One Knife and 6 Months In The Wild - What is your choice?

[Potatohead]

Yeah, agreed on the first three comments. The last one though is out of character with this sort of village. Rescue from what? It’s the sort of remote village that’s used to semi isolation. They’d definitely want regular resupply until the road’s cleared. Helicopter evac of critically ill or injured is already part of normal life so no real change there.

All interesting stuff thanks. What about water supplies to the more remote villages like these. Is the infrastructure quite strong or susceptible to failure?
What are your day to day fuel sources, would you be forced to improvise?

 

[santaman2000]

All interesting stuff thanks. What about water supplies to the more remote villages like these. Is the infrastructure quite strong or susceptible to failure?
What are your day to day fuel sources, would you be forced to improvise?

I can’t speak for Canadadian villages specifically but in most of the more rural US homes have their own well and pump. Not just for emergencies, but as their only water supply. No community water mains, no gas mains (just you own 500 gallon tank that gets refilled by truck every so often) although most (not all) have electric mains. This village looks more remote than those so I would assume the same. Robson could tell us of that’s the normal for rural Canada?

 

[Herman30]

I´m lucky that here where I live there is about 0 % chance of landslide.

 

[santaman2000]

I´m lucky that here where I live there is about 0 % chance of landslide.

Kinda like Florida. Our highest point statewide is less than 300 feet above sea level.

 

[TLM]

I´m lucky that here where I live there is about 0 % chance of landslide.

Ahh... but the banks of that small river collapse every now and then.

 

[TLM]

I don't think a big land slide scenario is a problem of knives. A multitool is what comes to mind first. A spade or a large digger. A helo.

 

[Herman30]

Ahh... but the banks of that small river collapse every now and then.

We do have occasional flooding of the rivers when snow melt begins.

 

[MikeLA]

Got a mate who crashed his 1500 Allegro with a Renault 5 on a bridge on our way back towards Cliburn from Morland SA shop.
Wrecked the Renault and the Aggro cost ￡15 for a second hand front wing from Ronnie Mortans scrapyard.

Thought my journey was bad enough but obviously not.
Cost me a fortune just to get there the first time I went in 1988 didn’t drive so by train to Carlisle then another train and a taxi. Had a big list to get so it was worth it and I still have the flask and other bits today.

 

[sunndog]

Serious answer from me.

Dorset woodland blades xl camp nessie.
The lucky lee handle fell apart on mine ages ago and I forgot how much I liked it.



(I feel like this pic is gonna be tiny)

 

[sunndog]

Better pic hopefully

 

[sunndog]

Posting above reminded me I need to speak to Duncan about a new handle so a quick look to see if he's still around and found this beauty

 

[plastic-ninja]

To get back to the original scenario.
If I'm allowed a saw then I can have the convenience and flexibility of a smaller knife. I was thinking of the WS Woodlore but in the end I want to take this little puuko which I bought here quite a few years ago. The blade is by Steen Nilssen with everything else by Alf Branch. Its small but it is my go to knife for lots of jobs and it has many advantages over the huge choppers. I've had lots of big knives over the years and they always end up being unused because I find them hard to control for precision tasks. The puuko style is very light to carry, unobtrusive and non-threatening if you do run into anyone unexpectedly, easy to control and perfect blade symmetry for fine work like carving and skinning. This one is pretty chunky. I'm not sure what the steel is but it holds a great edge for a long time with just a little stropping. For firewood, shelter building and suchlike there's not much you can't accomplish with a decent saw and some hardwood wedges, using the knife for the fine tuning. I've never been a battening fan really so I don't think I need a big blade once I've made a mallet and some wedges.
Why would I want to leave this little beauty at home?

 

[gra_farmer]

To get back to the original scenario.
If I'm allowed a saw then I can have the convenience and flexibility of a smaller knife. I was thinking of the WS Woodlore but in the end I want to take this little puuko which I bought here quite a few years ago. The blade is by Steen Nilssen with everything else by Alf Branch. Its small but it is my go to knife for lots of jobs and it has many advantages over the huge choppers. I've had lots of big knives over the years and they always end up being unused because I find them hard to control for precision tasks. The puuko style is very light to carry, unobtrusive and non-threatening if you do run into anyone unexpectedly, easy to control and perfect blade symmetry for fine work like carving and skinning. This one is pretty chunky. I'm not sure what the steel is but it holds a great edge for a long time with just a little stropping. For firewood, shelter building and suchlike there's not much you can't accomplish with a decent saw and some hardwood wedges, using the knife for the fine tuning. I've never been a battening fan really so I don't think I need a big blade once I've made a mallet and some wedges.
Why would I want to leave this little beauty at home?View attachment 60404View attachment 60405View attachment 60406

