Survival situations can happen when you least expect it, or in places where such a thing doesn’t make sense. Even your regular run or evening walk can turn dangerous, and a simple survival kit can make all the difference.

These items are lightweight, easily-carried and could save your life if you're injured while running. From left: handwarmers, cell phone, flashlight, knife, Boy Scout flint stick, whistle, and firestarter.

by Leon Pantenburg

Maybe you’ve gotten into the habit  of taking a run in the same urban area every evening. Then, one evening, the endorphins kick in, and you decide to double the usual mileage. As darkness approaches, you realize you have to get back to the car before it gets really dark. You slip, twist your ankle and can’t move.

Or you might decide to go for a walk and just take off without thinking to tell someone where you went. You’re strolling along, relaxing and enjoying the iPod, and letting the stress from the office dissipate. Then, as it starts to get dark, you realize you’ve taken a wrong turn and are lost. And pretty soon, it will be pitch dark, and you can’t see the path.

Maybe you have your routine down, and are so set in the pattern that you don’t consider the potential danger. After all, you don’t  go that far from your home, and this isn’t some wilderness area…

A similar situation happened to Bend, Oregon resident Karen Johnson. (Click on highlighted word to read Johnson’s complete story.)  She nearly died of hypothermia after slipping on the ice and  breaking her leg. The area she was running in was a popular, well-used trail. But when Johnson was injured, there was no one around. Only prior preparations, her survival equipment, and being very, very lucky saved her.

Here’s a few tips on what survival equipment to take, and the links to find them,  on a run or an evening walk. These items are lightweight, take up little space and can easily be fitted into a fanny pack or jacket pocket.

• Leave a note or verbal message about where you’re going and when you’ll be back: Even if you’re only expecting to be gone for a little while, nobody will know where to look for you. They might think you went to a movie, the library or some place where you had to shut off your cell phone.
• STOP: Stop, Think, Observe, Plan. This survival mindset exercise applies to every survival situation. Know how to use it.
• Cell phone: You can call for help if you need to. Even if you can’t get coverage, leave your phone on. The pings to your phone from the nearest cell tower can be traced.
• Small flashlight: If you end up out after dark, the flashlight can help you get safety out of the dark places. Not to mention, the psychological boost it can provide if you have to stay in one place and wait for help.
• Whistle:A whistle carries further than your voice, and won’t give out. You
  

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  can signal for help more effectively, and sometimes a whistle works to scare off potential bad guys.

• Flint stick or lighter and firestarter: If you’re injured, you may be able to build a fire for warmth, signaling and as a morale boost. It will help you stay in one place so you can be rescued. Strike It, Matchless Firestarter
• Small knife: I carry a Swiss Army knife Classic everywhere. The blade can be used to strike sparks of a flint stick, whittle kindling,  or cut string. The tweezers, scissors, toothpick and file also have multiple uses. Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Pocket Knife
• Lanyard: Combine everything together on a lanyard so you can wear it around your neck or tie it to your clothing. If the gear is tied to you, it won’t be lost.
• Handwarmers: Even if the weather is warm, a runner will cool rapidly if he can’t move. The handwarmers can be placed on the chest or torso to keep the vital areas warm. HeatMax Hot Hands 2 Handwarmer (40 pairs)
• Water: Hydration is always a good idea. If the water gets too heavy, you can always drink it, or pour it out. Platypus Sport Bottle

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It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a quick snowshoe trek or an hour-long stroll along a wooded path. Common sense dictates that basic survival tools be taken along. Above all, this gear, or kit, must be lightweight and convenient to carry, or it gets left behind.

by Leon Pantenburg

That said:  BEWARE! If you don’t know how to use the materials in the kit, and don’t practice with them, you may develop a false sense of confidence. This attitude could get you in a lot more trouble!

Keep basic tools with you at all times. On the keyring: LED flashlight, fingernail clippers, whistle, Boy Scout Hot Spark and Classic Swiss Army knife. The other knife rides in a pouch on my belt.

Mention survival kits among recreationists and an argument/discussion will follow.

