Tell me again why we need a knife??

runningboar

runningboar

Joined
May 27, 2006
Messages
2,325
On this forum we discuss the merits of knives for Real Life Survival Situations, protection against lions and bears, :rolleyes:. It seems every other thread is arguing over whether or not you need a big, burley he man knife or a wee, little girly knife in order to survive. Lots of people have stated that other people can stake their lives on a cheap blade but not them, they will only settle for a blade from the finest materials made and tested to the very limits of modern technology. Others seem to think that about any knife is OK.

Just exactly how much of these discussions is fueled by machismo and fantasy, IMO pretty much all of it. What is a real life survival situation, and if your in one why do you need a big knife, or any knife for that matter. I think there are a lot of things on my list far above any knife.

1. A detailed plan, with coordinates if possible, and a time schedule, and how long before help is called left with a dependable person before you leave.

2. A cell phone

3. A map and compass and know how to use it

4.The best clothes and shoes/boots you can afford with extra layers in a daypack

5. The ability to make fire now

6. Water and/or a way to purify it

7. Something to use for overhead cover, a siltarp, space balnket, poncho or the like

8. A signalling device, at the least a whistle, better yet a PLB, flaregun with flares, or a can of orange smoke

9. A few power bars or the like

10. The ability to stay calm and think, mental preparedness

I have been really digging lists lately.:p

I am sure that I left some things off but all of the things I listed IMO are more important than a knife.

If you are lost, chances are one maybe two nights is about all you will spend in the out of doors. What do you need a knife for, where I live I don't need one to build a fire, if I am lost long enough to need to build traps I am in very serious trouble, thinking about self defense is almost stupid, again if it comes down to my pocket knife against a determined foe, man or beast, I am in dire straights. If you are injured to the point that you can't walk out, then I would rather have a whistle than a knife.

I guess to sum things up and and quit rambling, maybe before arguing about what type of knife you need, an expensive, durable knife you can trust or a simple SAK or Mora, maybe the first thing is to think realistically about what you actually need it for? Mental masturbation is fun, thinking about TEOTWAWKI, zombies, and aliens but every now and again a good dose of the truth might help you decide what you really need. Chris
 
RB good well thought out post my busse is so sharp tha while I cut logs for my survival log cabin it emits a high pitch whistle that signals rescue dogs..... (lol i don't own a Busse...and no offense to busse owner I just picked a name out of the air) seriously though good post all sound ideas and essential contents of a well thought out psk....
 
Well aren't you the troublemaker? Suggesting on "Blade Forums" that a knife may not be the most important tool one owns. I am shocked!

It has been said by wiser people than I that all one really needs to "survive" is a good knife and a means to make fire. For purists that may be so. I prefer to "survive" in comfort and safety, so my survival kit is packed with all the conveiences that modern technology can provide from GPS to Clark Jungle hammock to "Blood-stopper" field dressings. Oh, almost forgot, I carry a couple of good knives as well.
 
There's a reason why an awful lot of backpackers are perfectly happy with just a SAK.

For me, it's all about where I'm at and what a "real life survival situation" might entail. Read that as "could I possibly be stuck out here for more than 1 night?" If the answer is yes, then I want a knife.

It is true that when you see Les Stroud or the likes relying heavily on a knife, you have to know that A) he purposely under equiped himself to show a worst case scenario and B) he purposely is staying out for 5 days instead of getting to safety as quick as possible.

If my pack explodes on day 2 of a backpacking trip, you had better bet I'm making an about-face and heading straight back to camp. I most likely won't need anything more than a SAK, and maybe not even that.

If I'm 4 days into the middle of nowhere on a 10 day hike and my pack explodes, now I need to start thinking about food procurement, shelter, substantial fire (possibly), etc... Now I want a knife.

You do have a point though, and if asked if I would rather have my 5" fixed blade or my PSK(complete with small SAK), there are a number of circumstances that I would take the PSK over the medium fixed blade.

