Sakkisim as a lifestyle?

[cbl51]

Growing up a bit on the poor side, I guess I had to have a starker outlook on life than some folks. My dad go taken down with the big C when I was 15, and mom and I had to work to save the homestead.So luxury items were not on the ticket. Dad had given me my boy scout knife when I was 12, so that may have set things in a certain direction toward multi function.

In high school, I had an old VW bug, a bit dented up and faded tan paint, but it ran well, and didn't cost a lot to feed. But some work was needed, so an adjustable wrench and my scout knife screw driver came in handy now and then. I went to school on a work program that was for students from families in financial difficulty. Left school at 11AM, and went to a job until 5 PM. It helped pay the mortgage so we had a place to live. Leaving home after high school to join the army, was my first brush with SAK's. I figured free room and board and an education wasn't too bad a deal for some of my life, and money for college wasn't going to be there. Plus I could send money home to mom.

So there I was, serving in the engineers and stationed in Germany, I saw the big moving SAK in the window of a knife shop and I was a goner. Being an enlisted man in the army means moving from post to post. That means keeping your load light and mobile, not gathering a lot of stuff in you travels. When I found the SAK, and all the neat but usable tools on that compact pocket sized package, I was sold.

I found this attitude bleeding over into the rest of my life. The multi function factor.  When I bought a new .22 rifle for small game hunting, I was thrilled to get a savage 24, that had a .22 barrel and then under it a 20 gauge shotgun barrel. Two guns in one package. Now I could hunt everything from squirrel to deer with just one gun. Everything I bought had to be either multi use, or be a minimalist, as small and compact as possible. Since I loved backpacking, the minimalist thing came naturally. Monocular instead of binoculars, things like that. I guess that's why I could never get into the big lock blade thing. The Buck 110 came out, and I thought it was crazy, all that weight and bulk just to carry one single thin blade! Nuts, I thought.

I've always loved knives, and I grew up in a time when it was a given that a man had a pocket knife on him. Just like the sun rising in the east, it was a given. The pocket of the era I grew up in was the typical small two bladed jack or pen knife. Schrade, Camillus, Hammer Brand, Imperial, Case, just to name a few. They were always about three inches closed, had two blades, and that was that. You didn't see the SAK's around on a regular basis until the late 1960's and back[packing started to become popular. Places like Eastern Mountain Sports, REI, and a few sorting goods stores started to carry them. Then they became very popular. It was like the genie had to be let out of the bag.

So, I wonder at who the different people are that carry SAK's? There's the Buck knife crowd, that seems to be a lot of bikers and soldiers, and tradesmen. Although I see most tradesmen today have switched over to the replaceable blade super knife and such folding utility knives. With legions of backpackers, hikers, campus, fishermen, sailors, and other outdoors people, the SAK seems to reign.

Sooo, how many of you have the SAK mentality leak over into your everyday life? Multipurpose vehicles? Utensils?

[Etherealicer]

My story has not as much struggle. But in Switzerland we have the emergency sirens (Large, commonly installed on public buildings. Basically, when they go off you should listen to the radio because something bad is about) and its tested once a year. Anyway, when I was 5 I was caught off guard by the sirens. I was alone in the forest and totally panicked. From that day on I always had a Bug In Pack (Every household in Switzerland has a Bomb Shelter, or at least used to).
To this day, whenever I hear the siren my stomach tightens. Needless to say I like minimalist/multi-purpose and I like that everything material that is important to me I can carry.

P.S.: If you ever want to try a bigger blade without bulk or heavy weight or complete loss of comfort you should try this: THE ONE

[pfrsantos]

My story has not as much struggle. But in Switzerland we have the emergency sirens (Large, commonly installed on public buildings. Basically, when they go off you should listen to the radio because something bad is about) and its tested once a year. Anyway, when I was 5 I was caught off guard by the sirens. I was alone in the forest and totally panicked. From that day on I always had a Bug In Pack (Every household in Switzerland has a Bomb Shelter, or at least used to).
To this day, whenever I hear the siren my stomach tightens. Needless to say I like minimalist/multi-purpose and I like that everything material that is important to me I can carry.

