Knife needed for hike across England ~ without violating their restrictions!

[melensdad]

My wife and I are planning a trip to walk across England, along the ancient path of Hadrian's Wall that separates the historic border between Scotland and England. The trip will start on the East side of the nation at the North Sea, will span that nation all the way to the Irish Sea on the west side of the nation.

I want to carry a knife across England.

But I'm afraid of running afoul of their knife laws.


UK KNIFE LAWS as per Wikipedia => Knife legislation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Knives and hiking go together like peanut butter goes with jelly. Whether used for cutting a piece of cord to replace a broken shoelace, or used for slicing a chunk of salami for lunch, a knife is just a useful tool and is more than handy out on a trail, even a trail that passes close to civilization.

I'm not talking about a BIG knife, I'm actually thinking more along the lines of a typical "Swiss Army" style knife or a "Boy Scout" type knife.

But even a "Swiss Army" knife seems like it can get you into trouble if it has a blade of 3" long. Apparently its also considered an 'offensive weapon' if one of the blades 'locks' into place, even if the blade is UNDER 3" long. This also applies to LEATHERMAN style multi-tools. A 'lockblade' makes a knife much safer to use and keeps you from cutting off your finger, but somehow that safety feature is a feature that ciminalizes the knife under English law.

Ideally I'm looking for a knife with a blade that is 2.75" long, has a corkscrew, a can opener and a bottle opener. With nothing that locks and that will hold its edge for a week or two. Bascially I'm looking for a knife that is considered USELESS in the good old U.S. of A. but that basically skirts just under the English knife laws. As a bonus, I'd like a philips head and flat head screwdriver bits, but that may be too much to ask, and is not a deal breaker.

This would be a bare minimum, but I'd hate to spend money buying it since I'd likely never use it at home. I've got other knives that I'd be afraid would be confiscated so I don't want to take them and lose them. Any advice?

This would work too. Don't need the scissors or small blade.

I'm a big fan of BOKER knives and this one, which is available with oak, plastic or stag scales, is one of my favorite 'scout' style knives. I can't find any feature on this that would make it run afoul of the English knife laws. But these are too expensive to have confiscated. I've got a bunch of BOKER knives, love them all.

 

[IndyBeerman]

This here should be good to go, it is being sold by Amazon.com.uk and is available for sale in Great Britain.
So if it is legal to sell, then it's legal to carry.

Victorinox 1361371 Army Knife Camper Red: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

One thing to note, if it is carried in your backpack, it further states that
it's intended use is for camping as what I seen in a couple of searches
I came across.

 

[Sfrandolph]

Why would you need a knife in such a civilized country as England? Purple implied.

 

[gstanley102]

I've carried a pocket knife my whole life.
I've also travelled a lot with my knife.
I forgot to pack it in checked baggage when leaving Amsterdam one time
and lost a great Case Whittler I had for 20 years.

The only place I ever got negative vibes from my pocket knife was in the UK.
So my last visit it rarely left my pocket, and never when around strangers,
and never in front of coppers in the family.
They have been living without the ability to carry or own anything you could
or might use as a weapon tgat the sight frightens them.

 

[melensdad]

This here should be good to go, it is being sold by Amazon.com.uk and is available for sale in Great Britain.
So if it is legal to sell, then it's legal to carry. . .

THANKS, I should have thought to check there.

 

[Mark 1911]

Better safe than sorry!

 

[RAMBOCAT]

number one assault weapon in merry old England...........BEER STEIN......

 

[SaintsNSinners]

Get a wine key

 

[melensdad]

Get a wine key

Actually I thought of that!

But I opted for an old Swiss Army Knife that has a bit more utility because most Wine Keys have small blades, and while some have an extra utility blade, when I checked the wine key in my kitchen drawer it had an extra blade that was over 3" long, which makes it an "offensive weapon" under British law.

Here is the knife I chose to take, rather than buying a new one and risking running afoul of silly laws: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...rish-sea-along-hadrians-wall.html#post4381223

 

[Sylvain]

I know some people who live int he UK.They all carry fixed blades or locking folders and never had any problems.
It just depends what you do with it and when/how you use it.
If you take it out in the tube in London you will quickly be in trouble.
If you're using a fixed blades in the middle of the woods you wont have any problem.

I would go with a SAK Camper or Spartan (same as the Camper but without the saw I think) if you want a good quality, cheap, and "UK friendly" knife.

 

[Sylvain]

Actually I thought of that!

But I opted for an old Swiss Army Knife that has a bit more utility because most Wine Keys have small blades, and while some have an extra utility blade, when I checked the wine key in my kitchen drawer it had an extra blade that was over 3" long, which makes it an "offensive weapon" under British law.

Here is the knife I chose to take, rather than buying a new one and risking running afoul of silly laws: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...rish-sea-along-hadrians-wall.html#post4381223

That looks to be a Spartan model.
I have one in my EDC that I use as a "cheep friendly" knife.

