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SURVIVAL PRIORITIES

You wake up early in the morning alone in the wilderness with no survival gear and your only tool is a fixed blade knife with a half-serrated blade. Which 5 survival tasks should be your highest priorities and in what order? (Hint: Is your knife the only weapon you need to protect yourself from predators? Maybe you should make a hunting spear before you do anything else.)

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Permalink Reply by james a c smith on July 2, 2015 at 9:05

terry,

I used to own one of those cold steel bushman knives, they are pretty cool, you can make a small kit in a bag and stuff into the end of the knife and then add a qork to close it up( to use as a fishing float if needed), and obviously the spear lashing idea is great, I do believe they are about 7 or 8 inches long and fairly light weight. for the money, it's a great tool. I traded mine away to a buddy who was wanting to make a survial typoe kit for his 4 wheel'n adventures..

Terry Waldele said:

Just had a thought....Cold Steel makes a survival knife with a hollow handle that can be mounted on a pole. It would be a great knife to carry with a hiking staff of the right diameter at one end. Here's a link to there website page showing it:

http://www.coldsteel.com/Product/80PHB/SURVIVAL_EDGE_(BLACK).aspx

Let me know what you think...

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 2, 2015 at 9:21

I like the idea of making a whistle (if the chance to be discovered is there) So, how about this one?

Willow Whistle

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 2, 2015 at 10:00

I sure hope you don't poke your eye with that pointy stick or impale yourself on it when you take a miss-step and slide down the ravine. I think your chances of that happening are about the same as killing a bear with it.

As for being prepared. BINGO! My first priority is not getting in a situation where I find myself waking up in the wilderness with nothing but a half-serrated knife!

BTW We've "what if" the subject for all of five days. It might seem like weeks but if I would've had my emergency kit with me we could've played cards and the time would've passed by with a little more fun and less anxiety.

Five tasks:

Water,

Fire,

Food,

Shelter

Noise Maker.

The order depends on the circumstance. I've never given much thought about it as I normally have all of these with me even if I just plan to be in the woods for a short time. As you said, be prepared!

Permalink Reply by james a c smith on July 2, 2015 at 10:21

I of course took that possibility into consideration, thats why you make it taller than you to reduce that possibility...but I see whats coming, you, like me, like to argue, or you just don't like sticks bigger than you...I'm joking around of course so don't lash out at me, please, all i have is this stupid half serrated knife, probably a SOG seal pup from wally world.

So we good men of this page take sides and argue the best we can, knowing full well the scenario we were given lacks detail enough to actually make any good argument beyond the basics of survial. AND i won't deny that you are right about the point, I would make a walking stick, just don't have the info to decide if I need to add a point on one end...probably not, but...you know..

Tobias Gibson said:

I sure hope you don't poke your eye with that pointy stick or impale yourself on it when you take a miss-step and slide down the ravine. I think your chances of that happening are about the same as killing a bear with it.

As for being prepared. BINGO! My first priority is not getting in a situation where I find myself waking up in the wilderness with nothing but a half-serrated knife!

BTW We've "what if" the subject for all of five days. It might seem like weeks but if I would've had my emergency kit with me we could've played cards and the time would've passed by with a little more fun and less anxiety.

Five tasks:

Water,

Fire,

Food,

Shelter

Noise Maker.

The order depends on the circumstance. I've never given much thought about it as I normally have all of these with me even if I just plan to be in the woods for a short time. As you said, be prepared!

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 2, 2015 at 10:37

James said:

James I'm offended by this remark! I think we like to "debate" not argue! To be fair I can see why some would go with a spear. But we all would set different priorities. The question asked even hinted that we should use the knife to make other weapons to protect ourselves from predators. If predators were high on my list of worries, a spear would probably be the logical choice as it has a long reach and requires the least amount of skill to use.

I'm not sure from your statement if you also have a problem with a half serrated knife or if you are being sarcastic. I know their are people who also like such knives but if the blade is going have a serrated portion I'd prefer it to be on the spine instead of my primary cutting edge.

Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on July 2, 2015 at 10:52

Tobias, thanks for the info! OK, you have your priorities and I have mine. I would much rather have my "pointy stick" to maintain a few feet of distance between a predator and me than my 5 or 6 inch knife. By the way, everyone who has responded to my original post seemed to assume the survival situation I described was located in North America, but it wasn't necessarily so. Also, your list doesn't include moose, which are probably more prevalent in the U.S. and Canada than most people realize, and are not usually predators, but are very unpredictable and dangerous. Sure, a spear may not be a life saver if you encounter a moose, but I'd still rather have my spear and improve my odds of surviving, no matter how infinitesimal, considering the few minutes it takes to make one. And with Cold Steel's knife that I mentioned earlier, the odds would be even more in my favor. (By the way, Cold Steel changed the design of that knife since I bought mine a few years ago. The original one's handle had a bigger diameter, which was "funnel" shaped to fit a larger tapered shaft, which I think was a better design. (Now why did I sell that one just so I could buy a sexier knife?) lol

Tobias Gibson said:

Seriously folks! Unless you're the mythical Davy Crockett who "kill't him a b'ar when he as only three" do you really expect to survive an attack with a top predator and remain unscathed because you have a pointy stick!?! Chances are if you poke her, especially a mama bear with her cubs she is going to take a swipe at you and once those claws hit you will either be looking at a quick death or a slow painful death because all of the tree moss and in the world ain't going to prevent the infection that follows!

Your odds of surviving a determined top predator attack with a pointy stick will be about .00001% higher than my odds with a blunt walking stick and my half serrated knife, I'll sharpen a stick when I need to poke something I'm going to eat or dig around in the ground for truffles or tubers.

See: http://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032%2812%2900086-5/pdf

and: https://historylist.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/human-deaths-in-the-us...

Average Number of Deaths per Year in the U.S

Bee/Wasp- 53

Dogs- 31

Horse - 20

Spider- 6.5

Rattlesnake- 5.5

Bull - 3

Mountain lion-1

Shark-1

Alligator - 0.3

Bear- 0.5

Scorpion - 0.5

Centipede- 0.5

Elephant -0.25

Wolf - 0.1

You're most likely to get attacked by an alligator on a golf course. A wolf in the wild hasn't killed anyone in the US since 1888. The wolf deaths that occur now are caused by stupid humans think they'd make a great pet!

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 2, 2015 at 11:17

Terry,

LOL, which knife was sexier!???

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 2, 2015 at 11:34

I normally bring with me or make a walking stick when I'm in the woods. I find it to be very helpful for all sorts of things besides remaining upright. If you want to sharpen yours, go right ahead. I tend to keep both ends of my stick blunt. The shaft is normally five or six feet long. I normally have a a Victorinox 111mm Hunter or Trekker with me and use the saw blade to cut a sapling that is about 2.5 inches in diameter at one end tapering to about 1.5 inches at the other end. This give the stick plenty of heft and strength. And gives me plenty of reach.

As for potential top predators in the area I hike and fish -- the ones I'm most likely to cross paths with are 'possums, raccoons, and foxes, and most likely mongrel dogs. Like someone else mentioned, I tend to keep a few rocks with me to toss at these critters but feel the walking stick will be adequate if attacked. (yes, a spear would be better, I won't debate that point.)

If I were to make a spear, I would want it to be 7-8 feet in length. I would also want it tapered in about the same fashion with the point end being the smaller tapered end and leaving the back end some what larger and heavy. If attacked I would employ it in the same fashion I would if it were rifle with a bayonet attached. Of course if I'm faced with a charging animal I am aware of the practice of crouching to the ground planting one end of the spear in the ground and bracing it and raising the spear point as the predator commits to his leap or lunge. Hopefully the predator will cooperate and follow the Hollywood script.

I'd rather make lots of noise in an effort to attract rescuers and warn potential predators that I'm in the area. Most often animals attack because you surprised them. If they hear me coming, odds are better, that they will either flee or challenge me from afar and I can avoid them.

