The Knife: Most important survival item or not really a big deal?

[wolfy]

I never understood camo wallets OR knives for that matter, but the thought of an ORANGE knife just gives me the heebie-jeebies!

[Old Philosopher]

I never understood camo wallets OR knives for that matter, but the thought of an ORANGE knife just gives me the heebie-jeebies!

That's understandable, Craig. Nebraska is so flat you could see your knife laying on the ground 300 yds away.

[Moe M.]

  I've come very close to loosing more than one knife or axe by laying it down where I was working and walking away,  most handle material becomes almost invisible in the woods especially if it's laying on the ground,  I've taken to affixing a short bit of blaze orange lanyard on most of my woods tools for just that reason, I also changed out the zipper pulls on my pack on the pocket that holds my first aid kit, more for someone who may be helping me with an injury than for me, but it helps locate a misplaced tool in a hurry,  and also acts as a way to hang your tools off the ground, if I'm camped in one place for a day or longer I usually cut a small sapling that has a lot of pokies on it and tie it like a short ridge pole to hang by pack and camp tools on, it keeps them off the ground and organized in one place.   

[wolfy]

I never understood camo wallets OR knives for that matter, but the thought of an ORANGE knife just gives me the heebie-jeebies!

That's understandable, Craig. Nebraska is so flat you could see your knife laying on the ground 300 yds away.

A common misconception of NEBRASKA geography......the Platte Valley that I-80 and the Union Pacific run through is flat and the reason the Oregon & Mormon Trail run through it.    The rest of the State is far from flat......which you can plainly see IF you select Highway 20 to drive across the state.  It's beautiful up here and NOT TOO BAD if you don't want to drive on a FLAT and boring Interstate Highway system. 

......and Moe, the ORANGE lanyard I could abide, maybe.

[Old Philosopher]

I never understood camo wallets OR knives for that matter, but the thought of an ORANGE knife just gives me the heebie-jeebies!

That's understandable, Craig. Nebraska is so flat you could see your knife laying on the ground 300 yds away.

A common misconception of NEBRASKA geography......the Platte Valley that I-80 and the Union Pacific run through is flat and the reason the Oregon & Mormon Trail run through it.    The rest of the State is far from flat......which you can plainly see IF you select Highway 20 to drive across the state.  It's beautiful up here and NOT TOO BAD if you don't want to drive on a FLAT and boring Interstate Highway system. 

......and Moe, the ORANGE lanyard I could abide, maybe.

I couldn't pass up a chance to tease, Wolfy.  I lived in Nebraska for 4 years, and hunted there a lot. I saw more deer in Nebraska on a regular basis than I ever did in WA (maybe because it was so flat they were easier to spot?). Hahahaha

[wolfy]

Yeah, I knew you were only joshin' me.       I think you are my oldest 'cyber-friend' and the first one I ever corresponded with via PMs & emails in older forums than this one.....Moe is probably my second oldest and Stan, the third.  Mutual interests, past experience and age group kind of cements the bond between we geezers, I guess.       What fun would it be if good friends couldn't good-naturedly jab at each other once in a while?


EDIT: Present to past tense correction

[Phaedrus]

  I've come very close to loosing more than one knife or axe by laying it down where I was working and walking away,  most handle material becomes almost invisible in the woods especially if it's laying on the ground,  I've taken to affixing a short bit of blaze orange lanyard on most of my woods tools for just that reason, I also changed out the zipper pulls on my pack on the pocket that holds my first aid kit, more for someone who may be helping me with an injury than for me, but it helps locate a misplaced tool in a hurry,  and also acts as a way to hang your tools off the ground, if I'm camped in one place for a day or longer I usually cut a small sapling that has a lot of pokies on it and tie it like a short ridge pole to hang by pack and camp tools on, it keeps them off the ground and organized in one place.

I often do that when I can't change out the scales go Orange ones, just add a length of cord.

[Old Philosopher]

Tie a bow around it with orange surveyor's tape...and hope it matches your mascara.   

[wolfy]

Deleted double post

[Orbean]

I never understood camo wallets OR knives for that matter, but the thought of an ORANGE knife just gives me the heebie-jeebies!

That's understandable, Craig. Nebraska is so flat you could see your knife laying on the ground 300 yds away.

A common misconception of NEBRASKA geography......the Platte Valley that I-80 and the Union Pacific run through is flat and the reason the Oregon & Mormon Trail run through it.    The rest of the State is far from flat......which you can plainly see IF you select Highway 20 to drive across the state.  It's beautiful up here and NOT TOO BAD if you don't want to drive on a FLAT and boring Interstate Highway system. 

