Travel knife -- checked luggage

[dsvirsky]

To the extent possible, I avoid traveling anywhere I can't drive (and pack whatever knives/gun I want). However, sometimes it's just not practical and I have to deal with airport security. Which means packing my knives in my checked bag. The ZDP-189 Endura is my go to knife for this and has been for years, but I still find it necessary to over think things:

Should I also pack an SE knife? (Yes) Should it be the same size (Pac Salt) or smaller (Salt 2 wharnie)? Or should it be a bigger SE knife and a smaller PE knife? Maybe two smaller knives? Or pack 4 knives and cover all the bases?

[Ric]

To where do you travel?
What are the knife-needs there?

I would pack a knife which I do not mind losing.

Mostly a ladybug/Dfly should be enough.
If food prep is needed (watermelon) Endura might be OK.

I prefer PE which I could sharpen also with a cup of needed

[ladybug93]

i almost always carry at least one of each on me every day, so i would definitely want to bring a se and a pe knife. if you like the endura already, a pac salt would be the natural addition. it's a great knife and very capable, and you have the added benefit of already being comfortable with the ergonomics and mechanics of the knife.

personally, if i was going to pick my se or my pe to be longer, i would choose a longer se. the reason is that, when you really need to have teeth to cut something, you'll probably want all of them you can get. in your case, since you already have an endura, i'd just carry them both the same size. endura in the pocket and pacific in the waistband (or strong side and weak side).

[Naperville]

When I was in the CIA doing wet work (j/k) we would fly in to a hotspot and grab a cab sent by the Embassy, and the first stop would be a food supermarket where I'd pick up a 7 inch long butcher knife or potato peeler.

Ever drag a potato peeler across a perps face? Works wonders!

[aicolainen]

I get the overthinking stuff. That’s why we’re here, but..

unless you’re attracted to pain and suffering, travel has its own set of rules. It’s nothing like EDC where you could perfectly well chose to carry an Espada XL. If brings joy into your life - I say rock on!

For travel you want to bring everything you need and nothing you don’t.
The nature and purpose of the trip should dictate what knife/knives make sense to bring. Or sometimes, non at all.

Generally for checked in luggage, I would advise to not bring items that will be difficult to replace. Some destinations are pretty safe, but I’ve lost a ton of luggage through the years, sometimes even to/from “safe” destinations. Some of that luggage resurfaced eventually, but that’s a type of excitement I can live without for sure.

There’s a slogan in my area of business that says “boring is good”, I guess that’s somewhat true for (air) travel knives as well.

[Revival]

I’m more curious to know where most people HIDE the knives in their checked luggage? I don’t travel a lot but I know I have hid a knife or 2 in rolled up socks in the past.

[ladybug93]

When I was in the CIA doing wet work (j/k) we would fly in to a hotspot and grab a cab sent by the Embassy, and the first stop would be a food supermarket where I'd pick up a 7 inch long butcher knife or potato peeler.

Ever drag a potato peeler across a perps face? Works wonders!

[Naperville]

When I was in the CIA doing wet work (j/k) we would fly in to a hotspot and grab a cab sent by the Embassy, and the first stop would be a food supermarket where I'd pick up a 7 inch long butcher knife or potato peeler.

Ever drag a potato peeler across a perps face? Works wonders!

You're not a geek or nerd?

Don't know j/k? W/e!

https://www.howtogeek.com/711555/what-d ... ou-use-it/

[aicolainen]

I’m more curious to know where most people HIDE the knives in their checked luggage? I don’t travel a lot but I know I have hid a knife or 2 in rolled up socks in the past.

Unless your bringing a knife that is illegal at your destination (which you shouldn't), why would you go through such lengths to hide it?

Now to elaborate a little bit on this, I used to travel a lot a few years back. Pretty much everywhere you can imagine. This was before I was really interested in knives, so my typical travel knife was a Leatherman multitool or two. And only models with locking blades (Skeletool, Wave and Crunch were the models I had at the time), as I wasn't into knives I didn't realize that locking blades could be an issue. That concept was just to far fetched for me (LOL).
Luckily I never run into any problems because of that. Maybe helped by the fact that multitools seem to have a broader social acceptance than dedicated knives, IDK.. Even in the UK where my Leatherman was detected by security personnel as I was transitioning over to a helicopter flight, there where no repercussions for having a locking knife in my checked luggage. They just locked it up for the duration of my stay and I got it back when I returned for my flight back home.

This is a few years back, quickly approaching a decade actually, and while it's true that very little regarding knife laws and perception has moved in the right direction since then, I think that anyone who do a little research on applicable laws would do at least as well today as I did with my naive approach back then.

[dsvirsky]

You hide your knives to keep them from being stolen by dishonest baggage handlers. Personally, I zip tie them to my jeans. And while, sure, I could get by just fine with just a Manbug, what fun is that???

