posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Feb 1
If you have ever seen any of the fantastic Bear Grylls 'Born Survivor' TV series or the brilliant Ray Mears 'Extreme Survival' you will have seen 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 and versatile tool and a very effective weapon. They've been receiving a lot of bad press lately due to the frequency of violent knife crime on our streets.
But knives are not bad, they are but tools often used by idiots to do nasty things. They are practical tools that, when camping or in 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 makes sense to have the most suitable 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 good for camping and survival don't really need to be particularly large. Ideally the knife should have a good quality, high carbon-steel blade that will not corrode and will hold and good sharp edge. Your selected knife may have a fixed or folding blade. Knives with folding blades should ideally lock when the blade is exposed to prevent accidents. The knife should provide a good sized handle that is comfortable in your hand. The blade should have a good sharp point and the handle may have a strong rear bolster (the bit at the bottom of the handle) which can be used as a hammer.
If you choose a fixed blade knife it will need a suitable sheath that, ideally, you can mount on your belt. You will need a whetstone to keep the blade sharp. 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 a knife in towns and cities you shouldn't be without one in the great outdoors.
