blade in the desert

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poussin

Joined
Jan 28, 2003
Messages
95
Hello.

Some time ago I posted about a trip in the Moroccan mountains. Thanks for the answers.

Now I would have a more specific question. Survival blades discussed here mostly concern people surviving in frozen forests, with the exception of Pict in Brazil, but noone seems to have ever discussed the requirement of a blade in a hot desertic area.

Every single Touareg has a medium size dagger. Aitor sells a dagger called "Desert King"... So I mean, though it seems strange to me yet, there must be a need for a knife in the desert... Or is it only for food-prep, repairs and self-defence, like everywhere else ? I got a Ka-Bar and a Fallkniven F1. Here the F1 always does the job, and I use a short & heavy machette when it comes to cut wood. I never really *needed* the Ka-Bar (purchased recently) though I was happy to have it once when I faced several *very* unfriendly dogs, while on a fishing afternoon; did not need to use it but gives enough self-confidence to face the beasts calmly and step back slowly; I did not need to think about the knife, it just positionned in my hand all alone, great handle !

So, I sum up for those who have not understood my confused mess, and ask to those who have experience with the desert : what kind of knife do you take with you ?
 
My simplistic response-
One large and robust enough to harvest cactus without interference from the spines.
-carl
 
I'm no expert in desert survival, but I have spent some time hiking and camping in a chaparral environment. I usually take a Busse Satin Jack, Natural Outlaw, or Buck/Strider Solution. I like a sturdy blade long enough to chop and dig, but something not too heavy. In desert survival there are many instances where you still need to chop something, such as certain cacti for water, yucca root for food, bushes to make a shelter, etc. I know a few streams that are dry on the surface but have flowing water underground, so digging ability is useful. In extremely windy conditions you can also dig a pit to lay in for shelter, preferably behind a large rock and with some branches to cover yourself.

I could take a longer blade, but when it's hot outside you want to travel as light as possible. You have to haul around extra water anyways. ;)
 
I'm not a desert guy, either, but if I was planning a long desert trip, I would probably not take a knife with a rubber handle.

Originally posted by poussin
Every single Touareg has a medium size dagger.
Click to expand...
Do like they do. Buy one as soon as you get there. For me, that would be part of the adventure!
 
I don't think a arid climate has any special requirements for a blade. You won't find any cactus in the Atlas mountains. Even though I have never been there, I believe you will be traveling mostly through arid grasslands and forests. It will not be like Saharan or Sonoran style desert.

Since you will be traveling in a foreign country a large blade may attract the wrong type of attention. In a brief visit to Morroco I felt that me and my possesions were being sized up constantly. No sense of personal space or privacy.

I have heard that many villagers in the Atlas will take in trekkers for a small fee or even for free. A large knife may make such an offer less likely. If you plan to head off the beaten track into the wilderness, you should be concerned about finding accurate maps and any information about the terrain so you can carefully plan your expedition and pick your tools accordingly.

For general adventure/travel I think a multi-tool would be the best possible tool to bring.

-- Jeff
 
I would get a knife that is a bit longer and thinner for the above stated(cactus cutting) but it would also be most useful to have something with a bit wider blade at the tip for digging.

You do much digging to harvest roots, water and insects.

Perhaps the

Swamp Rat Bandicoot
http://www.swamprat.com/knives.html

or maybe
(wider blades)

Becker Combat Utility 7 (7 Inch Blade)
bk71.jpg


Becker Crewman (5.5 Inch Blade)
bk101.jpg


Can't speak for all rubbers but Swamp Rat handles are impervious to sunlight.

Cheers~
 
Perhaps it's cause I..I.I drank too much coffee just now but the more that I think about it, the more I would choose a Finnish Puukko type blade such as the ones availible at ragweedforge.com

Here's a great example
5229.jpg


Funny how these knives were designed for the complete opposite of climates. Ah. Those Finns have something.;)
 
Actually, that's the leuko; blade about 7 inches long, 1/8 inch think and relatively wide with a tip wide enough for digging. As someone above pointed out, just about a perfect match for a desert survival blade.

I'd take either a 12 inch bladed golok, or the USMC bolo I'm hoping to trade from Chris. :~} I'd also make sure to carry either a good folder or 2 or a smallish fixed blade like a Mora, for tools and delicate work, like food prep after dulling the big knife by digging or chopping. That would be a nearly-ideal blade pair (or trio, perhaps) for just about ANY type terrain, really.
 
i am no desert expert, but after having this discussion with the late david alloway he was very satisfied with a cold steel SRK for all his uses in the desert. there is no need for a large blade, the 6 inch srk was satisfactory for all the tasks that he needed to accomplish. david taught desert survival for many years, and had written abook o the subject. he lived in texas. he had also done a trek across a large part of australia using his knife on a daily basis. the SRK was up to the task. the knives that you have will easily do all you need in the desert.

alex
 
I would love a Jensen Elite EVO to use as a desert survival knife. The only thing I would change is I'd have the blade mirror polished with a small hole drilled through it to act as a heliograph. I also like his serrations on the false edge that would work great cutting tough, fibrous materials like agave, yucca, squaw bush and bear grass.

It's as close to the ideal desert survival knife as I could want.
 
As said by Dizos, there are no cactii in Morocco.

And, unless I fall down into a true survival situation, I am not very likely to harvest insects or roots; we will have food in the backpack.

Thanks for all your thoughts,

Mat (poussin)
 
I live in the Sonoran Desert and regularly go to both the Mohave and the Chihuahuan deserts. There are mountain ranges with forests and many different life zones. I see a lot of good examples here of what would make a good blade to have for a variety of situations. If you are backpacking with full gear then the F1 may do you just fine. Nothing at all wrong with that K-bar either.

I have been using the Ontario TAK for my heavy duty blade. It is compact, nimble enough for most chores but tough as h#ll. The 1095 steel takes a very aggressive, sharp edge and it sharpens easily. It is inexpensive and has excellent canvass micarta scales that grips well in all scenarios but really exemplary when wet. It easily shaves up feathery shaving for a fire and I batoned this one through hard seasoned cedar knots and some very tough seasoned pine knots. To get through the knots I had to really whale on the spine with an acacia baton. At one point the blade was drifting so far back to the point that I beat the baton on the exposed butt of the tang to drive it back where it belonged. The knots were extremely hard and tough but the TAK went through and the finish was barely scratched. This side took the worst and as you can see there is nothing much to see. The phosphate finish is hard as nails.

The edge was not affected at all from beating it through the knots. I drug it across my thumbnail and it still had that aggressive bite and it still shaved off thin, airy shavings from the wood. It is not a huge knife but it feels very capable.

The blade is 4.5" long. It is compact enough to stay out of your way while hiking so it will most likely be brought along to be there when you need it. It's worth a look.

TAKsurvival.jpg
 
Thanks Jebediah. So I'll go on with my F1.

BoyNhisDog : no need to preach, I already liked the TAK very much.

Bye !
 
poussin, I'm glad you already like the TAK. I guess I got a little excited about this knife. I had been waiting for something in this class to come along with the full flat grind and micarta scales that wouldn't break the bank. I was more than pleased with it. Good luck on your trip. It sounds like a good adventure.
 
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