nor loosen a bolt, or do many of the things that either the skatchet or the SOG multi-tool does with aplomb. There's no reason to bother with a big knife. Other gear does the many jobs that need done, better, with less cost, less wt, etc.
your bowie wont tighten an eyeglass screw
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A survivalist should be rated by what he can DO WITHOUT, rather than what gear he "needs". It's sheer stupidity to claim that you CAN'T butcher a cow withhout a $200 set of knives. Crap, men have been skinning and butchering animals with dull assed old stone and bone knives for a MANY times longer than metal knives have even EXISTED. The big game and livestock are going to be GONE within a month of shtf, so you wont be doing much of such work, anyway. If it AINT such a drastic level of shtf, , then it won't matter that you "have" to also have a $6 butcher knife, in addition to your multitool. U just go over to the truck and get the butcher knife, drive home and get it, go to town and buy one, etc, that's all.
Well, first off, your silly proclamation that there will be no game left from sea to shining sea shows that your years of incarceration have utterly disrupted your sense of scale and scope. All in all, it's just bad math compounded by a piss poor understanding of both geography and ecology.
Well, I see you've at least taken some good advice and got yourself a decent multi-tool. That's a far cry over the Auto Zone discount rack, made in China, can't hold an edge, sharpen with a file, come apart in your hand, cheap POS that you used to advocate.
Unfortunately your misleading post seems to indicate that you think that all anyone here carries is a 'bowie' knife.
It also shows that you've never had to dress out a deer, a hog, or a cow. Nor have you had to build a shelter with the tools you describe. Otherwise, you'd be singing a different tune.
Actually, pretty much everyone here and on other boards carries either a SAK (Swiss Army Knife) or a multitool, like a Leatherman. I've carried SAK's for years (I still have a couple of Swiss Champs around here), and I still have my issue Camillus, all stainless steel pocket knife.
In the days before multitools, that Camillus and my Buck 110 got a LOT done. I also tried to always keep a pair of pliers handy. A very good spot to store pliers on US issue web gear is in your canteen carrier. It fits nicely, tucked in vertical in the curved arch of the canteen and it's cup. If you carry two canteens, a pair of pliers in one and something that will cut wire easily in another. In the days before multitools, a good combo would be to carry a regular pair of pliers in one and a full size pair of needle nose pliers with a built in wire cutters in another.
With the advent of the Leatherman, this simplified things a lot.
If you have a decent Leatherman style multi-tool, then a good pair of quality Vice Grips with wire cutters built into them can be immanently useful. The Vice Grips do things that other tools really can't do very well and they also make awesome wire cutters. They easily tackle really heavy tasks that would be hard to do with a multi-tool, saving the multitool for the more precise and delicate tasks.
For a while I packed around, just to try it out, a Kershaw A100C multi-tool with the vice grip style plier ends. The Leatherman Wave kicks it's butt for most uses and the vice grip pliers on the Kershaw are too small and light duty for most things that you'd use vice grips for.
I always have on me my Leatherman Wave. For all around tool coolness, the Leatherman Wave is hard to beat.
My next multi-tool will either be the new Leatherman Charge XTi, the Swiss Champ, or one of the 600 series Gerbers. The Gerbers are cool in that they carry decently on a neck lanyard without coming open and you can open them one handed.
To slam bowie knives is kind of dishonest of you since you've admitted that you own a Kabar. If SHTF, you'll grab it and you know it.
Maybe you just don't know how to sharpen it. I'd recommend going and getting a $6 EZE-Lap 1"x3" diamond hone from Walmart, they work superbly well. If you can't keep a Kabar sharp, a $2 steak knife will do you no more good than toothpick.
As for the 'skatchet', it's a poor substitute for either a real hatchet or a knife, though it would make a good scraper/ulu and a neat item for an emergency kit.
So, you have a Kabar and a SOG multitool, so you're halfway there. Now you need a real saw, REAL a hatchet/axe, and a backup skinning knife.
Remember, mankind is a tool using species, and if it's your life on the line, it's OK to stack the deck in your favor. It's not meant to be a 'fair' contest to begin with.
You can't beat a Gransfors, but an Eastwing from Home Depot will do for a hatchet. Though they are a heavier, they are all but indestructible.
For a real saw, get either a 'Wyoming saw' or a Gerber folding saw.
For a backup skinning knife, I'd get a Buck 110. You can easily carry a Buck 110 on your belt alongside the SOG's pouch. With an EZE-Lap hone in it's leather pouch in your pocket you're a long ways to being better equipped.
A couple of extra old hickory knives in the pack wouldn't hurt. The old time mountain men always carried extra knives for skinning, butchering, and trading. Their general wisdom was that you could always tell a greenhorn by how few knives they had in their main gear.
