3 Good Reasons to Always Carry a Knife

With a nod to Gibbs' Rule #9 -- "Never go anywhere without a knife" -- we humbly present three good reasons to always carry a knife.

1. Emergencies happen. We don't mean to cause alarm here, but imagine that you've been in an auto accident. Your seat-belt latch is jammed and you need to get out in a hurry before (shall we say) something really bad happens. If you have a knife, you can cut the belt and escape.

Or picture this: you're stranded, alone and miles from home. That knife in your pocket, however humble as it is, immediately becomes your survival knife. It's still a difficult situation, for sure, but at least you have an indispensable tool which (along with your skills and the proper mindset) might just save your life.

Be prepared, for cryin' out loud -- carry a knife.

2. Something always needs cutting. Does a day go by that you don't come across a task that'd go better with a knife?

Something long should be shorter. A wire needs stripping, a shrub needs pruning. Annoying clothing tags must be snipped from collar seams, and right now. Tape and rope, envelopes and cardboard boxes.

School projects.

And that's not counting how handy a knife can be for making unexpected repairs -- like, say, effecting a temporary fix on a cracked radiator hose.

3. Face it, you gotta eat. Obviously, many everyday-carry knives see what we call "picnic duty" -- quartering an apple, slicing salami and cheese, spreading mayo and the like. But how often would a person take out a pocketknife in a fancy restaurant to cut their steak?

Quite often, actually. We do it all the time.

Nothing frustrates a real knife person as much as an insufferably useless steak knife. The good news is that as long as you carry your own knife, you'll never go hungry.

Looking for knife-shopping guidance? Check out "How to choose a knife to carry every day."