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Survival Blades – Part 1, by R.H.
I have noticed quite a bit of confusion and hype surrounding the subject of survival blades lately. I have also noted people new to survival and prepping often cannot get simple questions answered due to lack of accurate information from sales clerks and others. I have written this so that newcomers can get some balanced information.
Let’s define our terms before we begin. While many readers are preparing for an end of the world scenario, survival situations as I will consider them here happen every day. As I am writing this, most of the nation has been brutalized by a series of terrible winter storms. Even the Deep South is experiencing periods of freezing temperatures lasting weeks, which is highly unusual for us. I am certain many are thankful for their preparations and many were at risk because of the brutal weather.
Survival situations can occur without warning at any time on any day. You may find yourself stuck on the road in a blizzard (I’ve been there) or facing a vehicle malfunction after a weekend of backpacking in the wilderness. That time, I was stuck at a deserted trail head deep in the Arizona mountains over 40 miles from the nearest paved road on a Sunday night. I have spent many a night on the trail that I didn’t expect to. Before I completely trash my credibility, please understand that if you spent as much time out in nature as I have these past fifty years, you’d have stories too.
Since survival situations can happen anytime anywhere, it follows that the best survival knife is the one you have with you rather than the one you were going to buy next month. It’s also not the one you left home because it was too heavy, nor is it the one you left behind because it was illegal or politically unacceptable where you were going. The one you have is “the one you got”. (Pardon the grammar.)
This being the case, most folks understand that some prior thought on this subject would be useful. As I mentioned before, the amount of hype and opinion masquerading as fact concerning survival blades is staggering. This point was brought home to me when an acquaintance of some years decided to begin prepping. Never an outdoorsman, this poor fellow was trying to gather information like a city guy; he was browsing the Internet, reading magazines, et cetera. To say he was confused would be kind. When I stumbled into him, he was being brow beaten into buying a huge Rambo knife, which he obviously did not want. He had asked the salesman about survival knives, and the salesman jumped him like a rabid dog. I don’t usually get between a salesman and his customer, but this guy needed to be saved. Outside, he shared his frustrations and we talked. He knew he needed to talk to people who actually did what he wanted to do, but it’s not like there are prepper clubs at the community college.
Source: http://survivalblog.com/survival-blades-part-1-by-r-h/