Permalink Reply by james a c smith on July 2, 2015 at 11:53

debate or argue..I see what you mean, perhaps we are have a civilized disagreement!..serraded blades are not my typical choice for field knives, I have one of those SOG seal pup knives, I think they are good knives for the intended purpose, I gave mine to one of my sons, I actually carry a spyderco POLICE half serrated as my EDC utility knife, serrades are material eaters, have you ever seen the K Bar big brother, serrade all down the back of that spine, I have one, it's a good'n. And of course I am one of those fellas that carries the tracker knife into the woods, along with my RAT5,

I was reading the original post and figure maybe I had gottn off "point" a wee bit, but I will say if I feel danger, I wil protect myself, if not I will concentrate on other tasks...

on the topic of animal attacks, some one should start a thread on the subject using that recent move "The Grey" as a starter, pack of wolves systematically hunts down group of men....hmmm..kinda like Jaws in the woods...gotta love to hate hollywood!

Tobias Gibson said:

James said:

I of course took that possibility into consideration, thats why you make it taller than you to reduce that possibility...but I see whats coming, you, like me, like to argue, or you just don't like sticks bigger than you...I'm joking around of course so don't lash out at me, please, all i have is this stupid half serrated knife, probably a SOG seal pup from wally world. >>

James I'm offended by this remark! I think we like to "debate" not argue! To be fair I can see why some would go with a spear. But we all would set different priorities. The question asked even hinted that we should use the knife to make other weapons to protect ourselves from predators. If predators were high on my list of worries, a spear would probably be the logical choice as it has a long reach and requires the least amount of skill to use.

I'm not sure from your statement if you also have a problem with a half serrated knife or if you are being sarcastic. I know their are people who also like such knives but if the blade is going have a serrated portion I'd prefer it to be on the spine instead of my primary cutting edge.

Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on July 2, 2015 at 14:46

Darn it! I wrote this great response and accidentally lost it! The crux of it was that in a survival situation, you may not be hunted by a predator, but you might accidentally run into one, especially in thick brush, jungle vegetation or a winding trail. If you run into a female predator with a baby, it could be your worst nightmare! I'd much rather be carrying a spear, especially one with a Cold Steel spear tip knife like their "Bushman", or a similar knife.

So far in this thread, there has been some great advice. I especially like the following advice (paraphrased):

BE PREPARED! (I might add::Learn how to be prepared and equip yourself with the best survival gear you can for the environment you will be in.) (Note: Is a satellite phone a worthwhile investment?)
If you're lost or severely injured (or both), before you do anything else, ASSESS YOUR SITUATION. (Being prepared, you will have honed your survival skills, including your observation skills.)
Set your priorities according to your situation and your expectations of rescue.
Learn how large predators behave, and if you encounter a predator in the wild, and it isn't acting aggressively, try backing away from it slowly. If it takes an aggressive stance, slowly do everything you can to look bigger than the predator is, such as stretching out your arms high above your head, then make as much noise as you can, using your whistle, an air horn or giving out your best roar repeatedly.)
Make a hiking staff that is longer than you are tall, and sharpen one end to a spear point, as soon as possible.
Carry a fixed blade knife with a partially serrated blade for cutting rope, sawing limbs or saplings, cutting aluminum airplane skin (yes, you might find a crashed plane or parts of one). One choice of knife would be a Cold Steel bushman or similar knife that can be fitted onto your hiking staff and the handle can carry survival supplies in it (a rubber crutch tip makes a great cap for the handle.) If you can find a similar knife with a half serrated blade, so much the better, in my opinion.

I will appreciate any criticisms of this summary or suggestions that you post here.

Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on July 2, 2015 at 15:13

Jan, as I recall, it was a "Walther P99 Tactical Knife" with a 3/8th-inch thick blade that is partially serrated, has a Rex Applegate-styled, bead-blasted blade, a thick bead-blasted double finger guard, dense rubber grip, and an excellent ballistic nylon sheath with two carry options, . As an amateur military knife collector, it's sexy to me anyway. LOL

Jan Carter said: