If dropped in the woods with a sak..

Longbow , is that what a S.A.K looks like these days ? Man I need to get to the sporting goods department more. That looks like it might keep you head above water for a few days, Does it lock ?
 
S:A:K:s are sometimes given away as promotions up my way . Tap-con screws used to give one away with every fifty boxes of screws you buy . (Not a huge one . )

Bombardier has small ones with their name on it . I found mine . I imagine it is a give away to execs . I don,t see them giving them away to the public even as a promo . They seem to be set up like a key chain knife .
 
You know what you guys should do? Take one of those small keychain knives to a patch of woods and start a fire using just the SAK. It'd be an interesting experiment for you guys, seeing how you have to modify your technique etc.
 
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.
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I can try to answer. I have brung multi tools with me into the woods, when I have been hunting, fishing, and mountain biking. I have also had 1+ knives on me, and the multi tool was never once used for cutting, despite having as knife blade. It was however, used for tasks associated with the other activities I was engaged in. When I was fishing, I used it for working on my rig. While I was hunting, I tightened up a gun screw that I had forgotten to tighten down before going affield, and it also find it helpful in removing the percussion cap from an inline as well. And mountain biking- well some things on my bike came out of adjustment well I was afield....:o
 
Vivi said:
You know what you guys should do? Take one of those small keychain knives to a patch of woods and start a fire using just the SAK. It'd be an interesting experiment for you guys, seeing how you have to modify your technique etc.
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Here's a review that I posted on another site. Just happens to be that I used the SAK to do up a fire.

This is the current issue German Bundeswehr Field Utility Knife made by Victorinox. Based on the Victorinox one hand Trekker, this knife comes with scratch resistent olive drab nylon handles, one of which has the German Bundeswehr Eagle Crest molded into it. The tools remain pretty much the same as the OH Trekker, except the German knife loses the tweezers and pick.

Tools included with the knife:

01. Large one hand opening locking blade
02. Wood saw
03. Can opener
04. Small screwdriver
05. Bottle opener
06. Large locking screwdriver
07. Phillips screwdriver
08. wire stripper
09. Reamer/Awl
10. Key/lanyard ring

Dimensions closed: 4-3/8" x 1 3/8" x 11/16"
Main Blade: 3 3/8" x 15/16" at widest point
Blade type: Partially serrated spear point w/flat grind
Saw: 3 ½" x ½" with 6 teeth per inch x 2 rows.

I have owned and used Victorinox Swiss Army Knives for years and not one of them has failed to do the task at hand and it would seem from the apparent quality, that this knife will be just as rugged and versatile.

For the testing, I decided to bring the knife to the land where our Sweat Lodge is located. There is a small wooded area on the property that covers about 5 acres and fortunately for me, it isn’t loaded with poison oak.

I didn't bother to test the drivers and instead consentrated on the saw and blade of the knife. I took a walk into the wooded area and came on a likely candidate to test the saw with. I had cut about an inch and a half into the piece when I took this photo.

bundevaluation003a.jpg


Three minutes later and I had the shortened limb to a point that I could break it the rest of the way off. I cleaned the saw's teeth twice during the session and as this was the largest diameter I had cut with a SAK, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly and easily it did the job.

bundevaluation004a.jpg


Next I gathered up a few of the smaller diameter limbs that were laying on the ground and headed back to the firepit of our lodge. Using both the serrated and plain edges of the blade, I shaved enough from one of the small limbs to act as tinder and broke the rest into 4-6" pieces. I was a bit disappointed in how the serrated part of the blade performed when shaving the wood. Not that it did a bad job, it just didn't perform as well as the plain edge.

bundevaluation005.jpg


I place some dry grass in the firepit and made a not so tidy pile with the shavings and used the back of the saw to strike up sparks with the BSA Hotspark, easily igniting the grass and shavings. Then I started building up the fire until I had flames working at the larger of the pieces.

bundevaluation007.jpg


I didn't take any photos of cutting twine, parachute shroud line, 1/4" nylon rope and the 1/2" hemp rope, but I was very pleased with the performance of the serrations in this part of the test. They easily cut through the cordage.

Overall, I'm very happy with this knife. I'd like to have the pick and tweezers, but, we can't have everything and the Eagle too.
 
Longbow50 I am not surprised a seiously serrated blade would be bad at shaving . I am impressed with the saw . I guess thats about a big a branch as it could handle ?
 
ras said:
I like the Outrider. Locking blade, saw and scissors for fine work. Trekker is a close second.
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I agree with the outrider, I did a 3 day survial camp when i was in army cadets and I did excellent according to the instuctor. I did however have an axe with me but only used it once to cut firewood but im certain I could have survied without it.
 