At one end of the spectrum is the guy who takes the heavily-loaded backpack full of gadgets, doo-dads, knick-knacks and neat stuff. He may not go far, because of the pack’s weight, but he’ll be safe. Unless, one time, he decides to leave all that stuff at the car, since he’s never used anything and it’s damned heavy. And he’s just going a little way…

Then he becomes the optimist, the guy at the other extreme.  Since he’s never been in an emergency situation, then it stands to reason that nothing will ever happen. He denies the need for survival gear, because he’s never been in an emergency.

Somewhere between these extremes is the common sense approach.

Here’s my take (and of course, this opinion may place me squarely in the survivalist wacko camp!): Everyone should have a collection of survival tools with them at all times.

As I type this, I have a butane lighter in my pocket, a whistle, knife, fingernail clippers, LED flashlight, small knife and magnesium stick on my belt clip, and a Swiss Army knife in my belt pouch. My wallet has firestarter, charcloth and a signal mirror in it. This gear goes with me everywhere it’s legal.

Suppose I have to run out of my house, right now. Let’s say an earthquake just hit and all the pictures are falling off the walls and it’s in the middle of January. If I have to sprint for the door and can’t grab anything else, I have the minimum tools on me to build a fire for ourselves and the neighbors, stay warm, help others and signal for help.

If I can grab my jacket on the way out the door, there is an Altoids tin mini-survival kit in the pocket. And if I can get to my car there is a full component of survival gear in there, including food, water, a sleeping bag, and several tarps. I won’t waste any time looking for equipment, when the walls may literally be falling down around me.  This will come in very handy for a quick evacuation due to a forest fire, urban natural gas leak, tsunami warning, forced evacuation of the neighborhood or city.

Any personal survival kit will ultimately boil down to opinion, knowledge, skill levels and the season.

Let’s start here: Many experts agree that a MINIMUM KIT should contain the following materials. Here are my suggestions and the links to find them below this article:

Carry survival gear in your wallet. I always have (from left) firestarter, charcloth and a signal mirror with me.

• survival knife
• firemaking tool(s) plus the firestarter
• compass
  map and GPS
• mirror (for signaling)
• signal whistle
• flashlight
• Some form of emergency shelter, like a tarp with rope.
• Food and water, plus water filter.
• Layering Clothing (fleece, wool, polypropylene)
• Waterproof packable shell

While commercial survival kits are available, the quality of some items is sometimes reduced to cut costs. Some things, such as fishing hooks, sinkers and line are included because people think they need them. And some items are included in commercial kits because they’re cheap and take up space.

The safest bet is to make your own survival kit. Start with a realistic assessment of your skills and needs, then start researching. One size doesn’t fit all – a survival kit that works in the cold winter of Oregon, will be different than one designed for Florida, and vice versa.

Every town has a survival guru with a website, but that doesn’t mean they know anything. In fact, be leery of any survival website – a lot of people are out to make a fast buck. Start by contacting the people who work with emergencies every day: police, sheriff’s departments, search and rescue, the Red Cross and see if they have recommendations for necessary gear. They will also have a pretty good idea of  who is good teacher and who is a fraud.

If you have certain medical needs or conditions, make sure the kit includes the appropriate medications.

Then, educate yourself. Practice with your survival tools. Don’t take any recommendations at face value, unless the source has been proven to be reliable. Then, make your survival kit, and take it along.

Every time.  Check out the many other articles about personal and wallet sized kits, plus car kits, home kits, etc. by browsing the survival kit category on this site.

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Sometimes it takes a tragedy to focus attention on preparedness and wilderness survival.

Am Altoids tin survival kit is a valuable survival tool, but it does not have everything you need!

by Leon Pantenburg

The idea behind the Survival CommonSense.com Altoids Tin Survival kit started after two fatalities in Central Oregon in late 2006.

In November, veteran snowmobiler Roger Rouse, 53, of Bend, died of hypothermia in Deschutes National Forest, about 10 miles west of Bend. He and his son had intended to only be out for a morning ride when a fierce snowstorm overwhelmed them. (To read the complete story, click here.)

Less than a month later, in December 2006, Californian James Kim, 35, died in the Rogue River Wilderness after leaving his wife and children to get help. The family car was stuck in snow on a remote road. (To see Larry King’s coverage of  the Kim tragedy, click here.)

