The paid subscription investment is sooooooooooooooooo worth it. There is far too much to comment on each week without sounding like a nut, so I’ll add that the archive alone is a goldmine of useful reference info.
Just this morning I lost ANOTHER beloved Leatherman Squirt ES4 (the “Make: Warranty Voider” version) to the TSA while racing to catch a flight at the Denver airport (collectors, watch those TSA-supplied eBay sites). In the following hour of loss and lightweight-everyday-carry-tool reinvention, I remembered the article in Issue #150 and searched the substack for the Shop Talk section of Issue #152. There, a fellow follower talked about the ultra-simple and airplane safe tools he liked to carry. I ordered a Gerber Shard for $10 on Amazon and look forward to not having to remember to take it off my keychain before all the future flights where I’m not checking bags.
If some TSA agent decides the Shard on my keychain is too dangerous, it will be much less a loss than a no-longer-made sentimental treasure. And for those who always wondered, the TSA agent wouldn’t let me just snap the knife off of the Squirt E4 while standing there on the concourse side of the checkpoint to make it compliant—I didn’t have time to stay and ask why—had to fly.
My go-to flashlight these days also happens to be a pretty good travel accessory that can serve as a night light. Olight’s Perun 2 Mini isn’t cheap, but it’s small (think of a $1.50 stack of nickels), crazy powerful and super versatile thanks to its magnetic tailcap and (included) headband mount. Since I’ve become an Old Guy, I find myself increasingly leaning on it for reading things in bad light and finding small things that fell on the floor.
The paid subscription investment is sooooooooooooooooo worth it. There is far too much to comment on each week without sounding like a nut, so I’ll add that the archive alone is a goldmine of useful reference info.
Just this morning I lost ANOTHER beloved Leatherman Squirt ES4 (the “Make: Warranty Voider” version) to the TSA while racing to catch a flight at the Denver airport (collectors, watch those TSA-supplied eBay sites). In the following hour of loss and lightweight-everyday-carry-tool reinvention, I remembered the article in Issue #150 and searched the substack for the Shop Talk section of Issue #152. There, a fellow follower talked about the ultra-simple and airplane safe tools he liked to carry. I ordered a Gerber Shard for $10 on Amazon and look forward to not having to remember to take it off my keychain before all the future flights where I’m not checking bags.
If some TSA agent decides the Shard on my keychain is too dangerous, it will be much less a loss than a no-longer-made sentimental treasure. And for those who always wondered, the TSA agent wouldn’t let me just snap the knife off of the Squirt E4 while standing there on the concourse side of the checkpoint to make it compliant—I didn’t have time to stay and ask why—had to fly.
My go-to flashlight these days also happens to be a pretty good travel accessory that can serve as a night light. Olight’s Perun 2 Mini isn’t cheap, but it’s small (think of a $1.50 stack of nickels), crazy powerful and super versatile thanks to its magnetic tailcap and (included) headband mount. Since I’ve become an Old Guy, I find myself increasingly leaning on it for reading things in bad light and finding small things that fell on the floor.
https://www.olight.com/perun-2-mini-led-rechargeable-headlamp
Another wonderful issue. My fave this time? "Travel with a Night Light" suggests a great strategy for your future travels.