B2D's Simple survival skills, tips, n' stuff! SOGs DOGS!

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bored2deth

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Feb 27, 2011
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Hi all,

This is B2D, head of SOG's DOGs. We're currently running a contest, which I
already mentioned (prize is a title/rank..thing). But anyhow, I thought maybe I could come here n' share some of my training with you folks, if you all wouldn't mind. :D

This little thread will be about simple survival-skills--wether mtn, desert, woodland, plains, or urban. (I've never been in a jungle b4). :D I hope to able to help anyone whom has questions or interests in the training or hobby or whatever.

This will be done in episodes. I did something similar on another forum, & had positive results, though interest seems to have died there. Now, I'm no survival-master, but I've trained in survival (woodland & mountain & urban for
several years, these being my specialty) amongst other skills & training. I like to share things like that. It gives me something to do. :D. Yes, as a friend of mine in the SOG's DOGs has pointed out--I have alot of energy & enthusiasm.
I'm also hyper :D.

I'm going to have to write out the first episode, which may take a little while,
but look forward to it. I usually make them fun to read (usually detailing funny little accidents I tend to have--such as the time a friend & I were scouting in the mountains--I wasn't watching where I was going, stepped in bear-poop, with a yellow-jacket nest nearby, they came after me..:D)

But, seriously, the episodes will range from EDC carry-ables to how to make fire even in the rain with sodden materials. How to snare & fish & trap. How to make a primitive D-STYLE or Flat-bow. Uses for EDC items. Uses or para-cord (including fire-lighting--two methods for this alone). Common methods to help identify toxic plants & why to stay away from plants you do not absolutely know.& much, much more.

Episode One:What can you do with a folding-knife?

Tune in for Episode One soon!

Same DOG time..
Same DOG channel..
On the Simple Survival Channel..

B2D

SOG DOG 1

RUFF-RUFF

Please visit the DOG-House!
 
First of all, I'm just trying to contribute what little I can (I'm no master), &
be friendly. I enjoy learning from others & sharing what I've learned. If you all don't like my posts, tell me--& I will promptly stop, no questions asked. :)

Episode One:What can you do with a folding-knife? Alot more than one might think.

You can do alot with a folding-knife, even a small one. Alot of people either can't, won't, or don't feel comfortable carrying a fixed-bladed knife. Folders are also more portable & comfortable. Alot of us carrying pocket-knives, atleast. Can you do alot with one? Yes. Can you do with a pocket-knife some of the things you can do with a fixed-blade? Yes. You can't chop (effectively)
or batton (without breaking something), but you can accompish a wide-variety of tasks. You can shave a stick of wood to get down to a dry bit, or
even fuzz or powder it. If it's carbon-steel (which is, of course, rare in folding-knives) you can strike a spark with it, using a hardstone. You can cut a jammed safety-belt, maybe even smash the glass of a jammed window.

No, you can't chop effectively (at all) with most folding-knives (there are exceptions, which are notable), but you can use a beaver-chew method, going around a sapling (or other stick of wood), cutting into the wood in a circular-pattern, to enable it to be cleanly & easily broken. A folding-knife can also be used to effectively carve out snare-trap pieces, clean fish or caught game.. A folding-knife is likely going to be with you, while a fixed-blade is much less likely. I've often carried a Ka-bar Mule or Buck-110 folding-knives, while the sheath on either is easily able to accept a honing-steel & ferro-rod inside, along with the knife. With a loop or two stitched on, you can attach a mini-mag (key-chain version). That is usually my EDC.

Well, I just wanted to share that. I hope you all enjoyed. :) Thank you for reading. (I know it's not much, but I'm trying hard :D)

B2D

SOG DOG 1
 
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Welcome B2D. I'll admit my ignorance as I do not watch TV and am not familiar with your show. However, it is great to have you here and interacting with our community. I think it would be great to use the thread as an idea generator. That is the kind of thing that forums like this are best suited for. It is also a give and take thing to, so I hope you will wonder off from this thread from time to time and chime in with your experience and thoughts in other threads as part of the shared community experience.

