I just bought a knife from sportsmans warehouse strictly for self defence while hiking (kershaw bearhunter $28 tax included). i just want to know if you have ever bought a blade just for protection against animals of the 4 legged and 3 legged kind. i picked it because of it's weight, handle and price. please post your knife that fits the hiking personal protection criteria. thank you !!!
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knife bought for hiking personal protection
- Thread starter mblackfu
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Esav Benyamin
MidniteSuperMod
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Self-defense is more a matter of skills than tools, but you did pick a good, solid knife. 
A fixed blade is inherently more reliable than a folder and the handle looks like an excellent grip. I suggest using it for utility as well, to accustom yourself to it. Just carry a small sharpener and keep it touched up.
A fixed blade is inherently more reliable than a folder and the handle looks like an excellent grip. I suggest using it for utility as well, to accustom yourself to it. Just carry a small sharpener and keep it touched up.
Nope, I bought a gun for personal protection, but a knife is better than nothing. Sharpen the end of a staff that's about 6' long. Not you've got a hiking staff, digging stick, spear and a knife.
2nd on the sharp stick, the worlds first weapon. Even chimpanzees and woodpeckers use 'em.
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Bark River Slither
Mora 2000
Bark River L'il Chute
Ray Laconico Baby Bowie
Any of these would be good trail knives, good for general use or self defense if it came to it. I'd rather use the handgun.....
Andy
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First rule in knife fighting.....DONT GET IN ONE!! I would recomend a handgun, like the SW mountain 44..it would more than likely defuse a potential fight, just by showing it. And it would drop most people with one round to the chest...sorry, but this thread has the potential to end up in Practical & Tactical, I hope it stays here, as its an important hiking and camping issue....I have met people in the woods..and had a weird feeling about them. It seems that peoples normal civilised behavior can be suspended while out in the wild places....I would say the risk of attack is greater out in the woods than in a city...depending on the part of the city you wander into. Gene
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Be discreet in anything you carry. If you are in an area with bears or mountain lions the S&W 44 recommended by others is the only thing to carry. In the east where I live a .38 +P or .357 is enough. Fighting an animal with a knife is only for the movies. It can get quite messy for you. Two legged predators are more of a problem in isolated areas.
Self-defense is more a matter of skills than tools, but you did pick a good, solid knife.
No truer words have ever been spoken...with a slight addition of "more a matter of 'mindset' and skills than tools."
I realize I don't know a whole lot about self defense, fighting, or surviving but what I do know is there is a critical priority order and purchasing and/or possession of tools are lowest on the list:
1. Mindset - Developing/maintaining the proper self defense Mindset "I am the weapon and all this hardware are just tools!" (Software - Absolutely the most critical and needs constant training/development) Folks, this is what wins fights and survives in the wild! Mindset also develop and impliment one's strategy...which quite frankly is under-rated on this forum. People buy gear without any strategy relevant to their survival 'mission'...they just buy gear based upon the "CDI" factor (Chick's Dig it or WoW factor) not upon careful consideration of the mission and my training.
2. Training - Acquiring the neccessary effective fundamental Skills/Knowledge/Behavior & understanding the criminal/civil legal considerations/ramifications (Software) (Note there are people actually teaching ineffective skills/knowledge/behaviors but this is a different discussion)
3. Tactics - One must learn, practice, develop, and master various tactics - by definition "tactics" means using all the available means and circumstances to give oneself an advantage while placing our 2 or 4 legged opponent(s) in a continious state of disadvantage.
4.Application & Competency Demostration - Practice under realistic simulated conditions testing ones training & tactics against 'realistic' scenarios and 'real' people! - 'trial & testing by fire!' (using both hardware and software)
5 Tools - Selecting and procurring Tools (Hardware -Lowest on the priority list - any tool can and probably has been used successfully for self defense)
Most of us equate "possession of tools as competence" - I owned an airplane once but couldn't fly it very well and didn't have the time to develop the competence or confidence...so I sold it. Owning a firearm or knife doesn't automatically make one competent or confident to be able to defend oneself.
