The Hobo and the Swiss Army Fairy Video

Swiss Army Knife Revisited

. . . and a playful rebuttal to Ubertramp.com ‘s article Swiss Army Knives: Just Another Travel Rip-Off

I love my Swiss Army knife. It is a real one too, and has Victorinox etched into the blade and the Swiss flag stamped proudly on its handle. I paid a pretty penny for it, but I use this tool a dozen times a day, and it has not let me down yet. Never afraid of being cliche, I will state with assurance that my Swiss Army knife has every tool that I normally use daily in one ]package: Read the full Swiss Army Knife Debate here

A good blade to cut stuff
A can opener to eat stuff
A bottle opener (no, I cannot open a beer with a phone book, Ubertramp)
A corkscrew
A usable flat-head screw driver
A saw that I have actually used on a few odd occasions
Tweezers for picking out toe gunk
A tooth pick for tooth gunk
and . . .
A punch that I am still trying to find a real use for

This knife is simple. It has everything I need, and nothing that I do not, in a single, concise package. The steel is of high quality and does not rust when I get it wet while opening cans of food in the bush. In all, my Swiss Army knife removes the need of having to clumsily cart around a dozen separate implements, which will just toss about, and probably get lost in, the innards of my rucksack. I asked a Swiss girl the other day how she feels about the knives of her army. She gave me an astonished look, seemingly taken aback that I would even ask such a blasphemous question, and responded very seriously and bluntly with, “They are indispensable.”

Apologies, Ubertramp, but I side with the Swiss army on this one. But I do admire your bravery for challenging the sacred ground upon which the Swiss Army knife traditionally sits for nearly every traveler on this planet. Wade from Song of the Open Road sends you a big high five for treading such an unblazed path. My only regret is that I must astutely defend one of my most trusted sidekicks- the Swiss Army Knife. (Hmm, what is Andy’s take on this? Traveling Chris, are you out there? Byron? I know you are out there; Loren? I don’t think he wastes his time reading this; Erik the Pilot? I know you carry your Swiss Army knife next to your shotgun).

So here is a little video that I put together to back up my defense (with humor ever in mind, of course):

Wade from VagabondJourney.com
Vila Nova de Milfontes, Portugal
November 26, 2007