You’ve all heard the question “If you were trapped on a desert island, and you only had to have item with you, what would you choose?”
Well, there are many fun and throught-provoking variations to this question for the sake of casual conversation, but if you were to turn that into a serious question about survival, in almost any situation, there is one, clear, answer: a knife.
The knife is the ultimate survival tool. It serves a multitude of uses, as well as being easy to carry with you at all times, ensuring the likelihood that it would actually be on you were you to be stranded in a survival situation. Virtually every other survival tool (except perhaps a multitool, which still has it’s limitations as we’ll discuss in a moment) is more limited in it’s uses than a good knife.
Large knives have their advantages for sure, they can cut down trees and craft wood for shelter or large, improvised tools, or make killing game easier and quicker, for example. The downside is that they can be difficult to carry, especially on a regular basis, and they can be difficult to use for more precise things, like whittling sticks to a point for arrows or spears, for example.
Small knives are great for everything a large knife is not, but of course they’re useless for the bigger job. Multitools often feature knives, but with smaller blades, hence, limited use. If anything, you’ll want a good knife and a multitool on your person in all situations.
The right knife will most likely be a mid-range blade, easy to carry every day but between 5″-10″ inches is a good range. You’ll want to choose a quality blade as well, it doesn’t have to be extremely fancy but choose one that is well-reviewed, from a reputable quality, and guarantees longevity.
Finally, you’ll want to make sure to keep your blade sharpened. When you purchase a knife, make sure you know how to keep it sharpened and buy the necessary equipment to do so.
Many successful survival stories involve those stranded using the knives they had wisely brought with them on their original outing, so to up the likelihood that you’ll survive yourself if you ever get stranded, make sure to get yourself a good knife, and always carry it with you.