Here's the bottom line though. If circumstance A leads me to want the PSK and circumstance B leads me to want the fixed blade, then why not carry both and be prepared for either? That's why half the threads here say "Which knife is the best" and the other half say "Critique my PSK please"
 
I have to agree with much of your list. Knowledge is the key, experience is the substance and your choice of tools and supplies should enhance that.
I don't necessarily need a knife, but I want them as part of my kit and they are an everyday tool for me.
I find it irritating that so much condescending pretentiousness infects the overall flow of many conversations on this forum. Not just debates, but ridiculing others choices. I carry a Superknife 2 and a Leatherman for everyday use. Yes I have and use Busses and Kosters, but I am not better than the guys who like inexpensive or thin knives. I just find that my blade choices suit my methods.
Anyhow, the list is very succinct and I feel that skills need to be the focus for anyone involved in the out of doors. But with an edged tool.:D
 
Great call but to me ....IMO , I always carry a blade a SAK in pocket and my RC3 small fixed blade ,I hardly ever pack a blade over 6" but that is me...I own alot of blades,big names down to a simple production blade... I do find my self only packing my RC-3 for hikes,fishing(not counting fillet knife).....& work .once you start EDC a certain blade why change what you carry just because you doing something differnt like taking a stroll out doors...why would I leave it behind.
 
Noshtero said:
If I'm 4 days into the middle of nowhere on a 10 day hike and my pack explodes, now I need to start thinking about food procurement, shelter, substantial fire (possibly), etc... Now I want a knife.
Click to expand...

Forgive me for playing the devils advocate, but you do not carry shelter and food in your pack, at least enough to get you back out of the woods?

And why do you carry explosives in your pack? ;) :D Chris
 
Well, I suppose first and foremost it's because this is a knife sub-forum, so lots of folks enjoy parts of their hobby here. But past that, I also see the extra emphasis put on a blade as a survival tool.

Your kit looks like a great set of items to have if you're in a rough situation. I dare say most of the folks on here have some permutation of those things (and others) on their person when out and about. But once you've decided to include those things, there isn't much left for discussion about them, eh? I can't really start too many threads on which signal mirror is best, or which whistle (fox 40 :p). But there are tons of blades to discuss!

More seriously, with my blade I can also make more signaling devices, make a strong shelter, make a fireboard for a bow drill, more easily clean game/fish, build traps for game/fish, build cooking implements more easily, etc.

A blade is a simple tool that allows an extremely broad amount of practical applications, too many to call it non-essential.

It's hard to call most survival tools 'primary' or 'the most important', just because you're gonna need several things (shelter, water, likely food,etc) to stay alive in a rough spot. A good blade is just another part of the kit of a well-prepare individual, and happens to be a pleasurable topic of discussion.

Edited to add: A blade really allows me to practice my hobbies in woodcraft/bushcraft, and that's a big reason why I get out to the woods. Praying for a survival situation is not a main reason.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
More seriously, with my blade I can also make more signaling devices, make a strong shelter, make a fireboard for a bow drill, more easily clean game/fish, build traps for game/fish, build cooking implements more easily, etc.
Click to expand...

Even more seriuosly, why would you be lost long enough to eat all the food you have with you to the point that subsetance hunting and gathering is needed? I love woods and primitive skills and try to learn as much as possible but what happened to your bic and firesteel, if my life is dependent on getting a friction fire going I am in some serious merde.

People, I am not advocating everyone leave their knife at home, I have carried one everyday of my life for over 30 years. I am sayng to realistically look at what you may actually need it for and what knife will actually suit those purposes. Chris
 
I mostly hunt and fish along with hiking to search for Anasazi ruins. I carry a pair of knives to process game so, by design, they are suitable for many other tasks. I also carry the stuff to unexpectedly spend a night away from camp because it's happened once in a while. There's not much difference between one night and several if it's unavoidable.

I don't much care for the cheapest of anything, so I have good equipment including knives. Also, I enjoy using good equipment and will not tolerate equipment failure. Maintaining that equipment is part of the pleasure of pursuing my hobbies.

My fly rods, reels, and sporting arms are much more costly than than any of my knives, and I have too many of each of them as well. If I enjoyed golf I would probably be the same way with golf stuff but fortunately :D I have no interest in it. Favorite pastimes + good equipment = satisfaction for me. :) Regards, ss.
 
Whether I am in tuxedo or bluejeans I have a CRKT M21-14 lockblade a Dakota clip-on watch with a small compass and a red LED light and a bic lighter in my pocket (no, I don't smoke). In my vehicle and in my wife's vehicle I have a PSK contained in a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack. It could keep me going almost indefinitely if needed. I carry the same pack into the swamp with the addition of extra water. My "Bugout Kit" can sustain my imeadiate family for 60 to 90 days without succor in just about any situation and it is always stowed in the Suburban. The "Bugout Trailer" is always packed and ready to go for major retreats such as oncoming hurricanes where I might pick up my sister-in-law and her hubby (she's a physician's assistant and he's a very strong back with a weak mind, both good choices even in exchange for the supplies they will use) as well as other relatives along the way. The trailer's contents will sustain up to a dozen for months before we have to start hunting and foraging.