Episode 1 thoughts. This looks good and quite interesting. It might be useful to demonstrate how you can start a split with your folding knife and then finish it using a wedge and baton that you carved with the same knife. I've done this a few times when I needed to make a bowdrill kit and only had my SAK with me.

Speaking of, I would suggest a couple of minutes talking about different types of folding knives as outdoor options. More from the configuration of the knife point of view rather than getting into specifics about brand names, steel type or all those ad nauseum details that knife addicts get lost in. Basic things like pro's and cons of serrated vs plain edge or partial serrated blades, locking versus slip joints, multi-bladed tools versus single bladed. That is probably the most vexing thing for a beginner is choice in blade configuration. Is the tacti-cool folder necessarily the best thing in an outdoor knife? Personally, I really hated the spyderco military because I felt it was really optimized for cutting webbing and such but really lacking in any degree of robustness. On the other hand I love a basic Swiss Army Knife.

Actually, profiling the basic SAK as a simple multitool that most folks are familiar with might be a good idea. Especially one that has a SAW as you can work around many of the limitations of a folding knife when it has a folding saw as part of its blade compliments.

Good luck and I look forward to the continued brainstorming!
 
Not sure what SOGs DOGs is, but welcome just the same. It would be nice to kick around some ideas on the basics again. Some of the longtime members get so tired of seeing the same threads over and over that I feel we sometimes neglect the essentials in search of a fresh topic. It is good to ground yourself and revisit core skills, equipment and philosophies.

I too look forward to future episodes.


Episode 1 thoughts. Ease of carry is a definite biggie. Laws, comfort, practicality and personal preference play a key role in choosing gear... the wide array of folder options makes it easier to accomodate those criteria. You also brought up one of my pet peeves... it is damn near impossible to find a carbon steel blade in a folder... even the files on the Leatherman don't cast sparks for traditional F&S. (Uh-oh... I think I just found my next project... lol). I don't know about you, but I consider multitools to be in the same group as folders. Once I started carrying a multitool... I was hooked.

For a knife that already starts out broken, folders aren't so bad.

Rick
 
Welcome Bro

You will find A LOT of very talented people here to learn from

God knows I have!!!
 
Welcome aboard B2D...new blood is always good blood regardless if you're a newbie or you're as old as kgd:D

kgd said:
Personally, I really hated the spyderco military because I felt it was really optimized for cutting webbing and such but really lacking in any degree of robustness.
Click to expand...

I often don't disagree with your wisdom kgd, but I've used my Military's pretty hard. I would admit their lateral stress is a weakness, but I've never had a failure including some tough battening. I've carried one daily for the past 10+years in more than a dozen countries and two combat tours. They have been used hard and it's one of the few that I would rely on for extreme duty. I agree, it's not the knife for everyone. I don't wear it when not in uniform because of its size (I carry my Military models in my weak-side pocket), but I will downsize to the Para-Military. They are good cutters and the large Spyder-hole helps to open the blade even with gloves. I was very leery about the G10 at first, but that stuff is tough as nails.

kgd said:
On the other hand I love a basic Swiss Army Knife.

Actually, profiling the basic SAK as a simple multitool that most folks are familiar with might be a good idea. Especially one that has a SAW as you can work around many of the limitations of a folding knife when it has a folding saw as part of its blade compliments.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree! A very good point is the simple SAK or multi-tool with a wood saw. You can actually forego the need of chopping for several tasks with a decent saw, even the size of the one on a SAK.

Rick Marchand said:
I don't know about you, but I consider multitools to be in the same group as folders. Once I started carrying a multitool... I was hooked.
Click to expand...

I agree also. Convenience does play a role and folding tools/knives are sometimes just easier to carry on your person (again, taking into consideration, legal, work and other related restrictions). I always carry a folder but the majority of the time they take a back seat to a fixed blade; however understanding the limitations of a folder and adjusting to those with correct techniques and uses, they can be a very viable bladed implement.

