Planning to spend some time in the wild? Well, before leaving the confines of your home, build a survival kit with a collection of items you'll need to enjoy the outdoors. One of the tools you must throw in your arsenal is a knife.
A survival knife is an all-purpose tool that is tough and pretty easy to sharpen and use. Most of these knives have sturdy, fixed blades whose thickness and lengths vary. In addition, they come with sharp pointed tips, fine or serrated edges, and comfortable handles. With these features, you can use the tools to perform the following tasks.
1. Building Shelter
Your capability to build a shelter is key to your outdoor survival. Thankfully, the right survival knife can enable you to do that. Use the tool to clear a small area where you'll erect the temporary shelter.
A survival knife can also be helpful when cutting the branches and poles you'll need for the structure. Moreover, it can be useful when notching the ends of the poles that will support your shelter.
2. Starting a Fire
Use your survival knife to start a fire when camping or other outdoor activities. Besides keeping you warm and cozy, it allows you to cook. Fires also provide light and allow you to send a distress signal if you're stuck in an impossible situation and need help.
So, to make a fire with a survival knife, strike its blade against the sharp edge of a hard rock. If the tool is made from high-carbon steel, you'll get large sparks quickly. All the same, ensure you have a bundle of dry grass or bark shavings so you can blow on the sparks until they flame up.
3. Hunting
A survival knife can double as a hunting tool when you're out of options. Use it to not only skin the animal you kill but also cut its meat into smaller pieces for cooking. Before getting started, sharpen the knife first. This allows you to apply minimal force when cutting the meat.
4. Cooking
Most outdoor enthusiasts will agree that survival knives make cooking a lot easier. Apart from cutting meat, you can use the tools to dice or slice other ingredients, including vegetables.
Always clean your survival knife before using it for cooking. This rids it of germs, which may cause food contamination and cause serious health problems. At the same time, be careful when using your survival knife to cook to avoid cutting yourself.
5. Digging
You can use a survival knife for digging whenever you're out there. This could be when you need holes to build small structures or bury small items. If you're staying in a tent, for instance, feel free to use the knife to dig a trench around the enclosure. This prevents rainwater from soaking the portable shelter's bottom.
Additionally, the knife's features may come into play. For example, a fine-pointed or spear tip option can help you dig faster than a cleaver.
6. Defending Yourself
Undoubtedly, a survival knife is a great everyday tool for self-defense. When a stranger provokes you by trying to hurt you or steal your stuff, draw it to scare them away. Again, the tool can enable you to protect yourself against dangerous wild animals like snakes.
Keep your survival knife close to you if you plan to use it for protection. This will give you easy access to it when the enemy approaches. However, don't throw caution to the wind lest you make a life-changing mistake. Killing your attacker could land you in jail, depending on your state's laws.
7. Making Other Tools
Adding to your outdoor tool kit? Use your survival knife to make other tools. A popular option you can try out is a survival spear. The knife can help you carve its pointed tip, making it useful in fishing, digging, and self-defense.
8. First Aid
A survival knife can make a great addition to any first aid kit. You can use it to cauterize an open wound. To do that, heat the tool's blade first. Then, apply or press it on the injured part in short bursts of about 1-2 seconds. This stops the bleeding and reduces the chances of infection.
Conclusion
A survival knife might not be a superhero with superpowers. But as we've seen above, it is a handy tool to help you stay alive and have fun in the wild. As such, you must take your time to choose the right one.
This presents the question — how can you select the best survival knife? It's easy. Ensure it's big enough (9-11 inches) to perform various tasks. Full tang options are also better. Since their blades and handles are made from one piece of metal, they are strong, durable, and reliable.