As a former firefighter who has been in harms way a few times in my life...we worked on 1,2,3 & 4 and often trained with the worst possible gear on purpose to eradicate the "gotta have a favorate tool" mindset that most of us spoiled North American's seem insistant on having. Once you have developed your 1,2, 3 & 4 then it really doesn't matter what tool or tools you have...you are able to use it successfully to complete your entire mission including that of survival and self defense. But on the other hand once you've mastered 1,2, 3 & 4then you'll understand what the most effective charactistics of a defensive knife (and survival knife) are and are not...
But what the heck do I know?
i have alot of handguns, but i sometimes hike in areas where they are not allowed ( i am not trying to break the law).these places are usually close to civilization and there probably won't be any chance of you getting lost. sometimes theses places have HIDDEN areas where human or animal predators could attack. My mind is mostly on alert status , but sometimes the beauty of the area overwelms me and i let my guard down. the kershaw knife i bought seems like it would be good for my purpose. just as many of you try to avoid confrontations, so do i . the true fact is that some humans don't listen and that animals dont speak, so i bought it for those reasons.
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OC cannister is a good choice for the outdoors also.
If you fight a bear with a knife it will most likely kill you.
It is best not to fight with a bear but to give in and "play dead" if it is on top of you.
If a big cat sees you and really wants to eat you there is a good chance it will,
unless you are armed with OC or a firearm.
Although this is rare, I've had a friend attacked by a mountain lion.
Luckily she survived but is now missing an eye.
It was an old sickly mountain lion, which her friend dispatched with a knife
from behind.
With a big cat make yourself look like less of a deer as possible. Take your shirt
or jacket and raise it to chin level so your neck is not exposed. Since, a cat
will go for your neck, if it has trouble discerning your neck it will be less likely to attack. Also, look the cat in the eyes and back away slowly.
If you turn and run it will chase you.
In areas of known bear or cat populations I take bear spray. So, far never had to use it.
But it's legal and has a seemingly effective track record.
It is best not to fight with a bear but to give in and "play dead" if it is on top of you.
If a big cat sees you and really wants to eat you there is a good chance it will,
unless you are armed with OC or a firearm.
Although this is rare, I've had a friend attacked by a mountain lion.
Luckily she survived but is now missing an eye.
It was an old sickly mountain lion, which her friend dispatched with a knife
from behind.
With a big cat make yourself look like less of a deer as possible. Take your shirt
or jacket and raise it to chin level so your neck is not exposed. Since, a cat
will go for your neck, if it has trouble discerning your neck it will be less likely to attack. Also, look the cat in the eyes and back away slowly.
If you turn and run it will chase you.
In areas of known bear or cat populations I take bear spray. So, far never had to use it.
But it's legal and has a seemingly effective track record.
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They are terrified of things that look scary to them. I know that sounds stupid. If you are approached by one and are lucky enough to see it before it tries to strike, DO NOT RUN!!!! This turns on their highly developed predatory alarm and now the chase is on. Raise your arms, scream, yell, throw shite at them. They will be more scared of you than you are of them...Three cheers for the Discovery channel. A
As far as what to carry, a firearm is always the best bet for the furry monsters. OC is a good bet, provided it is at least 15% or so. Do not buy the crap from Wal-Greens or wherever, you have to go to a legit cop shop to get something with stopping power. (Just the background, I am a licensed Security Officer in TX, so I have been sprayed for training repeatedly) I also carry my Panther Hawk Stun Gun in places where the .38 is not allowed.
The knife you snagged looks like a decent choice. When I go hiking, I carry the most illegal blade I have and strap it on the belt. The Frost survival knife comes out. Nothing says "leave me the F alone" like 14" of half-serrated steel.
Oh, and I have to second the hiking staff idea as well. I carry an aluminum one from Cabela's that telescopes a bit, works great. Sticks work fine too...I wouldn't have this if it wasn't a gift.
As far as what to carry, a firearm is always the best bet for the furry monsters. OC is a good bet, provided it is at least 15% or so. Do not buy the crap from Wal-Greens or wherever, you have to go to a legit cop shop to get something with stopping power. (Just the background, I am a licensed Security Officer in TX, so I have been sprayed for training repeatedly) I also carry my Panther Hawk Stun Gun in places where the .38 is not allowed.
