Spyderco Travel Carry: C94 UK Penknife Drop Point & C192 PITS Folder

A knifeknut looks forward to two things, when traveling abroad. First, which cool knives can I find on my trip to add to my collection? Second, which knives will I bring with me for everyday carry? I answered that last question last summer, with the C94 UK Penknife Drop Point and the C192 PITS Folder sprint run in M390.

My personal recipe to determine which knives to carry while traveling, is to go over these questions:

• What are my cutting needs during the trip?
• What are the weather and/or carry conditions?
• What can I legally carry in the countries I’m visiting?
• What are the risks of me losing the knives while traveling?
• Which knives would I like to try out this time?

Mind you, this is not a list I go over consciously. It’s a mostly a mental process, which usually starts while I’m stuck in traffic a few weeks before my vacation starts. And it ends with me packing my gear the night before I depart. These were not the only knives I brought with me, but they were my EDC folders at every stop or destination. I tossed a Swiss Army knife in my bag to cover my ‘possible need for tools’, and I carried a pair of lightweight slipits for the days I was driving for hours to our destinations. Full disclosure, I also packed a few dedicated ‘kitchen cutters’ that stay in the kitchen of the trailer or cabin where we stayed; a Lum Chinese Folder XL and a serrated Police 3. The benefit of traveling by car is that you can stow away plenty of ‘extras’. This article just focuses on my everyday carry folders at our destinations.

Cutting needs

This year, we’d be traveling to Belgium, France, Italy and Switzerland. A mix of visiting cities, camp grounds in the woods and mountain hikes. This meant that my EDC spydie not only had to service my everyday cutting needs, but also to pitch in with picnics and food prep. The C94 works great for these chores, you can do a lot with a 3 inch blade. The drop point blade shape made it a little easier to spread peanut butter, jams and various cream cheeses for lunch and breakfast. And the S30V steel blade holds an edge just fine for a few weeks. The C192 was mostly held in reserve as a spare and to have a sharp edge handy in case of emergencies.

Weather and carry conditions

Since we’d be traveling mostly in forest and mountain areas, I could leave my H-2 folders at home. I required folders with a low profile that would also be lightweight. Since we’d be visiting cities, I opted for the deep-carry foldover clips, whicht are featured on the C94 and C192. The linerless G10 handle of the UK Penknife and the rounded Titanium handles of the C192 were comfortable to carry both inside-the-waistband or in a pocket.

Legalities

I’m no legal expert, but I did google international knife laws a few times. I did my own research so to speak 😉. Just to be sure, I decided I’d go with slipits on this trip. Sure, if you come across an official that has a bad day and he/she spots you with a knife, your day can be ruined regardless of the features of your pocket knife. But hey, why not stack the odds in your favor? Also, my French isn’t that good, that I feel comfortable enough to argue knife laws with an official. So a low profile carry clip helps. Also, don’t be a dick when carrying and using your pocket knife. Use it when you need to, and be courteous to the people around you.

Risks of loss

For this trip, we’d be traveling in our native North-west Europe. I have been visiting these countries numerous times since I was a kid, and I feel very comfortable with the local culture. We travelled by car and stayed at a few campgrounds in a rented trailer and in a hotel. All had good reviews and were in safe areas. I knew I’d feel 100% comfortable and figured the risk of losing my knives, from theft or confiscation, was certainly no bigger than at home. That is why I felt comfortable to carry the out-of-production UK Penknife, and the sprint run PITS folder. When flying, I tend to either not bring a knife at all (because I’m buying a metric ton at my destination 😉), or a knife I can ‘afford to lose’ to the sticky hands of baggage handlers, or hotel workers in locations I’m unfamiliar with.

Knives to try out

To be honest, I hadn’t taken the C94 drop point from my collection for quite a few years. When it came out in 2009/2010, I carried it frequently. And not just because I needed a ‘legal’ folder without a lock, but because it’s just such an awesome and well put together folding knife. But with time, new designs come along to try out, and some great folders get less pocket-time. It was definitely time to get out the C94 again. A little oil on the pivot and few strokes on the Sharpmaker, together with a tension check on the screws and pivot, and it was good to go. The C192 PITS Folder was a recent addition from 2022, that I mostly picked because of it’s such a breeze to carry, while also offering a full grip and sturdy spring. Perfect for a back-up folder.

Conclusion

We had a great time and the trip went very well. The UK Penknife did most of the work and did it very well. It never raised an eyebrow wherever we went, and it was easy to carry. The C94 performed a wide range of tasks: a little whittling, teaching my daughter the joy of whittling on the banks of a creek in the middle of a forest, opening that bag of ‘exotic’ chips, preparing lunch, or taking care of that loose thread on that new t-shirt. The C94 did it all with aplomb. The PITS did what I needed it to do, just be there and don’t get in the way.

That is a little insight in my selection process for picking a knife to travel with, what is your process? How do you select just the right knives for travel?

See more details of the C94 UK Penknife on SpydieWiki, where you’ll also find all the details on the C192 PITS Folder.