Quote:
Originally Posted by DaleW View Post
Anything over a pound or longer than my forearm.
I think axes are great for vehicle kits, but I'm not hauling one in my pack. I can take a much larger range of gear for the weight and space taken by an axe. The smaller ones are pretty much useless, IMHO and I've owned them.
I have a 14" Fiskars with a kit in the handle that I like, but I wouldn't take it hiking. I had a Vaughan Sub Zero that was just too small and light to be effective as a wood-cutter. My understanding is that these small axes were originally kitchen axes, used for splitting kindling for the wood stove. I could see using one for lighter wood working, notching and fine splitting, but not much good for quick shelter making and real firewood gathering in a tight spot.
On the other hand, folding saws are much lighter and can cut shelter and firewood quickly and safely.
The idea is to have a small light kit with you whenever you step onto the trail. The kit should cover the essentials: water, food, fire, shelter, clothing, first aid, signaling and navigation.
*Water
You would normally carry water, but a spare container and some means of purification should be worked into a kit. I add a one liter Platypus bladder with several Micro Pur packets taped to it. Working in a boiler container is good in many ways.
*Food
Other than carrying your normal meals on a hike, you should have an energy bar or some hard candy in your kit-- read extra food. Then comes food gathering items-- a small fishing kit and snare wire. Learning which wild plants are edible in your area should be part of your training.
*Fire
I carry multiple means of making fire as well as training to make and use fire bows and sticks to make a fire. I carry a firesteel, weatherproof matches, and a small butane lighter, as well as tinder and a fuel tablet. I also carry a knife or multi-tool with a saw to help cut wood. My main knife is large and tough enough to baton if needed. If I'm going to to be in rough country and solo, then a folding saw might be added.
If going with a group, I think it is a good idea for each person in the group to carry a larger tool or item that can contribute to the survival of the group, as well as their own PSK's. One person could carry a saw, another might have a 2-way radio, another could carry a rope, larger first aid kit, etc.
*Shelter and clothing
I carry a Space Blanket or bivy sack and count that as emergency shelter and additional clothing. Normally have extra insulation and a poncho shelter too. I've incorporated large garbage bags into many kits, which can be worn as rain gear, used as a partial bivy sack, or split open and used to waterproof a lean-to roof or as a ground sheet.
*First aid
I carry one of the Adventure Medical .3 or .5 kits as my personal kit. I add meds like Benedryl, and one-use sunscreen and bug repellent. I also carry a bandana and duct tape that can be used for improvised first aid.
*Signaling
I carry a whistle in my PSK, along with a small LED flashlight, a mirror, and some surveyor's tape. I add a mini felt tip marker to leave messages-- blaze a tree and write on the inner bark.
*Navigation
I normally carry a good sighting compass with a mirror-- A Brunton 8099 or a Suunto MC2. I think a back-up compass is mandatory. I've made paracord bracelets that incorporated a watchband compass (and a whistle buckle). Most of my kits just use a Brunton or Silva keychain/zipper pull type compass. They aren't meant for precise navigation, but they will get you headed in the right direction.
I carry a map in my main pack and I have carried photocopies for a backup, particularly before laminated maps were available. I don't carry maps in my survival kit, and I would need to rely on my knowledge of the area. I do study my hike with 3d maps or Google Earth, so I have a good idea what I am getting into. I own a GPS, but I would not rely on one in a tight spot. Heavy foliage, dead batteries and mechanical malfunctions make them Murphy's Law toys. Compasses *work* and a few hour of study and practice should allow you to do basic navigation with one.
*Tools
Part of the fire/shelter/food items means having tools. Axes work, but as I've said, they are heavy and large for what they deliver. I EDC a Leatherman Micra or SAK Classic, along with a folding knife, and on workdays, a multi-tool. In the woods, my kits include a couple single-edge razor blades, and a Micra or Classic. A like an SAK Farmer or Fieldmaster rather than a multi-tool in the woods. If you are using a bike or something with a motor, then I think a multi-tool is a good choice.
I do carry a fixed-blade knife-- a mora or a Fallkniven F1. If I'm really wanting a full kit, then I can add a folding saw like the Kershaw/Bahco Laplander or the Fiskars 7" pruning saw.
Part of "tools" for me includes lights-- small coin-cell LED's, AAA or AA headlamp, and my favorite, the AAA Fenix flashlights.
I round it out with tools to improvise-- several kinds of line and string, braided nylon seine twine, Kevlar Mule tape, and a flat pack of duct tape. The Mule tape is what I use for bear-bagging my food sack and is not part of my PSK, but it is in my pack. There is super glue in my first aid kit, along with a hotel "freebie" style sewing kit. My fishing/food gathering kit has a small bundle of snare wire too.
So, all said and done, my PSK is 8 ounces, minus the larger tools like the fixed blade knife and/or saw. It all fits in a one liter waterproof silnylon stuff sack (which can double to carry water). An decent axe weighs more, takes up a bunch of room and only only covers crude cutting and chopping. I rest my case (or PSK).
Maybe a test is in order
