You're lost in the woods...

Thanks, Paul. I don't want to come off like a scold. Guys do get lost in the woods from time to time. But from my experience there's nothing glamorous about it and the knife you're carrying doesn't have much to do with how it comes out. I will say, it's probably better to have one than not. It just doesn't matter a lot what you have.
 
maximus otter said:
Why this obsession with large fixed blades? Anyone who has done any serious, multi-day, "carry-all-your-own-kit" hiking knows that weight is your enemy. Having completed more than one long distance trail, I've never seen the need for more than an SAK.
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AMEN! Big knives are only dead weight in a situation where one might be required to hike many miles back to civilization.

This tendency towards over-preparedness will pop up in any kind of special interest collecting forum. Look at watch forums, and how the forumites will bring 5 watches on vacation because they can't stand to be away from their preciouses. And of course, here at BladeForums, we bring 5 assorted knives to the grocery store. :) These types of forums are by their very nature disconnected from utilitarian reality.

I personally carry only an AFCK when I'm on the trail. Even then I'm thinking of ditching it in favor of a cheaper, lighter knife with better rust-resistance, like my Camillus Arc-Lite.
 
It is amazing how many folks don't practice staying found and manage to get lost. A good basic GPS costs less than many EDC folding knives and as has been said will do much more toward solving the problem of staying not lost. However, the question posed dealt with knives (this being a knife forum) and not how we intend to find our way home. (Note: One problem with GPS is that it tends to lose its signal when you get under a canopy so reliance on GPS may be the reason you got lost ;)

I don't own a Busse or Swamp Rat but I do have a Becker BK7 for much less coin and no wait. While I'd take it with me for use around the camp I won't be carrying it when I get lost; if I'm carrying a fixed blade it will be a small, unobtrusive Dozier. There are a number of good folders one or a few of which would actually be with me (mentioned previously) and I'd have a Garmin GPS, spare batteries and a good compass or two. I may or may not have a map depending ...
 
GRMike said:
Thank you, Morgoth. My point exactly.

The one time I was actually lost in the woods, a GPS would have been of more use to me than all the knives mentioned in this thread put together. This was long before the civilian version of GPS was available, and yes, I had a compass, and yes, I knew how to use it. But I was hunting, not orienteering. These days, if I'm out of sight of the car, I have my GPS.

As has been mentioned, getting lost in the woods could mean a lot of different things, but I will suggest some things it's likely to mean. You are tired. You are thirsty and probably hungry. You were planning on being back at camp, or your truck, before long, but it isn't happening. You are dazed and confused, trying to figure out how it is that just a few minutes ago you were having a grand time doing whatever it was you came to the woods to do, and now two and two don't make four and you're not where you thought you were, and the day is getting on. Getting lost doesn't just happen to you, it's something you do to yourself, as you suddenly discover, and so you're at least a little annoyed at yourself and, truth be told, more than a little nervous.

Now, the standard fantasy calls for our intrepid woodsman to draw his trusty blade and provide himself with a modest but snug log cabin, a few pieces of rustic furniture, a bow and a dozen or so arrows, a spear for fishing, and a half cord of fire wood. By mid-afternoon. Then the only decision that confronts him is trout or venison for dinner, after which he will settle down in his bed, nicely tired from his labors, and fall asleep congratulating himself on his selection of the perfect blade for this "survival" chore.

Bull.

The reality is that our intrepid woodsman is distracted to no end, not to say scared sh**less. The last thing he needs to do is "make chips fly." Even if he were inclined to do this, it would be stupid of him. He needs to conserve energy, not waste it.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I posted the reference to Aron Ralston and his ordeal to make a point. Young Mr. Ralston had a hell of a job to do, and he did it, not with some megablade costing hundreds of dollars but with a no-name cheapo multitool blade that nobody who posts on this site would be caught dead with (perhaps that's an unfortunate turn of phrase), that was DULLED by his own attempt to free himself. Yet he did it. The moral of the story is, a sharp mind and a dull blade beats a dull mind and a sharp blade every time.
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Bull indeed! None of that crap makes sense. Nobody is going to build a log cabin, furniture, etc. with real needs to be taken care of first... :p

What does make sense is taking care of the basic survival needs. Food, water, shelter.

