- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
- Messages
- 2,373
Survival Knives
In my reasoning a “Survival Knife” is a resource to get you through a “Survival Situation”. All else has failed for some reason and I have to fall back on the contents of my head and the items on my person to stay alive until I can get to safety. The survival knife is the last line of defense.
The very idea of a survival kit located on the sheath knife is that the knife is the most basic piece of gear and stays belted on during any wilderness activity. It cannot fall out of a pocket and is unlikely to be left behind by accident. It is unlikely to be lost overboard or swept away when crossing a river. If a person needs to exit a burning vehicle the kit goes with him while the pack may be lost.
Placing survival items on a knife sheath also presupposes that the normal items carried in the pack cover any foreseeable needs and that nothing in the knife kit should have to be used under normal circumstances, other than the knife itself. They are limited to the items necessary to spend a night or two in the wilderness and signal for help with no other resources other than the contents of the knife kit. The items in the kit must be capable of getting wet and must not degrade with time.
Knife Choices
Over the years I have been through a constant evolution in terms of what blade occupied this role. For many years I carried a Ka-Bar or the Air Force Survival Knife set up as a kit knife. In both cases I covered the sheaths with a rubber sleeve of some sort and put the kit contents under the sleeve. This system worked very well as long as I paid attention to the condition of the rubber.
Upon arrival in Brazil it quickly became apparent that I would have to carry a machete at all times. The most effective combination here is a machete and a small fixed blade. For a long time I carried the AFSK kit knife in this role. Upon further evaluation I decided that if for some reason I lost the machete that the AFSK would be inadequate by itself. Most often I leave my machete attached to my pack and if it were lost I would be in trouble.
The Ka-Bar was too light for much of the chopping tasks encountered here. I decided that my survival knife needed to be capable of chopping and clearing trail if it was the only tool I had. I finally settled on the Becker BK-7 and Livesay NRGS neck knife as the tools that always stay on my person in the bush.
I think ideally the kit should be built around a machete but I know myself in that I don’t like having anything that large attached to me in the bush. The BK-7 kit is about as much as I tolerate. I have a tendency to put my machete on my belt when traveling in heavy brush because the machete is in and out of its sheath often enough to warrant having it on the belt. If I run into the occasional snag I have found the BK-7 to be effective in cutting myself free but it is much harder to swing it constantly like a machete.
Likewise I vastly prefer the machete for clearing campsites and constructing shelters. The BK-7 can do these things as well but it is more work. I can live with this limitation because I can live with the BK-7 on my belt at all times. I know my habits enough to know that if I am in the bush with only a machete and small fixed blade that the small blade will be on my person and the machete attached to the pack 90% of the time. I’m much less likely to lose the BK-7 and it works well enough for a survival situation if that’s all I have.
BK-7 Kit Knife
HANDLE CONTENTS – The handle scales of the knife can be removed to reveal two small hollow cavities. These are removed with a small hex-wrench and filled with a fishing/trapping kit: line, sinkers, hooks, wire.
SHEATH CONTENTS – The sheath has a pouch that fits an Altoids tin and there is room below it to attach items with a rubber sleeve. Paracord is attached to the leg tie at bottom of the sheath and the wrist lanyard hole on the handle of the knife.
KNIFE SHARPENER
- US Army ceramic stone, Tied on, rides under velcro strap on top of Altoids tin
FIRE – The kit has both tinder and an initiator that are impervious to the elements.
- Sparklite fire starter, tin
- Sparklite tinder, 4, tin
- BSA Hotspark, in pouch alongside tin
- Straw of treated cotton, spare straw in tin
- Strike anywhere matches, waterproof, 6, under rubber sleeve
- Birthday Candles, 3, under rubber sleeve
- Rubber ranger bands, excellent fire-starters, various locations
WATER – The knife contains both a water container and treatment method.
- 5 liter galão de Emergêcia, rolled tightly under rubber sleeve below pouch
- Potassium Permanganate, 20mg, tin
SHELTER – The shelter provisions are intended to make the construction of an expedient shelter easier, not necessarily to compose a shelter. There are three components, water/wind proofing, heat proofing, and cordage. In practicality only a space blanket will fit on the sheath, attached by wide black rubber bands below the pouch. The space blanket is waterproof/windproof and will trap body heat. The duct tape is used to seal leaks and join seams. The space blanket and rolled water carrier is no more bulky than the pouch and Altoids tin above them.
