I've been reading over the original thread in this section and would like to put it to the test, I'm not suggesting that any of us here put ourselves into a real survival situation, but the question of is a knife really that important to ones ability to survive being lost, injured, or other wise stranded in a wilderness environment, or not still continues to have merit.
In order to avoid too many what if's, lets be more specific and include any cutting tool that has a general cutting edge such as a fixed blade knife, folding knife, machete, hatchet, or axe, and discount other types of woodsman's tools such as saws and spades.
One of the types of trip report threads I find interesting are those by Mad Max and his band of Krack's when they do their knife and pot challenges, IMHO taking a long weekend event in the Florida bush carrying only minimal clothing, a cutting tool, and a bush pot is about as close to a wilderness survival test as one can get without actually being in a true survival situation.
Personally, I'm getting too old for that kind of schitt, as much as I'd love to try it mentally, my body knows better, when I get out to hike, fish, or hunt these days it's not too far from civilization, and even then I carry a well stocked day bag with me that insures my comfort and my safety.
However, I do have a place that has woods, firewood, a pond that holds some decent sized fish, water clean enough to drink once boiled or filtered, it has some pine trees with needles for making tea, and I've found some wild edibles such as dandelion, wild onion, and fiddle heads when in season, there's plenty of mushrooms as well but I don't trust my knowledge of shrooms enough to bet my life on it.
So, I'm going to try spending one day in the woods carrying a minimum kit comprised of a small tin that holds some fishing line, a few hooks, a Bic lighter, a small hank of bank line, and I'll also have my 18 ounce REI SS mug with a lid with which to boil my drinking water and make pine needle tea, and that's it, no cutting tool at all.
I'm not going to attempt to build a shelter though I will find an area in the woods that's open enough to make a temporary camp, safe enough for a small fire, and that has shade from the sun, my plan is to find a piece of Chert or agate that's hard enough and big enough to bust off a flake that can be used to make a knife and at the same time make note of any wild edibles that I run across for my meal later.
Once I've establish a small camp, collected some firewood, and made a make shift knife, next on the agenda will be to find some bait along the edge of the pond to use for fishing, I've done this before by stomping on the ground next to the water with my foot or with a piece of wood, doing this drives out small bugs in the mud where the bank meets the water, it's usually very productive and is usually killer on the fish.
Anyhow, that's my plan, whether it's successful or all goes to crap is anyone's guess, but I'll get it done towards the middle of the week and report back.
I don't think there are too many of us here who do much woodsy stuff anymore, but I invite anyone here to join me in giving this a try, it'll be interesting I think to see what those folks who do or don't think that a knife is one of the most important items in you survival kit.
Depending on how successful I am at turning a rock and a stick into a useable knife I may try to make a few implements such as a pot hook, or a bark pot or cup, but only if I have the time and the right resources.
Are there any others here up to the challenge ?
