The Knife
There is no tool more essential to your survival than a knife. In my opinion, it is the greatest and most useful invention of man, surpassing even the wheel. After all, man could not make the wheel without something to cut the stone. Nor could he skin his game so that his family would have shelter and clothing. The uses of knives throughout history are numerous. I would even go so far as to say that pretty much all households across the globe have a knife.
In a survival or outdoor situation, a knife’s usefulness is vast. Need a small section of rope to tie something down? Cut your rope into manageable lengths. What if you are caught in a storm and need to fashion some shelter? A knife can cut small branches and cord so you can make a crude shelter. If you need food, a knife can be lashed to a pole, creating a spear, which is an historically-proven hunting weapon.
CRKT makes some great pocket knives. I recommend that you carry one around all day long (be sure to check local and state laws, of course, as I will not be responsible for you breaking them). Think of the knife as just part of what you put in your pockets: Keys, cell phone, etc.
The particular knife pictured above is one tough little pocket knife. CRKT has come up with a safety for their liner lock knives, which basically turns them into fixed blades. You don’t have to worry about accidentally slipping and unlocking the blade, closing it on your fingers. To close the knife, you must make two deliberate — and quite awkward at first — movements.
The blade is sharp, the steel is tough, and the knife is light. After carrying one of these CRKT blades around for over about a year, I would have to see that the only reason not to have one would be if you just don’t like the way it looks.
Blades are a handy thing to have around, and you never know when you might need one.
