The Carry Conundrum

[Netherend]

Every morning , after I get dressed I face some tough choices. What knife will I carry today? This forum is filled with knife collectors who I am sure also face this challenge daily.

Lately my weekday EDCs have been split between the para 3 and native 5.

Which would you carry today ? What are your hard choices (lol or privileged options). ?

[benben]

I have the luxury of living 10/12 minutes from work, I eat lunch at home four days a week. It’s very common for me to take one knife with me in the morning and switch out at lunch and carry a different knife in the afternoon.

Between the two you posted, for me….absolutely the Native!

[VooDooChild]

I start with the weather. If its dry and cool then probably a tool steel. If its wet, stainless.

[yablanowitz]

I wear cargo pants so I have more pockets to carry more knives. That cuts down on the decision making.

[JSumm]

This is hilarious. Hilarious because I know there are a lot of us out there. My tough choices are in my signature. Every morning. Every gosh darn morning.

Occasionally I'll slip in my Native 5. But honestly it is to scratch my itch for getting a Native Chief.

There are other beautiful knives and I occasionally slip those models in. But the ones in my signature line get most the time. Or most the holding in the morning trying to figure out who's up for the day's challenges.

[Manixguy@1994]

I normally carry two folders . I almost always have at least one Salt model in pocket . Weather can be a big factor if planning chores outside . Lately I may have three but one is getting some attention in the garage for some project I may be worked on . My main carry is usually a larger knife but nothing wrong with the Native in my book . MG2

[Naperville]

You're halfway there. Throw in the Spyderco Nightstick and you will see my problem.

Either one of several folders or a fixed blade or two. I think I'll just carry them all.

[Coastal]

It's hard for me to choose a small folder over a large for clip carry. I usually carry a small clipless folder loose in a front pocket, and a Pac Salt sized or larger folder clipped in a hip pocket. I probably worry too much about rust, but if I'm outdoors it's almost always a Salt. It usually comes down to some form of Pac Salt or Caribbean. I also tend to carry flatter knives more than fatter ones, so the Pac Salt usually wins.

As for the OP's conundrum, I've never even seen a PM3 in real life, and only received my first Native a couple days ago, so I have no experience to share.

[mikey177]

I carry the Native 5 more often than the Para 3. I like backlocks more than compression locks.

With regard to my other knives, I choose what to carry based on my attire and what I plan to do that day.

If I will be working in the yard, I get a serrated Salt model. If I have a fancy evening planned, I might choose something in Titanium.

Every knife gets carried a few times a year.

[James Y]

Between the G10 Para 3 and the Native 5, I prefer the G10 Para 3. The Native 5 has never appealed to me in hand as much as other designs.

As for which knives I carry, I mostly carry one or sometimes two of the following:

All-black G10 Manix 2
All-black Para 3
Native Chief
Pm2
Ladybug HB Salt SE

Around the house:
SE Tasman Salt SE
UKPK Salt SE

I have MANY more Spydercos, but these are the ones I carry and use the most.

Jim

[kobold]

A Minichamp is always on my keychain. A Native, Sage, Chaparral, DF2, small Sebenza, Buck/Mayo TNT or Pioneer for city carry in the pocket or IWB in the summer.
In cold weather I carry a large folder suitable for gloved hands - the Military or the Chief. If I have a bag or backpack, there is a fixed blade beater in it - a Ruike Hornet, a Hultafors or a Mora.

I also like small fixed blades for EDC:

[aicolainen]

Mornings are too stressful to ponder about such decisions. What’s already in my pants is usually what I’ll carry that day.
I mostly do office type work, so whatever I carry doesn’t really make a big impact on my work day.
In the rare event that it does, I’ll usually prepare the day before or fallback to one of my stash knives that I have laying around in my office, backpack, car etc.
To be honest, I’ve become a little boring with regards to my knife carry. The “system” above works so well, I’ll usually just carry a variation of the DF2 because of the convenient size and weight.

I guess my “boring” every-days are also part of the reason I get a little excited for the other-days. If I’m doing fieldwork, workshop work or some activity on my spare time, I put a lot more thought and effort into gear selection.

