If dropped in the woods with a sak..

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platinummatt

Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
143
would it be possible to survive. You have the clothes on your back, and a sak, or maybe mutitool. One of your choice. Thats all you have. how would you get along?
 
Actually, it was a Florida swamp. I gained weight from all the rich food during those ten days (as best I remember). Grubs are yummy and nearly all protien. Fish, eggs, small mammals, reptiles, plants...

Codger
 
Being in the woods with just a SAK is rarely ever a difficult situation, especially if the model comes equipped with a saw. You can craft a lure, then clean the fish you catch with it, notch sticks for traps, wood shavings for fire, magnifying lens for solar fire starting, cut up small game, construct shelters etc. When all said is done, it's easy to pop the edge back on a pebble. If you need to take down a lot of thick wood the saw can be time consuming, but it'll get the job done and you won't be too tired. Batoning is out of the question because while the blades can take it they're just too short to split anything over 2 inches or so. Batoning is usually only needed when it's really wet out, even in moderate rain you can just scrape off the bark and maybe a mm or so of wood underneath and find dry material exposed. Is there anything outside of this that you feel a SAK would be poorly suited for or a task it's incapable of performing, that makes you ask the question? I don't have as much experience as a lot of people here.

My question is what do people carry multi-tools in the woods for? I haven't found much of a use for pliers in the outdoors, and aside from that they don't really do anything better than a SAK, plus they usually weigh about 4 times as much.
 
To answer the question you have to know; where, when and for how long. A few days in a mild climate would be no problem. For someone who is experienced even a longer stay a mild climate would be possible. A few days even in a cold climate may not even be a problem if a guy is dressed right and knows what is going on and as long as fire can be built. More than a few days in the cold would be rough. Every description of the woodsman's kit in the north emphasizes the importance of an axe. Also... if one is going to rely on expediant traps or lures to feed oneself you better be real good at it. The manuals make it all look easy. Not so.
 
Vivi said:
Being in the woods with just a SAK is rarely ever a difficult situation, especially if the model comes equipped with a saw...My question is what do people carry multi-tools in the woods for? I haven't found much of a use for pliers in the outdoors, and aside from that they don't really do anything better than a SAK, plus they usually weigh about 4 times as much.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on the multitool. And feel the same about an ax and a saw and a drill and a lathe and ..., well, you get the picture. I never had the need to beat a knife through a log either. Though I do realize it is a current craze.

White man build big fire...stand way back. Red man build tiny fire...sit close.

Codger :D
 
It's kind of funny we have this topic, because really a SAK is my choice knife for the woods even if I weren't limited in my choices. My Farmer sees a lot of pocket time when I'm in the mood for a nice fire. :)
 
The only problem I see with a SAK for survival is that it does not make for much of a weapon given the possiblity of hostile human interaction. I would almost always choose a SAK for my survival pocket knife (a large one like the Locksmith). But I would want to have a longer fixed blade along as well for larger chores. A hatchet would be nice too and I don't much care for batoning exept in a pinch. But the hatchet or extra knife was not an option in the scenario mentioned. Been reading "Dies the Fire" (it is quite captivating) and the multi-tool would certainly be useful in a worse case scenario.
 
The weapon issue is a good point. An expedient walking stick,, possibly whittled to a spearpoint on one end would do well for self defense from man or animal though. I've always had trouble justifying a fixed blade in the outdoors because of their size, weight and simply a lack of usefulness when a good folder or SAK is at hand. Outside of batoning, which half my folders can do good enough as it is, I just haven't encountered much use for them. I'm sure location makes a big difference and maybe even seasons do. When winter comes along here, we'll see how the ice and snow affects my adventures.
 
During WWII, allied forces designed, manufactured and delivered cheap steel "zip guns" to the resistance fighters behind the lines. Usually single shot, small caliber short range weapons, the idea was to use one to capture a more significant weapon from the axis soldiers, then pass the gun on to the next partisan for the same. Thus a tiny weapon can yield a more powerful one.

As easily as one may learn to use a knife effectively in a counterassault, one may learn how to improvise a bow, crossbow, gun, or trap for counterpersonel work. Look up the crossbows used by the Hmong and others in S.E. Asia.
 
You would have to be one tough S.O.B to last a week in the bush with only a
S.A.K, ... Now if you had a 5" fixed blade that would be a different story, but on the other hand if you were in a rich bush area you could possibly hang tough with a swiss.
 
I have more respect for S:A:K:s than when I didn,t know what the heck I was talking about . Their color set me off and multi-tools just seemed gimmicky to me .

Over the years I got to feel the edge you could put on the blade of one and it made me take another look at them .

A few years later I saw one used to baton through the sternum of a deer . I told them that it didn,t seem like an advisable thing to do . Its a good thing they knew more than me as it handled the job just fine .

I like the scissors in them . Short bladed but well put together .

I guess there is still more I have to learn from them . I picked up a small black one with a single blade . The blade is about 1 1/2 inches long . I doubt if I,ll be cleaning any deer with it . Unless there is something else I need to learn from them .

Would I survive with just an S:A:K: ? The answer is almost assuredly no . That is more a reflection upon me than the blade .
 
Wayne, what would your fixed blade be used for that the SAK could not substitute for?

Kevin, enjoyed the post. I think, especially when we surround ourselves with fancy high-end knives, it's easy to under-estimate the little guys. Reminds me of the book I've got on survival skills where the guy uses his Vic Classic more than his fixed blade. Shows him cleaning fish with it and stuff.

A lot of people here won't baton with folders. Even more would probably laugh at the idea of doing it with a SAK. Yet my Nylon solo has done the task more than my Mora's and my Kabars.
 
Well ViVi this is just my thought ( I know by now this could open a big can of
whoop ass ! ) I would certainly trust my life to a RAT-5 or one of Gene Ingrams 4" knives , D2 steel would be a good choice in a life saving situation.
 
Whatever you feel comfortable using is likely going to work best for you. I just like to ask these questions because like I said, there are many people here with more experience than me and if they know limits to some of my favorite knives like SAKs, Moras and Opinels that I'm unaware of, I'd like to know them. We all have our favorites. :)
 
Sorry misunderstood, I believe a non locking folder could possibly be a danger, for cutting up wood for shelter or splitting wood for fire I think a fixed blade would be a better companion, don't get me wrong though a S.A.K
would be handy for finer work like building dead falls.
 
I've got a SAK on my person daily. It's my preferred user blade for all occassions, so to answer your question, I'd get along just fine. I'm sure that there would be times when I wished I had an axe, saw and machete, but the SAK will do the really important stuff and the rest can be improvised.

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I own one, my grand-dad had one on his key chain for years used it daily for all types of stuff I even watched him replace a light switch with one.
 
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