- Space Blanket, under rubber sleeve
- Para cord, 7 strand, 2 meters attached as leg tie
- Duct tape, 1 meter, wrapped around space blanket
- Heavy needle and #4 waxed line for clothing repairs, tin
SIGNALS
- Starflash mirror, tin
- ACR Whistle, under rubber sleeve on back of sheath
- Inova Night Vision Red LED light, tin on braided neck cord
- Other signal methods include space blanket as reflector/marker, and fire/smoke
- Night signal reflector on back of medallion compass
NAVIGATION
- Medallion type liquid filled compass with braided #4 waxed-line neck cord, tin
LIGHT
- Inova Night Vison Red LED light
- 3 Birthday Candles
- Fire
MEDICAL
- Moleskin, inside bottom of tin
- 10 Ibuprophen, tin
- Salt, tin
- Potassium Permanganate, tin
- Sterile Scalpel Blade, tin
- Single edge razor blade, tin
Braided neck cord – The compass, Inova LED, ACR whistle, and Starflash mirror are to be attached to the neck cord and worn around the neck at all times during a survival situation. This leaves the compass readily available for navigation. It also leaves the day/night signal capability instantly accessible during the emergency.
BK-7 Kit Camp
With only the contents of this kit I would have the means to construct an improvised shelter and be able to wrap up in the space blanket inside it. I would have a fire and five liters of treated water, with salt to aid re-hydration in Brazil’s extreme heat. The signals group allows for some sort of signal capability, active and passive with sight and sound, day or night. If I had to walk out I would have a compass and foot care. I chose the Ibuprofen, as it is both a painkiller and anti-inflammatory. I believe the items in this kit will aid in actual survival and are not there just because they are nifty and small.
The other item that I always have belted on at all times is a US Army canteen with steel cup and stove sleeve. The pouch on the canteen carries two bottles of Potable Aqua, a yellow mini-bic lighter, and a small foil packet of KMnO4 as a back-up water purification system. Most of the time I also have my Recta DP-2 compass and a bottle of Bens 100 in a pocket along with some snack food items.
Mac
In my reasoning a “Survival Knife” is a resource to get you through a “Survival Situation”. All else has failed for some reason and I have to fall back on the contents of my head and the items on my person to stay alive until I can get to safety. The survival knife is the last line of defense.
The very idea of a survival kit located on the sheath knife is that the knife is the most basic piece of gear and stays belted on during any wilderness activity. It cannot fall out of a pocket and is unlikely to be left behind by accident. It is unlikely to be lost overboard or swept away when crossing a river. If a person needs to exit a burning vehicle the kit goes with him while the pack may be lost.
Placing survival items on a knife sheath also presupposes that the normal items carried in the pack cover any foreseeable needs and that nothing in the knife kit should have to be used under normal circumstances, other than the knife itself. They are limited to the items necessary to spend a night or two in the wilderness and signal for help with no other resources other than the contents of the knife kit. The items in the kit must be capable of getting wet and must not degrade with time.
Knife Choices
Over the years I have been through a constant evolution in terms of what blade occupied this role. For many years I carried a Ka-Bar or the Air Force Survival Knife set up as a kit knife. In both cases I covered the sheaths with a rubber sleeve of some sort and put the kit contents under the sleeve. This system worked very well as long as I paid attention to the condition of the rubber.
Upon arrival in Brazil it quickly became apparent that I would have to carry a machete at all times. The most effective combination here is a machete and a small fixed blade. For a long time I carried the AFSK kit knife in this role. Upon further evaluation I decided that if for some reason I lost the machete that the AFSK would be inadequate by itself. Most often I leave my machete attached to my pack and if it were lost I would be in trouble.
The Ka-Bar was too light for much of the chopping tasks encountered here. I decided that my survival knife needed to be capable of chopping and clearing trail if it was the only tool I had. I finally settled on the Becker BK-7 and Livesay NRGS neck knife as the tools that always stay on my person in the bush.
I think ideally the kit should be built around a machete but I know myself in that I don’t like having anything that large attached to me in the bush. The BK-7 kit is about as much as I tolerate. I have a tendency to put my machete on my belt when traveling in heavy brush because the machete is in and out of its sheath often enough to warrant having it on the belt. If I run into the occasional snag I have found the BK-7 to be effective in cutting myself free but it is much harder to swing it constantly like a machete.