Agreed, I would not like to leave that behind either. It has been said a few times in this thread, that a knife between 3 - 4 inches and a saw can do most tasks

 

[punkrockcaveman]

To get back to the original scenario.
If I'm allowed a saw then I can have the convenience and flexibility of a smaller knife. I was thinking of the WS Woodlore but in the end I want to take this little puuko which I bought here quite a few years ago. The blade is by Steen Nilssen with everything else by Alf Branch. Its small but it is my go to knife for lots of jobs and it has many advantages over the huge choppers. I've had lots of big knives over the years and they always end up being unused because I find them hard to control for precision tasks. The puuko style is very light to carry, unobtrusive and non-threatening if you do run into anyone unexpectedly, easy to control and perfect blade symmetry for fine work like carving and skinning. This one is pretty chunky. I'm not sure what the steel is but it holds a great edge for a long time with just a little stropping. For firewood, shelter building and suchlike there's not much you can't accomplish with a decent saw and some hardwood wedges, using the knife for the fine tuning. I've never been a battening fan really so I don't think I need a big blade once I've made a mallet and some wedges.
Why would I want to leave this little beauty at home?View attachment 60404View attachment 60405View attachment 60406

singing off the same hymn sheet there, that is a lovely looking user. The copper bolster really sets it off, beauty!

 

[Robson Valley]

I had a summer home in a lakeside resort with approx 90 houses. Summer occupancy only.
We had a top quality well for resort water, surface water lines and most of the time we were on the grid.
Everybody had some sort of a petrol/propane cooking set up as needed.
Kindling for wood stove feather sticks, kitchen food prep, that was about all.

The deal here is that there are dozens of "country properties" 5-50 acres strung out on both sides
of that main road and along one smaller feeder road. Took maybe 30 seconds to isolate some 30-40 people.
The worst of it was 1:30 AM in pounding rain which would have put most people at home and in bed.

The jet boat water taxis are running. A single lane has been excavated in the debris field (6:30AM - 8:30PM).
Pilot truck leading convoys. Provided the slope above the road doesn't destabilize any more.
Animal feed is getting through.

The grid could go off, a couple of poles are chewed up by the rocks in the debris.
Then what becomes your do-all knife?
I like the looks of all the smaller knives that I see in recent posts.

When I got dropped off the float plane in May and was told: "see you in August,"
I was convinced that a bigger knife was better. Thick 6" blade.
Beyond optimizing a camp, I don't know if I still believe that or not.
Crazy nice to fly over all that country with Google Earth.

 

[marcoruhland]

for me the a1 is to short for a knife using for woodwork - i don't like the standard fällkniven design because it is not full tang (own an a1xb but more in an urban situation as small breaching tool than for woodwork without gloves) - so when an a1 than the larger a2l although it is (for me) to to short with 20cm blade

skrama was named 240mm that works good (in winter condition too) or the coldsteel trail-master san-mai-iii or the silky nata 240 for bush crafting but for your scenario i would take a longer one (large bowie, small sword, machete, khukri) something over 30cm bladelength

like the extremaratio kh and that would my choice for a non custom - it is a very good "knife" (for that length )

mr

 

[gra_farmer]

Agree the fallkniven A1 is a bit long to do fine tasks well and to short for optimum chopping efficiency. Very much a master of none, but I really like it.

As for the standard version vs the X series, for me the narrow full tang of the original is perfect for me in use, but I have not tried the X series versions yet, and unlikely unless there is a pass around or a friend has one I can try

 

[Billy-o]

Good thread, eh? Difficult choice, but I'd probably give this a go. Made by Stuart Ackerman (a BCUK familiar), flatground in O1.

I suppose a lot will depend on where you are. Around here, asssuming you are allowed to light a fire, which is increasingly a rare occurrence these days, you don't really, really need anything to cut wood. there is a ton of it just laying about the place, generally.

So something smaller might be more nimble and portable .... maybe even pocket sized..

 

[gra_farmer]

Good thread, eh? Difficult choice, but I'd probably give this a go. Made by Stuart Ackerman (a BCUK familiar), flatground in O1.

I suppose a lot will depend on where you are. Around here, asssuming you are allowed to light a fire, which is increasingly a rare occurrence these days, you don't really, really need anything to cut wood. there is a ton of it just laying about the place, generally.

So something smaller might be more nimble and portable .... maybe even pocket sized..

That's nice, what are the dimensions on that?

 

[Billy-o]

6" blade flat ground out of 5mm O1, gra-farmer

Stuart is on BCUK as Zackerty

Here's a better look

I'd give a limb for the right Serrata in O1