It’s funny how blade carry have evolved for me. When I first stumbled upon folding knives and EDC 5-6 years ago, I had a hard time justifying the idea of always carrying a knife. I hadn’t really suffered all those years without one, and it really messed up my pocket arrangement..
Fast forward to present and I typically carry two blades, albeit both are usually on the smaller side of the spectrum (currently DF2 and a Cadet) and more often than not I have a couple more within reach. I can’t tell you if this is the meritocracy of tools playing out, and their presence in my life is simply a direct consequence of their usefulness. Or maybe it’s just my mind distorted by spending to much time on these forums…

[Evil D]

I have the opposite problem, I try to carry something and keep circling back around to the same one. I've had days where I put a knife in my pocket and before I'm out the door I've turned around and gone back to switch it out for the one I carry the most.

[The Deacon]

My choice almost always comes down to which of my dozen or more versions of the Stretch is going to ride in my back pocket and which of my 70+ versions of the Kiwi is going to ride in my watch pocket.

[Matus]

Nearly always Urban if I head towards civilization (though Ark SE will be everntually carried as well). Otherwise Schempp Bowie or Pacific Salt H1 SE.

[curlyhairedboy]

I have the opposite problem, I try to carry something and keep circling back around to the same one. I've had days where I put a knife in my pocket and before I'm out the door I've turned around and gone back to switch it out for the one I carry the most.

yeah, i'm there with you. And it's difficult because it's clear evidence of my preferences in carry/use, but I'm loving the other ones for features/design too....

[ladybug93]

i almost always carry a pe and a se. those choices are typically also a non-salt and a salt.

i carry one from this group based on what i'm expecting to do and/or how i'm feeling:
manix 2 lw
spydiechef
ikuchi
yojimbo 2
resilience

and then i pair it with either the pacific salt h1 se or the sheepsfoot caribbean se

if i only want to carry one knife for the day, it's going to be the caribbean because it combines my favorite and most necessary attributes into a single model. if i'm working out, i'll only carry the pac salt because it's the most comfortable iwb. if i'm just lounging around the house, i may choose to grab my native salt (pe) since i'm not likely to need my knife for emergency uses. if i want a change, i occasionally sub out my damascus delica zome or astute for my pe carry. the 4max scout gets carried occasionally as well, as does the esee avispa or composite blade kershaw dividend.

it's not usually a difficult decision day-to-day. sometimes i'll stand there for a minute or two and think about it, but usually, i already know what i'm in the mood to carry before i get there. and now that i don't have to worry about ridiculous rules at work, i typically carry the same knives all day and don't switch them out when i get back home.

having a diverse collection is a good problem to have. currently, i'm looking to make the decision harder by continuously adding more choices.

[z1r]

My EDC is almost always the same, a ZDP DF2 and a K390 Endela. Last week I substituted a Spy27 N5 for the Endela for several days, on the other days, I substituted a SE Wharnie Delica or Byrd Hawkbill for eth DF2. This morning the dilemma was which Ladybug should ride in my 5th pocket? I settled on the ZDP LB.

Glad I did use the Spy27 N5 last week. I realized that it is so easy to sharpen and of course the N5 itself make such a great EDC. I'm spoiled though and like to carry both a larger and smaller knife instead of just the N5. I suppose I carry two in part to justify having so many to choose from, lol.

[wrdwrght]

I’ve ceased trying to work up a decision-tree wherein I coldly judge: if this, carry that.

I now just grab the Spydie that warms my heart at the moment.

Over the years, I have carefully built up a choice of many, and very different, Spyderco models. I’ve kept them because they’re “all good, just different”, as some guy here reminds us from time to time.

My decision may prove dissatisfying an hour after I walk out the door. But while wishing I’d chosen that other Spydie, I can still enjoy the goodness of the one I have. Many revelations occur in this state of mind, not least, I get to fall in love all over again with the one I should have chosen.

I will say that two situations play on my impulsiveness. A new Spydie may get carried longer, so long as its novelty lingers. And, if I have special knife-work ahead of me, I carry the Spydie best designed for that purpose.

Essentially, I carry promiscuously, but limit my promiscuity just to carrying. Seems to work for the one woman in my life.

[TkoK83Spy]

I don't have nearly the size collection of many of the members here, but I have managed to assemble a pretty great stable of knives overall (for my likes and uses).

I find the best way to solve the carry conundrum is to carry a knife for a couple days a week, to ensure it gets use and that the model/steel still works for me and I enjoy it. I typically work 6 days a week, well 5 and a half...so I try to use 3 different knives throughout the week. That helps cycle through the collection, as well have enough time to enjoy each knife.