What have you "HAD" to pry while in the woods?

[JohnnyO]

This is a topic that got some reaction in the Knifeforums. Most responded they have not had the need. Since many people in this particular forum lean (I use the word "lean" lightly) towards larger, thicker blade knives, I was wondering what the reaction would be here.

Just for the record, I spend most of my outdoor time camping and hiking. The need to pry has not come up, yet. However, I do own and use Busse knives. A NO and SJ to be exact.

For those interested, here is the link to the above topic in the Knifeforums.

http://www.knifeforums.com/ubbthrea...=279655&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

 

[Josh Muller]

i have only ever gone camping once, i mean reeealy camping. it was a 5 day trip through the big sir area, we were dropped off in the mountains, and hiked to the ocean. druing that time, we were only allowed to bring folders, as 2 people over the years had nearly gotten their ribs broken from fixed blade handles stabbing them as they rolled down hills with a 60 pound pack on.

so all i hads was me trusty (and very long time use) leathermen wave. during that trip i had to "pry" 3 things.

the first, small chunks of wood out of the handle of my walking stick to make the skull and cross bones pommel.

the second, was splitting tree brances that were over 2 inches thick. there had been hundreds upon hundreds of tree's that had fallen between that hike and the years previous, so there was an abundance of firewood, and we had a large group, so instead of hte normal fairly small sticks, we were looking for larger fair. because we only had folders, we just stomped them down to size, and hand pulled them apart when we could - though i wish i could have used a steel heart. it would have meant that i would have actually made a fire on the fifth night instead of going to sleep at dusk and waking up at dawn - covered in condensation - dirty - cold and depressed. BUILD THE FIRE PEOPLE, if you can - it will help your perspective. being able to use a wide blade to split the stuff would have cut the strength needed to split it in thirds - cause pulling apart seasoned wood with your bear bands is like using one of those spring coils to build chest muscles.. and when youve eaten 1 1/2 meals a day and those meals didnt consist of meat or any large sum of carbohydrates - strength is something you have to find, its no longer in abundance.

a learned a lot about what to bring on a 5 day camping trip... mainly from things i didnt bring. lol... nuts and berries are NOT good meals after 3 days straight...

and the third was the most trying task of them all....

prying the last bit of marinara sauce out of its jar on the second day... it nearly killed me, and three other campers... torture... pure torture... if only i had had a satin jack - i may have made it out without so many scars...

 

[JohnnyO]

Originally posted by SethMurdoc


and the third was the most trying task of them all....

prying the last bit of marinara sauce out of its jar on the second day... it nearly killed me, and three other campers... torture... pure torture... if only i had had a satin jack - i may have made it out without so many scars...

Ah, but that is what you get from eating sauce out of a jar! Now, that's not Italian....

 

[Ian Allomes]

With a knife! Not much really, unless you can class prying one’s self out of a swag 4.30 – 5.00 am plenty of mornings, I have pried a few 12 ga slugs out of pigs a few times to see what happens to them.:barf:

 

[Progunner]

Tree roots mostly for me. I have split some wood where I put some lateral stress on the blade.

 

[Mr.BadExample]

The elevator at work gets stuck often. If I use my 1/4" Desert Assault shaker to pry the doors open, I'll let yas know what happens.

 

[mhawg]

As a land survey crew chief I have pried barbed wire off of fence posts to facilitate entry. I have used the same knife to whack gate fittings off of a post to drive through then pry the fittings back over the post when I left. I have pried wooden fence members off of the runners to gain line of site for a reading and have actually used the knife along with a wooden stake to pop open a sewer manhole. Some of these things were a real bitch but you use what you have when the time comes. By the way the knife was a Camillus marine combat knife and still hangs on my equipment belt. If Busse ever delivers those Anorexic Badgers I might think of replacing it and giving the Busse some good field love. I might wait for my Fusion Steel Heart but I'll probably be retired before that gets here.

 

[swede79]

I've seen this thread. It's almost like people are trying to out-brag each other as to who can get by with a smaller knife.

I've had to pry a lot, from firewood to many other things. As someone in that thread so elegantly put, I don't carry a toolchest with me. That's what my Steelheart is for. The last time I was unprepared, I was waaaay back in the Pike National Forest, practicing for bow season. I had a very bad shot, and had to get my arrow out of an old dead tree stump. I started digging with my folder, and promptly snapped the tip off. So I unscrewed the arrow.

Several years later, I returned with my Steelheart to see if that would make a difference in retrieving the arrow tip. I ended up splitting the stump in two.

Gee, I wonder which knife I would rather have when stuck on the side of a mountain trying to make a fire.

PS - The Steelheart cuts just fine, as a knife ought to!

 

[SpearHead]

Originally posted by SethMurdoc
... we were only allowed to bring folders, as 2 people over the years had nearly gotten their ribs broken from fixed blade handles stabbing them as they rolled down hills with a 60 pound pack on.

