Anyone else carry a master key?

[Zandcwhite]

Call me extreme, but it's not trespassing to force access to our public land. National forest road, blm land, etc are OURS and paid for by US. The local forest supervisor extended the winter closures for most of the summer in 2020 with covid as an excuse, like we were going to catch it from a squirrel? Literally the perfect place to social distance without going crazy holed up at home and they kept it closed. All because him and his rangers got used to their paid vacations and didn't want to go to work. As they say, keep public lands public (even if you need to cut a lock).

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[wibornz]

I do not carry bolt cutters. They are big and heavy and might get used a few times in a lifetime. I have a few sets of them, including a set that is about 4ft long.

I carry a Milwaukee sawzaw and a variety of blades. The long destruction blade that cuts wood, screws and nails are primarily used. They are great for cutting wood for a fire or clearing trails. I also carry carbide metal cutting blades. They zip right through chains, fencing, bolts, and locks. The sawzaw fits nice under the front drivers seat when putting it there from the rear passenger area. The blades last surprisingly long too and the sawzaw is way easier on the batteries vs the Milwaukee chainsaw. Plus I don't have to carry bar oil.

You can cut just about anything up with a sawzaw and the right blade.

 

[Joe's_Roxy]

Master key being a pair of BFBC (big fuckin bolt cutters) I think?

My Master Key has 7 "key blanks" in it...just in case the first key blank doesn't "fit" the lock.

 

[Joe's_Roxy]

I do not carry bolt cutters. They are big and heavy and might get used a few times in a lifetime. I have a few sets of them, including a set that is about 4ft long.

I carry a Milwaukee sawzaw and a variety of blades. The long destruction blade that cuts wood, screws and nails are primarily used. They are great for cutting wood for a fire or clearing trails. I also carry carbide metal cutting blades. They zip right through chains, fencing, bolts, and locks. The sawzaw fits nice under the front drivers seat when putting it there from the rear passenger area. The blades last surprisingly long too and the sawzaw is way easier on the batteries vs the Milwaukee chainsaw. Plus I don't have to carry bar oil.

You can cut just about anything up with a sawzaw and the right blade.

Mine is a Hercules Sawsall with a couple different blades, including a pruning blade to remove limbs and small trees from the path. I keep everything in a small bag along with the extra blades, battery, and charger.

 

[flick2614]

Big effin bolt cutters have always been a part of my offroad kit. Not for any nefarious purpose; I get into enough trouble as it is.

Illegally or incorrectly locked gates are a common occurrence in the west; I've come across a few. Twice it would have been very detrimental to me to backtrack. So twice I've had to snip locks and both times I left a note with my contact info. Never got any calls.

 

[Ratbert]

I do not carry bolt cutters. They are big and heavy and might get used a few times in a lifetime. I have a few sets of them, including a set that is about 4ft long.

I carry a Milwaukee sawzaw and a variety of blades. The long destruction blade that cuts wood, screws and nails are primarily used. They are great for cutting wood for a fire or clearing trails. I also carry carbide metal cutting blades. They zip right through chains, fencing, bolts, and locks. The sawzaw fits nice under the front drivers seat when putting it there from the rear passenger area. The blades last surprisingly long too and the sawzaw is way easier on the batteries vs the Milwaukee chainsaw. Plus I don't have to carry bar oil.

You can cut just about anything up with a sawzaw and the right blade.

That's a great idea for smaller trees (maybe max of 10" diameter?). Beyond that and you'd need a chainsaw, or lacking that, hopefully it can be moved with a winch.

Even better that it's small enough to stash under the driver's seat. That's compelling.

 

[Ph97048]

Yes. I’ve had a set in my vehicles for 30 years. Used them twice. Both times a gate was open when I entered and locked when I returned later that day. I cut the lock and then called the forest district office and offered to pay for the lock. Both times they apologized to me and thanked me for the call. The FMOs (at least at my local forest) are all solid people who understand that stuff happens.