 

[SNAGGLE TOOTH]

Hey, its England right? How about one those hammer like weapons with the spike on one end, or even better, a two handed broad sword like in the movie Brave Heart? Seriously, a pocket camping knife used properly is not going to create any drama. If it is self defense you are thinking about you will have to be a little creative. A Camp shovel and a large Mag Light would probably not be viewed as out of the ordinary on such a trip and are very effective in close quarters. I am sure you can get some nasty bug spray that could discourage wanna be bad guys too.

 

[melensdad]

Hey, its England right? . . . A Camp shovel and a large Mag Light would probably not be viewed as out of the ordinary on such a trip and are very effective in close quarters. I am sure you can get some nasty bug spray that could discourage wanna be bad guys too.

Its backpacking, not camping. No shovel will go on this trip. The only light I am taking would be a pocket size micro light that would weigh in under 2 ounces. The only bug spray would be a small container.

But I wasn't concerned about self defense, we are going in a group (4 so far), not a likely target.

 

[warthog]

I am sorry but knowing a number of people all over Europe like I do, I don't think you can bring a knife that won't wind up getting you screwed at some point. Especially in England where carrying a knife at all is forbidden period unless you are on the job and the job requires a knife. I don't think you will be on the job there so that leaves you out. I don't think it is possible for you to find a knife that ill work in England especially. The rest of Europe is a bit less strict but even then carrying a knife in your pocket is viewed as going around armed and that is frowned upon. Until you get to places like Holland and further east you are going to have a bit of trouble toting a knife and I am not sure what to tell you as to how to avoid this trouble.

 

[melensdad]

I am sorry but knowing a number of people all over Europe like I do, I don't think you can bring a knife that won't wind up getting you screwed at some point. Especially in England where carrying a knife at all is forbidden period unless you are on the job and the job requires a knife. I don't think you will be on the job there so that leaves you out. I don't think it is possible for you to find a knife that ill work in England especially. . .

From what I have found, a "camping" style knife is perfectly acceptable to carry while you are out "hiking, trekking, or camping." But you can't carry it in your POCKET, you carry it in your backpack. So that is my plan. The knife will be in the backpack. At that point it is apparently "acceptable" because it is considered an acceptable tool for the activity.

 

[warthog]

Indeed, this was the thrust ofmy comment, no pocket carry tends to be the rule there. I didn't make that too clear though.

My friend there was stopped for having a box knife in his pocket, the top of it was showing. He works in a store stocking shelves. They let him go as he was on his way home from work and his manager backed him on this but otherwise he would have been arrested. He sent me an email railing against what has happened there.

I was there in 1980 and the cameras and armed police weren't yet deployed so I was able to carry my usual lockblade without causing a panic whenever I took it out. It has really changed there now though. I have no intentions of going back. It is a beautiful place though and if you get the chance to take the ferry to Ireland, do it. Make sure you get up into the Highlands of Scotland too. Wales takes you breath away with all of its rugged terrain. The Channel Islands are also very cool in that they each have a distinct culture separate from the mainland that is fun to interact with as they still have the memory of being occupied during WWII.

I hope you have a lot of fun doing this as I know I did when I did the similar sort of trip when I was 18, I went back again when my sister was attending a semester in one of the many colleges in Oxford in 80 and things were already changing for the worst there. I still enjoyed the pubs and had fun though it was much more aid back in Ireland that it was in England.

 

[iamaclone45]

Spyderco UK PenKnife

Spyderco UK Penknife for sale - Blade HQ

 

[melensdad]

Spyderco UK PenKnife

Spyderco UK Penknife for sale - Blade HQ

But this has none of the OTHER features that I want/need in a backpacking knife. Bottle opener, screw driver, corkscrew, etc.

Indeed, this was the thrust ofmy comment, no pocket carry tends to be the rule there. I didn't make that too clear though.

. . . Make sure you get up into the Highlands of Scotland too. Wales takes you breath away with all of its rugged terrain. The Channel Islands are also very cool in that they each have a distinct culture separate from the mainland that is fun to interact with as they still have the memory of being occupied during WWII . . .

My sister lives outside of London, my wife's family still has a castle in Scotland and I've got a close friend in Wales. We get there every other year, usually spend 4 to 6 weeks at a time when we go there. Your statements about Wales, Channel Islands, Scottish Highlands are all spot on.

As for their laws. Simply put, THEY SUCK. Even the people say THEY SUCK. My friend is Wales owns an illegal (antique) shotgun, and lives in a tiny town with 30 or 40 homes in the whole area, but the drapes get closed before that shotguns comes out of its hiding place. Talk about laws that SUCK!

 

[cagilber]

Got me on the corkscrew...

Paratool Multi-Tool

 

[melensdad]

Got me on the corkscrew...

Paratool Multi-Tool

I like that one. It doesn't look like any of the blades have a lock on them (Lock Blades are forbidden!). The only question that I have is the blade length. The blades have to be UNDER 3" long. But that certainly looks like it has what I want, except it still doesn't have the corkscrew!