Correct, bag could be misconceived as for water, I meant pouch for contents, good eye Doug.

Ooh can't wait.

Lee

Leigh Ratcliffe,

John McCann here. I'm a little surprised that you lose all respect for someone based on a statement made by a reporter.

Ist of all, Both my wife and I carry a SAK Farmer everyday of our life, and the most used item is the saw. We both also carry a plain blade 1 Hand Trekker in a spec-ops pouch on the shoulder straps of our packs. Of course, we both carry fixed blade knives, but we don't have a problem with SAK's.

During a course where a reporter for the NY Times was both, attending and reporting, we had a discussion where he asked why I didn't carry one of those large McGuiver type SAK's and I indicated they had too much junk on them, "Like a phillips screwdriver... I've never had to unscrew a tree" The statement was cavalier, I agree, but was taken out of context when the article was written.

I wish people would take what reporters say with a grain of salt, but they normally take it as gospel. You will think what you want, but I do like SAK's and carry them (you certainly cant beat their saws.

John

Thanks for the clarification/correction, John! The internet can be bad about stuff like that. And written communication has that inherent weakness about it- context can be difficult to tease out. Often a joke or facetious statement is taken out of context and the misunderstanding takes on a life of it's own.

For the life of me I can't see what purpose those enormous SAKs satisfy. It's nice to have a good array of gadgets but at some point the thing is to large as to be difficult to use and so heavy that you may as well pack a full sized version of the tool! My favorite SAKs are the smallest ones. I find the scissors to fantastic, better than most small stand-alone units. The little tweezers has also saved the day a few times for me. I don't have a SAK that has a phillips head driver, but FWIW I think it would be very useful. Think of all the gear you might have on you that takes phillips head screws. Some battery compartments have phillips heads, and of course glasses are made with very small ones. If nothing else, a phillips head driver would be handing for starting a pilot hole on the fireboard for a bow/hand drill.

Speaking of screwdrivers on knives. I EDC a Leatherman Wave. The only times I have ever used the very small Philips head screwdriver is for my eyeglasses. Fits perfectly!

John,
Thank you for putting the record straight. I guess that demonstrates the need to exercise extreme caution when talking to the press.

It's interesting that most serious players pick the Farmer and/or the OHT as prefered carry items. They are probably the best tools of their kind presently available.

Just out of curiosity, what are your view's about belt knives?

Or when listening to the press!

As I read stories about SAR missions in my local area, I can't believe just how wrong the press gets things. Basic facts like where things are where roads and such go, etc. It's maddening. They're so freakin' clueless and don't care enough to get it right. Gotta meet that deadline.

HJ

I am not a fan of the larger SAKs for the same reason John gave.
I do find the little classic on the key-chain handy and usually have the aluminum sided standard model in a pocket.
(I wish it was locking instead of slip, but oh well)

I have owned several versions of the SAKs with multitudes of blades in them and the truth for me is they are too bulky to carry and too awkward to use easily.
I find it easier to just carry a simpler blade and have a small leatherman in my tool kit.

PS, I am not very impressed with the SAK saw blade either. They are too small for serious cutting and I have snapped a few. (YMMV)

I have a confession to make. I'm lusting after one of these:

http://www.swisstool.co.uk/st/product.ph...CFQGZ2AodRk2Fbg

Now that's a tool

On a more serious note, considering the SAK as a survival tool, John's observations about K.I.S.S. are probably about right.

I, personally, E.D.C. a SwissChamp and a Farmer. If I'm dropped in the pot with just them and the lighter that I always carry, I'm quite certain that I can survive. Certainly short term.

Does XLT stand for eXtra Ludicrous Tool?

HJ