......and Moe, the ORANGE lanyard I could abide, maybe.

I couldn't pass up a chance to tease, Wolfy.  I lived in Nebraska for 4 years, and hunted there a lot. I saw more deer in Nebraska on a regular basis than I ever did in WA (maybe because it was so flat they were easier to spot?). Hahahaha

MY mom is from the upper nw corner of Kansas and we constantly teaser her about the great Kansas mountains.

[Old Philosopher]

I never understood camo wallets OR knives for that matter, but the thought of an ORANGE knife just gives me the heebie-jeebies!

That's understandable, Craig. Nebraska is so flat you could see your knife laying on the ground 300 yds away.

A common misconception of NEBRASKA geography......the Platte Valley that I-80 and the Union Pacific run through is flat and the reason the Oregon & Mormon Trail run through it.    The rest of the State is far from flat......which you can plainly see IF you select Highway 20 to drive across the state.  It's beautiful up here and NOT TOO BAD if you don't want to drive on a FLAT and boring Interstate Highway system. 

......and Moe, the ORANGE lanyard I could abide, maybe.

I couldn't pass up a chance to tease, Wolfy.  I lived in Nebraska for 4 years, and hunted there a lot. I saw more deer in Nebraska on a regular basis than I ever did in WA (maybe because it was so flat they were easier to spot?). Hahahaha

MY mom is from the upper nw corner of Kansas and we constantly teaser her about the great Kansas mountains.

People from Kansas vacation in Nebraska for the scenery. 

[lgm]

Off topic.
http://stores.bbbprinting.com/build-a-wall-missouri-kansas/
On topic, I like orange. Don't want to over do it but a little orange on a item I don't want to misplaced is welcome,  blue works also,  not much blue in nature.

[Moe M.]

I never understood camo wallets OR knives for that matter, but the thought of an ORANGE knife just gives me the heebie-jeebies!

That's understandable, Craig. Nebraska is so flat you could see your knife laying on the ground 300 yds away.

A common misconception of NEBRASKA geography......the Platte Valley that I-80 and the Union Pacific run through is flat and the reason the Oregon & Mormon Trail run through it.    The rest of the State is far from flat......which you can plainly see IF you select Highway 20 to drive across the state.  It's beautiful up here and NOT TOO BAD if you don't want to drive on a FLAT and boring Interstate Highway system. 

......and Moe, the ORANGE lanyard I could abide, maybe.

  Well that's a good thing,  but you'd probably be distracted by my bright hunter orange tarp ridge line and tie outs,  I have a habit of getting tripped up or clothes lined by un noticed tie down lines,  so the bright orange lines help to keep me upright,  they are also easier to see in the dark in the beam of a flash light.
  Also used to use short strips of hunter orange wool yarn to mark trail in unfamiliar country when hunting,  coming out of the woods in near dark following the bits of yarn with the help of a small Maglite was like following a lighted boulevard, it was better than using surveyor's tape, the forest critters and birds would use it to make nests and it was biodegradable unlike plastic or nylon surveying tape that hung around for decades.   

[Punty]

  Short and late answer....

  A knife is the most important survival item...IF you are in the woods. Not so much antarctica or the desert, or on a lifeboat lost at sea.

  Nowadays, one could make an argument that the most important survival item is a cell phone.

[hayshaker]

A cellphone sure so long as you can get a signal, heh heh
can youi hear me yet???

[PlainsmansCabin]

I would say fire is the most important thing in most survival situations, so a Bic lighter is always on me.  Second is water, so a metal container for boiling water, melting snow/ice is next in importance. Yet, a multipurpose tool can help the most, so a knife fills that role most of the time and a Vic OHT is right alongside the Bic.  I havent figured out a good way to EDC a pocket sized metal container, yet. LOL!

One can argue the actual order of these three items, but I feel they are the top three no matter what the general scenario. 

YMMV, this is JMHO!
Thanks!

[Pete Bog]

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Collapsible-Portable-Keychain-3-folding/dp/B08LZNH75V/ref=asc_df_B08LZNH75V?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80745504655779&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584345032138400&th=1

Stainless steel, sturdy, haven't tried boiling water in it. I suppose it's possible it would expend and then collapse in the heat. I'll have to try it one day.

[wsdstan]

I carry a ferro rod for fire, and a knife it can spark from. 

We use a small pot from a company named Toaks.  Light as a feather but too large for EDC it is easy to put in a small gear bag.