VICTORINOX FARMER

Sometimes we just get sick of tactical everything.  There’s so many black-oxide coated knives that flip out one-handed and lock their efficiently stabbing tip of their one single partially serrated blade in place that we’re pretty much numb to all of them now.  Look, it’s not that we’re not enthusiastic owners of tactical stuff.  When you open the doors to the Calibre headquarters, it looks like some kind of nitrided picatinny frag-bomb went off and embedded rails in everyone and everything.

But is there not something deeply satisfying about an appropriately employed swiss army knife?

So in keeping with this issue’s Range Bag theme of gear that’s been carried long term, here’s one of our favourite knives of the last two years: the Victorinox Farmer.  Hard Core Practical.

The Farmer appealed to us for a couple of reasons, namely: the silver alox grips instead of red plastic, and the very outdoors-focused tool set.  Here we go with the quick rundown of the best items…the main blade, obviously, and a very sharp and efficient saw are the big tools.  The classic can and bottle openers with their various screwdrivers are there, but the other Farmer-specific tool is the awl blade.  We find it extremely handy for doing miscellaneous repairs and leather work, but it also works as a small paring blade.