Kevin the grey said:
Longbow50 I am not surprised a seiously serrated blade would be bad at shaving . I am impressed with the saw . I guess thats about a big a branch as it could handle ?
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It did OK at shaving, but it was difficult to control the depth of the cuts. The serrated section did fine scraping fatwood and making a powder to ignite with the Hotspark.

Even though that was the largest I had cut with a SAK, I figure that it could have handled larger. It would just require a different technique is all.
 
I do prefer simpler knives than an S:A:K: I do think that a saw of a good quality would be quite handy .

Actually I used to carry a Gerber folding pruner that could proabably take down a four inch tree easily .It fit in a back pocket without showing and could be flicked open with one hand . I carried it in the city where carrying a knife was inadvisable . I have flicked it open and cut down a two inch trunk so fast the guy wondered what I had in my hand that was so small and could go through wood so quickly . About twenty bucks .
 
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,
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Don't get me wrong... I love SAK's. I carry a Vic Classic on my keychain every day, everywhere (except airports, and then I miss it!). But for the kind of stuff that I do outdoors, I would never be without my Leatherman. The pliers are just too useful. I primarily hunt, fish, and camp in Minnesota. Pliers are great for grabbing hot pots off the fire or stove, adjusting things, and (most frequently) unhooking fish. It also straightens or re-bends hooks, and the wire-cutter on my leatherman goes through monofiliment line like s scissors (way easier to trim your knots than with than a knife!). The awl punches out the paint from jig eyes, saving the knife blade. The file sharpens hooks. We often travel by canoe (i.e. pack light!), so having one tool to do all these things is a benefit.
(Warning: Bladeforums blasphemy ahead...)
I am so hooked on the multitool-with-pliers pattern, that I would probably choose a cheap made-in-China piece of junk Leatherman rip-off over a SAK for a canoe trip. I just don't cut enough stuff often enough to justify losing the pliers.
Just my thoughts (and my first Bladeforums post).
 
ras said:
I like the Outrider. Locking blade, saw and scissors for fine work.
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Thanks for pointing this SAK out as I've been trying to find one like this for a while. Somehow I missed it on Knifeworks. (Cheaper there than the link you provided.) Yay more money out of my pocket! :rolleyes:
 
mp510 said:
I can try to answer. I have brung multi tools with me into the woods, when I have been hunting, fishing, and mountain biking. I have also had 1+ knives on me, and the multi tool was never once used for cutting, despite having as knife blade. It was however, used for tasks associated with the other activities I was engaged in. When I was fishing, I used it for working on my rig. While I was hunting, I tightened up a gun screw that I had forgotten to tighten down before going affield, and it also find it helpful in removing the percussion cap from an inline as well. And mountain biking- well some things on my bike came out of adjustment well I was afield....:o
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Point taken. It's easy for me to forget the amount of gear others will use, as I'm more of a minimalist type myself. Most the things I use in the woods I fashion from nature itself. If I owned guns or a boat a multi-tool would be more useful to me.

Longbow: Were there any ergonomics problem on the OHT variant using the saw with the blade closed?
 
Vivi said:
Longbow: Were there any ergonomics problem on the OHT variant using the saw with the blade closed?
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Not really. Of course, mileage may vary for others, but I feel that the knife is very well designed for use. When I hold the knife, two of my fingers wrap around the handle and rest on the part of the main blade that tapers below the hump. My little finger lays just off of the knife, my thumb rests on the scale, my index finger rests just behind the top of the saw and the small ring rests in the crease of my palm. If I turn my palm upwards and open my hand, the saw end of the knife rests on my index finger and the other end rests at the center of my palm.
 
Thanks for the quick response. I need to try a OHT for myself sometime soon. It'll be interesting to see whether or not I end up liking it more than my beloved Farmer.
 
I've never had the opportunity to use the Farmer, but I read that it's a favorite amoung a lot of people on the different forums.

I've used a variety of Vic SAKs over the years. When I got my current favorite, the Bundeswehr OHT, I was carrying a Huntsman as EDC. I had bought the Hunter model to replace the Huntsman, but it ended up in a shoulder bag and the Huntsman stayed in my pocket. Now the OHT stays with me and the Huntsman lives in the PU.
 
I really like SAKs and I appreciate the review of the SAK. I have an Locksmith which is like the Farmer with a metal file. But if I had the choice of knives (one knife only) for a woods survivial situation, I think it might well be a SOG Hunter Revolver (lets call it SOG's version of a SAK) which has a much larger and more aggressive saw blade and a longer non-serrated blade. As you guys know, it is a belt knife, but it is sort of a folder also. It would not be a bad knife for defensive purposes as well as using as a camp or hunting knife. Add another knife and I would have my SAK in my pocket.
 
I prefer a SAK for outdoors activities. If there's need for a weapon, a good stout staff beats the hell out of a knife of any size, any day. My SAK Farmer or OHT can make a very nice staff in a matter of minutes.
 
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