The knife is the top outdoor survival tool

While not directly related to learning how to sharpen a knife, I wanted to follow up on an article that appeared on Wired today that listed the Top 10 Outdoor Survival Tools. Being someone who enjoys the outdoors I clicked on the article and wasn't surprised in the least that a good knife was at the top of the list.

Why is a knife at the top of the list? Wired listed a couple-preparing food and helping to build a shelter. There are many more though. Here's some:

1. Starting a fire. You bet. If the knife is razor sharp (as it should be), then it will be easy to shave some small wood chips to aid in starting a fire. If the knife is made of carbon steel, the back edge can be used to strike matches on. Another advantage of the carbon steel blade is that it can be kept very sharp with a river rock.
2. Hunting/Fishing. In addition to preparing food as Wired stated above, you can also use the same knife to hunt for that food. Lash it to the end of a good stick (which you cut and trimmed using...you guessed it...your knife) and it's now either a spear for small game or fish.
3. Make tent pegs. This goes along with building shelter but making a tent peg serves as a good example.
4. Make a cooking spit. Use your knife to make a thin spit that you can hang food on and turn over your fire.

Those are just a few examples of what a knife can be used for outdoors. Here are a couple of examples of good outdoor/hunting knives. Click on either knife for more information.





Now, these knives don't do you any good unless you know how to sharpen a knife. Here are a couple of links to other articles that can help.

5 factors to consider when choosing a knife

A good guide on how to sharpen a knife

Factors To Consider When Choosing a Knife

Before you can learn how to sharpen a knife, you have to have a knife. Choosing a knife can be very confusing when you take a look at all the possibilities out there. How many kinds of knives are there? How many stars are there in the sky at night? While there aren't that many knives out there I think you get my point. The uneducated buyer faces a daunting task to find the knife they're looking for. I've put together a short guide below to help you make that decision.

1. Purpose. It all starts with the purpose of the knife. What are you going to use it for? There's a knife for every job and getting the wrong knife can be disastrous. The question you have to ask yourself is, "What will I use it for?" Once you can answer that question you can begin to narrow down your choices. There are two broad categories for the purpose:

-General Purpose - this is typically your knife you use to carry around for everyday tasks. This can be your common pocket knife. These knives come in many different styles and make a good all around knife.

-Specialized - this type of knife is generally built for a specific purpose in mind such as diving, hunting, multi-purpose, or military use.

2. Design. Very closely linked to the purpose of a knife is its design. Because these knives can be specialized, they generally have a specialized use. Probably the two biggest categories of design are folded and fixed blade. A fixed blade knife must be stored in a sheath of some type when not in use. On the other hand, a folding blade knife is designed so that the blade, when not in use, folds back into the body. There are a couple of optional features for folding knives that need to be pointed out:

-Easy Opening - these folding knives have easy opening mechanisms that allow the user to open them with one hand. This can come in very handy if your other hand is in use or you need to open it quickly.

-Lock Blade - these folding knives have a mechanism that locks the blade open. This essentially turns the knife into a fixed blade as the locking mechanism prevents the knife from folding up.

3. Materials. Knives can be made from many different materials ranging from steel to titanium for the blade and plastic to wood for the handle. There are literally thousands of combinations to choose from. The type of material used is usually closely linked to the purpose of the knife.

4. Warranty. A good knife should come with a good warranty. Be sure to check to see if the knife you want comes with one. The types of warranties available range from a few months to lifetime.

5. Cost. Cost is usually the biggest determining factor when purchasing a knife. Like the old saying goes, though, "you get what you pay for." If you buy a knife for $5 then you're going to get a $5 knife. Likewise, a custom-made specialty knife can cost you hundreds. All of the factors above-purpose, design, materials, and warranty-go into determining the final cost of a knife.

There you have it. Purpose, design, materials, warranty, and cost. The 5 factors to consider when choosing a knife.

Do you have recommendations for other factors to consider? If so, leave a comment.