The original question was "you're lost in the woods", ...and you have a lighter, some small food items, and A knife. What kind of knife (not KNIVES or knife+ax, etc.) do you have (or wish you had)?

That implies that you have a lighter (fire), some food, and a knife. Here is where variables come in... If it's cold, priority number 1 is shelter... you whip out your trusty SAK with the ever present "gadgety saw" and get to sawin' ... or you whip out a big blade, and three good whacks later, you have a good start on your shelter. If you used the saw on your SAK, it would take you a hell of a long time to saw down enough trees to make a decent shelter. If it was cold enough, you are dead... Hypothermia is a bitch. If you had a big blade, you probably made it. You probably whacked down enough trees to make a decent shelter (opposed to a nice comfy cabin :rolleyes: ) to make it through the night.

If shelter is not your first priority, maybe you are hungry... the original post said you had some small food items. I assume that means stuff that can be opened by any knife. If it is canned goods, sure an SAK would be great for opening them, but I have opened canned food with just about every different kind of knife at campouts, so that is not a chore that would be impossible for any knife. I'm confident that you could open ANY can with ANY knife if you tried hard enough.

Maybe you are thirsty... well, this is the only variable that the choice of knife would have no part in. Finding water would be no easier with an SAK or a Battle Mistress...

I still stand by my choice. A big fixed blade would be a far better choice for wilderness survival than any smaller blade, including SAKs.

Also, as I have said many times before, I LOVE SAK's! I just don't think they are the be all, end all wilderness survival knife, by any means.
 
It is amazing how many folks don't practice staying found and manage to get lost. ... However, the question posed dealt with knives (this being a knife forum) and not how we intend to find our way home.
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Right you are, Ras, on both counts. My point is, when you're actually lost, the knife you carry doesn't matter much. Realistically you aren't going to carve yourself out a palace in the wilderness. What will matter far more to you than a knife are good judgement and potable water. And very possibly a way to start a fire. If I had to choose between being lost in the woods with a freebie book of paper matches from a bar and the most expensive knife mentioned in this thread, I'd take ... well, if you have to think about it, I hope you never get lost in the woods.
 
Just wanted to add: I'm not saying that you need a big knife to be like "Rambo"... I'm just saying that a big knife gets things done FAST, and it can still do all the small things in a pinch. It doesn't really work the other way around.
 
Right you are, Ras, on both counts. My point is, when you're actually lost, the knife you carry doesn't matter much. Realistically you aren't going to carve yourself out a palace in the wilderness. What will matter far more to you than a knife are good judgement and potable water. And very possibly a way to start a fire. If I had to choose between being lost in the woods with a freebie book of paper matches from a bar and the most expensive knife mentioned in this thread, I'd take ... well, if you have to think about it, I hope you never get lost in the woods.
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I agree completely. In the original question, you were given fire and food. If you have fire and food, you are facing the lack of shelter and water. Which you persue first would need some serious thinking. Shelter would come a lot quicker with a big blade than a smaller one, period. If you are looking for water, well, let's hope your sheath includes some water purification tablets in the pocket... like mine does! :D

Of course, let's keep in mind that it is best to tell people where you intend to be so they can find you quickly if you don't show up in time... all that a good knife, canned food, and a lighter will do is keep you alive for a short while unless you have some seriously hardcore survival skills.
 
GRMike,
Good post and good points.