 

[jharp]

Many (many) years ago I worked on radio communications, climbing broadcast towers and whatnot. We did a bunch of our work on various mountain peaks around the country. Many of the access roads to these radio/broadcast sites were managed by the forest service.

They had a list of stuff they said we had to carry, things like a shovel and 5 gallon water can for putting out small fires, Pulaski axe and the like - bolt cutters were also on that list.

The rationale was that in the event of an emergency, we'd be fully authorized to remove any obstructions that blocked either our access out of a dangerous condition, or we may have to remove any obstructions for first responders.

That part stuck with me.. "Remove Any Obstructions" We of course interpreted that to mean we could rip an iron gate off its hinges if we had to...

I like to carry a large prybar if I am in backcountry - most of the "lock daisy chain" gates around me are pretty easy to break with a large prybar and enough torque.

If it came down to running out of fuel, or getting trapped in a dangerous situation, I would "Remove Any Obstruction" to secure a path to safety...

 

[wibornz]

That's a great idea for smaller trees (maybe max of 10" diameter?). Beyond that and you'd need a chainsaw, or lacking that, hopefully it can be moved with a winch.

Even better that it's small enough to stash under the driver's seat. That's compelling.

I don’t want to cut anything over 10”. I do not want to split wood either.

 

[Wbino]

I guessed by context. At work this was called a master key. Followed by a ghetto rooster I.e. flash bang used in pre-dawn hours

Does that vibrate?

 

[Kyanche]

I carry a Milwaukee sawzaw and a variety of blades. The long destruction blade that cuts wood, screws and nails are primarily used. They are great for cutting wood for a fire or clearing trails. I also carry carbide metal cutting blades. They zip right through chains, fencing, bolts, and locks. The sawzaw fits nice under the front drivers seat when putting it there from the rear passenger area. The blades last surprisingly long too and the sawzaw is way easier on the batteries vs the Milwaukee chainsaw. Plus I don't have to carry bar oil.

This is what I would do, if I were off roading regularly.

I don't have a sawzall but I do have a bunch of m18 batteries, so adding a sawzall to my collection would be easy. :D

I hate using bolt cutters. Those and the riveters that have that same design! I hate when I'm applying a ton of force and it suddenly snaps! Seems like a great way to get an injury.

 

[wibornz]

This is what I would do, if I were off roading regularly.

I don't have a sawzall but I do have a bunch of m18 batteries, so adding a sawzall to my collection would be easy. :D

I hate using bolt cutters. Those and the riveters that have that same design! I hate when I'm applying a ton of force and it suddenly snaps! Seems like a great way to get an injury.

I carry Milwaukee tools with me. 1/2 inch impact gun, impact driver, drill, and ratchet. Plus 6 batteries. I have the Milwaukee vacuum in the camper too.

These all fit under my seat.

 

[PT's19Rubi]

Dewalt battery side grinder with cutoff wheel here. Not much it won't cut.

And yes, a bolt cutter is a Master Key around these parts. But, my side grinder is more versatile - and lighter.

 

[pablo_max3045]

Years ago I ran a trail after camping out on a mountain. Done the trail many times in the past. At the end of the trail is a steel gate that was open.

However I got to thinking what if the gate was locked? I would not have enough fuel to backtrack the 30 miles off road to the other end of the trail to get off the mountain.

Ever since then I carry a master key for the emergency access. I would only cut a chain link to obtain freedom and not destroy the lock. Not that I want to cut locks but I also don’t want to cause search and rescue to mobilize.

Anyone else carry one for emergencies?

No, but I took up lock picking as a hobby after watching too many lock picking lawyer videos. The tools are not that cheap, but it's surprisingly easy to become proficient with pad locks.

 

[Megawatt]

No, but I took up lock picking as a hobby after watching too many lock picking lawyer videos. The tools are not that cheap, but it's surprisingly easy to become proficient with pad locks.

I did the same thing, and his vids are interesting. Bought the clear plastic lock set from Amazon that teaches how pins and tumblers work. Since it’s clear you can see how different picks react with the pins.

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