I wasn't wanting to carry it everywhere, but I want it in the car, and I wanted to be able bring with me from the car to the hotel room without causing a stir. But now I don't really care about that. Is the knife measured from tip of the blade to the base of the blade, or is the cutting sufface measure. If I do it the first way, then my pocket knife is just under 3 in. If I do it the second way it's just over. Thanks for all your help.