# Doy you take your knives with you when you go on vacation?



## Marko Tsourkan (Jun 16, 2013)

Will be away for 3 weeks in August, planning taking a 225mm gyuto with me. 

Maybe will take one of my boards too, LOL. Got used to a certain comfort, hard to be without it, even for 3 weeks. I am on Paleo diet about 90% of the time, so will be preparing meals and a knife and a board is essential. And I hate using bad knives, rental apartments stocked with. Boards that you find there are also tiny. This would be a small board, probably 11x16 or so.

Do you guys take your knives with you? What other tools do you take? I was thinking to take a peeler and 8" DMT plate with felt strop but I am open for suggestions. Do you take them in your knife bag, or just in a saya/box?

M


----------



## Mrmnms (Jun 16, 2013)

I often travel with a sharpening kit depending on my destination . Friends and family get their knives done. My best friend owns an amazing B and B on the border of Mass and Vermont. I overhaul his knives and we cook fish and game for days.


----------



## kalaeb (Jun 16, 2013)

When I traveled for work I would be gone for anywhere from 2 weeks to a month and I would bring my bag with stones. Now when I travel on vacation I just bring one gyuto or cleaver. I just put the gyuto in a saya and toss it in my luggage, taking a pic before its closed.


----------



## jaybett (Jun 16, 2013)

Flying - I will usually take a chef knife, a slicer, and a utility knife. Stainless steel, because often times its the beach. In there boxes. The old Hattori forum boxes were nice.

Driving - The knife bag. 

A vacation rental house or room with a kitchen, I bring a cutting board. 

Even when cooking for a large party, I don't bring my stones. 

Jay


----------



## EdipisReks (Jun 16, 2013)

went to a beach house for a week in May with my wife's family. I bought many pots and pans, a cutting board, many knives, a burr grinder and an espresso machine. really glad i had all of it.


----------



## mr drinky (Jun 16, 2013)

I just got back from vacation and I had three knives with me: a Fowler, Rodrigue, and Devin Thomas. I also travel with a microplane grater and tongs.

k.


----------



## Jordanp (Jun 16, 2013)

Usually I will only bring a gyuto or my nakiri but other then that I don't bother with bringing too many knives just one or two will be able to work just fine.


----------



## WildBoar (Jun 16, 2013)

We rented a condo at the beach last fall, and I took a gyuto, petty and paring, as well as a cutting board, some big spoons, tongs, peeler, etc., etc. Wound up being overkill, so this year will only bring the knives, tongs and cutting board. For a week-long stay where we're really only cooking once every other day (leftovers on the other days) sharpening equipment is overkill for me.


----------



## tk59 (Jun 16, 2013)

If I know I'm going to be somewhere where there are decent knives, I will bring a ~500 grit and if the knives are nice then also a 5k. I'll also bring a 150 or 210 petty to use in a pinch. Otherwise, I'll bring a gyuto, a back-up gyuto and a 150-210 petty. All stainless or semi. Oh, I bring a cutting board, spatula, tongs, 12" fry pan, stock pot and a sauce pan depending on what's there, the length of time and the number of people.


----------



## EdipisReks (Jun 16, 2013)

oh, i had tongs and spatulas and whisks and all that kinda stuff with me, too. just standard kit.


----------



## Zwiefel (Jun 17, 2013)

That's a BoardSMITH 12X18X3 and Uraku Usuba, in my RV  Since I pretty much always vacation in the RV, I always have a couple of gyutos (210-280), and a petty. Sometimes I bring a Nakiri. This time, mainly b/c I'm expecting to see so many KKF folk, I have everything with me...boards, stones, blades.


----------



## WildBoar (Jun 17, 2013)

Niiiiiiiice!


----------



## Marko Tsourkan (Jun 17, 2013)

So far I have the following:

225mm gyuto
150mm honesuki/petty 
11x16x1.75" board
1.5q All Clad mixing bowl (love the handle on that one, best design ever)
Zeiss peeler (inexpensive and efficient)
Salt/Pepper mill (nothing better than fresh ground pepper)
Felt strop with 1M diamond

All this should not add more than 10Lb to my luggage. This should cover all my culinary needs.


----------



## Lefty (Jun 17, 2013)

Funny, Marko. I'll be heading to a cottage in the Muskokas, pretty soon, and I was wondering the same thing. I want to bring a no-nonsense knife with me that can be touched up on my ceramic Mac hone. My Marr petty (which regularly gets stropped on the bottom of coffee mugs) is always in my duffle bag, but I have a feeling I might want to bring another knife to help out. I can't decide between my Rodrigue Mid-Tech, ZKramer chef or a Carter gyuto....


----------



## Twistington (Jun 17, 2013)

I always bring a set of knives when going to the summerhouse, 240mm workhorse gyuto, 270mm stainless suji, 120-150mm petty and my 210mm suji since it's nice around the grill.

Other items that goes in the bag, leatherstrop from Dave loaded with 0,25 micron, a double sided "Dianova Lapstone Cook", thermometer and some bandaids... I think that's all.