Well, I see you've at least taken some good advice and got yourself a decent multi-tool. That's a far cry over the Auto Zone discount rack, made in China, can't hold an edge, sharpen with a file, come apart in your hand, cheap POS that you used to advocate.
Unfortunately your misleading post seems to indicate that you think that all anyone here carries is a 'bowie' knife.
It also shows that you've never had to dress out a deer, a hog, or a cow. Nor have you had to build a shelter with the tools you describe. Otherwise, you'd be singing a different tune.
Actually, pretty much everyone here and on other boards carries either a SAK (Swiss Army Knife) or a multitool, like a Leatherman. I've carried SAK's for years (I still have a couple of Swiss Champs around here), and I still have my issue Camillus, all stainless steel pocket knife.
In the days before multitools, that Camillus and my Buck 110 got a LOT done. I also tried to always keep a pair of pliers handy. A very good spot to store pliers on US issue web gear is in your canteen carrier. It fits nicely, tucked in vertical in the curved arch of the canteen and it's cup. If you carry two canteens, a pair of pliers in one and something that will cut wire easily in another. In the days before multitools, a good combo would be to carry a regular pair of pliers in one and a full size pair of needle nose pliers with a built in wire cutters in another.
With the advent of the Leatherman, this simplified things a lot.
If you have a decent Leatherman style multi-tool, then a good pair of quality Vice Grips with wire cutters built into them can be immanently useful. The Vice Grips do things that other tools really can't do very well and they also make awesome wire cutters. They easily tackle really heavy tasks that would be hard to do with a multi-tool, saving the multitool for the more precise and delicate tasks.
For a while I packed around, just to try it out, a Kershaw A100C multi-tool with the vice grip style plier ends. The Leatherman Wave kicks it's butt for most uses and the vice grip pliers on the Kershaw are too small and light duty for most things that you'd use vice grips for.
I always have on me my Leatherman Wave. For all around tool coolness, the Leatherman Wave is hard to beat.
My next multi-tool will either be the new Leatherman Charge XTi, the Swiss Champ, or one of the 600 series Gerbers. The Gerbers are cool in that they carry decently on a neck lanyard without coming open and you can open them one handed.
To slam bowie knives is kind of dishonest of you since you've admitted that you own a Kabar. If SHTF, you'll grab it and you know it.
Maybe you just don't know how to sharpen it. I'd recommend going and getting a $6 EZE-Lap 1"x3" diamond hone from Walmart, they work superbly well. If you can't keep a Kabar sharp, a $2 steak knife will do you no more good than toothpick.
As for the 'skatchet', it's a poor substitute for either a real hatchet or a knife, though it would make a good scraper/ulu and a neat item for an emergency kit.
So, you have a Kabar and a SOG multitool, so you're halfway there. Now you need a real saw, REAL a hatchet/axe, and a backup skinning knife.
Remember, mankind is a tool using species, and if it's your life on the line, it's OK to stack the deck in your favor. It's not meant to be a 'fair' contest to begin with.
You can't beat a Gransfors, but an Eastwing from Home Depot will do for a hatchet. Though they are a heavier, they are all but indestructible.
For a real saw, get either a 'Wyoming saw' or a Gerber folding saw.
For a backup skinning knife, I'd get a Buck 110. You can easily carry a Buck 110 on your belt alongside the SOG's pouch. With an EZE-Lap hone in it's leather pouch in your pocket you're a long ways to being better equipped.
A couple of extra old hickory knives in the pack wouldn't hurt. The old time mountain men always carried extra knives for skinning, butchering, and trading. Their general wisdom was that you could always tell a greenhorn by how few knives they had in their main gear.
Joined
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10,279 Posts
I can certainly attest the need for quality knives. Over the weekend I skinned, gutted and quartered two buck deer. I used 3 quality knives, the Wyoming saw and my hatchet for the job. Also had to touch up the edge on the knives cuz thats tough cutting. It would have been absolute murder trying to do the job with only a skatchet and a straight razor.
Now before you make nasty comments, let me assure you that I know exactly what I'm doing and I do it well. How many large animals have you processed with your razor and skatchet?
RIKA
Now before you make nasty comments, let me assure you that I know exactly what I'm doing and I do it well. How many large animals have you processed with your razor and skatchet?
RIKA
Joined
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1,118 Posts
Heck, I'll admit I don't carry a multi tool or a Swiss Army Knife. I used to carry Swiss Army Knives, that is uhntil I lost about a hald dozen of the Victorinox Huntsman Model. At about $35 bucks a pop that was getting expensive. Seems I just had some sort of black cloud following me whenever I had one of them, and a gremlin would come out of that cloud and snatch the knives.
