40 years ago today, first SAK

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It was around 1969 when some relatives came to visit.  Their road trip took them through Tijuana where they bought and gifted my two brothers each a switchblade.  I remember watching as they showed them off, the quick snap of the blades, the excitement in their voices. It was the first time I understood, quietly but clearly, that there were things they could have that I could not. That realization stayed with me longer than the visit itself.

Not everything felt unequal, though.  My father made sure of that. He taught me how to ride a motorcycle, how to change the oil and a flat tire on my 1968 VW Beetle, how to shoot a gun out in the Cajon Pass, and even how to siphon gas from a car.  He treated me no differently than my brothers, and I carried that with me.  There were small differences—he liked my long hair and didn’t want my mom to cut it, while my brothers wore buzz cuts—but I never felt less capable in his eyes.  When he took us shopping for school clothes, I learned my waist and inseam before I ever learned anything about women’s sizes.  For a long time, I lived in Levi’s and Hang Ten shirts, not thinking much of it.  Years later, I would find my way to the women’s department, thank goodness.

There were other lessons, too.  My brother once shot me with his BB gun.  He told our mom it ricocheted off a tree, but I’ve always suspected otherwise.  It stung more than it hurt, but I cried anyway.  Whatever curiosity I might have had about guns faded quickly after that.

I didn’t get my first knife until I was a young adult.  I remember the exact day: April 20, 1986, 40 years ago today.  It was the day my cat, Maui, died.  I was devastated in a way that felt physical, like something had been hollowed out inside me.  Later that day, I went to Gemco, not looking for anything in particular, just needing to be somewhere other than home.  I found myself at the sporting goods counter, standing in front of a rotating display of Swiss Army knives.  I had always liked them, mostly from watching MacGyver—how he could solve almost anything with a small, clever tool and a bit of ingenuity.  There was always a way out, always a resolution.

I chose a Victorinox Camper.

That knife became my Maui knife.  I carried it nearly every day for the next five years.  It was more than a tool—it was a small, steady presence, something I could reach for. I developed a habit of tapping my right pocket to make sure it was still there.  It always was, until one day it wasn’t.

I had just left a movie theater when I noticed it missing.  I went back almost immediately, retraced my steps, checked the seat, the floor, the lobby.  It was gone.  Losing it felt oddly similar to losing Maui: sudden, quiet, and final.

I still have the original box. Years later, a friend gave me another Camper, engraved with Maui’s name and the date I bought the first one.  It meant more than I expected it to.

Over time, knives became more than something I carried. They became something I appreciated—design, function, craftsmanship. I gravitated toward brands that felt honest in their purpose: Mora for its simplicity and value, Opinel for its clean slicing ability, Spyderco for its efficiency, and Chris Reeve for its precision and enduring quality.  Each one offered something slightly different, but all of them shared a sense of reliability I’ve always valued.

Looking back, it’s not really about the knives themselves.  It never was.  It’s about what they represent—independence, capability, memory.  From the sting of that first exclusion, to the steady encouragement of my father, to the quiet comfort of a small red knife in my pocket, each moment shaped how I moved through the world.

[magentus]

Thank you for sharing this date with us FoBe  it's always interesting learning how members of our club arrived here. Very poignant too.

[LoopCutter]

Wow!   Excuse me, dust must be in the air!

Great memories and a fantastic DAD who valued you enough to teach and love you.

April 20, 1986 is NOW MAUI DAY!

I have just one camper, came to me used via the auction site, strangely it sets in the display near a RED LEAP I was gifted by an amazingly kind woman a couple years ago.
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Thank you magentas and LC for the comments. 
I apologize for the long read, but it has been 40 years in the making.   

[pfrsantos]

Thank you for sharing this date with us FoBe  it's always interesting learning how members of our club arrived here. Very poignant too.

+1

 

[VICMAN]

Thank you for sharing this, FoBe!

The last paragraph sums it up perfectly!

