Maybe it's a lingering effect from my boyhood, but I have always had a fascination with knives. No, fascination might not be the word I'm looking for, as that sounds too much like I am fantasizing about cutting someone open with a knife, and that's not it at all. However, when I am in a store that sells knives, I'll always look at them, and think about buying one. The same is true when I come across knives in catalogs or online. I don't actually buy them because I rarely remember to even carry any of the ones that I do have, even though there are plenty of times when having a knife would be handy. I also carry a machete under the seat in my Tracker, but I also have a scythe, and that's more about unscheduled trips that I might make into the woods. I don't know that pulling a machete out from under my seat would be particularly helpful in a carjacking. Certainly not in a Tracker. There's not a lot of room to swing a machete there, and it would play hell with the canvas top.
@Bill Boggs Sometimes when out for a long walk, I carry a small one on a necklace that I keep tucked in my top secured by my bra. On a road trip I take a multi tool one in my bag of necessaries. In my 20's and 30's I had several custom throwing knives. I loved throwing knives. I got really good at it and I won a lots of contest at buckskin rendezvous. Guys would challenge me to a 3 step approach, I always said no, I won't do less than a 5 step. But that is off topic so here is my first pocketknife that I still proudly display along with my mamas glassware. I had my daddys WW2 army issued pocketknife and some --- ---- stole it. My first knife 1958 for my 8th birthday recommended to my daddy by old Zek that worked in the back of the feed store. He introduced me to woodcarving. You can see the wear. I still keep it sharp even though I rarely use it. It is a DE with an arrow through the DE. USA made!!! Back in the days of real quality tempered steel.
I carry an old 4 cell mag flashlight on road trips. It is easy to pull out and holding the light end, makes a great billy club. Your machete could be sawed off and hollow ground into a nice throwing knife.
Back in the 1940's we kids all carried knives, for many needs, including Mumbledy-Peg! We carried Pocket Knives, Pen Knives, and Jack Knives. I have a Skipper on my car key chain even now. Hal