A good and dependable survival knife is a key element of any survival kit. It has to be versatile in order to handle as many tasks as possible when you are out in the wild, building a shelter, starting a fire, cleaning animals, cutting and slicing, as well as self-defense. Even just the fact that you are carrying good quality, well-sharpened knife is enough to make you feel safer and more confident when outdoors enjoying an adventure.
There are some not-so-obvious ways in which a survival knife can help you out when you are on a trek. Here are some of the less popular uses for a survival knife:
- Digging. A strong and well-made knife can become a handy replacement for a shovel for various digging tasks, such as: disposal of human waste, excavation of fire pits, digging out edible roots and plants, as well as for carving out signals in the dirt or snow.
- A weapon. You can use your knife for catching and cleaning fish or game, as well as of self-defense.
- Treating injuries. You can cut out bandages and even be used for draining blisters if you sterilize the tip first. A knife is very helpful for removing painful splinters too.
- Splitting or cutting wood and saplings. It can be utilized for batoning instead of a hatchet for cutting wood if it is large enough and has a full tang design. You need to pound it with a mallet or other piece of wood to cut logs for your fire or your shelter.
- Hammering. You can use the strong pommel as a hammer for the stakes of your shelter or for snares.
- Adjustment of your gear. Use your survival knife to modify your clothing or your equipment for added comfort and safety when such need arrives and in cases of emergencies.
- As a stake. Drive the knife into the ground to act as a stake to anchor down your emergency shelter, or to hang your food bag high enough on the tree out of reach of wild animals.
- For making tools. Even though it is a tool itself, a survival knife is great for making other survival gear such as a drill or a bow.
- To make fire: cut out inner bark ribbons from branches with your survival knife to make tinder for a fire in a bird’s nest fire pit. You can also use it to ignite the tinder by striking your ferro rod. The knife can replace an ax or hatchet when cutting up branches and logs for the fire.
- To make shelters. Your survival knife is great for trimming or notching limbs for your shelter. Also, you can use it instead of a machete to chop away shrubs and bushes to make space for your tent or shelter.
It is essential to choose a good quality survival knife, which is durable, versatile, easily sharpened, and can be carried at long distances. It can come in handy in nearly any situation when you are out on your next adventure.
