Acclimated.

[cbl51]

"To become accustomed to a new climate or conditions. To adapt to new surroundings. "

At least thats what it says in the online dictionary. To become used to something.  We all do it our whole ivies from elementary school on. A new class, new class mates, new responsibilities, new jobs, marriage and kids, getting old. Or getting used to new tools and a different way of doing something.

I wasn't always a small SAK guy. Once upon a time, when I was a young guy full of myself and off to save the world, I liked to be prepared for anything. But with years and some wisdom gained from the school of hard knocks, I found out that I couldn't save the world, and nothing I carried would not make any difference. With age, came the realization that is wasn't going to drive off enemy paratroopers while yelling "WOLVERINES!" and life was a rather mundane thing in the end. And the mundane little things are what you have to deal with.

The great thing about growing in the 1950's was, almost all the menfolks I was around and looked up to, were veterans of both a vicious world war, and the Great Depression before that. My dad was typical of that generation that is often called "The Greatest Generation." They scratched and clawed through some very learn items, and then had to go fight a war just when things were getting back to normal. My Uncle Sonny was a kid right out of high school and enlisted in the army right after Pearl Harbor. He ended up flying B-17's out of east England bombing the Third Rich. My Uncle Charlie got his feet wet on a beach in Northern France and walked most the way to Berlin. Our scout master, Mr. van was a mud Marine and served in places with names like Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tarawa. My dad's duty was a little murky, one of those cloak and dagger outfits with ambiguous initials.

It was against this backdrop of characters I came of age, and looking up to these men was a powerful influence of many things. Among them, tools. I noticed that they all carried much the same thing, like a set rule of what a man should have on him. A pocket knife was a biggie. If a manhood pants on, he had a pocket knife in there somewhere. A bandana or two, a means of making fire like a pack of matches or lighter even if he didn't smoke. A watch, because it was polite to be punctual. and then there were tools.

It was the age of the keychain tool. Most five and dime stores had stand up cardboard displays up near the cash register up front. Some had those little one and two blade Imperial pocket knives wth the thin carbon steel blades and fake pearl handles. They there was the keychain screw drivers and bottle openers, nail clippers. I noticed that most men had a way to deal with screws. There was no SAK's around in the U.S. then, but there was the boy scout knives. Thats what I had as a first pocket knife. My Uncle Sonny had a army air corp scout knife and later in his life when he stayed in the new Air Force as a bomber pilot, he became a SAK fan. When I knew him he was in the S.A.C. flying B-52's, and a large SAK was always in his flight suit. But after he retired to a place n Florida on the Gulf of Mexico, he stopped carrying the big SAK and went with a classic on his keychain and that was it. He had a fillet knife on his boat, and to him at that stage of life that was all he needed.

Lord knows I've gone through stages in my life. I've found conditions change and we have to change to meet them. Getting older and retiring is one of them. I used to carry a Huntsman in the belief that I actually needed all the tools on it. But as time went on, I found that I really didn't. I guess some of my dad's pragmatic nature carried over to me, like a genetic thing. As time went on, and more and more containers had easy pull open tabs, pull tabs on cans, the need for a can opener faded a lot. Beer and soda's now had twist off tops, so bottle opener was needed less. The imported beer could be opened with other items with a little ingenuity. A little screw drive too inserted and twisted gently bends out the crimps of the crown cap's very very soft metal. The sd tip of the executive orange peeler works well.

As my need for various tools shrunk, my SAK's shrunk. From hiker to tinker, from tinker to bantam and classic. For a longtime I actually went to a classic for my sole EDC, and got by mostly 98%. The classic was backed up with a Sear's 4-way keychain screw driver, then replaced with a Victorinox Quatro. My old army P-38 is still always in my wallet as a sentimental keepsake that can be used in an emergency. And it has been. The sole Achilles heel of the 58mm was food. Just not able to cut a burger in half to share with my better half. Now I carry an executive that I have fallen in love with. Just big enough to cut a burger in half with, and deal with all the other little mundane things that make bumps in the road of life. For all the years that I carried the bigger pocket knives like the 93 and 91mm SAK's I was just used to having the bigger tools available. As I downsized, and I became acclimated to the smaller tools and lighter weight in the pocket, the bigger SAK's now feel like a stone in the pocket. I've got so acclimated to the 58mm and now 74mm, that anything else seems excessive.

This morning I thought of my dad. I had to go over to my sister in laws house to fix/finagle the ceiling fan in the bathroom that was making noise. I took a small tool kit worm and got up on a step ladder to look over the ceiling fan, and saw the grill was held on by two Phillips screws on the sides. I started to use my executive, but the nail file tip was a little too small. But...I remembered my dad. I reached into my back pocket and took out the Victorinox quatro from my wallet. The Phillips bit fit the ceiling fan screw just fine, and I took out the fan and put some fine oil in the bering housing on both sides of the fan shaft. Install back in ceiling it ran almost silent. A little oil is good for a motor now and then. The little quatro did the job just fine. Maximum minimalism at work.

I guess I'm acclimated to smaller tools these days.

[David Bowman]

Great post, I always enjoy hearing about what people in the past carried. It's a good reminder of just how little we actually need.

[ulzhan]

Very beautiful written. It reminds how fast time flies...

[Huntsman]

Never heard of that word before - Although was clear what it meant!!

So I had to look it up .......

Yet another US vs British/Australian language/word difference - We say acclimatised - (No, not even acclimatized !!) - Apparently both words are synonymous!!

[pfrsantos]

Thanks for another great post, Carl!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I've had three main stages of acclimatisation when it comes to pocket tools. To start off with, it was just a traditional pocket knife. I had a little two blade penknife that used to be my Grandfather's, a small advertising knife with a bottle opener/screwdriver on the keyring, and this carbon steel folder.



For twenty years or so, that was more than adequate. I didn't even carry a torch, despite it going dark at least once a day.

When I got into my mid to late thirties, I started taking on a more hands on managerial role at work, and I needed more capability. I was also running a boatyard, fitting out a boat, co-running a stage society, and it seemed that wherever I went, I needed to have tools to hand at all times. Full sized plier tools, clipped one hand opening folders, and of course Swiss knives, were genuine daily requirements. Not only did I become acclimatised to carrying them, but everyone around me was acclimatised to me carrying them too, and I was first port of call for a lot of stuff.

Three years(-ish) ago I entered the third phase. Unable to work and do all those other activities, I no longer needed those full sized tools. I haven't reverted back to just traditional folders, but a level I passed through as I entered the second phase, where I owned full size pliers tools but didn't carry them everyday. Smaller pliers were enough.

I have no need of a saw as a daily tool, but still like to have pliers of some description. They're too useful not to, even now. However, the Gerber Dime on my keys is enough. The 91mm Victorinox pliers are enough. My base level now, is either what's on my keys and neck lanyard (which is about as lightweight as I go), or a Deluxe Tinker. I can get by with less most days, but I don't feel comfortable with less. A Wenger Traveler, or tools with an equivalent capablility, is about my minimum.



I use the 91mm backspring hook when shopping, and the awl fixes sticking battery plunger contacts on my vape pen. The Phillips maintains loosening screws on saucepan handles and lids instead of more industrial applications these days, but is still very useful. Scissors are as essential as a knife to my mind. So is a light of some description, and a magnifier now resides on the keys too.

The larger tools still see occasional carry, particularly if I'll be staying away from home for a night or more. I'm still acclimatised to carrying pocket tools, but somewhere between the one knife years, and the fully loaded years. What I carry would be too much for some, and not enough for others, but for me it's just right - in terms of both practicality, and comfort of knowing I can handle the occasional life challenges that still arise.

[cbl51]

I've had three main stages of acclimatisation when it comes to pocket tools. To start off with, it was just a traditional pocket knife. I had a little two blade penknife that used to be my Grandfather's, a small advertising knife with a bottle opener/screwdriver on the keyring, and this carbon steel folder.

(Image removed from quote.)

For twenty years or so, that was more than adequate. I didn't even carry a torch, despite it going dark at least once a day.

When I got into my mid to late thirties, I started taking on a more hands on managerial role at work, and I needed more capability. I was also running a boatyard, fitting out a boat, co-running a stage society, and it seemed that wherever I went, I needed to have tools to hand at all times. Full sized plier tools, clipped one hand opening folders, and of course Swiss knives, were genuine daily requirements. Not only did I become acclimatised to carrying them, but everyone around me was acclimatised to me carrying them too, and I was first port of call for a lot of stuff.

Three years(-ish) ago I entered the third phase. Unable to work and do all those other activities, I no longer needed those full sized tools. I haven't reverted back to just traditional folders, but a level I passed through as I entered the second phase, where I owned full size pliers tools but didn't carry them everyday. Smaller pliers were enough.

I have no need of a saw as a daily tool, but still like to have pliers of some description. They're too useful not to, even now. However, the Gerber Dime on my keys is enough. The 91mm Victorinox pliers are enough. My base level now, is either what's on my keys and neck lanyard (which is about as lightweight as I go), or a Deluxe Tinker. I can get by with less most days, but I don't feel comfortable with less. A Wenger Traveler, or tools with an equivalent capablility, is about my minimum.

(Image removed from quote.)

I use the 91mm backspring hook when shopping, and the awl fixes sticking battery plunger contacts on my vape pen. The Phillips maintains loosening screws on saucepan handles and lids instead of more industrial applications these days, but is still very useful. Scissors are as essential as a knife to my mind. So is a light of some description, and a magnifier now resides on the keys too.

The larger tools still see occasional carry, particularly if I'll be staying away from home for a night or more. I'm still acclimatised to carrying pocket tools, but somewhere between the one knife years, and the fully loaded years. What I carry would be too much for some, and not enough for others, but for me it's just right - in terms of both practicality, and comfort of knowing I can handle the occasional life challenges that still arise.

(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)

Very nice selection of little tools you have there!

Yes, in the end, its all about the stages of life we go through. What worked for us 20 years ago, may not do the job we need to do now at our present stage.

One really nice thing about the little tools, they makeup so little amount of pocket spave and weight, that they leave room for more stuff!

You know, like carrying a 74mm SAK instead of a 91 or 93, means that a spare 58mm in another pocket will go unnoticed. Or a cadet or bantam leaves room for a 74mm. 

[AimlessWanderer]

Very nice selection of little tools you have there!

Yes, in the end, its all about the stages of life we go through. What worked for us 20 years ago, may not do the job we need to do now at our present stage.

One really nice thing about the little tools, they makeup so little amount of pocket spave and weight, that they leave room for more stuff!

You know, like carrying a 74mm SAK instead of a 91 or 93, means that a spare 58mm in another pocket will go unnoticed. Or a cadet or bantam leaves room for a 74mm. 

Thanks Carl 

For cadet + 74mm, I might as well stick with my Evowood 14 I still want the hook when shopping too 

This has been the carry for the last couple of days though



Some days I do stick with a very light carry set up, a Wenger Pocket Tool Chest is a good one for that, but it's more the exception than the the rule. I feel rather under dressed with anything less than an 84mm Vic (or equivalent).