There are some things you just shouldnt venture into the wilderness without, and a survival knife is one of them. Whether youre going on a simple day hike or backpacking off the beaten trail, a sporting knife should be an automatic addition to your outdoor gear.
You never know when you might become lost, trapped or stranded during an outdoor adventure. The recent film 127 Hours, which chronicles the real-life experiences of mountain climber Aron Ralston after he became trapped by a boulder while hiking, provides a grisly but true example of the many ways a survival knife can save a persons life.
While most survival situations arent quite as extreme as Ralstons, the truth is that a hunting knife or multi-tool can come in handy in more ways you can possibly imagine - until you have to. Here are seven examples:
1. Self defense
If youre in an area remote enough to get lost or stranded in, then youre also likely to encounter some sort of wildlife. Should you run into an aggressive animal (or person), youre better off having a hunting knife in hand.
2. Gathering food
If youre lost or stranded for more than a few days, youre bound to run out of food supplies at some point. If that happens, hunting and foraging may be your only options.
A hunting knife can help you dig for edible roots, and cutting instead of pulling or picking can reduce the amount of energy it takes to gather other edible plants. If you manage to trap or kill a small animal, youll also need a knife for skinning and preparing the game.
3. Building shelter
There are many ways to build a shelter, and most of them require foraging in the woods or surrounding terrain for materials such as branches, bark, grasses and other vegetation. Not only can a sporting knife help you cut branches, but it can be used to slice vines, animal hides or other materials into strips for lashing items together.
4. Chopping firewood
In the wilderness, your ability to survive increases exponentially if you can build a fire. A fire can be used to keep you warm, keep wild animals at bay, cook the small game you kill for food, and create an emergency smoke signal for help.
A good hunting knife or multi-tool can help make the job of gathering firewood much easier. Many survival knives come with a serrated edge for sawing, so you can cut branches you wouldnt otherwise be able to get. You can also use your sporting knife to chop wood into kindling, create wood shavings or trim bark from trees to help nurse your fire along.
5. Starting a fire
Experienced outdoor enthusiasts understand the importance of carrying waterproof matches, flint and steel, or some other method for striking a spark. However, matches can get lost or run out, or items can get forgotten when packing for your trip. As long as you have a good sporting knife on you, theres still hope.
Many survival knives and multi-tools on the market today come with a built-in fire starter. However, even without this handy addition, a hunting knife can be used to start a fire the hard way. If you can get your hands on a passable piece of flint, such as a quartzite rock, a steel knife blade can be used as the striker to create a spark. In a real pinch, you can use your sporting knife to notch a piece of wood for the old "hand drill" friction method (rubbing two sticks together).
6. Making other tools
The best thing about a sturdy hunting knife is it can be used to create other tools for survival. You can sharpen a stick to use as a spear for hunting, and if you have the right know-how or problem-solving skills, you can even built primitive traps or snares for capturing game.
7. Keeping track of time
Time can go a little wonky when youre alone in the wilderness, and its easy to lose track of how long youve been gone. Using your knife to notch the days on a stick can not only help you stay sane, but it can help you ration your food and water supplies.
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