The Basic Mindset for Survival

This is the first of the articles in the series “The Psychology of Survival”. The articles will describe some of the problems to you might face during a survival or crisis situation. This article will describe the nature of a crisis and what kind of problems that you may have to overcome.

The will to survive is by many experts considered to be the single most important factor for making it through a survival situation. There are many examples of people how have survived horrible situation and hopeless situations, pain and suffering, people how have kept going and against all odds made it through. Few people have died because they have continued to fight, but many have died because they stopped trying.

Any crisis or survival situation will be a difficult situation to cope with. A crisis is a situation where urgency is important, there is a threat and action must be taken fast. A crisis presents a threat against basic values like life, health or property. A crisis also results in uncertainty; the scope of the disaster is seldom known right away. It is also often unclear what current and future consequences the event will have. These three factors make it into a difficult task of handling a crisis: for individuals but also for government agencies and the media.

Some examples of possible threats that can result in a crisis or survival situation can be found in the chapter about Risk Assessments. By familiarizing yourself with different types of Risks you will get a more realistic perspective on what effects such a situation might result in and what can be learned from previous situations. It also helps you to mentally prepare for what you could expect from these situations but also gives you a chance to plan ahead and take precautions in order to avoid or minimize the effects from such risks. However some disasters may be threats that no one has seen coming or been preparing for, these situations present much larger challenges when it’s hard for the affected people to understand what is happening and government agencies may lack both routines, training and equipment to deal with the situation.

Possible challenges
• Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue
• Loss of property or economic loss
• Personal Injuries
• Disease
• Fear and Uncertainty
• Exposure from wind, cold or heat
• Dehydration or lack of food
• Stress
• Injuries or death to friends or loved ones
• Unfamiliar threats and situations

It’s up to you
In some situation government agencies may be able to provide healthcare and other needs like shelter, water, food and security. But during a large scale disaster no government has enough resources to provide immediate help to everyone that needs it. Infrastructure like the electrical grid, water, sewage, roads, railways and airports may be damaged. This can make it hard to transport the resources and supplies needed to an affected area. It may also result in a situation with secondary effects like the outbreak of disease, no access to clean water and dangerous or damaged buildings. In these situations you must help yourself. There may be days, weeks or even months before outside assistance will be provided. During large scale disasters help is normally provided from both national government agencies like first responders, police, fire fighters, military, national guard but also from Non Governmental Organization (NGO:s) like the Red Cross. If the situation is extremely severe help may also be provide by other nations and international organization like the United Nation World Food Program (WFP).

Staying positive is extremely important and this can be very hard if suffer from exhaustion, sleep deprivation, stress, injuries, disease or if you just lost someone that you care about. If let you self become negative the risk is much bigger that you will only see problems, if you try to stay positive the chance to you will be able to find solutions for different problems is much bigger. This also makes it easier to improvise and work with the terrain. Your own knowledge, health, experience and equipment will also make it easier to find solutions.

The nature of a crisis situation makes it very likely that both government agencies and the media may misinterpret the situation when they have to make decisions based on incomplete information under time pressure when people lives and property are on stake. Even if experts and journalists have access to modern communications and training no one can get everything right during this type of situation. This is the nature of the situation and you must take this is into consideration when you receive information.
• It’s of no use to become angry or feel despair if information about help turns out to be incorrect, this must be expected. Keep your focus on the situation at hand.

Adapting to the situation
• Try to stay positive
• Do not complain, especially not if you are in a leadership position. Your reactions will affect others as well.
• Make sure that you keep busy. Work continually to improve your situation, ensure that you have the access to shelter, water and food.
• If you are in a group make sure that everyone has a task to do and that everyone is included in the work and that everyone has access to the information available about the situation.
• Don’t second guess yourself; keep the focus on the situation at hand. What can you do to minimize the consequences and improve your situation?
• Try to stay alert and calm.
• Plan your actions and take risk into account – if you injure yourself during a survival situation because you’re careless your situation might become much more difficult.
• Take care of your friends, family and the other people around you.

Be Ready
It’s impossible to be prepared for every possible threat, but by getting knowledge, skills and experience you will improve your chances to survive a crisis situation. Equipment and supplies can also make it much easier to deal with crisis situation if you have access to water, means of purifying water, food, equipment to prepare the food, a radio so that you receive messages, different sources of light, first aid and other medical supplies and so on.

A Survival Knife, Pocket Survival Kit and Get Home Bag (GHB) can provide you with equipment to deal with a crisis or survival situation in your everyday life.

Get Home Bag

The Bug Out Bag (BOB) is an tool intended to be used in situations that requires evacuation from an area. The BOB can be designed in many sizes and forms but are normally quite heavy and stored in the home. The Get Home Bag (GHB) as a tool intended to provide equipment to allow an individual to reach the home during a crisis or survival situation, for example if the person is at work when a disaster strikes. The Bag should not only serve as a tool for coping with disaster but also function as your every day resource for dealing with problems. What content your Get Home Bag should have depends on where you live, how long you may have to travel to get back home and your specific situation.

