6 Critical Things About Knives That All Preppers Need To Know
These tips from Survival Cache on purchasing, using and maintaining your survival knife are things that you really should know…
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1. You should never buy cheap.
Aron Ralston, better known as the subject of ‘127 Hours’, was forced to amputate his own arm after getting trapped in a canyon. After the event, he stated that the knife he had bought was nothing more than a standard cheap gas-station pocket knife – dull, at that.
Don’t buy cheap knives.
Always buy the best you can possibly afford: Something that’s going to last you a long time, something that’s not going to rust, bend or break. You never know what you’re going to need it for, and that’s a perfect example.
2. Know the laws about knives in your state.
Laws on knives (and the concealment thereof) vary by state and country: Familiarize yourself with what you’re legally allowed to carry (especially in terms of blade length) and how you’re allowed to carry it before you take your knife out on the road. It can land you in far more trouble than it’s worth.
3. Always handle your knife with care.
Knives are sharp; if not, they should be sharpened accordingly. Handle your knife with care (always!) and teach anyone you give a knife to as a gift to do the same.
There have been far too many accidents involving knives, and we don’t want to be responsible for any more. (Note: When storing knives in your pocket, make sure that it’s one that won’t fly open and stab you in the leg by accident.)
4. There’s a knife for almost everything.
Ask yourself what you’re going to need from your knife: Is it something exclusively for preparing food when camping? Is it something for taking plant samples?
Are you going diving and need a good diving knife to take along? Do you need a knife with a built-in flashlight or compass? (At this point, you might have realized that there’s a knife for almost everything and that you might need to get several to fit your needs.)
5. Learn how to sharpen a knife properly.
Sharpening your own knives is a skill that both comes with time and is best practiced on one of the cheaper knives (trust us on that!). If you don’t yet trust your own hands, have your knives sharpened professionally – it’s not as expensive as you’d imagine and it’s much better than ruining your grandad’s favourite hunting knife. For those who want to learn how to do it themselves, there are great guides on YouTube, or you can take a look on Amazon.com for knife sharpeners.
6. What knives can and can’t do.
Never over-exert a knife: Know what kind of pressure your knife can handle. I’ve seen people try to do excessively stupid things with their knives, and well, put simply… You really shouldn’t.
Make sure to follow and use these tips, because you’re knife is the most important item you have! To learn more handy survival tips and tricks, please visit Survival Cache.
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