Rick Marchand said:
For a knife that already starts out broken, folders aren't so bad.
Rick
Click to expand...

:D That should be a signature quote:D

I know we often mention steel, but personally don't think it's an issue. I know high-carbon blades for folders are not too common, but it's low on my priorities for a folder anyways...a fixed blade is where I'm concerned. We could have several discussions on locking mechanisms, but as Rick pointed out, folders are inherently a weak design for a knife and understanding that should keep most people from "really" breaking their only knife when out in BFE. Even with extremely stout locks (RAO, CR Sebenza, Hinderer, etc.), lateral stress is the weakest aspect which affects all folders. I don't knock folders as I've been limited to them on some occasions and you have to learn make do with what you have not what you want.

Good discussion and I look forward to more.

ROCK6
 
Welcome!!!
Great way to get in around here! both feet, look out below!
We have a lot of new blood lately, so this will most likely be welcomed with much enthusiasm.
Rick, I am with you..once I got bit by the leatherman wave bug..I am hooked on multi tools. I have owned them for years, but not until the Wave did I hold one that I thought was a really good tool.
BUT, if it had Carbon Steel blades and tools...man, what a great item that would be!!!
I agree Rock, steel isnt THE most important thing, but man..I sure like me a carbon steel blade....or FILE for goodness sake.
 
gunknifenut said:
I agree Rock, steel isnt THE most important thing, but man..I sure like me a carbon steel blade....or FILE for goodness sake.
Click to expand...

For those much more knowledgable than me, aren't most multi-tool files of higher carbon content but just hardened a lot more which would reduce the ability spark? Also, wasn't their a custom SAK that had a high carbon steel rod imbedded in one of the scales for use flint striking?

ROCK6
 
Just to mention slipjoints
Lots of carbon blades
Non-locking and very useable
No I can't chop or baton with it
But I can choose from three blades in my Stockman and cut what ever I want
 
Rock, I probably should have clarified my comments against the spydy mil. I was really underwhelmed with this knife for consideration of it as a sole bushcraft blade which is what this thread is about. I think outside of this role it is a very good knife, great mechanism, solid lock up, really point and super efficient cutter. As you say, the lateral strength and tip raised a lot of concerns for me and if I had to take a folder in the wilds as my only bushy, I'd shine a more favorable eye on something like the mini-manix or a sebenza to shore up those aspects. Also, if the only tool on my SAK was the blade itself and I had a choice between a 1 blade SAK and a spyderco, there would be no contest in going to the spyderco. However, multitools can really open up ingenuity to application and I think we agree on that!

Rick raised the question on why carbon steel isn't present in folding knives more often. First, Rick is really good at dreaming up ways to spark flint. One of these days I'm going to give him a pair of pants with a hardened carbon steel zipper pull just to see how effectively he uses it :D I think he does use his opinel to this effect (yes Rick carries around a $7.00 knife most of the time) with the blade in its folded configuration. As neeman states, there are also several slipjoints that I'm aware of that can still be had in 1095. I think Queen, Great Eastern and a few others are like this. Not many uber-tactical knives are though.
 
ROCK6 said:
For those much more knowledgable than me, aren't most multi-tool files of higher carbon content but just hardened a lot more which would reduce the ability spark? Also, wasn't their a custom SAK that had a high carbon steel rod imbedded in one of the scales for use flint striking?

ROCK6
Click to expand...