Shortly after the Kim tragedy, The editors of The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon, asked me to put together a practical winter survival guide.

“Talk to (Deschutes County) Search and Rescue, find out what the trends are, and what gear people need to take with them,” editors said. “Then, come up with a practical survival kit for our readers, based on the experts’ recommendations. This is an investigative assignment. Check out all sources, and test everything.”

The Altoids tin kit is a small piece of that project, and it is by no means all you should carry for survival!!! But you need to have something in your pockets, in the event you are separated from your gear.

This keyring kit is one way to keep some of the basic survival tools with you at all times. On the keyring: LED flashlight, fingernail clippers, whistle, Boy Scout Hot Spark firemaker and Classic Swiss Army knife. The other knife rides in a pouch on my belt, wherever it is legal.

I couldn’t find a pocket-sized commercial survival kit that was worth a damn. In some, the quality of gear was pathetic. In others, unnecessary or cheap filler items were included to flesh out the list of “necessities.”

One kit, I found at the local sporting goods box store is called “The Essentials Survival Can” and retails for $4.99. The components are: one book of “waterproof” matches; three feet of duct tape, four fish hooks, a whistle, and emergency cord.

In January, 2007, I asked the late Dr. Jim Grenfell of Bend to help develop a survival kit that would fit into a standard Altoids mint tin. This pocket kit would be limited in size to an Altoids tin, and weigh about five ounces. (That’s about what an iPod weighs, or my wallet, depending on which side of payday we’re on!)

An incessant tinker, Grenfell was also an Air Force combat veteran and graduate of three Air Force wilderness survival schools. I made an Altoid kit, too, and for the next several months, we added and subtracted gear, and tested, researched and refined the final kits.

Once the kit was completed, two veteran outdoorsmen took the prototype on a backpacking trip for final testing. Their input lead to further refinement. (To read their review, click here.)

The final kit is not cheap to make. It will cost between $50 to $60, depending on the quality of the materials. But I have several, and one rides in my coat or hip pocket at all times.

Carry your Altoids survival kit in a waterproof container for added security.

Here’s the list of what you need:

• Altoids tin

• Five pieces of duct tape, about 2-1/2 to 3 inches long, layered on top and bottom.

• Rubber bands cut out of bicycle tube. They can be used for firestarter, as well as keeping the Altoids tin cover shut.

These items go inside:

1. 12-inch square of aluminum foil

2. Bicycle tube rubber bands on outside of container

3. Two alcohol prep pads

4. Petroleum jelly: use for medical needs, and in conjunction with jute twine and flint stick for fire-making

5. Compass

6. Emergency whistle

7. Boy Scout Hot Spark wrapped in 18 inches of jute twine. Used with petroleum jelly and item 13 for fire-making

8. LED flashlight

9. Glover’s needle and 2 feet of dental floss

10. Signal mirror

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11. 6 feet of seine twine

12. Pills: aspirin, Imodium, Benadryl, water purification

13. Knife — (Swiss Army Classic: contains knife and screwdriver blades, scissors, tweezers and toothpick)

14. Safety pins and nail

15. 12 feet of 19-gauge annealed wire

16. Waxed fire starter

Not intended to be the primary collection of survival gear, the Altoids tin kit is designed to be compact, and easy and convenient to carry. It was never intended to replace a complete survival kit.

For information on making your own survival kits, click here!

 

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Click here to visit Peter Kummerfeldt's website!

One of the most common questions asked on this site is about survival knives. Specifically, which one is best for the individual’s needs, and which will serve most effectively in a survival situation.

There are a lot of opinions about that topic, but this post by a recognized survival expert, Peter Kummerfeldt, may help you make an informed decision on which knife to include in your survival kit.

The Cold Steel SRK (top) and the J. Martinni Mora-style knives are good choices for all around use.

by Peter Kummerfeldt

Knives.

I am sure the debate over “which is the best knife” has raged ever since early man first knapped a sharp edge on a piece of obsidian! The recommendations that follow are just that – recommendations. But they are suggestions based on fifty years of recreating and working in the outdoors.

The variety of knives available is staggering so how does one know where to start?

To begin there is no need for one of “survival knives” seen in the movies. The ones with a hollow handle containing all kinds of things you’ll never use and none of the equipment that you’d really like to have.

