Desert knife needs?

[SubaruSTi]

To hell with that, you store beer in the handle!

 

[HighDesertWalker]

No, no, no. You store everclear in the handle. That way you can either drink it or use it for fuel.

 

[Mack]

No, no, no. You store everclear in the handle. That way you can either drink it or use it for fuel.

I always pictured a walker of the high desert, not a high desert walker.

 

[C_Kyle]

from my own personal experience, the lighter the load the better. I would carry a small ~4" fixed blade, fairly thin and light, easily sharpened/maintained.

 

[sasha]

I always got twisers on me so i dont even think about it. They came in handy a few times. When you lose the fight to this. I carry the multi micro from leather man.

Sasha

 

[HighDesertWalker]

I always pictured a walker of the high desert, not a high desert walker.

Arrrgh, you've discovered my secret.

P.S. Don't forget the magic mushrooms.

 

[HighDesertWalker]

I always got twisers on me so i dont even think about it. They came in handy a few times. When you lose the fight to this. I carry the multi micro from leather man.

Sasha

I sure agree on this point. Once my younger son got his hands into some beavertail cactus, which has spines so small they just look like fuzz. Fortunately, the tweezers from my SAK were available. I also use the toothpick frequently; that's why I generally prefer the plastic handles.

 

[D25]

I just got back to civilization after a 21 day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. I took several knives, but found that a large amount of my knife use was removing thorns, spikes and other cactus bits from people. My lazer sharp and very pointy Yojimbo worked wonders in this arena. By the end of the trip, the Yojimbo was simply referred to as the scalpel.

 

[rickppoole]

I've heard that the desert is one of the few places where heat stroke will get you even faster than hypothermia, so it's all about the water and the shade.

You need to drink around a pint of water every hour, and when the temperatures are over 100F you might want as much as a quart an hour. Assuming I wasn't injured, I'd sit tight during daylight and try to put some miles on during the night when it's cooler. I'd try to get out of the desert as fast as I could safely manage it rather than trying to tough it out till I was resuced.

For the purposes of finding water, I'd want a blade long enough to do some light digging (say in a dry riverbed) or to open up a barrel cactus to get at the pulp. I'm thinking that's at least a seven inch blade. I would probably want something even larger like a small machette or golok paired with an SAK or Leatherman Micra for the tweezers.

For shelter building in a desert I'm not so sure. The shade is important to keep from sunburn and heatstroke but so is the need to get off of the ground which can heat up to some really dangerous temperatures.

Can anyone talk about shelter types which could be constructed for ample shade but which would also get you 10-12 inches off of the hot ground? If I knew more about constructing shelters I'd have a firmer opinion on the best knife choice.

 

[Gautier]

Digging out a 6-8" trench is more effective than trying to build something strong enough to hold your weight with the light scrub that's in most true deserts. The surface temperature can be 150+ degrees but just a few inches below it's much cooler.
A trench like that isn't hard to dig with your boot heel or a digging stick and then you just have to worry about the shade. A simple south walled lean-to works well for that, and even better if you can provide a layer of dead air space between it and you by building essentially two lean-to's.



Gautier

 

[HighDesertWalker]

I neglected to provide a pic for my first post in this thread, so here it is:

I've added a BRKT full tang Golok just to the left of the Wildlife Hatchet; I just forgot to mention it in my first post. Also, I've included the leather sheath that comes with the Condor Inca Knife.

There has been a lot of great insight provided in this thread. Indeed, as one gets to higher elevations it makes sense to carry a heavier blade because the woods are heavier. If you're going to have only one knife, a 4" bushie is hard to beat. A short machete is a great companion in brushy country.

One more thing. In the desert I prefer desert colors when available; sage, tan, brown, desert olive, etc. are great choices.

 

[D25]

One more thing. In the desert I prefer desert colors when available; sage, tan, brown, desert olive, etc. are great choices.

I agree, but I also realize that I'll have a better time keeping track of bright colored knives in the sand.

 

[HighDesertWalker]

Good point D. :thumbup:

 

[psy-ops]

Thanks for all the photos.

 

[koyote]

Gautier has a good handle on it. I remember in high school that one of the top rated items on a list of 20 things in the 'car' when we 'broke down' for an exarcise was a big wool and fur trenchcoat. shade and warmth.

This is another case where carying a lightweight tarp is very handy. Someday I'm going to find a reinforced ripstop space blanket that's 3x the mass and has grommet holes.

Again, the shovel. an E-tool isn't just a personal oddity of mine, the earth is your friend out in desert. The less you sweat making your shelter and the higher you dirt walls, the better.

 

[Gautier]

I'll second a good entrenching tool. I make sure there's one in every vehicle along with various other things specific to the desert. From shelter, to digging out a vehicle in soft sand, they just have a ton of uses. :thumbup:


Gautier

 

[HighDesertWalker]

I third the entrenching tool. I've got one in a well stocked plastic storage bin in the back of my 4WD. Also carry a short (about 3') mattock, chains, tow rope and various other items for on or off road emergencies.