[Revival]

I’m more curious to know where most people HIDE the knives in their checked luggage? I don’t travel a lot but I know I have hid a knife or 2 in rolled up socks in the past.

Unless your bringing a knife that is illegal at your destination (which you shouldn't), why would you go through such lengths to hide it?

To prevent it from getting stolen.

[James Y]

I’m definitely the odd person out here, but if I were flying by air nowadays, depending on the destination, I wouldn’t pack more than maybe an SAK. Maybe a Spartan or a Classic. Even those, I would secure them to something else inside my luggage with a zip tie or something.

Jim

[Revival]

I’m definitely the odd person out here, but if I were flying by air nowadays, depending on the destination, I wouldn’t pack more than maybe an SAK. Maybe a Spartan or a Classic. Even those, I would secure them to something else inside my luggage with a zip tie or something.

Jim

I don’t blame you. It’s always a risk.

[bdblue]

I would pack a knife which I do not mind losing.

This is what I do.
I've been doing a lot of camping recently and when I start to pack one of my sprints I think twice because I might lose it and I take my Tenacious. I've had the idea to buy a cheaper knife for camping so I don't lose anything I like. I think there's a lot more risk of losing a knife in checked baggage than of losing a knife while camping.

[jabba359]

I usually pack my Dragonfly and a serrated hawkbill Ladybug. Usually I'll just put them in the pocket of my packed pants. They're cheap enough that if they get stolen, it won't break my heart or the bank.

[standy99]

Travel a bit with work and always have a Junction and a folder in a SIGG lunchbox in my check in.

Last trip to Hawaii 10 days in hotel quarantine with the bluntest knives on earth the junction was a saviour....

[aicolainen]

Unless your bringing a knife that is illegal at your destination (which you shouldn't), why would you go through such lengths to hide it?

To prevent it from getting stolen.

I can understand why that would be a natural impulse, but I'm not so sure it's necessary.
My anecdotal experience from extensive travel in Africa, South America, Asia and generally lots of countries that we consider to be less civilized and more corrupt, is that I've never had anything stolen from checked luggage. I've lost whole suitcases to unknown reasons on several occasions, but never individual items.

No matter what the risk of theft is, it's probably a good idea to wrap your knife in something, to prevent it from banging around. That is no doubt a real risk to both the knife and whatever else you've packed.

I would pack a knife which I do not mind losing.

This is what I do.
I've been doing a lot of camping recently and when I start to pack one of my sprints I think twice because I might lose it and I take my Tenacious. I've had the idea to buy a cheaper knife for camping so I don't lose anything I like. I think there's a lot more risk of losing a knife in checked baggage than of losing a knife while camping.

This is where I both agree and disagree, a little bit.
I've probably lost between 5 to 10 Leatherman's in suitcases that got lost and never found its way home again, so the risk is there, but the items are replaceable and covered by insurance. So it's more an annoyance than a real risk. My main gripe with air travel is that the outcome is not a product of my own doing, so that's why I try to bring only replaceable items.

How much gear I loose to the camping elves on the other hand, is mainly a product of my own doing.
It's unavoidable. If you go camping you will loose gear. Darkness, snow, strong winds, bad weather in general, fatigue and chaotic situations all work against your continued effort to keep track of your gear. Yet, bringing good, high quality gear that you really like, is likely going to elevate the camping experience. Yeah, you see where this is going..
I bring my favorite gear on hikes, hunts, camping etc. It's a risk, but it's also my reason and justification for buying the gear in the first place. I also have real influence on the outcome, so if anything gets lost, at least it's my own fault.

[Oloung1]

Unless your bringing a knife that is illegal at your destination (which you shouldn't), why would you go through such lengths to hide it?
...

I don't know how much experience you have with the TSA stateside but they make it a point that they can physically touch everything in your luggage and everywhere on your body. Even with current imaging machines, they still can give you a physical.

I check ones that I don't mind losing when my luggage is inspected.

[aicolainen]

Unless your bringing a knife that is illegal at your destination (which you shouldn't), why would you go through such lengths to hide it?
...

I don't know how much experience you have with the TSA stateside but they make it a point that they can physically touch everything in your luggage and everywhere on your body. Even with current imaging machines, they still can give you a physical.

I check ones that I don't mind losing when my luggage is inspected.

I held B-1/B-2 and C1/D U.S. visa from 2007 to 2017 and usually stayed a couple of weeks every year, though less towards the end.
I do recall some less than pleasant interactions with the TSA, but apart from the rather inhospitable conversations/interrogations, I don't recall them getting physical with me (and I probably wouldn't forget). And if my memory isn't playing tricks with me, I believe they were much more interested in my computer equipment than my multitools/knives.

[Archimedes]

I used to do a lot of flying. I traveled with carry on only so I would just buy a crappy knife where ever I ended up and throw it away when I left.