the car to await the end of the show had it come down to that.

Didn't happen -- the Spydie Gods were looking upon me favorably that day.
Now get this: After being re- screened, re- admitted and seated, it was then discovered by me that I had NOT previously realized I had my Leatherman Wave on my belt, easily as much metal as one of the Chinooks, complete with two VERRRY sharp 3" blades and a nasty- toothed saw, immediately deployable -- and the security guard HAD to have picked up on that visually, and unbeknownst by me at the time had done me yet another favor.

I'm still taking good natured ribbing from my buddies about the whole debacle turned my way in the end.

=================================================================================

You have my sympathy in how your situation turned bad in losing your knife, though. I'm glad you have plans on replacing it, knowing how much you favored her. Replacing those I had on me that evening would have been a most daunting endeavor -- current listings of NIB Chinooks 1 and 2 on eBay are few and far between and would have set me back almost a thousand dollars... would have been an extended endeavor at best.

Once more -- in reading the opening post and taken by the similarities our experiences shared -- almost creepy!
(For some reason, I don't believe the same results would have unfolded at a TSA checkpoint -- :rolleyes: )
-- And like you, I now I have a new hyper- awareness of where my steel- bladed implements are about me and my surroundings!

=====================================================================================

:spyder: :spyder: Stay Sharp --
-- SB / BRUCE :cool: :cool:

[LDB]

That's why I don't go to any stupid events where dumber than dirt leftist morons create undue complications and problems for honest citizens.

[mad german]

Too bad you couldn't have swallowed it and pooped it out later.....

Just kidding, of course. Sorry for your loss.

[vivi]

I went to an NBA game with metal detectors you had to walk through. Had a Pacific Salt clipped RFP, no issues. Dunno if that knife fails to set off metal detectorsor what, but that's my experience for what its worth.

BTW, if you EDC nice knife you ought to pair it with a nice light! I'm partial to Fenix myself, but even something like a Nitecore TIP will offer you plenty over a phone light.

[toomzz]

Best place to share this, I feel you......bummer.

[SkullBouncer]

Too bad you couldn't have swallowed it and pooped it out later.....

Just kidding, of course. Sorry for your loss.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey, if sword swallowers can pull off the first part and safely recover THEIR blades out the way they went in, well... just maybe I should have... could have...?? With the chinooks compactly folded...just maybe...?? No??

An exercise in outright silliness. Best thing would have to be extended lanyards hanging from my mouth for later aiding reverse peristalsis to recover my cherished blades -- folded chinooks are nice and much smaller than the average sword- swallower intakes of numerous long blades after all, right?
(completely devoid of logic and reality -- guilty as charged, but silliness CAN be fanciful fun, n'est pas? ) :p Hope so. :D

=================================================================================

:spyder: :spyder: Stay Sharp --
-- SB / BRUCE :cool: :cool:

[SF Native]

That's why I don't go to any stupid events where dumber than dirt leftist morons create undue complications and problems for honest citizens.

I think the word you are looking for is culture.
Are there any large gatherings (concerts, sporting events, etc) that allow weapons? ****, most don't even let you bring a glass beer bottle in. That's pretty standard for security.
You don't go to any of these? That's too bad.