I did at one point carry a small weight bar (about 12") in my back pack, after hearing that muggings were becoming popular around certain areas near college.
Then I started learning Wing Chun, chinese boxing, Escrima Stick fighting, and JKD (before my teacher got more people turning up and started charging doulbe digits for one lesson...as well as monthly membership fees).
So at one point I had my gym bag which had two 32" practice Chinese broad swords and one 36" spring steel display chinese broad sword that would and has gone easily through leather with the tip, and three pairs of Escrima sticks. I keep them all at home now since I moved to the US, and it's more likely for something to happen at home than anywhere else.
Besides you will just wind up in trouble for carrying that crap around, let alone injuring someone with it, I'll stick to take downs and breaks if it came to it.