Nah, they're usually not hard enough. The only downside of higher hardness is if what you are striking against it isn't hard enough to make it chip. It'll just skate off. A bit of flint is easily hard enough. A typical dedicated flint striker does not have the nice temper for toughness that is desirable in knives precisely so bits will chip off and turn incandescent as they are suddenly exposed to oxygen. A dedicated striker usually has a hardness in the 60s [say 62 up] to effect this, although a blade over 58 should give you a spark. Multitools lean the other way and are soft as a route to toughness. Leatherman quotes their pliers and screwdrivers as being 49-53 with the file only being 57. 57 is an extremely soft file. IIRC SAKs are around 53. In short, they'll deform rather than chip.
 
kgd said:
One of these days I'm going to give him a pair of pants with a hardened carbon steel zipper pull just to see how effectively he uses it :D
Click to expand...
Only if you hold the flint between your teeth, buddy.

kgd said:
I think he does use his opinel to this effect (yes Rick carries around a $7.00 knife most of the time) with the blade in its folded configuration.
Click to expand...
The Opinel is a stainless blade, unfortunately.
 
kgd said:
Rock, I probably should have clarified my comments against the spydy mil. I was really underwhelmed with this knife for consideration of it as a sole bushcraft blade which is what this thread is about. I think outside of this role it is a very good knife, great mechanism, solid lock up, really point and super efficient cutter. As you say, the lateral strength and tip raised a lot of concerns for me and if I had to take a folder in the wilds as my only bushy, I'd shine a more favorable eye on something like the mini-manix or a sebenza to shore up those aspects. Also, if the only tool on my SAK was the blade itself and I had a choice between a 1 blade SAK and a spyderco, there would be no contest in going to the spyderco. However, multitools can really open up ingenuity to application and I think we agree on that!
Click to expand...

Well, forget my previous issue:D We are on the same sheet of music. I like the Military as a work EDC...it's not my choice as a woods blade even though it would still do the job, it's not the most comfortable. In fact, the Military is my "weak-side" pocket folder and used for slicing and cutting tasks. I'm sure it would do okay on small game cleaning, but it wouldn't be my first choice as a "bushcraft" type folder...I much prefer the Sebenza and Emerson A100 or CQC-10 models.


baldtaco-II said:
Nah, they're usually not hard enough. The only downside of higher hardness is if what you are striking against it isn't hard enough to make it chip. It'll just skate off. A bit of flint is easily hard enough. A typical dedicated flint striker does not have the nice temper for toughness that is desirable in knives precisely so bits will chip off and turn incandescent as they are suddenly exposed to oxygen. A dedicated striker usually has a hardness in the 60s [say 62 up] to effect this, although a blade over 58 should give you a spark. Multitools lean the other way and are soft as a route to toughness. Leatherman quotes their pliers and screwdrivers as being 49-53 with the file only being 57. 57 is an extremely soft file. IIRC SAKs are around 53. In short, they'll deform rather than chip.
Click to expand...

Good info, thanks for the bt-II:thumbup:

ROCK6
 
Episode II:What's in my pockets? Wanna know?

(Kgd--I don't have a T.V. show :D, wish I did! I just write these sort of like old t.v. shows)

What's in my pockets? I know--but do you? All sorts of doo-dads, thing-a-ma-jigs, n' doo-hickys. I carry alot of stuff in my pockets, as I'm sure many of you do as well. Keyrings. A mini-flash-light. Folding-knife. Multi-tool. Extra boot-lace or two. Tiny little leatherman file.
Some string. Bic lighter. It can run the gamut. Many people carry items in their pocket without thinking, wihout realizing how useful some of them can be in a pinch. Take a keyring
for example..these are great for making effective snares & can also be used for snare triggers. I've also used them to catch fish, tying the line to one, & threading it through another, in this method you can perch on a rock, in a river, & catch fish using the rings to push & pull the line.

Bic-lighter--this one's obvious for the most part.. HOWEVER, what if it's out of fluid? It can still make sparks. You have shoes on--nylon laces? Fuzzed nylon takes a spark VERY easily,
& it MELTS with little drops of FIRE! Don't get burned. Fumes are also likely toxic.

Safety-pin--Improvised hook or snare-trigger.

