I bet you will not miss a knife in any comprehensive list of survival supplies. The reason behind this is the versatility of a survival knife. In so many ways, a knife is the most valuable item in any survival scenario. In fact, expert survivalists now consider it the most important tool. You want to have it in your survival supplies. The question is how does a knife help us a survival scenario?

Many people think a knife will simply help with cutting and that’s all. Well, that’s the common use. There are additional ways a knife can help you survive during an emergency. In this post, we will train you on some ways to make use of a knife for survival. You need to keep in mind the existent of many different types. Usually, each type of a survival knife has its own recommended use. However, some modern models are so versatile. You can use them in up to 9 different ways.

9 Ways to Use a Knife for Survival

Here are 9 incredible ways to use a knife for survival:

1. Clearing your path

Mother Nature does not always like human encroachment. So, you might be forced to tame it on your way to gain access. One of the most vital ways a knife can be useful in a survival situation is to help you create a path. It can help you make paths the woods, thickets, and bushes. Nature will never create for you a natural trail; you have to make one using your survival knife. A large knife such a kukri is great for clearing paths. You can also use it for many other applications.

2. Self-defense

Self-defense requires both your skills and a weapon. While you can carry a weapon such as a gun, you will also have to carry a knife. In a survival scenario, carrying both items could slow you down. Besides, gun policies may not allow you to use one. A self-defense knife can protect you better. But you must know how to defend yourself properly with a knife. You have to check your local knife laws before buying one. This will prevent your run-ins with authorities.

3. Hunting

What could be a better tool to gather food outdoors than a hunting knife? One of the major ways to use a knife for survival is hunting. A good blade can help you gather a variety of foods from plants to game. You can use a simple ingenuity by making a spear out of your knife. All you need to do is to attach your hunting knife to a long rod or pole.

The length of the pole will act as the handle of the spear. The ‘spear’ is extremely easy to make. It will guarantee you hunting success with your knife. Thus you can target a game from far and hit it accurately. Using only the knife will mean you have to approximate the game by drawing closer to be accurate.

4. Filed Dressing of a Game

Once you kill a game, it is only natural that you prepare it for your consumption. The process requires you to dress your game. Field dressing is the process of removing internal organs of a hunted game in the wilderness. This helps to preserve the meat obtained thereof. Doing it in the field requires a knife although some people use their hands. I bet you agree that using bare hands to dress a game can be dangerous. It is possible to find highly specialized knives for dressing the game. However, you can use what you have as long as it has the necessary features.

5. Preparing Firewood

Making fire is vital for successful survival in any emergency outdoor scenario. A fire provides warmth in the wilderness and wards off a predator. It also helps with cooking and water purification. While a splitting maul or axe is recommended for making firewood, they tend to be too bulky. Even big models of survival blades are lighter than the lightest axe.

Larger knife models such as kukri are can help with firewood preparation. A decent knife may not be able to chop down a large tree or help you split logs. However, most survival knife types are sharp. They can cut small tree limbs and branched with ease. These can give you enough firewood to keep you going. Remember not to use double-edged knives for splitting wood. The baton will definitely blunt the edge it hits.

6. Digging Tool

Why the heck would you dig in the wilderness? Well, let’s say you went camping but an emergency strikes. You may have to abandon the existing fire pit you found in the camp. Sometimes there are no such preexisting fire pits in your camping area. In such a case, you can use your knife to dig if you did not remember to carry a shovel. A strong, high-quality knife can be helpful in that regard. There are other situations that may require you to dig with your knife. Examples include when making a distress pit or digging a hole to dispose of waste.

7. First Aid Tool

A First Aid Kit is vital item to include in your survival pack. Sometimes you may not have such kit for one reason or another. If you have a razor-sharp knife, it could act as a scalpel. It is not advisable for you to use the knife on yourself. But if someone gets hurt then you cause offer first aid by using a knife. However, you must know what you are doing because a sharp knife can cause more injuries. You also need to remember that survival knives are not sterile. So, you may need to sterilize them before you use them on a person’s exposed wound. Otherwise, it can cause a nasty infection.

8. Cooking

Do you use a knife in your kitchen when making food? Can you cook appropriately without a kitchen knife? I guess you will answer in the negative. The same applies in a survival scenario. You may need the knife to chop meat into small sizes for cooking. The knife will help with cutting fruits and vegetables. In case you did not carry a can opener then a knife can help with that.

9. Making Other Tools

The versatility of a knife for survival does not end with what it does directly. A strong knife can help you make other useful tools. Examples include spears, stakes and fish hooks. You need high-quality survival knife to help you with making other tools. You can also use your knife to make a rope from tree barks if you did not carry one. A sharp blade also comes in handy when cutting a long rope into smaller pieces. Such pieces may be necessary during shelter making.

Bottom Line

Did you find this information helpful? Hopefully, you recognize how useful a knife is for survival. Now the ball is on your courts. You have to do your research and find the best knife that can help you with all these applications. Such a knife should possess a combination of features to promote their versatility. At the baseline, a survival knife should be strong, well designed, comfortable and safe to handle. It should also be strong enough to handle heavy use.

Guest Post:

Dan Stevenson is an experienced survivalist and chief editor of thesurvivalcorps.com. In addition to his primary job functions, Dan Stevenson has been recognized by the survival community for his extraordinary commitment.

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