Your Castaway Knife

Alright gang, let's keep it on topic.

I love how some of you are true knife collectors -- you would use this any-knife-you-wish scenario to gain a trophy blade you can't afford. Gotta love it!

But you have to insert yourself into the main character's position in Castaway. You don't know if you are going to live. You're going to end up being on the tiny island for like 4 years or something (I don't recall exactly). You've got spear fishing to do. You've got coconuts to harvest, crabs to crack, a raft to build... The island I think was basically a small mountain or dormant volcano or something, surrounded by brush and trees at the base and lots of sand on the shore.

Given that scenario, I am thinking I may want something sturdier and tougher than a multi-tool (I'll do without the awl to notch new holes in my belt as my waistline shrinks -- ;)). I am not sure I would want something as heavy as a battle mistress. If I want to do a lot of swinging and chopping I would definitely go golok.
But contrary to one or two posts on here, I just can't imagine I would be doing a ton of pathfinding, and I do think fine work would be too beneficial to pass up. Goloks don't have a point. Here's where the bushies and the puukkos would excel I think. But they may not help with hatchet-type tasks. So here's where I like the Ratweiler/BK7/fallkniven A1 et al...

I like the point some have made about not needing stainless what with the available oils etc. Coating on the blade would help too... for a while.

Also, with something as awesome and special as the blade of my choosing, I wouldn't need Wilson -- I would talk to my knife!

Great suggestions guys -- especially the ones that are well thought-through!
 
I've thought about this for a while. I would want a 20 inch Tramontina machete.

I would first use it to build myself a decent shelter, then snap off the last six inches of blade and make myself a 14 inch Golok and a small knife. Mac
 
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Having grown up in Hawaii too, although I love my SS Bravo-1, I think I'd have to go with a light chopper of some kind. I wouldn't fancy exploring and gathering resources on a lush, trail-less, tropical island with a 4-5" blade. I'd go with a golok or machete (always wanted a BRKT golok... :D).

I would hope to be able to find other resources to minimize having to use the knife. Opihi shells (limpets) are decently sharp and can be used to scrape and husk. Old Hawaiians used to make pretty sharp tools out of basalt (e.g. an adz). If you get lucky enough to catch a shark, you can use its teeth. Bamboo can be split to get a sharp edge as well, I know old Hawaiian's used to employ it often. Perhaps a few of these alternatives would provide "points" for detailed work requiring a pointy tip (if you go Golok). If I had a machete, it'd be nice to have that tip; you could choke up on the blade for detailed work. ETA: I'm not saying any of the above is easy for the modern non-islander to do, but I sure as hell would give it a try. It's not like I'd have anything else to do :).

I'd keep my one knife oiled up 24-7, especially if it wasn't stainless, and I sure would baby it to avoid the risk of breaking it, and to lengthen time between removing metal through sharpening.

I would not go with a multi-tool, especially in a humid salt-water environment.
 
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rksoon said:
Having grown up in Hawaii too, although I love my SS Bravo-1, I think I'd have to go with a light chopper of some kind. I wouldn't fancy exploring and gathering resources on a lush, trail-less, tropical island with a 4-5" blade. I'd go with a golok or machete (always wanted a BRKT golok... :D).

I would hope to be able to find other resources to minimize having to use the knife. Opihi shells (limpets) are decently sharp and can be used to scrape and husk. Old Hawaiians used to make pretty sharp tools out of basalt (e.g. an adz). If you get lucky enough to catch a shark, you can use its teeth. Bamboo can be split to get a sharp edge as well, I know old Hawaiian's used to employ it often.

I'd keep my one knife oiled up 24-7, especially if it wasn't stainless, and I sure would baby it to avoid the risk of breaking it, and to lengthen time between removing metal through sharpening.
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In a survival situation. Especially on an island. Do you use the natural oils in your skin, or find natural oils on the island?
 
pict said:
I've thought about this for a while. I would want a 20 inch Tramontina machete.

I would first use it to build myself a decent shelter, then snap off the last six inches of blade and make myself a 14 inch Golok and a small knife. Mac
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= "outside the box" thinking :thumbup:

I would go with a carbon-steel, puukko-style scand-ground bushcrafter, with a full tang and a 5" blade. It would be good for wood work (ex. fuzz sticks, making tools, shelter-making), capable of filleting fish, and serviceable as a dive knife. The corrosion factor could be an issue, but there are a surprising number of tropical plants / fruits that can be applied to carbon steel in order to force a patina. That would provide some protection. Plus, I think that careful knife maintenance would be a great pass-time for a marooned knife nut.

All the best,

- Mike
 
EMT_Lee said:
We're not big on "flaming" people, in this subforum. So, no worries. ;)
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Good thing. Some Busse fans pack a lot of steel!:eek:

I don't think that I made a choice for my own Castaway knife. I like the Survivor model that Dan Koster is currently making. Big, sturdy, definitely not a sharpened prybar.

I'd also like one of the 7" or so Busse knives with thinner blade stock. One with a nice point, that cool machining along the blade for weight reduction and a Siguy convex sharpening job. Don't ask me how the package got from Connecticut to my deserted island, just make sure it happens!:D
 
pict said:
I've thought about this for a while. I would want a 20 inch Tramontina machete.

I would first use it to build myself a decent shelter, then snap off the last six inches of blade and make myself a 14 inch Golok and a small knife. Mac
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Very clever!
 
pict said:
I've thought about this for a while. I would want a 20 inch Tramontina machete.

I would first use it to build myself a decent shelter, then snap off the last six inches of blade and make myself a 14 inch Golok and a small knife. Mac
Click to expand...

Absolute Genius!
 
protourist said:
In a survival situation. Especially on an island. Do you use the natural oils in your skin, or find natural oils on the island?
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I would use whatever I could find. I would use the oils on my body if it came down to it, and stay well out of the sun. I'd try to find coconuts or other plant materials (kukui nuts) that could yield oil. If I was lucky enough to have a glass jar or some other kind of clear container, maybe I could make some fish oil of my own. I don't think it'd be easy, but I'd give it a shot.

I'm not set one way or the other on the stainless vs high carbon. I definitely see the value in stainless, but the high carbon would be easier to sharpen. I don't think choppers like goloks or machetes are made in stainless though right? So I'd have to be limited to carbon in that case.
 
I don't know how skin oils would do to protect a blade. Wouldn't the salts corrode the steel?

I think that you'd be using it often enough that the mere use would keep it clean. I think of some tools that my Grandfather owned. He was practical and not about to spend a lot of extra time pampering his tools. Each one has an honest-to-goodness patina with some rust here or there, but they all have been working hard for at least 40 years. Think about some of the tools, knives, guns etc. in museums. A good conservator wouldn't strip the patina of these sometimes centuries old items and a good number of them have survived pretty well considering they didn't have any hi-tech metal protectants back in the day.
 
PB Wilson said:
I don't know how skin oils would do to protect a blade. Wouldn't the salts corrode the steel?
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No idea, I've never tried it. Maybe someone has? Does skin oil have salts in it? I have no idea, but maybe the average skin oil is too nonpolar to contain dissolved salts from sweat.

PB Wilson said:
I think that you'd be using it often enough that the mere use would keep it clean. I think of some tools that my Grandfather owned. He was practical and not about to spend a lot of extra time pampering his tools. Each one has an honest-to-goodness patina with some rust here or there, but they all have been working hard for at least 40 years. Think about some of the tools, knives, guns etc. in museums. A good conservator wouldn't strip the patina of these sometimes centuries old items and a good number of them have survived pretty well considering they didn't have any hi-tech metal protectants back in the day.
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That is true, but where did your Grandfather use his tools? I didn't take notice of the rate of rusting and usage patterns of tools when I was younger back home, but I certainly do remember that when things would rust, they would RUST. Regular usage would probably be enough to keep the knife protected, but I can't speak from direct experience. My knife hobby only matured after I moved away :). Anyway, if I were stuck on a desert island for an unknown length of time, I would rather be safe than sorry and lube up that knife as often as possible. I'd have lots of spare time to do it :thumbup:.
 
wow. Lots of busse nuts here.
Just a stainless steel mora and i would be happy.


I wouldn't mind one of the stainless condors too. Or even just a butcher knife.
P7071951.jpg
 
Joezilla said:
wow. Lots of busse nuts here.
Just a stainless steel mora and i would be happy.


I wouldn't mind one of the stainless condors too. Or even just a butcher knife.
P7071951.jpg
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Joe,

Yep, I would be happy with just a Tram machete too, but we get to pick what is in the box:D
 
Joezilla said:
wow. Lots of busse nuts here.
Just a stainless steel mora and i would be happy.


I wouldn't mind one of the stainless condors too. Or even just a butcher knife.
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Actually, a stainless Mora and a Condor machete would kind of be an unstoppable duo! Especially if the Mora was lashed to the sheath of the Condor with paracord...and had a few other goodies strapped on there...DIY project senses tingling! :D
 
Old Painless: you mentioned that a golok does not have a point, which is usually true. Take a look at a Filipino Barong. It's a leaf-shaped machete with a good point on it that's fine for gutting fish, etc. Some parangs also have an okay point on it, but not as acute as a barong.

I have a friend who left for a trip to The Philippines yesterday and has promised to bring me back another couple of 10-12" barongs with plain wooden handles, as long as he can get them through customs. It'll be a long 2 week wait for my new toys!
 
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