what's your travel knife?

casey1 · #1

i'm considering the ukpk but it's not legal in every state... the squeak may be a better option. anyways, what do you use for your traveling purposes?

Evil D · #2

I don't do much traveling but if i did it would likely be a ZDP Ladybug.

dgulbra · #3

Delica FFG

angusW · #4

As far as travelling goes, it depends on where I'm going and how I'm travelling. Earlier this year I was on a road trip to Boston, Sage 1, then up to Fredericton N.B., Navaja, Manix 2 and Para 2 then on to Quebec City, Navaja. When I was in Hong Kong almost 2 years ago it was the Persistence.

You're kidding. In what state is a 3" non-locking blade illegal? Where are you travelling?

wingman_214 · #5

I carry my Para2 in my right pocket and my Tenacious SE in my left everywhere I go. I have never been bothered. It about using it as a tool and not a flashy toy.

Evil D · #6

angusW wrote:As far as travelling goes, it depends on where I'm going and how I'm travelling. Earlier this year I was on a road trip to Boston, Sage 1, then up to Fredericton N.B., Navaja, Manix 2 and Para 2 then on to Quebec City, Navaja. When I was in Hong Kong almost 2 years ago it was the Persistence.

You're kidding. In what state is a 3" non-locking blade illegal? Where are you travelling?

There is a large city/town/whatever North of Cincinnati (Middletown) that has a 2.5 inch limit. Most everywhere else is 3 inches max.

Now that i'm in KY, i get nothing but mixed info. Some say no length law whatsoever, then some say that that's only because you're not supposed to carry at all unless you have a reason to. It's all gray. I tend to follow the mentality of, behave yourself and it won't matter what's in your pocket.

wrdwrght · #7

casey1 wrote:i'm considering the ukpk but it's not legal in every state... the squeak may be a better option. anyways, what do you use for your traveling purposes?

What travel I do is mostly by car (I hate to fly), so the knife I carry is the one in my pocket whether or not it is legal where I'm going. However, with Tuscany in the plans, I got a UKPK, which I really like. Then the Squeak came out. Its origin and steel made it a must-have for me, and I have no regrets in getting it. I'd recommend either one to you, but the Squeak has a much shorter blade.

.357 mag · #8

Dragonfly salt and 79mm resuce when on the road.

FLYcrash · #9

angusW wrote:You're kidding. In what state is a 3" non-locking blade illegal? Where are you travelling?

Believe it or not, it is illegal to carry a >2.5" blade in Chicago on or about your person.

Then in New York, the round hole allows a spyder-drop, which has been construed by police as making a :spyder: a "gravity knife." Even the UKPK is susceptible to this interpretation. Probably time to downgrade to a SAK...I doubt that NYPD would look kindly upon carrying a fixed blade.

So yes, it's rather difficult to choose a knife that you could carry legally the world over. Better to match the tools to the destination.

As soon as my Ph.D. is done, I'm hoping to get back west. Or south.

pmek5 · #10

+1 - Delica FFG

freeman7 · #11

I carry a Bob T most of the time. But whatever it is, I carry deep in my pocket....no clip showing. Mind my own business. I am the grey man.

bh49 · #12

When I go to NYC I take SAK. Mas, NYS or NJ I take CAly3. But I carry deep in the pocket.

gunnut35 · #13

I just got back from a road trip to Ar and I had a zdp dragonfly, a ladybug on my keychain, a para2, a Vic swisstool and a Moran.
I know it sounds like allot but the swisstool is on my pack and the Moran was in the glove box. I usually have 4 spyderco's on me at all times so I guess I was traveling light. :)

angusW · #14

FLYcrash wrote:Believe it or not, it is illegal to carry a >2.5" blade in Chicago on or about your person.

Then in New York, the round hole allows a spyder-drop, which has been construed by police as making a :spyder: a "gravity knife." Even the UKPK is susceptible to this interpretation. Probably time to downgrade to a SAK...I doubt that NYPD would look kindly upon carrying a fixed blade.

So yes, it's rather difficult to choose a knife that you could carry legally the world over. Better to match the tools to the destination.

As soon as my Ph.D. is done, I'm hoping to get back west. Or south.

Oh I know about Chicago and NYC but those are cities, not states. I've never heard of a state that does not allow a locking knife.

arty · #15

I would carry a slippy if going into NYC and a Kopa for Chicago.
I always want to keep legal.
If flying, I'll check a bag and have a small knife in my checked bag.

I_like_sharp_things · #16

When I fly I throw a Kershaw in my checked bag because I'm paranoid about someone taking one of my Spydies.

dcmartin2001 · #17

When traveling (usually driving in the southwest) my Lava never leaves my side and my Millie is never too far either.

BJEOD · #18

unfortunetly, most of the travel I do is for the government. So I bought a ukpk frn for when they send me to europe or SA, and large metropolitan areas. But everywhere else I take my millie

Nemonomicon · #19

I have two Meerkats, reverse S PE that go with me when I travel.

markg · #20

Evil D wrote:There is a large city/town/whatever North of Cincinnati (Middletown) that has a 2.5 inch limit. Most everywhere else is 3 inches max.

Now that i'm in KY, i get nothing but mixed info. Some say no length law whatsoever, then some say that that's only because you're not supposed to carry at all unless you have a reason to. It's all gray. I tend to follow the mentality of, behave yourself and it won't matter what's in your pocket.

Ohio has no restrictions on blade length. The laws are written (like most places) to be interpreted by the officer. If they feel you are carrying as a weapon it will be seen as a weapon. I used to train with a Cincinnati police officer, and he once had a guy arrested for carrying one of those really small SAK's. The guy was a drug dealer so that weighed against him.

Unless I am in one of the well known big cities where knives are restricted, then I carry pretty much what I want. I do try to keep it reasonable, say a Paramilitary 2 or similar sized knife.

Just a few travel tips (I got this from another police officer friend who told me what he looks for...) If you normally carry two knives, then it is hard to pass the larger one off as a "work" type knife. Also, if you claim to use the knife as a tool, and it is OBVIOUS the knife has never been used, then it can work against you. So put a little dirt on the handle.

If I am in a city that is restrictive, then the Squeak is a good call. Also something like the Cricket, or Balance is good, I use them as a money clip.

International travel? I have a strange theory, the more developed the nation, the less you can carry. If going to a Third World country, you can get away with more. I was in Nicaragua recently, and it is normal to see people walking around with machetes. You can carry pretty much anything (again I err on the side of caution). In that case, a Delica or Salt I might do the trick. I still might even go with a UKPK. However I am going to Japan in two weeks, and from my research, it looks like carry will be a pain. I might try it with a Squeak, or I might go with a Balance. I will pack them in my shaving kit and just play it by ear. In those cases a good multi-tool or a SAK is good. The SAK is seen as the a traveler's knife in many ways. I never carry for SD uses in other countries, so my choices are normally geared towards utility. Getting into a lethal confrontation with a knife in another country is bad. Getting into that situation in a Third World country is really bad, very bad.

In the USA (outside of a few noted cities), if you dress modestly, drive reasonably, and are polite... Carry is not an issue.