Yes. Valid point. I never bring real knives with me on an outing because of such hazards.

Come to think of it... I have never been on an outing. In fact, I'm not even sure that I've ever used a knife? What are knives and what are they used for?

 

[Ebbtide]

I've seen this thread. It's almost like people are trying to out-brag each other as to who can get by with a smaller knife.

Actually the general consensus was
Folder
Small FB
Hatchet/Small Axe

Specialized tools for specific jobs.
As opposed to a "Jack of all trades, master of none"

To each his own.

 

[Josh Muller]

ah man... AH MAN.....

battle mistress fusion
pauls hatchet tactical
active duty tactical


those are the three im going to get (397 + 237 + 237 = 871$...) ive got 2 months - im sure i can come up with it by then... (fingers crossed)

id feel a lot safer prying with the hatchet then the knife...

and i can tell you - cutting the top off a tree and carving a skull and crossbones pommell with a leatherman wave is not an easy or fun task... i ended up painting the thing in blood half on purpose, half by accident because of the amount of momentum cuts i gave myself.

it was such a bright color of red however that i covered it in soot... if it scared me looking at it, i can only imagine what it was like for the other campers...

 

[tknife]

I've pried heartwood out of damp firewood, and pried pitch balls from pine for firestarting. Or if I was batoning through a chunk of wood, sometimes I'll have to wrench the blade sideways to get it unstuck. I wouldn't try it with a thin blade, or a blade that's too hard, but my old BM worked just fine along with most of the other big knives I own.

 

[SpearHead]

Originally posted by Ebbtide
Actually the general consensus was
Folder
Small FB
Hatchet/Small Axe

Specialized tools for specific jobs.
As opposed to a "Jack of all trades, master of none"

To each his own.

Yes. To each his own. I am a big believer in the "No plan ever survives contact" theory from the Murphy's Law School of Thought. As result, yes, it is nice to have certain knives for certain tasks you anticipate... And for those you don't?

But what would I know... I carry a 4 1/2" fixed blade in the house, in town, and in my back yard always with a large blade within reach.

Better prepared than dead.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Most working can benefit from prying if the blade can handle it. When chopping for example, depending on the wood, it might not clear well, torquing on the blade can open the notch up, requiring far fewer hits. The effect this can make can be more than two to one.

Splitting small wood can also be done by just twisting on the blade instead of pounding it through the wood. This also works when quickly making shingles for the first stages of firestarting. This is best on soft easy to split wood like cedar.

Roughing out wood stock to shape, for coarse profiles like stages can also be made more efficient with blade twisting. You cut deep, and then when it gets too difficult to push further you break the blade sideways, this can also be done with a chop instead of a slice.

Dedicated prying is also used to clear out pitch wood for firestarting, and any kind of digging, for food or shaping, or getting an object. Nails from old disgarded fences for example, or clearing rocks from a fire pit.

As for, the ability of Busse knives to pry, this isn't simply due to the stock thickness. I have used lots of other blades, some with even thicker profiles which do not make good prybars as the steel (like ATS-34) doesn't bend very much before it breaks and some steels can explode instead of breaking cleanly.

-Cliff

 

[Progunner]

Originally posted by SethMurdoc
those are the three im going to get (397 + 237 + 237 = 871$...) ive got 2 months - im sure i can come up with it by then... (fingers crossed)

I would bet you have more than 2 months to save up that money for those. The more time the better man. As for feeling safer prying with the hatchet as opposed to the knife...with a Busse i would have no fears with either.

 

[SALTY]

Had to pry the bottle of Jack away from my buddy on one trip!

 

[JohnnyO]

Originally posted by Nimrod
Had to pry the bottle of Jack away from my buddy on one trip!

You probably needed more than just a knife to do that.

 

[MikeH]

Am I the only one who has broken handles while prying with axes and hatchets?

 

[Eric Isaacson]

Originally posted by MikeH
Am I the only one who has broken handles while prying with axes and hatchets?

No you aren't the only one.

I don't ever recall breaking a handle of one of my Busses.....hhmmmm.

 

[Ian Allomes]

We obviously have different circumstances in Australia, prying with a knife in the woods should not be necessary; tinder and firewood are in abundance.
Water or lack of it can be the major problem; even then, most who die are tourists that don’t bother to learn a few simple rules. Like carrying extra with them, not letting others know where they are going or should return.
Houses can be hundreds of miles apart here. Cattle stations can exceed 1000 sq miles in size, and rain may not be seen for three years or more. Yet the locals get by fine, knowing where permanent is available.

I’m sure the American deserts have similar challenges.

I like to carry a large knife with me, the NO is perfect, it can do anything a small knife can do, and a heck of a lot a small knife can’t.