My point is, you plan and train for different scenarios that are realistic possibilities or even probabiities. I doubt that I'll ever encounter a "survival" scenario. I believe that I will absolutely need to "Bugout" at some point in the future. I feel well prepared for either.
 
runningboar said:
Forgive me for playing the devils advocate, but you do not carry shelter and food in your pack, at least enough to get you back out of the woods?

And why do you carry explosives in your pack? ;) :D Chris
Click to expand...

Because otherwise I'd have no need for my knife.......

Seriously though, what I meant is the knife is on my person, but my food/shelter/etc... is in my pack. I heard of friend of a friend who lost his pack when he slipped and fell in a stream and couldn't get the pack out of the water due to it now weighing a ton with all the water it soaked up. There goes his tent, his stove, his... well.. everything except the sheath knife he had on his belt. (please don't pick apart what he may have done wrong, and how he could have avoided the situation yadda yadda. The point is, he suddenly found himself with nothing but a knife).
 
I personally have only a few knives over 4 1/2 inches in length (kitchen knives not with standing). Two of which are very nice filet / boning knives. I always carry a knife with me. When kayak fishing I know that if I get dumped there is a strong possibility that I can become entangled in the rigging (plus I have a kayak leash attached to my vest), when biking or hiking I know that the knife can serve as a handy tool in it's own right, but also serve as back-up for fire, signaling, shelter, and food procurement. Is it as good as my first choice? No, that's why I carry items specific to the use (tents, cliff bars, whistle, matches and a lighter).

So yes, a knife is something I am rarely with out. It is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none, only limited by my own knowledge and creativity.
 
Chis, makes good points. A knife is not in the top three items for survival as far as I am concerned either. Whistle, water, firemaking.

That said a decent blade can make life easier. Nobody knows when or even if you may need a knife or when and what kind of situation you may find youself in.

So anyone who says you dont need x or need y is full of s@#$t as they are fortune telling. Take a blade with you so you are covered, for the same reasons you carry everything else.

The unknown.

Skam
 
Excellent thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It reminds you the importance of other Items and there use even if you are not in survival mode.

I find items like cell phones, compass, poncho, etc come in handy when not in a survival situation.

Many of those Items prevent you from having to be in a bad situation to begin with.
 
I think it depends on the situation you find yourself in. In the nether regions of Alaska I would not want to be caught without a knife. If I am at the KOA camprgrounds, I might get along without one.Self defense is ALWAYS a consideration for me in the wild, on the street or in my home. Just my mentality. I have run into a some pretty nefarious characters in the woods. I think your point is a good one about reevaluating your lists, but mine will always include a knife as number one or two.
Terry
 
most other things you need to survive can be found in nature. shelter, firewood,ways to make fire, water, food, etc. The one thing that is not just laying around waiting to be found is a good cutting tool, you would have to find a good stone and know how to knap it out to make a cutting edge. this can take alot of time and effort that can be better used improving your living conditions.

its pretty hard to cut paracord for making a tarp shelter without cutting peices for all the corners. it will make jobs like cleaning fish and game, making a fire when you have no supplies with you (you dumped out of a canoe for instance), splitting wood to help it burn better, etc, much easier.

also, just having a knife is a serious morale booster if you are out alone. i think it strikes on very primitive part of a person to have this combination tool and weapon. it can feel like a companion when you are sitting alone by the fire in the middle of nowhere squared, just like a fire can entertain and comfort. of course humans do not have claws, big fangs, or any real natural way of defense, but a knife can be a weapon or help to make larger weapon or tool to better your situation.

in my very humble opinion, one shouldn't even think of going out your door without some sort of reliable cutting tool. A knife may not be used for an entire trip and just sit there in your pocket; but if the need arises, you will have this tool to make your life much easier if you get in some dire situation. Knives are sort of like an insurance policy, it can be there when you need itand will give you the means of setting things right easier and faster than it would without one. my advice? CARRY YOUR INSURANCE(KNIFE) WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES!!!

The knife is life - Eric
 
I don’t understand how someone can put a cellular phone higher on the list than a knife in a real life survival situation. You have to cover the basics before trusting something so unreliable as a cellular phone. Bring a cellular phone, it may work if you are lucky but don’t forget the knife and the matches!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top