If you could only take one of your items you already own?

[JamPan]

I often think about this whilst staring into the glowing embers.

I love all my different items and using them, but if there was only one thing which I could take into the wilderness, it'd be my Ka-Bar cutlass machete.
I'll tend to use that in place of my axe and knife as it's just so damn good at doing everything from chopping down trees to making feather sticks, to being a draw knife.

How about you guys, what's your's from the gear you already own?

 

[Janne]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[KenThis]

Harder than I thought to decide, but I'm going hammock.

I can't hunt, forage, make fire or shelter. Really can't do anything without my gear so I'm curling up in the hammock and having a nap.

 

[Steve27752]

My Jacklore Classic knife.

 

[Nice65]

Does a knife with attached firesteel count?

 

[santaman2000]

Harder than I thought to decide, but I'm going hammock.

I can't hunt, forage, make fire or shelter. Really can't do anything without my gear so I'm curling up in the hammock and having a nap.

It may seem impractical, but I like the way you think!

 

[Muskett]

Well OP has put this in the edged tools department so if I lost my pocket knife, my belt knife, and only could have one knife then it would be my Skrama.

Once man had made fire his next issue was a Pot. He made up clay pots and fired them, but seeing the archaeology he sure went through them fast. So a good steel pot. Next up a thick wool blanket as skins are OK but nothing beats a thick wool blanket for pure utility. A lighter, firesteel, flint and steel, sure would be useful as carrying a fire from sticks and effort is a chore.

I'm attracted to the Kar Bar combat/utility style knife having carried one as a Rifleman in a Chris Reeve Project II guise. It didn't get much use over my pocket knife or multitool. However, my modern take would be the Survive Knives GSO 7/7 for its package size, design and build. This scale and style isn't very good at anything much, but can do nearly everything at a push.
The "one tool to do it all" is a pretty useless concept. Fun but not much use. Take a tool box or a multitool if you want to get anything done. Going by foot was for those who couldn't afford a donkey. mule, bottom, horse, ox cart, or slave. Its a modern thing this: "I'm so self efficient that I can go it alone"; and thats not even true as its backed up by a whole society providing the stuff to believe that anyone is "doing it alone".

Hammock and cold beer survival as done by Ray Meers has its attraction. Adventure sports and hotel by Bear. Don't forget to pack the film crew.

 

[John Fenna]

My Crusader mug - I can make fire, make knives, forage etc but making mugs is hard.... and I will need a brew or two...

 

[Janne]

Mmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Brandon-C]

Well for only one tool that I own it would have to be my TBS Boar, I think it would be more versatile than an axe but HB classic hunting would be my next choice.

 

[John Fenna]

You can forage for an old can....those Aluminium beer cans will be around Nature for many decades!

I thought that this was a fantasy wilderness - there will be no trash there

 

[robevs73]

Pathfinder mid size pot for me but a large fixed blade knife like my Busse battle mistress or Falky A1 pro come a close second followed by a LMF ferrorod.

 

[JamPan]

I thought that this was a fantasy wilderness - there will be no trash there

Haha, I love that!

 

[forestwalker]

When? Where? What scenario?

For a night or ten right now (summer in the middle of Sweden) I would pick a durable sleeping bag or even a thick wool blanket (Jerven thermo is also a strong candidate). OTOH a cooking pot would allow me to purify water, so it would depend on the water sources I would expect to encounter (rather somewhat colder nights but do cascade diarrhea: mot, but not all water in Sweden is perfectly drinkable).

 

[santaman2000]

My credit card.

 

[SoldierPalmer]

My wife I hate cooking for my self

My GB carving hatchet I can pretty much do all I need with it.

 

[Janne]

My credit card

 

[JamPan]

Credit card hah!
It's funny I told my wife I was just going for a bit of a forest wander this evening, then I came through the door with a shopping bag full of stuff. She thought I'd had a very bountiful forest outing until I started unpacking. I nipped into the supermarket on the way back.