The knife you snagged looks like a decent choice. When I go hiking, I carry the most illegal blade I have and strap it on the belt. The Frost survival knife comes out. Nothing says "leave me the F alone" like 14" of half-serrated steel.
Oh, and I have to second the hiking staff idea as well. I carry an aluminum one from Cabela's that telescopes a bit, works great. Sticks work fine too...I wouldn't have this if it wasn't a gift.
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While it is possible to get a license to carry in remote areas here in BC, most of the time it's not really applicable. So if you carry legally, you are carrying a knife.
I generally don't worry about this sort of thing much but I do often have a Timberline Mini Pit Bull on a budget homemade mercharness. I wouldn't give much thought to using it on a bear etc but I'm not very worried about bear or cougar attacks...not much for buying lottery tickets either!
It would primarily be for 2-leg defense...not sure about the 3-legged attackers mentioned in the original post!
Anyway I wouldn't hesitate to carve a turkey if I had to, and I think even two or three inches of very sharp blade applied to the less bony areas ought to limit the ability of most people to continue attacking you - they would have to be absolutely deranged to keep coming after some bad abdominal wounds I think.
Anyway it's not something I really worry about on the trail...more something I worry about around subway stops or bar entrances with my girlfriend who seems to appeal to scumbags as well as to me.
I generally don't worry about this sort of thing much but I do often have a Timberline Mini Pit Bull on a budget homemade mercharness. I wouldn't give much thought to using it on a bear etc but I'm not very worried about bear or cougar attacks...not much for buying lottery tickets either!
It would primarily be for 2-leg defense...not sure about the 3-legged attackers mentioned in the original post!
Anyway I wouldn't hesitate to carve a turkey if I had to, and I think even two or three inches of very sharp blade applied to the less bony areas ought to limit the ability of most people to continue attacking you - they would have to be absolutely deranged to keep coming after some bad abdominal wounds I think.
Anyway it's not something I really worry about on the trail...more something I worry about around subway stops or bar entrances with my girlfriend who seems to appeal to scumbags as well as to me.
Living in the state of Maryland, I have to go without a handgun alot of times. If I'm in a state park not too far off the beaten path, I'll carry a Buck sheath knife in plain sight, and have my hornbeam staff in hand. A stout staff will take care of stray dogs, and alot else you may encounter. Plus its inoccent looking and already in hand if some two legged varmit gets a little hincky. It has an element of surprise if someone thinks its just a hiking stick.
Bear spray is good if you think you will encounter black bear. DO NOT PLAY DEAD with black bear, they will not stop like a grizzly. With black bear and cats fight like hell. Its true that the cats will run off if you fight back. Mountain lions are very shy by nature, unless old, sick, starving and desperate.
Most preditors, including the animal that killed that girl in Georga and the old couple in North Carolina, size up potential victims very carefully. They don't want to get hurt or killed by someone they think will fight back too strongly.
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Do you mean lonely, amorous mountain men looking for a companion?
In that case then maybe a compound bow, ah la deliverance.
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After several years of combat knife training the most important thing I learned was how ugly and terrible a real knife fight can be and how there is zero margin for error regardless of skill. I carry a thick hiking staff and either bearspray or mace depending on how far off the trail.
Do you mean lonely, amorous mountain men looking for a companion?
In that case then maybe a compound bow, ah la deliverance.
"You ain't never gonna git ta Aintree. Now get up in them woods!"
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My older brother used to call me PARANOID because I told him I have never been camping without a firearm since I was 16 years old
Then I told him about The Appalacian Trail murders
Back in the 90's there was some mumblings about a possible serial killer on the AT
Trent was ready.....
If you got no gatt
Then a knife is better than nothing I guess as previously stated
http://www.aldha.org/murders.htm
http://www.aldha.org/arrest02.htm
Then I told him about The Appalacian Trail murders
Back in the 90's there was some mumblings about a possible serial killer on the AT
Trent was ready.....
If you got no gatt
Then a knife is better than nothing I guess as previously stated
http://www.aldha.org/murders.htm
http://www.aldha.org/arrest02.htm