I’d shy away from folding knives although the reliability of the hinge is much better than it used to be.

You don’t need a long blade – four inches is plenty! Select a blade with a broad, flat back so that it can be used with a mallet to split wood. Buy a knife with a brightly colored handle so that you can find it if you drop it.

This Mora knife is a good choice for an over-all survival knife.

Make sure, although this is hard to do in the store, that the tang extends all the way to the butt of the handle or as close to it as possible. If the handle is plastic it may be possible to hold the handle up to a bright light to see where the tang ends.
Knives where the tang extends only a few inches into the handle are prone to breaking.

I do not recommend serrated blades. They are hard to sharpen. Finger guards between the handle and the blade are
unnecessary and tend to get in the way.

The Mora-style knife is the best example of  a knife that meets these criteria. They are inexpensive ($15 – $25) and are available from www.outdoorsafe.com. I seldom carry a knife on my belt anymore. I found out a long time ago that a knife attached to your belt, behind your hip, is out-of-sight and out-of- mind! Sooner or later you will lose it!

Alternatively a knife sheath carried on a lanyard worn around your neck and tucked into your shirt when you are not using it is a very convenient. Should you place your knife on the ground after using it and then walk off you will have a much better chance of noticing
that the knife is not where it should be, earlier, and then locating it again before you have gone far.

A small pocketknife is another very useful tool. It doesn’t have to be a Swiss Army style of knife or a multi-tool with a hundred utensils built into it.  A simple one or two blade knife is sufficient for most situations where you might find yourself needing a cutting edge.

Remember that cutting tools are designed to cut and they will cut you too if they are not used safely. Never cut toward yourself or another person!

For more SurvivalCommonSense.com Hunting and Survival knife reviews click on:

• What is the best survival knife?
• A Survival Knife: The Swiss Army Classic?
• A Scandinavian Survival Knife: Can  The Mora do it all?
• Axe or Saw: Which is best for your outdoor needs?
• What should you put in the hollow handle of a survival knife?
• Cold Steel SRK: Is it the best survival knife?
• Cold Steel Master Hunter: The best knife for hunting?
• Choosing the best backcountry/survival knife.
• Make a quick, safe knife sheath.

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I’m not a fan of  large survival knives, simply because they are generally too big and bulky for many of the tasks associated with wilderness survival.  But I carry a machete in my car survival kit, and there are some tasks that a machete is ideally suited for. If you think one of those big South American knives is only good in the jungle or rain forests, think again!

This under-construction igloo was built using several survival tools, including a machete.

by Leon Pantenburg

The Oregon blizzard was sending snow sideways in the Cascades and the igloo was nearing completion. The snow blocks had to be angled just right to finish the cap. My machete did the job very well.

A month earlier, about 1,500 miles away, with the temperature at least 70-80 degrees warmer, I used a machete in the middle of a bamboo thicket. The plants grew at thick as hairs on a dog’s  back (a  little Mississippi vernacular, here,) and  I needed several cane poles. We were visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Vicksburg, MS, and the day was so pretty we just had to go fishing.

I had line, hooks, bobbers  and bait, and some quick work with a machete got us all poles. (If you’ve never fished for bream, with a cane pole, bobber and hook baited with a worm from a tin can, you don’t know what you’re missing!)

A machete is a big knife, with blade lengths ranging from 12-14 inches on up to about 24 inches. (Much longer than that, and I suppose the classification would have to be changed to “sword”!) . Various websites defined a machete as:  “…a large, heavy knife used in Central and South America as a weapon or for cutting vegetation.  A machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually thick.”

You can use a machete to build snow shelters, cut through jungle vegetation, and clear brush. You can split wood with a

Blocks for an igloo have to be beveled correctly to form the dome.

machete – just pound it, with the grain of a log with a wooden stick or baton. A machete in your hand might deter a potential mugger or looter.

I have several, mainly because they are cheap and versatile. At the last gun show, I got a machete for $3. I didn’t need it, but enjoyed the bartering and dickering to get the price I wanted! Once sharpened and cleaned up, my $3 gunshow special will be a quality survival tool. At some point,  a Boy Scout will use it to build a snow or brush shelter.

