Searching for the Essential Desert Survival Blade

S

SaltBlade

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Sep 29, 2006
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I have been pondering this question for a while. Most of my hikes are in the Texas Hill country and Chihuahua desert of the Texas SW. I have researched the Apache Indians and the early settlers of this area for information without much success. What little information is available seems to indicate they carried whatever they could get.
I was watch Les Stroud's show the other day and was struck by his remark that in the north woods the axe holds the same importance as the machete in the jungle. Without one survival is extremely difficult. So, I am throwing this out to the blade experts here. Is there a blade type that holds the same importance to desert survival as the axe or machete? I have read of the 6" fish fillet knife recommened by some and even the Stockman style 3 blade folder by others.

OldSalt.
 
I spend 14 days in the Utah desert with this knife only, and I was very happy with it.

bushcraftgeartv6.jpg
 
Lived in Arizona my whole life on and off. Live at about 3500', Creosote Mesquite kind of desert. Most of my experience is at around this elevation up to 6000' where it gets scrubbier. I usually don't find the need to chop wood down here, and use a lot of dead fall. The wood that is most common is hard to cut and can usually be found in abundence in unpopulated area's (Mesquite, Palo Verde, Cottonwood) dead. When forced to break up wood, I have been outchopped several times by my buddy using a sharp rock to hit the hard wood against than me with a full sized axe. The wood seems to split this way very easily. I do like something that can cleanly delimb though and can pry/batton/split wood. My favorite tool is usually a HI Khurki, or now a battle rat backed up by a mora or a F1. 'I can't think of anything more that I could want in that combo. Here's my combo:

Picture001.jpg


What type of desert are you in and what kinds of vegitation are you commonly encountering?

Although I don't think that there is necessarily a 'knife' that is going to put you at some extreme advantage over another. Obviously in the North the sheer quantity of firewood necessary makes an axe paramount. (Not speaking from experience). I have not commonly encountered the same things here. I believe that the moderate desert gives the most convincing argument for an 'all round' type of knife being at it's strongest. I commonly go out on long treks (Over 9 days) and usually do better than fine with the above. But your mileage may be different. IMHO
 
While designed for jungle use, I would venture that the RAT7 would make a dandy desert survival knife.

The Ranger Knives RD9 is another knife I would think would serve well, especially if digging for ground water or prying is a role the knife would likely be put to.
 
Myakka said:
I spend 14 days in the Utah desert with this knife only, and I was very happy with it.
Click to expand...

Myakka, where in Utah were you?


Fieldtestornothing said:
, I have been outchopped several times by my buddy using a sharp rock to hit the hard wood against than me with a full sized axe. The wood seems to split this way very easily.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine used this technique quite a bit when I lived in AZ. He called it the "caveman axe"



I would want something with a long blade like the rat-7. There really isn't much worth chopping in the sonoran, and it either burns quickly or is so dense it is impossible to ignite. If I was in dire need of water I would make a solar still and line it with cactus parts. So I would like to keep my hands as far away from them as possible. I'd also like to be able to lash it to a stick or saguaro spine for harvesting saguaro fruit. You can eat the insides of cholla if you burn off the needles and then cut off the skin, tastes like a cucumber with the consistency of kiwi. I used to do this all the time when I was guiding in Arizona, people loved it.
 
i had a conversation with the late dave alloway, he carried a cold steel SRK and found it to be the right size for survival in the desert, he even used it on a survival trek in the australian outback, did not think that a larger blade had much advantage.

alex
 
Myakka said:
I spend 14 days in the Utah desert with this knife only, and I was very happy with it.

bushcraftgeartv6.jpg
Click to expand...

BOSS survival school, 2 week course....Ahhhh...I find one more reason to be jealous of you....nice knife. I hope to do the full month course someday, and go up to T. Browns at least once..soon........soon.
 
alco141 said:
i had a conversation with the late dave alloway, he carried a cold steel SRK and found it to be the right size for survival in the desert, he even used it on a survival trek in the australian outback, did not think that a larger blade had much advantage.

alex
Click to expand...

Alex:

IIRC, before his untimely death he had desinged a special version of the SRK, orange handle, exposed butt, maybe a different grind or some spine treatment.

Anyone recall more details?
 
Thanks to everyone for their input!
I hiked all over the Texas Southwest in my early years and mostly carried a Gerber lockblade folder. There were times that I wished for a bigger knife or even an ax but I did get by.
To answer Fieldtestornothing, the Texas Southwest is mostly Chihuahuan desert . That means Shrubs and Cacti in the low desert. Mesquite, Cresote, Prickly Pear, Ocotillo and Lechuguilla Cactus. A little higher elevation and you can get grassland. Then as you get into the higher elevations its Oaks, Junipers and Cotton wood near water. I have a couple of the HI Kuks, particularly a little 12" that I really like, but I find it a little heavy for backpacking. The weight / usefulness trade off is just a little too high when I can carry a $19 CS KUK/machete that works as well at half the price. Whoops, hope I didn't start an argument on the relative merits of KUKs here. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif
:)
Alco141. Wish I had had a chance to take Dave Alloway's course. I was hiking that area at the time he was teaching but on a shoe string budget so could never get up the funds. I have read his book and all the articles I could find. I read where he liked the SRK and even used it once to assist in climbing out of deadend canyon which story is a testment not only to his abilities but also to the strength of the knife. I have one set up in a survival sheath with some other goodies and it will probably go with me on my next hike in that area.
Myakka,
What uses did you put your knife to during your time in Utah?
OldSalt
 
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