Likewise I vastly prefer the machete for clearing campsites and constructing shelters. The BK-7 can do these things as well but it is more work. I can live with this limitation because I can live with the BK-7 on my belt at all times. I know my habits enough to know that if I am in the bush with only a machete and small fixed blade that the small blade will be on my person and the machete attached to the pack 90% of the time. I’m much less likely to lose the BK-7 and it works well enough for a survival situation if that’s all I have.
BK-7 Kit Knife
HANDLE CONTENTS – The handle scales of the knife can be removed to reveal two small hollow cavities. These are removed with a small hex-wrench and filled with a fishing/trapping kit: line, sinkers, hooks, wire.
SHEATH CONTENTS – The sheath has a pouch that fits an Altoids tin and there is room below it to attach items with a rubber sleeve. Paracord is attached to the leg tie at bottom of the sheath and the wrist lanyard hole on the handle of the knife.
KNIFE SHARPENER
- US Army ceramic stone, Tied on, rides under velcro strap on top of Altoids tin
FIRE – The kit has both tinder and an initiator that are impervious to the elements.
- Sparklite fire starter, tin
- Sparklite tinder, 4, tin
- BSA Hotspark, in pouch alongside tin
- Straw of treated cotton, spare straw in tin
- Strike anywhere matches, waterproof, 6, under rubber sleeve
- Birthday Candles, 3, under rubber sleeve
- Rubber ranger bands, excellent fire-starters, various locations
WATER – The knife contains both a water container and treatment method.
- 5 liter galão de Emergêcia, rolled tightly under rubber sleeve below pouch
- Potassium Permanganate, 20mg, tin
SHELTER – The shelter provisions are intended to make the construction of an expedient shelter easier, not necessarily to compose a shelter. There are three components, water/wind proofing, heat proofing, and cordage. In practicality only a space blanket will fit on the sheath, attached by wide black rubber bands below the pouch. The space blanket is waterproof/windproof and will trap body heat. The duct tape is used to seal leaks and join seams. The space blanket and rolled water carrier is no more bulky than the pouch and Altoids tin above them.
- Space Blanket, under rubber sleeve
- Para cord, 7 strand, 2 meters attached as leg tie
- Duct tape, 1 meter, wrapped around space blanket
- Heavy needle and #4 waxed line for clothing repairs, tin
SIGNALS
- Starflash mirror, tin
- ACR Whistle, under rubber sleeve on back of sheath
- Inova Night Vision Red LED light, tin on braided neck cord
- Other signal methods include space blanket as reflector/marker, and fire/smoke
- Night signal reflector on back of medallion compass
NAVIGATION
- Medallion type liquid filled compass with braided #4 waxed-line neck cord, tin
LIGHT
- Inova Night Vison Red LED light
- 3 Birthday Candles
- Fire
MEDICAL
- Moleskin, inside bottom of tin
- 10 Ibuprophen, tin
- Salt, tin
- Potassium Permanganate, tin
- Sterile Scalpel Blade, tin
- Single edge razor blade, tin
Braided neck cord – The compass, Inova LED, ACR whistle, and Starflash mirror are to be attached to the neck cord and worn around the neck at all times during a survival situation. This leaves the compass readily available for navigation. It also leaves the day/night signal capability instantly accessible during the emergency.
BK-7 Kit Camp
With only the contents of this kit I would have the means to construct an improvised shelter and be able to wrap up in the space blanket inside it. I would have a fire and five liters of treated water, with salt to aid re-hydration in Brazil’s extreme heat. The signals group allows for some sort of signal capability, active and passive with sight and sound, day or night. If I had to walk out I would have a compass and foot care. I chose the Ibuprofen, as it is both a painkiller and anti-inflammatory. I believe the items in this kit will aid in actual survival and are not there just because they are nifty and small.
The other item that I always have belted on at all times is a US Army canteen with steel cup and stove sleeve. The pouch on the canteen carries two bottles of Potable Aqua, a yellow mini-bic lighter, and a small foil packet of KMnO4 as a back-up water purification system. Most of the time I also have my Recta DP-2 compass and a bottle of Bens 100 in a pocket along with some snack food items.
Mac
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