What are the useful things to put into a hollow-handled survival knife?

golok

golok

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Oct 20, 2000
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Apart from fishing hooks and matches, what other stuff can I put into one of these kinds of knives. Of course, one has to bear in mind the limited space.

There is only so much one can squeeze into a handle.
 
A wad of cash and some matches. The Credit Card doesn't fit, and a C-note makes a good (if expensive) fire starter. :D

n2s
 
I usually have cotton or tissue paper stuffed into mine, to use as tinder for starting fires. Works great for keeping the tinder dry.
 
With a larger hollow handle like the value-oriented CS Bushman, you can get a firesteel or a mini lighter in there. I've got all the usual stuff, plus a couple screws/small nails for use in affixing the Bushman to a spear shaft.
 
In my Mountaineer II I carry a Scout model Firesteel and waxed strips that I got from Bagheera.I carefuly ground the plastic handle from the firesteel and it works great.If the firesteel hits the grinder it makes a good show.
 
Hmmm... just as a side note, in the SAS Survival Guide, John Wiseman warns against hollow-handled knives because of tang issues and overall strength. So my suggestion to the question would be... a tang!
 
I have a Spark-Lite firestarter and a bunch of the spark-lite tinder in mine.

Jason
 
yoyoma> go buy a CRK one-piece, and try to break it. they are designed to do pretty much anything but extreme prying.
 
Maybe a couple advil or tylenol wrapped in cellophane? One trick I found that works is to put several matcheds in those little diamond shaped plastic tubes that automatic pencil lead refills come in. Then you keep the matches more or less water tight and have a small container left over which I suppose could be used as a doser flask. All you need to do is mark it beforehand.
Lagarto
 
I have a British issue firesteel, a U.S. issue aviation fire starter, wads of tinder, and some lifeboat matches. I can also put some lead sinkers, hooks and line, potable aqua tablets, stainless wire, or whatever else fits. The handle of my Crain Life Support Systen 2 is pretty large, much larger than a Chris Reeve handle, so I can fit alot.

Jack Crain's Life Support System of hollow handled knives have never had a broken blade. It's reportedly been used to cut a 55 gallon drum in half by being beaten with a baton, no loosening, no breaking. More than anyone would actually need a knife to do.I have complete faith in the stength of these (Jack Crain's)knives. Most people were put off of hollow handled knives because of the huge influx of cheap Asian imports, which were never intended for actual use and were dangerous to use. Robert Parrish also used to make a fantastic hollow handled knife.

With my Chris Reeve Shadow 4, I cut the flint rod out of a "Blast Match", the big 3/8" diameter size, and epoxied it into the buttcap. That way it's always there, and the knurled butt cap makes a great slip free handle too. There's enough room at the bottom of the handle for some tinder as well.
 
I got about half a dozen Vicodin ES tablets in each my Reeve knives. If the chips are down, chances are, I'll have some sort of firestarter already and some sort of minimal kit, but I won't happen to have painkillers except in my first aid kit, and my knife handle.
 
I don't have a hollow handled knife, but I have been lusting after the CR Shadow 3 for a LONG time. If I ever do get one, I plan on using the handle as a waterproof matchsafe, and lashing a small pouch to the sheath to carry a mini-kit. After all, it's unlikely that I'll have the knife, but lose the sheath. In fact, since it's WAY easier to lose a knife than a sheath, it makes more sense to keep the survival goodies on the sheath, along with a small folder, in case of losing the main blade. That's the way I look at it, anyway. Besides, it's not like there's a lot of room in most of them, anyway. Although the Crain knives sound rather capacious. :~}
 
You've got the right idea shrake... you can fit up to ten times more stuff in a pouch attached to your sheath than you can in a hollow handle. If you're gonna have a big a$$ed knife, you might as well strap a pouch on it as well...LOL... storage space on a knife handle should be a secondary concern if that important at all...
 
I've *always* lashed a pouch to my main knife's sheath to store a mini-kit. I also have the same type of stuff in my pockets, but it doesn't hurt to have duplicates of something so important as a survival kit. Besides, if for some strange reason ALL I could manage to grab was my knife and sheath, I'd still have the basics handy. But I'd sure look strange, running around in the bush with just a knife and no clothes. :~} but survival is more important than modesty, right? :~}
 
in a "survival" situation, I'm most concerned about warmth and injury... If I don't have a problem with either, it just means I'm out hiking. Not that I'm a harda$$ or anything, but there's hardly anyplace in the nation anymore that's not within a day or two walking distance of anyplace one can call for help. There's also very few places that's not covered by some sort of cellphone service. Knowing that, if I were to pack a limited amount of gear, I'd make certain that medical equipment and a few bits of medication were in my pack. But, before I have that, I'd like to have some sort of communication device... I mean, the point is to get out of there, rather than make a new home in the woods... isn't it?

I'd call for help, and take some drugs to make the time pass faster...:D
 
I wrote somewhere else that I used to put a Tuff Cloth so I could clean my blade after use, it also didn't rattle.

There's nothing worse than a rattling knife.

How about a fire piston or a fine cigar??:D
 
I don't smoke cigs, but close to the end of an FTX, you can trade a pack of smokes and get an entire #10 can of fruit cocktail or about a dozen MRE pound cakes... I'd definitely pack some tobacco in your survival bag. A secondary advantage of being a smoker is that you'll always have a firestarting device on you...bv
 
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