A Good Knife is Essential
If you have ever seen any of the Bear Grylls 'Born Survivor' TV series or the excellent Ray Mears 'Extreme Survival' you will have noticed how both Bear and Ray always carry a good quality knife.
Knives have been used since the stone age when man made remarkably effective and sharp cutting tools from flint and obsidian. The knife is both a practical tool and a very effective weapon. They've received a lot of bad press lately due to the number of violent crimes in which knives were used.
But knives are not bad, which is more than can be said for many of the idiots who carry them in our towns. They are practical and essential tools that, in the outdoors or a survival situation, you would be glad to have.
When camping out a knife can be used in any number of ways including:
- Cutting branches for fire wood
- Preparing kindling
- Cutting rope or string
- Making tent pegs
- Skinning rabbits
- Preparing food
- Almost everything…
It's always a good idea to choose the most appropriate knife for the job. The swiss-army knife is a good example of a practical, versatile knife that can have many tools suitable for anything from car repair to carpentry. While the variety of tools provided may be appealing a good, strong, sharp knife blade is the essential requirement.
Knives that are ideal for camping don't really need to be particularly large. Ideally the knife should have a stainless steel blade that will not corrode and will hold and good sharp edge. Your selected knife can have a fixed or folding blade. Knives with folding blades should ideally lock when the blade is exposed to prevent accidents which can happen when a blade closes on the fingers. Your selected knife should have a good handle that is comfortable and the right size for your hand. The knife blade should have a good sharp point and the handle may have a strong rear bolster (the bit at the end of the handle) which can be used as a hammer.
If you select a fixed blade knife it will need a suitable sheath that you can mount on your belt. To keep the blade sharp you will need a suitable whetstone. For some applications, such as fishing and hunting, you may like to equip yourself with a knife that has a partially serrated edge, ideal for cutting through bone.
Whatever you choose a knife is an essential part of your camping equipment. While you may be arrested for carrying one in the city streets you would be a fool to go camping without one.
