Dartmoor knife survival tube

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Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
Not been about for a while so thought I'd start back with a question :eek:

Folks opinions on what to put in the survival tube of a Wilkinson Sword Dartmoor knife???

It's not huge and yes there is an original kit. But the original is £30 and I'm not sure it's the greatest. So what opinions are there out there on the priorities of survival and links to the kit that may fit an a tiny black plastic tube??????

And before anyone says. Yes it's a big daft knife!
 

nigeltm

Full Member
Aug 8, 2008
484
16
54
south Wales
£20 for the taxi, change for the phone and some duct tape? :lmao:

Joking aside, what sort of situation do you foresee? On the top of a mountain, hours from a road-head having to stay warm dry and fed for a few days or 10 minutes from the car-park in some well trodden woodland?
 

Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
That's the dilemma and why I posed the question really

It's a big daft knife that I may take to the woods a few times just to play with. Hence priorities are low and honestly just fire kit would probably be all I need.

But it's the what if. It's designed as a survival knife (ish), which I hope to never (and probably won't) need.

But if you were to grab it on the way out the house for that what if???????

The polymath products compact kit just made me wonder what you can pack in and where you would get it from.

Just a fun little project rather than a definitely need this when in the Amazon
 

nigeltm

Full Member
Aug 8, 2008
484
16
54
south Wales
"What if" is an interesting one! I have so many bits of kit in pockets and on keyrings that I have very little I'd need in a knife tube. Many of the basics (fire, first aid, sharp, torch, signalling, cordage, simple tools) are covered by my wallet and keyring.

On the basis that the "what if" is not a full on **** scenario, it would be for a lost in the woods/hill overnight situation.

I suppose that the knife kit would be duplicates/spares of many of the things in my pockets, plus some additional bits such as:
- potassium permanganate (fire lighting, water treatment, wound wash & snow/water dye): local chemist, £1 or so for a small jar
- button compass: couple of pound on eBay
- water carrier (unlubed condom?): couple of pound from eBay
- tampon for tinder (NOT FOR 1st AID before anyone starts!): cheap own brand from any supermarket
- petroleum jelly in an appropriate container (fire lighting, chafing thighs!): any supermarket
- mid strength painkillers (4x 400mg Ibuprofen, anti-inflammatory as much as pain): pharmacy
- antihistamines (2x one a day, mild allergic reactions such as bee stings): supermarket

Can't think of much else, as my everyday carry is:
Belt (small krab with @3m of braided paracord lanyards)
- leatherman squirt
- LED Lenser P3
- MRT pager
Keyring
- CPR mask
- peanut lighter
- whistle
- encrypted USB copies of important docs
Wallet
- duct tape
- RAC membership card
- cash
- bank card
- drivers licence
Laptop rucksack
- tourniquet
- Israeli bandage
- vetrap self adhesive bandage
- fabric tape
- EMT shears
- surgical gloves
- small strobe (£10 jobbie from bushcraft show)
- petzel emergency headtorch
- Sharpie pen
- various medications
- Leatherman kick
- shemagh
- leather gloves
- hat
- spare glasses
- Cliff bar and other munchies
- long spoon
- pertex jacket in drybag
- Pebble backup battery for phone
- spare batteries for torch and pager
- spare house key
- bottle of water
- bright red raincover for rucksack
Watch
- compass
- altimeter

Before you laugh, I was close to the 7/7 bombing and stuck in central London having to walk quite a few miles to get out of town to my digs. It made me a bit paranoid! :rolleyes: And yes, I am trained in how to use the tourniquet!

Blimey, looking at that list I'm surprised at how much I carry to work every day!
 
Last edited:

MikeLA

Full Member
May 17, 2011
1,955
319
Northumberland
To be honest it isnt a big daft knife I used the Mod Survival knife happily for years before the big fad with bushcraft knives came along, would have bought this except for the price.

Just put a small firesteel in and some spare that all for me:)
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
Water tablets
Knife sharpener
Fire starter
Needle and thread, (first aid)


Given you will be in britian, youre unlikely goin to need to eat, or have the physical wellbeing in a different senario to need to start hunting or fishing before reaching civilisation.
 

Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
Ferro rod would be ideal and needle and thread are always handy for all sorts of fixes.

Any thoughts on where to source a sharpener that would fit? Ceramic rod of some type maybe?
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
Ferro rod would be ideal and needle and thread are always handy for all sorts of fixes.

Any thoughts on where to source a sharpener that would fit? Ceramic rod of some type maybe?

I do not know the dimensions, but a small ceramic rodis what sprang yo my mind too, I also find a fine rat tail file or saw tooth file works quite well at removing a quantity of steel whilst leaving an acceptable edge. Get one with a removable handle. I would ditch the weights and swivels, a few fishing hooks can be used with made with weights and floats made from stoans and sticks, for the ammount of use they will sEe. Snare wire isn't really a short term activity.
 

Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
I do not know the dimensions, but a small ceramic rodis what sprang yo my mind too, I also find a fine rat tail file or saw tooth file works quite well at removing a quantity of steel whilst leaving an acceptable edge. Get one with a removable handle. I would ditch the weights and swivels, a few fishing hooks can be used with made with weights and floats made from stoans and sticks, for the ammount of use they will sEe. Snare wire isn't really a short term activity.

Think I'd struggle to get a file in there as its not that long a tube.

Think a small ferro rod is an easy find. I like idea of a few fishing hooks as they wont take much room up.
 

Countryman

Native
Jun 26, 2013
1,652
74
North Dorset
The tube is about 10cm long and 1cm wide at one end a button compass is fitted.

In the original sheath is a holder for its snare wire.

The tube is too small for a condom. You might roll up a bag for water carrying. A ferro rod it a good bet and the original came with one. Some fish hooks, some puritabs. The original has a scalpel blade. Some fishing line, a needle.

It's already full so take your pick.

These knives are absolutely brilliant for shelter building. I own 3. Mine will be with me at the Moot. It comes with me on all my crazy adventures around the globe.

Mine has some paracord on its lanyard loop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
It's a bit of knife history I've looked at for a long while and coveted.

In the hand it's bigger than I'd imagined and carries great weight. I'm still toying with what edge to put on it as the original is course at best.

But I can see some great times with it.

The original kit is about £30 and I thought I'd get that. But then I figured it would be better to mod it a little by getting a kit of my own choice.

The tube is about 10cm long and 1cm wide at one end a button compass is fitted.

In the original sheath is a holder for its snare wire.

The tube is too small for a condom. You might roll up a bag for water carrying. A ferro rod it a good bet and the original came with one. Some fish hooks, some puritabs. The original has a scalpel blade. Some fishing line, a needle.

It's already full so take your pick.

These knives are absolutely brilliant for shelter building. I own 3. Mine will be with me at the Moot. It comes with me on all my crazy adventures around the globe.

Mine has some paracord on its lanyard loop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DocG

Full Member
Dec 20, 2013
869
123
Moray
How about using some inner tube to fix a file to the sheath? Or is that cheating if you've set yourself the challenge of just filling the handle?

All the best.
 

Tommyd345

Nomad
Feb 2, 2015
369
4
Norfolk
I'd go for a small thin ferro rod, fishing wire (snares and fishing) couple of hooks, and a teenie tiny hip flask filled with a beverage of your choice :)
 

Countryman

Native
Jun 26, 2013
1,652
74
North Dorset
It's a bit of knife history I've looked at for a long while and coveted.

In the hand it's bigger than I'd imagined and carries great weight. I'm still toying with what edge to put on it as the original is course at best.

But I can see some great times with it.

The original kit is about £30 and I thought I'd get that. But then I figured it would be better to mod it a little by getting a kit of my own choice.

My first Dartmoor is a numbered blade that I preordered as soon as they started marketing. I'd have bought one of the original WS Survival Knives but I was too young to have that kind of money. My Dartmoor sat in my kit for years and got used once or twice. When I saw where the value of these had gone once WS closed I felt I had to stop using it before I damaged it but I needed a replacement.

One came up for sale on here and that's how I discovered BCUK and all its antics. That purchase fell through but I cottoned on that it wasn't an original factory knife and Dartmoor knifes website was just getting going. I bought an unground bead blasted blade blank kit from Stirling.

FGYT ground the blade for me and it is a wicked edge. The combination of that heft and sharp makes it indispensable.

Big knives may be unfashionable but fashions change and utility doesn't.

Stirling does the odd 50% off sale if you sign up to the mailing list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Albus Culter

Maker
Jan 14, 2013
1,379
1
West Yorkshire
It's a Sterling knife I have.

Looks fairly well put together and has 'an' edge, but needs refining a good bit. But it's if to stick to the secondary and make it better, or go slight convex I think.

But I'm looking forward to taking it on a camp and trying it out.

My first Dartmoor is a numbered blade that I preordered as soon as they started marketing. I'd have bought one of the original WS Survival Knives but I was too young to have that kind of money. My Dartmoor sat in my kit for years and got used once or twice. When I saw where the value of these had gone once WS closed I felt I had to stop using it before I damaged it but I needed a replacement.

One came up for sale on here and that's how I discovered BCUK and all its antics. That purchase fell through but I cottoned on that it wasn't an original factory knife and Dartmoor knifes website was just getting going. I bought an unground bead blasted blade blank kit from Stirling.

FGYT ground the blade for me and it is a wicked edge. The combination of that heft and sharp makes it indispensable.

Big knives may be unfashionable but fashions change and utility doesn't.

Stirling does the odd 50% off sale if you sign up to the mailing list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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