Seriously FAKed up

[Moonraker]

Cheers mate.

It's now a big worry for me, what happens if your not in reach of a casualty? If properly dressed will the wound be ok until you can get it seen to? When we walked across the Kalahari (incidentally with the same people but plus my mates dad) we had a doctor with us! He had a full on kit, morphine (illegally i suspect) and the works.

I figure as long as it's clean, and sealed, then one should be fine? :?:

The problem with that is how to get it 'clean'. Without some form of antiseptic such as iodine (can also be used for water sterilisation), any wound is open to infection and further problems.

Why not put together or buy a small basic FAK which you carry in a pocket at all times? Most items have other uses too, like the cotton wool as tinder and iodine etc. Just put some into a small container if space and weight are issues. Why not carry your knife with the FAK attached, then you will not forget it

And forward planning including anticipating such situations is as important as what you take. WHAT IF? I guess a mobile phone is one of the most useful emergency items we could take ( see maddaves story)

 

[Hoodoo]

This just underscores the importance of learning how to use a knife properly. Ed Fowler in his book Knifetalk II describes an incident where some guys were way out in the wilderness and a guy was trying to cut through the pelvic bone of an elk or deer (can't recall which right off hand) and he was cutting towards him. Evidently the knife went through and came towards him and he severed his femoral artery. As you can imagine, the guy was only minutes away from death by exsanguination. One of his buddies reached into the wound with his hand and pinched off the artery with his fingers. IIRC, he held on to this for several hours before they could get him to a hospital.

Years ago a good friend of mine and a tremendously experienced outdoorsman was cleaning a deer he shot with his bow. He was using one of those large old Case or Schrade folders-don't recall which-but a slip joint. He was piercing something with it and it folded up on his fingers. He saved his fingers but it was an immediate trip to the emergency room at the hospital. He just wasn't paying attention. Some knives just aren't made for some things. I think one of the reasons the Buck 110 became so popular back then was that it was a lock back. All over the US it virtually replaced those big old folding slipjoints for hunting.

I spend a lot of time in the woods alone and every time I take a knife out, the thought passes through my mind that if I sustain a severe cut out here, I could be in big trouble. So, I tend to be extra cautious and take it pretty slow. It's always a good idea to be extra cautious. I think most cuts are due to a lack of attention. You always have to ask where the knife will end up after you complete your cut.

As for loaning your knife, most people don't know how to handle a really sharp knife. Knifeknuts tend to get used to being around them but that average joe who carries a knife usually carries a dull one they haven't sharpened in a year or if they did, did a poor job of it. I'm getting to the point where I don't even like to SHOW people my knives because they will do something stoopid with them, like drop them point first on the concrete.

I'm not sure I believe the old saw that a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. Over the years, I've seen too many really deep cuts caused by razor sharp knives.

 

[TheViking]

Think in consequences. What are the consequences of bringing/not bringing a certain item? What are the consequences of not bringing my tarp: i could get really wet and cold. What are the consequences of bringing it: i wouldn't get wet and cold, but it would increase the weight of my pack.

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What are the consequences of not bringing my proper first aid kit: i could cut myself, and end up dying of bloodloss. There is nothing more important than safety with cutting tools, and therefore carrying a 750 gram 1'st aid kit, is no real big deal when it comes to weight.

ack:

 

[Frogo]

Do you go to the place that starts by that old pub?

Jake

The Maenllwyd.

Frogo

 

[JakeR]

I've given a list of stuff for my dad to get in work. So i should be sorted with a proper jobby.

I'm now not concerned with the weight issue at all. It's the last time i go into a forest without proper FAK. All the cuts i get on my hands are usually little nicks, from my skin overlapping onto the blade when striking a firesteel etc. I sometimes actually cut myself but am always aware.
I think a blunt knife is more dangerous to a person who knows how to use a knife properly. But a razor edge is more dangerous to an uneducated person.

I've also asked my dad to get advice from colleagues (he works in the medical school), so should end up with sufficient First Aid.

Can all iodine be used as water treatment, how much is needed?

Thanks.

 

[Moonraker]

Good advice Andy.

But how about also carrying a small compact and light FAK which you carry at all times in a pocket? I have a decent FAK in my pack and a small 'cut down' version of basics in my possibles pouch on my belt or a jacket pocket. Sods law means that the very time you need a FAK quick you are not right next to your pack. Or in case your pack falls into the lake etc. Like I said most of the items have dual use and useful for survival use also.

 

[JakeR]

I think thats the one Frogo, lovely walk. We usually just go in 20 mins and stay at a little spot cooking etc.