P.S.: If you ever want to try a bigger blade without bulk or heavy weight or complete loss of comfort you should try this: THE ONE

How can you listen to the radio with all the noise from the sirens?...
 

[Toolslinger]

I think for me, the mentality was there before the SAK. I've always loved to tinker, explore and push the envelope. I also grew up without much disposable income so being self-sufficient and prepared to tackle your own problems anytime anywhere was a habitual necessity. Once I discovered SAKs (and multis), it was a natural fit.

[ToolJoe]

  I like to be always prepared and tinker/fix things if I can before resorting to asking someone else to do it. Also, i'd rather have something on hand than not have it on hand.

[magentus]

Good post and interesting tales. Growing up I had to rely on myself rather than my parents and I guess I've just carried that through to adulthood though I am blessed with a wife and daughter I trust with my life. A SAK, a good pair of boots and a sober brain and I'm ready for most anything.

[Aloha]

Not sure my response is SAKism or MTism but here goes,  I carried some tools over the years.  When I was young ( grade school ) I carried an adjustable wrench and flat driver for my bicycle.  When I got older ( middle school ) I carried an assortment of small tools, adjustable wrench, driver, small blade, etc.  I was still riding my bike and occasionally a moped.  In HS I didnt carry much if anything till college.  I then carried a bunch more due to having a bag with me most days. 

Fast forward to a decade or so ago and MTs entered my life along with a blade.  It wasnt until recently that I got into SAKs.  I have steadily learned that evolution plays a big part in how we all seem to progress then regress. 

I've seen many go from small blades to large ones then back to small ones.  It seem finding the right SAK early or eventually becomes a "safe" bet in most cases if not all.  I really like my Swisschamp or Explorer for my "safe" tool.  I can accomplish quite a lot with just this tool. 

[Grathr]

I got my first proper MT when I joined the Army. My father gave me a Leatherman PST a few days before I left for basic training.
That was my only MT for years until I grauduated from college as a construction engineer and started working for a contruction company as a foreman. In that job I found that I often needed a knife for various tasks, and I got a cheap SAK alike. It worked and its other tools came in handy, but I was not happy with its quality, so I decided to get a proper swiss one. I bought a couple of barely used VIC spartans on ebay, and was blown away by the quality and functionality. It was the first of many SAKs and I found SOSAK and eventually MTO.
Now I hardly ever leave home without a SAK in my pocket. Usually I carry my trusted Wenger SI.


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[SAK Guy]

First SAK in '72, a Champion. Hooked ever since. First ALOX in '82-'83.  Can't conceive of a normal life without a SAK of some sort in my pocket.

[collim1]

Got my first Victorinox when I was a cub scout and have been carrying them ever since.  I also like Leatherman tools for some occasions, but 99% of the time its a Victorinox in my pocket.  For most of my life it has been a Tinker, but i recently bought a Farmer and am quite impressed with it, so for now the Tinker is getting the backseat. 

[nmpops]

Don't actually remember when I got my first SAK but my oldest one, a Huntsman, I've had for about 25 years and I lost a Tinker before that. A. SAK has been with me since Army days. I too bought one when stationed in Germant in the 70's
Funny thing though, first thing they did in Basic, before they even gave you your uniforms, was to confiscate any pocket knives you were dumb enough to bring with you.

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[Donald]

My first SAK was a Wenger 1 17 01, that my sister gave me as a 21st birthday gift. That SAK saw a lot of pocket time, over many miles, and a lot of use. I still have it, although it is semi-retired and kept within arms reach in my desk drawer. If in the mood for that style knife, I generally carry a Wenger S17 Evolution. Still the same "17"  knife with a different can opener and the addition of a lock. I look forward to trying a Victorinox version of it. They should be available now.

Good story cbl51.

nmpops, seems a sorry reward for serving your country if the first thing they do is confiscate your pocketknife. Was there advance warning of this policy? Do they later return them?  Hmmm...I wonder if that would apply to the AT (airline travel) versions.

When Victorinox re-branded the Wenger Clipper, did we lose the AT version?