Now I carry simple folders, and also have a Camillus Army knife handy. I often have a KaBar WWII Fighter in my tricky bag, either the full size or the newer mini size.
I have been thinking of getting a multi tool; and of giving one or two as Christmas gifts. I have seen lots of the Leatherman Wave and also a Gerber multi tool. Is one better than the other?
Now I carry simple folders, and also have a Camillus Army knife handy. I often have a KaBar WWII Fighter in my tricky bag, either the full size or the newer mini size.
I have been thinking of getting a multi tool; and of giving one or two as Christmas gifts. I have seen lots of the Leatherman Wave and also a Gerber multi tool. Is one better than the other?
The new Leatherman Charge is cool, especially since the knife blade is 154CM instead of 420.
The cost of the Wave has dropped quite a bit though.
The Gerber is quite nice and has gotten a bit better over the years. I like their replaceable saw blades and the fact you can open them one handed and they stay closed up when worn on a lanyard.
The cost of the Wave has dropped quite a bit though.
The Gerber is quite nice and has gotten a bit better over the years. I like their replaceable saw blades and the fact you can open them one handed and they stay closed up when worn on a lanyard.
Joined
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2,014 Posts
I've actually managed to drop the hatchet, meat saw, etc. from my "skinning pack" when I go hunting. I know just carry a medium sized pair of limb clippers. It takes less time, takes up no more room, and works easier once you get used to it that hatchets, meat saws, etc. Combining that with "anatomy tricks" instead of brute force (chopping/cutting) usually speeds up ALMOST everyone's skinning once they learn how. (This is referring to hog and North American sized deer sized animals. Smaller ones only need a knife. Larger ones might need more - I wouldn't know since I've never skinned bison or elephants.) I can usually do 2 deer or hogs or goats or... on one good "Old Timer" knife before it has to be sharpened. Funny, but I have to sharpen it 3-4 times for a signle gator, but that's because you can NOT use a very sharp knife on a gator. You just want it sharp enough to more scrape the meat off of the hide than cut the meat off. I have even had to dull a knife on wood or something before I started cutting on a gator. Strange experience.Raider said:
I learned the clippers tip first from watching a professional skinner cut the heads off of ~12' alligators years ago. It took him 10-15 seconds to end up with a prettier cut than it took us a minute to do with an uglier cut.
First of all get a good one. You pretty much get what you pay for, those el cheapo Cinese copies may look like a Leatherman or Gerber, but they're not.Glenn Bartley said:
Next, look at how it opens, get one where the tools are on the inside of the "handles" when using the pliers, it will save your hands a lot of grief.
I like the Gerbers myself. I'd check 'em out at wallyworld or something, and have the guy let you open them up, etc get the one the seems to fit your needs best.
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5,693 Posts
I have two of the older Gerbers, but the Wave has caught my eye more than once. Never tried it, though.
The features I've found that I'd rather no do without when chosing a new multi-tool.
1) Needle nose style plier tip with wire cutters
2) Separate serrated blade or partially serrated main blade
3) Scissors
4) Saw
5) File
6) Comfortable when squeezed tight
Something to use as a punch is also nice.
1) Needle nose style plier tip with wire cutters
2) Separate serrated blade or partially serrated main blade
3) Scissors
4) Saw
5) File
6) Comfortable when squeezed tight
Something to use as a punch is also nice.
I have a Schrade multi-tool. Heavy but it really works well. I also have two Leathermans. I keep one in each car. My BOB has the Schrade cuase it is a real heavy-duty tool.
I'm now looking for one of the new Leatherman Titanium multi-tools. I hear they are expensive but very light weight.
I'm now looking for one of the new Leatherman Titanium multi-tools. I hear they are expensive but very light weight.
Even though this is an old thread, this info may be useful, still.Glenn Bartley said:
I picked up a Wave because you're able to open the knife blade with one hand, without opening the pliers.
If Gerber offered that feature, I'd have gotten one of those instead. I really like that you can replace the saw blade with any suitable jigsaw blade.
Joined
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296 Posts
I WILL SECOND THE SCHRADE.
HEARD THAT THEY WERE GOING UNDER.
OH WELL I HAVE TWO OF THIER MULTI TOOLS AND PREFER THEM TO THE GERBER.
SEAN
HEARD THAT THEY WERE GOING UNDER.
OH WELL I HAVE TWO OF THIER MULTI TOOLS AND PREFER THEM TO THE GERBER.
SEAN
Joined
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1,815 Posts
Rostov:
Another extremely good post. However, I expect your posts to be detailed, meaty, and to the point. And, as always you don't disappoint me.
Another extremely good post. However, I expect your posts to be detailed, meaty, and to the point. And, as always you don't disappoint me.
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