I have left an inexpensive endgrain cutting board there(around 30*45cm)


----------



## slowtyper (Jun 17, 2013)

kalaeb said:


> When I traveled for work I would be gone for anywhere from 2 weeks to a month and I would bring my bag with stones. Now when I travel on vacation I just bring one gyuto or cleaver. I just put the gyuto in a saya and toss it in my luggage, taking a pic before its closed.



Take a picture, print it, and put it in the bag next to the knife.


----------



## dough (Jun 17, 2013)

I take one small chef knife or petty at the very least.
I need to get a thin travel board.


----------



## 3200+++ (Jun 17, 2013)

wow you're well organized! i usually just carry a freshly edged pocket knife (perceval t45) as i'm only in need of an acceptable size yet sharp cutting tool, and as speed isn't necessary.


----------



## Mike9 (Jun 17, 2013)

When we drive yes, when we fly no.


----------



## 3200+++ (Jun 18, 2013)

oh, right i forgot usa is a very large land,  my bad.


----------



## echerub (Jun 18, 2013)

Yes. A banno bunka or santoku at minimum. Will bring a small cheapie end-grain board if possible. If driving, then I might up it to a single 240 gyuto. And of course bring my own microfiber cloths to keep my knife dry as I work and after washing.

Been known to pack some single bevels as well if I know what I'm going to be prepping for friends or family while traveling - most usually a kiritsuke or funayuki/mioroshi when I do, depending on what I have planned.

I feel a sense of unease if I'm traveling, can prepare something simple to eat, and have nothing decent to use. In some places in the world that causes problems. You might be able to pack a knife into checked-in luggage for air travel to get there, but you cannot have any knives on you when traveling by ground transportation.


----------



## Marko Tsourkan (Jun 18, 2013)

Keep adding some stuff and took DMT and felt strop out. The edge should hold fine for 3 weeks of relatively light cutting. 

225mm gyuto
150mm honesuki/petty
11x16x1.75" board
1.5q All Clad mixing bowl (love the handle on that one, best design ever)
Zeiss peeler (inexpensive and efficient)
Salt/Pepper mill (nothing better than fresh ground pepper)
MicroPlane coarse grater
Rosle medium tangs


----------



## Lefty (Jun 18, 2013)

Crazy list, Marko! I'm leaning towards:
ZKramer 10" Chef (unless you want to ship me one of yours )
Marr 150mm petty
Harner/McLean parer 
Mac Ceramic
DeBuyer crèpe pan
Bodum French Press


----------



## mhlee (Jun 18, 2013)

If I'm going somewhere for a couple of days or more, at a minimum, I'll bring my 120 petty or small Global vegetable knife and a small poly cutting board. 

If I know I'm going to be cooking, then I'll bring anything that I need, except for bulky appliances, glass items, or pots.


----------



## Dusty (Jun 18, 2013)

I'm going away for a weekend next week, I'll take 

165 Dojo AS nakiri
150 Hattori petty
A good bread knife

and a tiny wooden board, unfortunately my only end grain is massive.


----------



## Marko Tsourkan (Jun 19, 2013)

Marko Tsourkan said:


> Keep adding some stuff and took DMT and felt strop out. The edge should hold fine for 3 weeks of relatively light cutting.
> 
> 225mm gyuto
> 150mm honesuki/petty
> ...



I am being very minimal in what I would like to have at my disposal. I will be cooking at least breakfast (omelet, greens, some sides), so these items will come handy. I will gift most of these items to family and friends upon return, and I travel light, so carrying a little extra stuff one-way is not a problem.

225mm gyuto
150mm honesuki/petty
11x16x1.75" board
1.5q All Clad mixing bowl (love the handle on that one, best design ever)
Zeiss peeler (inexpensive and efficient)
Salt/Pepper mill (nothing better than fresh ground pepper)
MicroPlane coarse grater
Rosle medium tangs
10" non-stick frying pan
M


----------



## Birnando (Jun 19, 2013)

Not a chance, on a holiday, to me, there will be staff fixing my meals:hungry:

When going hiking/trekking/Fishing on the mountains or in the woods all I would bring is a Brusletto or a Helle EDC


----------



## Lefty (Jun 19, 2013)

Marko, feel free to stay at my place for a couple days....


----------



## Marko Tsourkan (Jun 19, 2013)

LOL. Dude, you have no idea how much I hate to travel with lots of stuff. On the other hand, I hate even more to use stuff what other people consider decent (cheap dull kitchen knives, crappy pans, and other inferior kitchen stuff). Yes, I can fix a meal without any nice things, but one reason we are all here is that we enjoy NICE THINGS, and clearly find that our experience is enhanced by using a sharp knife or a good quality pan or a nice size cutting board.

I also love to gift things. If I didn't have to work for a living, that is all would do, make things and give them away.

M


----------



## Chef Doom (Jun 24, 2013)

When it's convenient and worthwhile I'll bring at least a gyuto, a petty, a hi-soft board, and a flat metal baking sheet. I also have a couple of splash and go stones but I rarely need them because I sharpen my stuff before I put them in the bag. A spatula (wooden/heat resistant) and stir fry pan are optional but sometimes needed.


----------



## Chef Doom (Jun 24, 2013)

I'm seeing tongs mentioned frequently but I don't have any in my arsenal. I'm starting to feel like an outcast.


----------

