I recently purchased a Mini-RSK (GREAT knife for the price BTW) for my wife and she doesn't understand why I feel you should always have a light and a knife with you at all times. She sees why you might want the light, but indicates she never really has the need for a knife.

I'm from Alaska, and as my mother pointed out, basically all men there carry a knife, so as far as I'm concerned, not carrying a knife is the oddity. Even so, my mother thinks this is sort of a "guy" thing.

From my perspective, I see the knife as such a rudimentary tool that I can't quite articulate why in terms that my wife (and mother) would understand.

I've seen this come up here before, so I thought perhaps I'd put up this challenge for someone to capture it on paper in a somewhat (an urban) PC context, so that all of us with this problem might benefit.

Thanks!

-john

I don't think it'll work.

I don't know your audience, but I've been in similiar situations. On the surface, it looks like a "use" argument... "Why would you need to carry a knife?". But it's not. There's almost always a deeper objection. Figure out what it is, and address that. Some people are afraid of knives. Some people associate a knife with a certain personality type, and assume anyone carrying a knife must either be like that, or is trying to be like that (what are you, Rambo or something)? Some regard the knife carrier as less mature or less civilized. Too often "Guy Thing" seems to mean "immature".

You know what another "guy thing" is? The ability to ignore anyone and everyone regarding any particular issue. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

That said, I use my knife a lot. Cut open packages, bags, etc. Mail opener. Remove frayed threads. Slice my sandwich. Cut my steak. Cut up cardboard boxes before trashing them. Lots of day to day things. I like the positive reinforcement I get from taking the time and effort to learn how to hand sharpen my knife. The sharper I can get it, the easier and more enjoyable each of these tasks become.

If you haven't been together long enough, under enough circumstances, for her to get it, we won't be able to tell her.

It took several years before my wife/other understood not merely the utility, but the necessity of carrying a knife at all times.

Interestingly, after Katrina, she no longer questions my knife/light/gun by the bed obsession/compulsion.

I guess I come by mine honestly, though. I grew up on a ranch, where a knife is litterlaly more important than your pants. And, both my father and uncle were in the pacific in WWII. My dad was on nasty little islands where they slept with a .45 and a knife under their pillows, when they had pillows. The knife was to cut yourself out of the tent. My uncle was exec on an av-gas tanker, and a knife was considered to be an essential extrication tool.

I am remided of the cliche, "why ask why?"

I think it's important to be able to articulate to yourself why a knife on the person is a good idea. It may make you more proficient with it and imaginitive with its applications.

Something like having the basic sharpened wedge of forged steel, though, strikes me as more of a question of "why not" rather than "why." With the way everyone pats about themselves to make sure they have the mind-bendingly unimportant minutia of the wallet, keys, the enormous tangle of useless items I typically see in purses, etc., how can we not have the same number of and hopefully better proofs that having a knife on hand is a good idea? Don't let the complexities of a red-taped record-keeping culture blind you to the basic needs of a human. Can your wife really give you more real life examples of how she will need to whip out that extra makeup compact and social security card than you can for using a sharpened piece of metal? How deeper can you delve in terms of basic human needs or preparedness?

Not that this definitely addresses your specific issue, but I remember getting in huge trouble with my parents when I was 14 and they found I was carrying a lighter; they were sure I was smoking, but I just had it in case I needed to start a fire. I had this same argument with them, and I think it is applicable to your knife deal:

It's a very valid point to say "why would you ever have to start a fire?" However, I think that it's even MORE valid, and therefore eradicates the need for specific examples, to say "if I ever DID need to, imagine how hard it would be without one."

I've been lucky with my girlfriend because she doesn't object to my knives and gadgets.

However, getting her and my mother to carry some gear wasn't easy. They both agreed that flashlights would be useful since my mother was locked in an elevator that fell down two floors. The lights went out and they had to be taken out by firefighters. The marshall, after inspecting the elevator told the ten people that were inside that a flashlight and a screwdriver would have been enough to open the door from the inside.

Small survival kits and vehicle kits also seemed to be OK if I made them and they didn't get in the way.

Knives were the toughest. No amount of logic was enough because, even though they don't see knives as weapons they do think they are a guy thing. I found SAKs to be a very good way to get them into knives.

I bought my girlfriend a SwissCard, she carried it and liked it. Then I have her a Midnite Manager, she liked it a lot, too, and found it very useful. Then came a regular sized Huntsman and a year or two after that she started carrying a small lockback I had customized for her (I've found that some women need a "cuteness" factor in their knives). A couple of days ago, she borrowed my Ritter Grip. My work with her is done.

My mother is still stuck in the Midnite Manager stage, but she usually travels in her car where I've placed some trusty fixed blades in different kits.

Anyway, that's what worked for me. Sometimes logic isn't the easy way, and going from no knife to a full sized one hand opener can be a big strech. Try the SAK idea, not even the most anti-knife PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. say no to a SAK. I know they aren't hardcore survival folders, but they can be very useful and are a whole lot better than no knife at all.

Thanks for the feedback so far. Some very good points.

I do admit that she already had a small SAK in her purse and I didn't even prompt that. She also reluctaintly put the Mini-RSK in her purse. She doesn't really care that I EDC a flashlight and a knife, although she does think I'm a little silly to do so.

So, this isn't really an issue of convincing her to carry the knife, but convincing her that it is a good idea. Basically she is just humoring me.

I guess from one perspective, if she ever really needs a knife, she'll become a beliver on her own, but it does seem to me that it would be optimal that she thought it was importaint, or she might leave it out at some point and latter need it. Also, I think it would be more optimal if she carried on her person instead of the purse, but that won't happen without belief of importance.

In general, this is just a mini example of the whole idea about being prepared and how some people think it is "odd" to prepare in this way.

Again, thanks for all your thoughts so far!

-john

I've seen so many people attempt to use their car keys as a knife to cut the tape on boxes or as a screwdriver to tighten a loose screw in their chair/desk/eyeglasses/etc that I'm amazed people don't at least carry a multitool. I think I use mine for something every day, knife blade or some other part.

Good grief -- my mother, at the age of 78, EDCs a S&W Centenial Airweight loaded with Glazers. She's getting old, so she only practices with mid-range wad. Plus P's, she says, are hard on her wrist.

Instead of trying to explain or justify it, I would use first-hand experiences to illustrate your point.

Maybe a camping trip would help. You could conveniently forget your flashlights at home. Show up at the campground at dark. Attempt to set-up tent. (Of course you'll suffer from not much sleep that night).

Or perhaps removing all the knives from the kitchen would work. When your wife asks why you did so, mention you didn't think she needed them anymore. (You'll probably suffer by not getting a meal).

Granted, I'm being a little cynical. But I've put together emergency kits and given gifts of a preparedness nature and most of them sit on a shelf somewhere gathering dust.

Sadly, unless most people have a need or reason to use the tools, they can't be convinced of how useful they truly are.

Sorry for the repeat post, but has she ever asked to borrow your knife?