My machetes are mostly used for shelter building, so I usually tie a bright-colored piece of paracord and flagging on the handle so they don’t get lost.

Today, machetes range in price and quality. I stopped at a local sporting goods store on the way home from the gunshow, and could have bought a new machete with canvas sheath for $8.99. But quality comes with a price. You can get a high end machete for a higher price from such knife companies as Gerber and Cold Steel, and can expect to pay between $20 and $50.

Like most survival tools, a machete is multi-purpose, but it doesn’t shine in all areas. If you anticipate splitting a lot of wood, get an axe.  (And know how to use it! An axe or hatchet relies on velocity to work, so you have to swing it hard! If your aim is inaccurate, the blade can ricochet off the log or branch and be very dangerous.)

For gathering wood for the evening campfire, I prefer a saw over any other portable tool. While a hatchet is very dangerous to the untrained user, it’s considerably harder to hurt yourself with a saw.

The gunshow special set me back $3, but it will be a valuable survival tool!

And if you’re on the arctic tundra, desert or above the treeline where the only firewoods is scrubby bushes and shrubs, get a hand clipper. You can gather a lot of twigs and small branches for fires quickly with a clipper, and there is virtually no danger in using one.

Machetes have a few inherent flaws. Like an axe, they rely on velocity to cut and chop, so there is always the danger of poorly-aimed strokes. The cheaper ones may have poor steel. Sharpening a machete is important, and because of the length of the edge, can be quite a chore.

But, like any survival tool, a machete may have its place in your survival gear or car survival kit. The option is certainly worth considering!

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I hadn’t dumped a canoe in years, so unexpectedly entering the water just above the John Day River’s Clarno rapids was quite a shock. I righted myself, pointed my feet downstream and tried to follow the course originally set for the canoe.

Integrate these items into your wardrobe and "wear" them every day. You may be grateful you did!

by Leon Pantenburg

The Central Oregon rapids last about three-quarters of a mile, and we’d managed to hit a rock cross-ways right at the head. My wife, Debbie, paddling in front, was also thrown out of the canoe. Her head bobbed above the rapids as she navigated the whitewater. Several minutes later, I pulled myself out in the slack waters of an eddy. From downriver, Debbie waved to show she was OK.

Picking my way over the rocks toward her, I did a mental inventory of my survival tools. Everything we had, all of our fishing, camping and survival gear, was headed downstream toward the Columbia River. It was a hot day, with no danger of hypothermia, and the other members of our float party were at the scene.

Neither of us was injured, and  it was not a survival situation. But if we had been alone, here’s the survival tools we had left:  I didn’t lose my hat, glasses or the GPS in my pocket.

But the Moro knife was gone from its sheath on my belt, and the butane lighter in my left front pants pocket had disappeared.  A whistle was attached to my life jacket. I had charcloth in a plastic bag, firestarter and my key ring survival gear, except for the flashlight, still worked. Debbie had a whistle, too, but her survival gear was somewhere downstream. But even soaking wet, we could have started a fire to warm up and signal for help.

You could get dumped out of a canoe, thrown off a horse that runs away or be in a shopping mall or hotel when there is a power failure. In these cases, all you’ll have is a survival mindset and the tools in your pockets or on your person. But a little planning can help a lot if you make some basic survival tools part of your wardrobe. This is what I carry on a daily basis: These items are on a separate key ring that clips to my car keys or belt loop.

On the keyring: LED flashlight, fingernail clippers, whistle, Boy Scout Hot Spark and Classic Swiss Army knife. The other, large Swiss Army knife rides in a pouch on my belt.

