Size of Blades or Knives in Survival Situations

My Razor knife, shown above, is the only blade I've used on my long distance backpacking trips, including the Pacific Crest Trail, and thru hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Read my journals at http://trailquest.net/BRindex.html

I built this and other shelters without any tools. The bow saw shown in this photo was brought on this trip to clear blow downs on the trail leading up to this mountain hideaway so my camera man could do some filming.
It was not used to cut any limbs or branches for this debris shelter which is large enough for two.

I took a survival quiz and one of the questions I got "wrong" dealt with the size of the blade.

As a minimalist, I've learned many techniques which do not require any blade. I've analyzed my packing/hiking/shelter building skills and realized I've never used a large blade. What is the ideal length and weight of the Ideal Blade?

Its the one you have with you. Regardless.

It must be sharp. A heavy dull blade is worse ( having little value and is actually dangerous) than a razor sharp two inch knife. Whatever length you normally have with you is the one you will work with in a survival situation.

The longest outdoor knife I've ever owned has a 4 inch blade. It fits my hand. I seldom bring it because it's heavy by ultralighter's standards. I've made stoves using a small blade, cut and sewn gear using a razor knife.

When building a camp fire, don't waste time cutting firewood into lengths with a knife or blade. Two ways to deal with long logs is feed them in, or build the fire with the middle of the logs in the center of the fire.

As far as hunting and skinning animals, or self defense, the best knife is one that feels comfortable in your hand, which can not be wrested from your grasp. For me, that's a small blade. I have learned to identify edible plants which are bountiful, knowing that actual hunting in survival situations can be time and calorie consuming. More on that later.

As a chef, I use significant knives while in the kitchen. I leave them there. My minimalist ultra lighting tendencies cause me to carry a small, razor sharp tool. My skills are built knowing that's what I will have with me.

So the bottom line is to get used to carrying the knife you want to have in a survival situation.

Make a Gear Loft or Survival Cabin

Today I hiked up to my new survival shelter on top of what locals call "clear cut mountain". Years ago the trees were all logged leaving just a few trees on steep slopes. Now, all the trees are small and spaced close enough together so I could chose a grouping to create a cabin style shelter. I saw an old Appalachian Trail Shelter similar to this: no floor and open on one side. I decided not to sleep in it on my thru hike, prefering to use my tent.

To build my survival shelter, I found long dead branches and layered them log cabin style. This fall I'll continue to visit my shelter utilizing the fallen leaves for bedding and insulation.

I made this gear loft from an onion sack. The directions are posted on my other blog Brawnyview. It only weighs 6 grams, less than 1/4 ounce. Easy to make, and inexpensive, this alternative gear project is simple enough for anyone to tackle with success.

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Thanks for reading.

The Survival Shelter

I'm really into survival and wilderness stuff.

Lately I'm thinking survival in this economy is going to take some skills too.

Things like sewing, cooking, gardening, making do with what we have, trading for what we need.

So why not blog about it? A way to share, get comments, brainstorm new ideas.
Why not?

The survival shelter I built above is very small, but adequate. It'd get you through a cold night, shed most rain falls, and be snug as a bug.
I started with a log which had landed all by itself in the crotch of another tree.
Then, placing branches, leaves and natural debris in a lean-t0 formation, I continued to shape a Bivy -type shelter for sleeping. It will hold in my own body heat because the layers of dry leaves, beneath me and above me, are great insulation.

No vegetation was harmed in the making of this shelter. No live plants were cut or distroyed.