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Thank you pfrsantos and VICMAN. 

[VICMAN]

Thank you pfrsantos and VICMAN. 

You are welcome, FoBe!

[ThisAlarm7]

I hate that you lost the original every lost knife like that for me still stings. I love the Camper great model I love my 80s era Camper probably made right around the time you got your first.

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ThisAlarm7, I like most everything about the 80s.  I did eventually get a new-old-stock 80s era Camper.  I keep it pristine instead of using it.

[nate j]

Thanks for sharing this story.

I guess I would have hit 30 years since my first SAK last month, though I didn’t make note of it at the time.

[IMR4198]

   I remembered the story of losing your first Camper in a movie theater.  I shudder to think what public opinion would be about giving young people switchblades as a gift today.  We seem to have lost our bearings somewhere. 
   I became an Opinel fan when Lisa sent me one.  She even asked me which one I wanted.  I said beech and carbone, and she picked the size.   I remember the gift every time I carry it.  And the person, even though we never met. 
    Thanks again and thanks for the beautiful story.  Love and loss and a red knife or two.  Perfect. 
Best wishes,
Gary 
 

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Thank you all for the kind words.

Glad you like the Opinel, Gary! 

[psyjohn]

What a wonderful story. And that's a truly great friend who gifted you with a new personalized Camper.

I grew up with a cat named Crackerjack. My first memory was the day we got her, Christmas morning of 1972. She was with us until summer of 91, long enough to meet my first wife. As I'm thinking about this, I just posted my favorite SAK in the "In Your Pocket" thread, a 74mm Companion which could possibly be from 72. I think I'll start calling it my CrackerJack knife in honor of my childhood feline friend.

[Myron]

Fantastic post and story, Lisa!   I loved reading it, and I love that you have the box and receipt from your first SAK purchase.  I have mine too!

Myron

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Great cat name psyjohn!

Cool that you have your first SAK box and receipt, Myron!

[AzteCypher]

Awesome story.  Thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[powernoodle]

    

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Thank you AzteCypher and powernoodle!   

[ThisAlarm7]

ThisAlarm7, I like most everything about the 80s. 

So much the same! 

[Chako]

That was exceptionally well written FolderBeholder.

I myself am very sentimental. My first knife was given to me the first time we went camping at a place called Elliot Lake for the summer. It was a Hobo made by STAG Ireland with black plastic handles. Me and that knife have many fond memories. That summer, my father taught me about knife safety. I fondly remember using it to eat most of my meals that summer. I remember being invited 3 trailers down for a cup of soup by a lonely old lady. I had my parent's permission.  I recall her talking about my knife as I devoured the chicken noodle soup. It was the first time I ever saw pieces of egg in a Mr. Noodles cup of soup. That was back in 1980. I was all of 6 years old. Still got the knife despite my losing it a few years later in a forested area. I spent 6 hours looking for it. I can only imagine the feelings in losing yours as I know I would have been devastated myself.

20240901_112035A by Chako, on Flickr

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So glad you still have that knife Chako! 

[Huntsman]

Wonderful story FB - Thanks for sharing these personal insights into your life, family and knife/tool history.

I don't think it was my very first SAK, and certainly not my first pocket knife - But the first one I remember well - probably because I carried it for about 30 years! - was a Huntsman from the late 70s / early 80s - I had it until it was stolen by some removal men.

Still hurts that I lost it, particularly as I hate losing things, and now because it is the evolution of SAKs in which I am interested, and that was a time of a lot of change*!
Like yourself I now have a Huntsman from that era - But black scales not red!

* By 'a lot of change', I mean to a SAK nerd like myself - Of course to many people (not here) the Huntsman then is the same as the Huntsman now   - ie - "It's got the same tools - So it's the same - Right?"   

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In hindsight Huntsman, I think I would have liked the Huntsman model.  I knew I wanted a wood saw, but at the time had no idea how good Victorinox scissors are.