• LED flashlight: This is one of the most-used items. Princeton Tec Pulsar White LED Key Chain Light A flashlight could be what gets you out of a dark, fourth floor hotel room that is filling with smoke! It may also require leadership training before using. In any dark emergency situation, the person with the flashlight automatically becomes the leader!  Make sure you get an LED light with an on-off switch. Otherwise, you’ll get really tired of pinching the light to make it work.
• Nail clipper: Until you have torn a finger or toenail on a camping trip, with no way to trim it, you can’t imagine how important a clipper is. In a pinch, it works as a tweezers to pull out splinters.
• Whistle: A necessary signaling device, since you can only yell until your voice gives out. A whistle can be heard at a great distance, with less energy expended than shouting for help. The universal signal for distress is a series of three, equally-spaced blasts.
• Magnesium or flint stick: In this case, a Boy Scout Hot-Spark firestarter is the chosen tool. It can be used with cotton balls and petroleum jelly, or Chapstick, or Purell hand cleaner,  to start a fire.
• Swiss Army Classic model knife: This knife’s capabilities are much bigger than its size! A classic has a knife blade, scissors, screwdriver blade, tweezers and toothpick. Most important, it can be carried with you at all times.

In my left hip pocket:

• Bandanna or 100% cotton handkerchief: This item can do a hundred different tasks, including wiping your nose! Other common sense uses include shredding as tinder for the magnesium stick; signaling, and improvising a head covering or sun shade. I always carry at least one, and prefer to have several along.

In my right hip pocket is my wallet with the usual driver’s license, credit cards etc. These survival items are designed to fit in the credit card holders:

Firestarter, charcloth and a signal mirror can all be carried in a wallet

• Charcloth: If you can catch a spark, from any source, on a piece of charcloth, then you should know how to blow that spark into an ember, and then a fire. Charcloth should be carried in a waterproof plastic bag.
• Waxed firestarter: A credit card sized piece of this material, also carried in a waterproof plastic bag, will supply several minutes of flame when lighted with a match or some flame. The firestarter supplies that link between ignition and getting tinder and small sticks to burn.
• Signal mirror: I made this mirror out of a piece of flexible mirror material (available at most auto repair stores), and purposefully sized it to fit a credit card holder. In addition to signaling, the mirror can be invaluable for locating something in your eye or directing light into a hard-to-see area. The plastic covering on the mirror face is left on for protection. Directions for use are on the back.

In my left front pocket:

• Butane lighter: I don’t smoke but always carry a small lighter. It’s easy to “Flick your Bic” to light a fire, or make a signal at night, especially if you’re injured. (You can also use it to show your age at a concert!) Wrap it with a couple feet of duct tape, and you have added another survival tool.
• Chapstick: Get the kind with sun protection, and you can use it for lip, face, ear and skin protection. Chapstick works as a firestarter when combined correctly with a shredded cotton bandanna.

In the right front pocket:

• Hand cleaner: Keeping your hands clean may keep you from getting sick later. Purell liquid handcleaner also works well as a firestarter with the shredded bandanna.

In my shirt or jacket pocket:

• Notebook and pen or pencil: You may need to write down map or GPS coordinates, phone numbers or leave directions and you’ll need something to write on. Don’t forget to leave a note telling someone where you went.

These items may help you get by in an emergency situation, but don’t rely entirely on them if possible. Always take your Ten Essentials on any outing, and know how to use them.

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]]> http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/03/05/wardrobe-survival-kit/feed/ 15 http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2010/05/14/swiss-army-knife-classicfeed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=swiss-army-knife-classicfeed http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2010/05/14/swiss-army-knife-classicfeed/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 19:15:35 +0000 Leon http://survivalcommonsense.com/?p=2317

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In many emergency situations, all you’ll have are the tools in your pockets. And I’d much rather have a tiny knife, than no knife at all. A Classic can be an important part of your survival kit.

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Elk Lake, Oregon is one of the major re-supply places for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. Every year, a handful of through hikers will attempt to walk border-to-border on the trail. They generally start in Mexico in April, and start trickling in to the Elk Lake Resort about August. They need to get to the Canadian border before the snow flies.


by Leon Pantenburg

I was eating lunch at the resort two years ago, and noticed a young lady trekker at a picnic table. She was loading her pack for the next section. She had opened her re-supply box, sliced a chunk of cheese, opened several large packages and cut a shoelace, all with her tiny, Classic Swiss Army knife.



My wife's Victorinox Classic model Swiss Army knife is a good choice to accompany a large sheath knife as a survival combo.

The Classic had been her only knife for nearly three months on the trail.

“It’s all you need,” she commented. “I have to go lightweight and I don’t carry an ounce that isn’t needed.”