I always have plasters and usually keep my bag on me. But i'm ordering a "possibles bag" from Gary, perfect little size for a day trip and i plan to always have my FAK in there.

 

[greg2935]

A few years ago, I attended the Woodlore primitive bushcraft course and gave mysef a nice slice through the hand while carving, nowhere near the bone and didnt need stitches either. Its not only people who are new to bushcraft that make stupid mistakes, I've been using knives for the last 20 years!

Greg

 

[jakunen]

Its not only people who are new to bushcraft that make stupid mistakes, I've been using knives for the last 20 years!

Greg

Hey, I've been cooking/teaching cooking/catering for more years than I'm prepared to admit, and even though the first thing I was taught was how to safely handle a knife in the kitchen, blue plasters are occasionally seen gracing my scarred old hands...

 

[Hoodoo]

Its not only people who are new to bushcraft that make stupid mistakes, I've been using knives for the last 20 years!

Greg

Couldn't agree more. The more you play with sharp toys, given the laws of probability, the more likely you will be bitten. We have to be always on our guard and always consider a knife as a potential accident waiting to happen. The other day I was cutting through some bone with a small bone saw and ran my thumb and forefinger along the side of the blade to remove a bit of bone stuck in the teeth and the sucker bit me somehow. Still not sure how that happened. It was superficial but it bled pretty good. Never underestimate the capacity of any tool to do you harm. :shock:

 

[JakeR]

Im always cutting myelf, never badly though, i've always managed to make sure i don't...yet....:shock:

 

[bombadil]

A FAK lives permanently in the lid pocket of my daysack, which is always in use. Even when I'm not carrying a sheath knife, I usually have a leatherman or SAK on me somewhere, and I wouldn't be without it. Admittedly, this is most frequently deployed on someone other than myself. Knowing how to handle a blade is by far the best first aid, and I'm constantly astounded at the number of people who insist that using anything with a sharp edge is childsplay, only to cut themselves immediately upon it!! :?: I don't hand my knife to anyone for this reason, (amongst others), which annoys the :***: out of my SWMBO!!

 

[JakeR]

The problem i find when someone asks to borrow a knife is they get offended when you say "no". So i just let them cut themselves if they get all uppity. :evil:

 

[tomtom]

i normaly try to educate people a little.. rather then just not let them use a knife.. who i am to stop them getting the enjoyment i get from carveing ect.. we are the guardians of this type of knolage as we have said before.. somone taught me.. and im happy to pass it on and i feel safer in the mind that they no what not to do..

 

[greg2935]

i normaly try to educate people a little.. rather then just not let them use a knife.. who i am to stop them getting the enjoyment i get from carveing ect.. we are the guardians of this type of knolage as we have said before.. somone taught me.. and im happy to pass it on and i feel safer in the mind that they no what not to do..

I'd like to put one caveat on that. I once lent my brand new Granfors axe that was only 2 weeks old to someone who should have known what they were doing. He put a sodding great dent in the blade by hitting it against a steel tent peg (it was an accident and in truth not his fault, he was cutting through a log when he hit a bit of rotten wood and the entire axe slid sideways and onto the pegs at the side of the chopping block). It took ages to resharpen. If someone wants to borrow something of mine, I will be quite happy for them to do so as long as they repair it when they break it!

Greg

 

[tomtom]

i've yet to be that unfortunate.. maybe my way would change if i was to be.

i find that if someone knows that a granny b costs £50 then they treat it with a lot of respect..

 

[bombadil]

i normaly try to educate people a little.. rather then just not let them use a knife.. who i am to stop them getting the enjoyment i get from carveing ect.. we are the guardians of this type of knolage as we have said before.. somone taught me.. and im happy to pass it on and i feel safer in the mind that they no what not to do..

OK, fair point....but usually I carry a couple of knives and I lend them the not-so-good-one!! I lent my better half my Alan Wood Woodlore the other day to make a bow drill set, you should have seen the look on her face, it was worth all the times I said no!! :rolmao: Since hacking her finger on a Puukko she (being a newbie) now has a lot more respect for a sharp blade. Education is what it's all about, we've all done it....

 

[tomtom]

well you got me there.. i do lend me mora more offten than my north star

 

[JakeR]

I agree that education is best...just not always, especially if there is only one knife

 

[bombadil]

Yup....fair point, education is what it's all about.
I lent my Alan Wood Woodlore to my better half the other day to carve her first bow drill set, you should have seen the look on her face, it was worth every time I hadn't!! ):
I usually carry two or more knives if I am with others, that way, me trusty Woodlore doesn't get stuck in someones hand or dropped point-first onto a rock, and they still get the pleasure of using my faithful puukko which cost a lot less!