Folding-Knife (lock-back):You can batton with these (as KGD pointed out, you can START a
batton with one, & finish with a wedge--I'd have mentioned that..but I'm scared of posting much yet, as I don't think people like me much yet..) (I tend to specialize with folding-knives) (I've also started with a fixed, & finished with a wedge--MANY times). These can also be combined with a shaft, along with a tensed, target line to create a spear-like trap, or what I call, "Knee-capper". It can also be used to drill holes for 'bird-snares'. Shaving & powdering wood (I still like pine best, why? bc it's soft & easy to carve, & the resin is flammable :D--FIRE!) Cleaning out wounds (Don't recommend it, but I've done it in a pinch)
Cutting briar vines..ugh I hate those! Drilling a hole in a bird-egg. Carving a variety of useful
things--frog-bows/arrows, throwing-sticks (rabbit-sticks), trap parts, spoons, & the like.

Bootlaces (nylon)--Fuzz an end, hit it with a spark--fire. You can tie things with it. Leg-ties. Can be used to slow loss of blood or spread of toxin. Snares. Fishing. Birding (it's cruel). Frogging (again, cruel). Practice knot tying :D Splints.

Pen:Provided it can be taken apart, the housing can be used to make an improvised filter with sand & char-coal!

Bandana:Keep ticks outta ya har! Yikes! Eeee--heee--heeewww! Yucky-Wuicky! LoL! :D...
Wrap wounds with a poultice. Cover an eye injury. Again, slow loss of blood or spread of toxin. Splints. Filtering. Can be made into an improvised bag or pouch!

Water-bottle--Can carry water. Can carry food.

Bootlaces (again)--can be woven into a primitive sling. (Got a couple marbles too? Well, there's some HARD shots, also perfectly round).

Money--Can you spend it when you dead? EMERGENCY-ONLY tinder.

Some lock-back knives--Bolsters can be used as 'boppers' for those of us whom can knap.

Pen & Pad--Mapping particularly visible & noticiable markings.

Those are some EDC items & their uses. Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed!

SFNC--Survival for Newbie's Channel!

Tune in next time..

Same Newbie-time..
Same Newbie-channel..
On the SFNC!!

Brought to you by:B2D & SOG's DOGs!

Please stay tuned for the advertisements..

"Do you often want to find wilderness tips made simple? Well now you can! *Big smile*
Just come on down to B2D's Survival for Newbie's Empowium! We have it all! Snares!
Knives! Boots! Fire-makers! Whistles! Noise-makers! N' More! Come on down today! Wooo-weee!"

Hehehehe..just trying to cheer myself up a lil' bit..
 
Okay, I sort of get it. This is an interesting concept and I like the embedding of commentary to a revised narrative. Throw in a few pics in between and you can have some nice story boards that would serve as an entertaining thread.

I wonder if you can build one thread calling it 'the B2D show' that contains the finished products and then the ones like this one can be the B2D's writer's guild or something hokey like that where you hash out the bits until you get a finish product. You might even be able to solicit photos and vids from participants in the writers guilds that follow along the script. I like this. In the end, you will build 'buy-in' from all those old time members who have contributed to the writers guild hashing out content while providing solid advice for the newbies who can enjoy a more polished finished product. Pro's - I think this is a pretty neat way to garner participation from the whole membership. Con's - contributors to the writers guild have to put their ego's aside and let the dog take the narrative credit.
 
Credit!..... not the credit........... I live on credit....... seriously, mostly MasterCard credit.


I think it's a cool idea. It would be fun to have a project running in the WSS. Pics would be a plus.

B2DTV!

Rick
 
Yeah, I wanna do it like the old classic tv shows--like Batman! I loved that show!

B2D

Darkwhispers..

SOG DOG 1
 
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I started up a more formal thread for the finished products, I guess we can use this one for brain-storming. Would anyone like to help me start up Episode III:? I want to cover all the basics, & make-up each with a solid, strong foundation. Plants. Animals. Tools. Traps. Shelters. etc. Mainly, in the plants, detailing info about common toxic plants (so as to discourage any newbies from 'taste-testing' anything--such as poison sumac, poison oak, poison ivy, hemlock, water-hemlock, death camas, snake-berries, tulip bulbs, etc. Please feel free to let me know.

B2D

Darkwhispers..

SOG DOG 1

SFNC
 
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