Back Up Gun vs Tactical Blade

[LSUTiger]

If you could only choose 1 of two options in addition to your primary gun and spare magazine:

1. Back up gun
2. Tactical Blade

Which would you choose?

Back up gun because 2 is one and 1 is none

or

Tactical Blade because you want to have a armed/defensive option when you have to comply with 30.06 or prohibited places but a knife is still a legal option.

I run into 30.06/Prohibited places/issues way more than I run into having to use my gun in self defense. Also consider concealment space available, weight and comfort as well as practical daily carry methods.

[WildBill]

Back up gun because 2 is one and 1 is none

I don't understand. Is this the "new math"?

[ELB]

Back up gun because 2 is one and 1 is none

I don't understand. Is this the "new math"?

I think it is relatively "old" math. What is means is if you depend on a single [firearm, knife, parachute, other-critical-piece-of-equipment], and it malfunctions, then you are down to zero. If you have two, and one malfunctions, you still have one. Two is one (if one fails) and one is none (if one fails).

[LSUTiger]

ELB,

You beat me to it!

To paraphrase a quote on the origins of the meaning....

I believe the “Two is one, one is none” / “One is none, two is one” mantra is from the Navy Seals. It is a practice in redundancy. If it can fail, it will. If you can lose it, it’s lost. If it malfunctions, you won’t have time to fix it. It’s a reminder to help save your life and complete the mission successfully. While it's a little less critical in the civilian EDC world, it's still applicable.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Neither.

1. I won't go into a place with a 30.06.
2. I live in Texas. I wear shorts 90% of the year. if its uncomfortable, odds are I won't wear it routinely.
3. I don't see a need for a "tacticool" blade or a second pistol. Thats what the attack wiener dogs are for.

EDIT: As the Annoyed Man noted, I too carry a "tactical blade." Mines Swiss and is utterly lethal at cutting apples, and opening bags of candy.

[CoffeeNut]

I carry a Ka-bar TDI LE as a secondary option in case my gun is inaccessible for any reason. It's a recent addition but before that I always had a folder with me so it wasn't a big jump. I've never even thought about a backup gun simply because I don't want the weight of another gun on my person.

[The Annoyed Man]

I'm too tired to carry a 2nd gun, and I've carried a folding knife since I was a little boy. These days, it's a "tacticool" knife.....if that's what you want to call it......but I don't carry it because it's tacticool. I carry it because it is a great and handy knife with a strong and sharp blade.

[WildBill]

ELB,
You beat me to it!
To paraphrase a quote on the origins of the meaning....
I believe the “Two is one, one is none” / “One is none, two is one” mantra is from the Navy Seals. It is a practice in redundancy. If it can fail, it will. If you can lose it, it’s lost. If it malfunctions, you won’t have time to fix it. It’s a reminder to help save your life and complete the mission successfully. While it's a little less critical in the civilian EDC world, it's still applicable.

I understand the statement, but don't agree with the conclusion. By your "math", One Gun = None so and No Gun = None so you would be just as safe carrying nothing.

I am not a SEAL nor have I any combat training for fighting with a knife.

In my younger days, that might have been an option.

That is why I carry proven reliable handguns made by a top manufacturers.

What is good for you is good for you, maybe not for others.

[airborned]

im a tiny guy i just dont have room for 2 guns and im not in Baghdad anymore lol. Plus i use my knife for all kinds of things all day long it is a very useful tool i allwase have on me.

[Dori]

I was carrying a blade of some kind before I was old enough to drive. I didn't stop when I got my CHL.

[JSThane]

There is no option for "both."

Irrelevant for me, though, it has to be a knife. New Mexico law states "only one concealed handgun at a time," so anything additional has to be pointy and sharp.

[n5wd]

Does a Leatherman tool count?

[txglock21]

Pocket knife.... My dad always would say, a grown man carries a knife, a watch and a pen everyday. My phone has taken the place of my watch. I only carry a pen while at work, but I carry my knife all the time and have added handgun to my Daddy's list.

[GlockDude26]

i know you're trying to see which one we would carry but there's really no reason that if you can afford the extra weight of a BUG then you can afford the weight of a pocket knife. so why not just carry both? along with the flashlight, cellphone, keys, etc

[nightmare69]

I carry a benchmade automatic pocket knife. Its great for everyday use, I guess I could use it for self defense.