Alphalpha PB,
This is totaly off topic, but have you heard that they are working on their new album yet? I'm siked! :)
-Kevin
 
AntDog, you're entirely right. We're given fire and food, I should have remembered the original post. That leaves water and shelter. Shelter may or may not be much of an issue, depending on circumstances. I'm probably influenced by my own experience, which was in September in Michigan, mild weather, so shelter wasn't a big deal. Water was a big deal for me, and I hadn't made any provision for it. Full disclosure time: before I had to spend the night out, I got pure dumb lucky and ran into a guy tooling around in that remote part of Kalkaska County who gave me a lift back to my truck (which was miles farther away than I thought it was). Nevertheless, I'm not sure a knife is critical where shelter is concerned either. Ever read Tom Brown's books (The Tracker, The Way of the Scout, etc.)? What you want is more like a squirrel den than a cabin, and you can make such with your bare hands.
 
A 7 inch blade because it works for everything.I also would opt for an even larger blade in a cold enviroment.Firewood is a must in 5 below weather and a SAK saw dont cut it.You have to provide yourself large long lasting fuel in a seriously cold enviroment.A fixed blade is safer,stronger,cleaner,and more versatile,also quicker.
 
marsupial said:
A 7 inch blade because it works for everything.I also would opt for an even larger blade in a cold enviroment.Firewood is a must in 5 below weather and a SAK saw dont cut it.You have to provide yourself large long lasting fuel in a seriously cold enviroment.A fixed blade is safer,stronger,cleaner,and more versatile,also quicker.
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7 inches is large. Too large for my tastes, but if you want to lug it around thats fine and I don't think its too bad.

Larger though? The only reason to go larger is for choping, and that isn't really the purpose of a knife, nor is it that vital... A simple way to get through thick branches is a trick called batoning. Place the blade onto the branch and hammer it through by hitting the spine with a fallen branch. It is quick and simple. A larger then 7" blade makes so many knife chores harder then simpler. Skinning animals, whittling, tool making, etc. all become alot harder when your holding a monster of a blade.

By the way, firewood is a must in all weather. A man's gotta be able to cook at some point. ;)
-Kevin
 
OK, let's break this situation down into two distinct possibilities. The first and more likely event is being lost in the woods somewhat close to civilization. Let's say 40 miles, just far enough to be out of reach with your current one-day supply of water. I'm also assuming that I would have checked a map beforehand to have a general feel for where there would be major roads or small towns. In this case I would be more concerned with weight and energy exertion, so I would prefer a small knife that I would most likely never have to use.

The second situation would be where I had no idea whatsoever of local geography or did not have the confidence or supplies to hike out of the woods. (Hm. What happened, did I get sucked up by a UFO and dropped in the Himalayan mountain range? Or did I suffer an amnesic epsiode and wander out into the desert with just a knife and a can of spam?) Then I would have to hunker down and start some kind of long-term survival plan. I would then prefer a medium-sized fixed-blade knife, with perhaps a 4" blade. That would be large enough for any carving task or batoning. I would hesitate to do the latter though, since it might be difficult to resharpen out in the field. I also believe that the energy expenditure and possibility for equipment damage/failure would make it much more sensible to go looking for the right length of wood instead.

Morgoth412 said:
Alphalpha PB,
This is totaly off topic, but have you heard that they are working on their new album yet? I'm siked! :)
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Yeah, I heard. Can't wait! I wonder how they will ever be able to top Lateralus. It better not be some kind of anti-war whine album, which seems to be the fashion these days (e.g. APC - "Pet", Skinny Puppy - "Use Less" with Danny Carey on drums, Maynard praising Farenheit 9/11, etc.).
 
AlphalphaPB said:
Yeah, I heard. Can't wait! I wonder how they will ever be able to top Lateralus. It better not be some kind of anti-war whine album, which seems to be the fashion these days (e.g. APC - "Pet", Skinny Puppy - "Use Less" with Danny Carey on drums, Maynard praising Farenheit 9/11, etc.).
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My favorite album is AEnima so I think they will be able to top Lateralus. ;)

Yeah, I'm not really a fan of APC...They seem to lack most of Tool's instrumental talent, and their only plus is Maynards song writing.

