Life hasn't been so outdoorsy this summer. Perhaps it's just time going faster than normal. A blink after Christmas and bang! We flew over the entire January; February is already eating dust. Where's all the planned fishing trips and bikepackings and sorts? Hell, I don't know. One weekend is way too hot, the other way too rainy and so on.
That brings me to a realization: I love posting about outdoor stuff, but am not having the opportunity to write any worth-posting epic adventuring or related articles. That means I paid a visit to the box of odds in search of inspiration. As the name suggests, all kinds of trinkets live in there, including my collection of pocket knives. Yeah, just as you thought... another pocket knife write-up incoming.
Not sure if the Outdoor & more community share the same excitement in Victorinox Swiss Army knives. I love them — readers might have noticed. And photographing a good ole pocket knife is as fun as actually collecting/using them, which makes gear articles the coolest to write.
The most frugal pocket knife in my collection is undoubtedly the Opinel — basically a steel blade stuck in a wooden handle. However, we are talking about Swiss Army knives, the generally red ones known for the multi-functions. The previously-posted Huntsman and Spartan are classic examples of Victorinox's ingenuity to pack several tools in a single foldable knife.
Against the bigger brothers, the Bantam suffices the minimalists.
2013 Nikon D7100 | 50mm | f2.8 | ISO100 | 1/400s
Minimalism inspired the photos. I still wanted to add props to make the photos more interesting, but without over-doing. Unlike the more common red plastic scales (side handles), this Bantam has a beautiful aluminum Alox finish, which deserves all the attention. Mine is natural, though there are anodized versions in various colors.
2013 Nikon D7100 | 50mm | f2.8 | ISO100 | 1/400s
The red Victorinox logo matches so beautifully the ribbed aluminum finish, especially since the rivets aged into a brownish brass color. (This model might be nearing 20 years in my collection.) The knife in itself looks vintage out of the box already, although the more time passes, the cooler it looks.
Bantam Alox tools
The 63mm stainless steel blade is quite sharp and useful. It's the perfect size to eat cheese and salami at a campsite, as I say to friends. Basic & functional. On the other end, there's the traditional combo tool (flat head screwdriver, can-opener, cap-lifter and a wire-stripper).
This is not my go-to pocket knife for many reasons. If I want to go basic, the Opinel suits well; for anything else I prefer to have extra tools. I remember using the cap-lifter more than the blade, to be honest — works wonders as a show-off fancy beer opener at barbecues with friends.
6mm thick is bonkers
All that said, the great advantage here is the marriage of minimalism, basic tools and size. Because there's one layer of tools, the Bantam is extremely thin and lightweight (~6mm thick and 29g). Those stats are hard to match.
Price-wise it ranges around 25 USD, which is an ok-ish range for anyone looking to start a collection. Makes me wonder how much I paid some 20 years ago {shock}.
In conclusion, this pocket knife is perfect to slice cheese/salami and pop some cold beers while hanging with friends on a hot summer afternoon.
What about posting about your own collection?! It would be awesome to see what the fellow Hivers hide in their pockets.
Peace.
Disclaimer: The author of this post is a convict broke backpacker, who has travelled more than 10.000 km hitchhiking and more than 5.000 km cycling. Following him may cause severe problems of wanderlust and inquietud. You've been warned.