For lightweight hikers, who go long distances with minimal equipment, a Classic may be a reasonable choice. On a trail like the Pacific Crest or Appalachian, you’ll seldom be isolated from other hikers for very long if you need help.

If you’re out on a dayhike with a large group of well-prepared hikers, you may not use a knife at all. But (DANGER!!! DANGER!!! SURVIVAL COMMON SENSE ALERT!!!) that doesn’t mean you don’t need a knife.

Get separated from the group, off the beaten path in the backcountry, or in some sort of wilderness survival situation and you may desperately need a real survival knife.

Calling a Classic a survival knife is quite a stretch, and I’d never carry that knife as my only survival tool. But it doesn’t matter where I am, or what I’m doing, if it is legal, I have a Classic with me.

In most areas, it is socially unacceptable to wear a sheath survival knife with your dress or business suit. But at 2-1/2 inches long, a Classic is virtually un-noticeable. (Don’t try to take one on an airplane or into a courthouse ! the Classic does show up on metal detectors!)

If an emergency develops in an urban, business office environment, maybe all you’ll have are the survival tools on you. And I’d much rather have a



These items are lightweight, easily-carried and could save your life if you're injured while running. From left: handwarmers, cell phone, flashlight, Swiss Army Classic knife, Boy Scout flint stick, whistle, and firestarter.

tiny knife, than no knife at all. A Classic can be an important part of your survival gear.

Here’s what you get with a Classic:

• The best tweezers in the world: The value of this is easily seen when you get a sliver in your finger gathering firewood. If you go outdoors with kids, this feature alone makes the knife worth owning!
• Toothpick: Removes annoying food debris from your teeth.
• Scissors: Great for cutting anything. I’ve used mine at weddings, in the office, on campouts and for trimming unruly facial hairs. I’ve used the tiny scissors to cut bicycle tubes, Moleskin, ribbons on packages, duct tape and bandages.
• Blade: The 1-1/2 inch blade can be sharpened easily, and cuts well for its size and design. In an emergency, the tiny blade will probably work much better than a sharp piece of glass, broken beer bottle, or jagged rock cutting tool that you have to improvise.
• Fingernail File: For a survival situation manicure? Actually, tear the corner of a fingernail in the backcountry and you’ll be really glad you have some way of filing off that jagged edge!
• Low cost: A Classic is cheap. In Hawaii, I bought a Classic for $12 and used it for a week. I presented it to the baggage handler as we boarded the plane for the mainland. At one post-Christmas sale at a major department store, Classics were going for $3 each. I bought all they had. Watch for sales and you can get really good deals. Classics make great gifts, and could be a great prepper barter item.

Here’s a tip to add one more tool. Take a Dremel tool and grind the end of the file so it fits the hinge screw of your glasses. Nobody ever has a glasses screwdriver when you need one!

Outdoors, depending on the terrain and activity, I may take several different knives that are used for special tasks. As an overall survival and big game hunting knife, I use a Cold Steel SRK.

For upland and small game hunting and cleaning fish; camp chores such as whittling wiener sticks, spreading peanut butter, peeling potatoes and chopping onions, and other mundane tasks, I generally carry a Frost Moro knife.
For everyday carry, either in my pocket or a belt pouch, I prefer a thin, two-layer thickness knife with multiple tools, such as a Swiss Army Tinker.

Occasionally, I’ll take along a multi-tool. My favorite over the last ten years has proven to be the Leatherman Wave.



The Cold Steel SRK (top) and Moro knife are good choices for all around use. Combined with a Swiss Army Classic, they can provide a good survival tool kit.

When it comes to weight, the Classic is the lightweight champ, tipping the postal scales at one ounce. The Swiss Army Tinker weighs 2.5 ounces; a Frost Moro also weighs about 2.5 ounces (5 ounces with the six feet of duct tape wrapped around the sheath) and the SRK is 8 ounces, with 2.5 ounces of duct tape on the sheath.

Carry a Classic in addition to any of these larger knives, and you have an effective multi-tool set. In and of itself, the Classic is an inadequate survival knife. But combined with a larger knife, the knife will prove to be worth its weight in gold.

So get a Classic and add it to your survival or prepping gear. As happened to me, you’ll go from wondering what good the dinky little knife could be: to wondering how you got along without it.

 

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