I will be majorly sickened if they decide to make an album about something so transient as the war, and current president... I doubt this will happen though. Tool is a band that focuses (lyrically) on the spiritual and the opening of your mind. I hope they never move away from that. Even if they do I will probably still love them for having some of the only good musicians around today.
-Kevin
 
Realistically you aren't going to carve yourself out a palace in the wilderness.
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That would depend on how "lost in the woods" I find myself. If were Hanks in Castaway, they would have either found my sun bleached remains, or a pissed off homeowner in hammock hung in a comfy villa on the beach. I rather stay put and do something constructive, then sit under a coconut tree and stare at the waves.

A lot of lost people with SAKs have run off in random circles until they have exhausted or hurt themselves. Perhaps, a nice large knife can provide enough weight to help anchor a near-panicked hiker. How did you end up lost in the first place? If you merely wandered a few hundred yards off the trail at a national park, then just sit down and get a good fire going. Within minutes some nice ranger will be along to talk to you, he will help you to put out the fire, lead you back to the trail, and leave you with a nice citation (for starting an illegal camp fire).

*edited to add a little knife content:

A nice HI khukuri, or one of these Hoodlums by Bill Siegle would work nicely. (clockwise: mini neck knife, small, medium, large, another large with guard, another medium with guard)
1115635BillSiegleagangofhoodlumsSM.JPG



n2s
 
I think alot of it is what you get used to.I have carried a 7 inch blade all over from the south american jungles to the western deserts and it works well for me.Here in the eastern US in the summer when needed I can swing it to cut briars out of my path and it works well for that,in the fall I have cleaned deer,squirrel and rabbit with no problem,not to mention fish all summer.In the winter time I have chopped 6 inch diameter standing dead wood for long nights.In the jungle I have cut vines for drinking with one quick swing,fileted fish, bushwhacked through deep foliage,and prepared bug shelters for those long jungle nights.While these tasks could have been employed with a smaller blade better and even a larger blade or axe for chopping the trick with the 7 inch blade is that I always have it on my side.If I am caught upside down in a strainer in the river I want to pull my exposed sheath blade out quickly to cut a shoestring,the last thing I want to do with numb fingers is dig in my wet pocket and try to unfold a blade.If I need to cut my way out of a briar patch a thin blade in 7 inch works okay.If I need to reach deep into a deer cavity to remove organs it works reall good for me(although most prefer shorter blades for this task).The point I am trying to make is that a 6-7 in blade can stay comfortably on your side all day and not be to cumbersome while at the same time be able to accomplish most tasks.The last thing you want to do is walk out of your camp in the jungle without your knife and get lost,with a comfortable blade on your side you have no worries :)
 
Hey if it works for you, more power to you brother. :cool: :)

For me a 3.5" fixed blade does it all, and the largest I like to go for the outdoors is 5 inches. Can't think of a task that the 3.5" fixed can't handle, so thats why I find it hard to imagine myself carrying 7" or even more.
-Kevin :)
 
My choice is my Leatherman Super Tool 200.

I live here in North Carolina, and the sad truth is that you can't walk in a straight line for five miles without hitting a road, housing development, creek, power-line tower route, farm, or hiking trail.

I have plenty of camping and hiking experience as well as military training, and the Super Tool 200 is all that I would need to hike to somewhere that has a phone.

Allen.
 
Why is this question so difficult to answer? Because what you really need in the woods is a SAK (or multi-tool with a good blade like a Charge) AND a small, good quality camp axe.
You could get an axe that has a knife in the handle, provided it is good enough quality, and that would count as one 'knife'. :D
 
I have a Beck tracker that I thought would be my answer for this type of question, but after I made several of my own I was surprised to fing that the large camp knife I made chews up would much better. Go figure?

I like a 12" avereage overall length with enough meat to chop for a shelter and wood if needed..........

You can see some I have made on my homepage. If I had to buy one, I think I like the Becker...any one would be good to have in a pinch.
 
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