Being Prepared
The GHB is only a small part of being ready for a disaster. For anyone how is serious about getting ready for a crisis I would recommend that you start out with your health and physical fitness. Go to a doctor and make a checkup. Also visit a dentist and fix any problems you may have with your teeth, in a survival situation a bad tooth can cause infection and a serious health hazard and great discomfort. Your Physical Fitness is very important if you have to make a long walk or march by foot. Start exercising three times a week with an activity that you find interesting and stimulating. The items in your bag is only tools, they are only valuable if you know how to use them. A Fire Steel is of little use if you can’t start a fire with it. Training this kind of skills is critical if you want to be able to use them in a real life situation. The same goes for all Skills, no matter if it is Self Defense, Starting a Fire, First Aid or Navigation.

Clothing
Your clothing provides your shield against the elements. Your clothing must be appropriate for your particular climate. Shell jackets provide excellent protection from wind and rain; also get a pair of gloves and hat or watch cap. Merino wool is an excellent material for t-shirts and a sock that does not cool the body when it wets like cotton do. Your shoes are perhaps the most import part in any situation when you have to walk a longer distance. Make sure that they are comfortable and if possible also waterproof. A watch is also something that you should try to carry at all times. Your cell phone can be vital tool for communication in many emergencies, make sure that you have In Case of Emergency (ICE) numbers programmed if something would happen to you. A water proof container for the phone can help keeping it safe from the elements. Some phone may also have useful application like a flashlight, compass, FM/AM radio and GPS. If you have a phone that has a short battery life a spare battery can be essential.

The Bag
What kind of bag you should get depends on your Every Day Activites. Ideally you should be able to carry both the items that you need for your everyday activities like a computer, notes, books, lunch box and other essentials in addition to the items you carry for crisis preparedness. Another option is to have a separate bag for emergencies in your vehicle or at your office.

The size of the bag depends on how much space you need and what kind of bag that you prefer. Back packs are generally the most comfortable solution especially if you have a heavy pack. Shoulder bags can be a good alternative but are not as comfortable to carry if they are heavy since al the weight of the bag will be on one shoulder. There are also bags that are a mix between backpacks and shoulders bags called gear slingers. Maxpedition make some interesting bags in this category like the Monsoon, Sitka and Kodiak. There are a number of different companies that makes excellent bags like Kifaru, Snugpack, 5.11, Fjällräven, Osprey, JanSport, Lundhags, Klättermusen, Haglöfs, Exped, The North Face, Norröna, Bergans, GoLite and Arcteryx. Find a bag that fits your needs and that is comfortable to carry.

Suggested items for the Get Home Bag - Checklist
Shelter
[ ] A Get Home Bag should have some kind of shelter than can help shield you from the elements, this can for example be a Light Weight Poncho, Bivanorak, Fjellduk, Exped Bivi-Poncho, Emergency Blanket or Light Weight Tarp.

Water
[ ] Water is something that can be critical in a survival situation and your bag should have at least one small water bottle, the bottles from Nalgene, Camelback, Klean Kanteen and SIGG has a high quality, but a normal soda bottle can be used as well. This can also help you save money instead of buying soft drinks while on the move. If you have to purify unsafe water after a disaster it can be good to include some water purification tablets or a compact water filter.

Fire
[ ] Some kind of item that can help you start a Fire like a Fire Steel, Lighter, Matches in a Waterproof container and tinder.

Survival Knife
[ ] A Survival Knife is a useful tool but you must check what the specific legal aspect of this is for your country – what kind of knives are legal and where is it allowed to carry them? There are also credit card sized tool kits from Victorinox and Tool Logic that you can carry in your wallet at all times.

Light
[ ] A Compact Flashlight or Headlamp can provide light in dark conditions and be used for signaling. Choose a compact light that doesn’t take up to much space in your bag. Compact flashlights thats using a single AA or AAA battery can be found from Fenix and 4Sevens, the anglelights from ZebraLight can also be an interesting alternative.

[ ] Roadmap / Citymap and Compass or GPS

[ ] Notebook and Pen, excellent for writing down important information or for leaving a note. I personally like the notebooks from Rite in the Rain.

[ ] A Pocket Survival Kit

[ ] Paracord or Duct Tape

[ ] Signal Mirror, SPOT, Chemical Light Sticks, Emergency Strobe or Whistle

[ ] Compact AM/FM/Shortwave radio with Dynamo or A Compact Radio Scanner.

[ ] Paper Tissues can be used as Tinder or as Emergency Toilet Paper.

[ ] A compact First Aid Kit with some basic band aids and disinfection wipes can be a good thing for treating small cuts and treating wounds. The first aid kit is important but the most important part is that you take a course so that you know CPR and the basic skills. Also include some painkillers and anti-diarrheal tablets. If it is flu-season a small tube with alcohol based disinfection may also be a useful addition.

Advantages
• Lighter and more compact than a Bug Out Bag
• The bag be used as an Every Day Carry Bag
• Provides an resource to deal with problems in your everyday life

Disadvantages
• Not as comprehensive as a Bug Out Bag (BOB)

You’re Get Home Bag and Your Every Day Carry
Most people carry at least some items on their person that can be useful during an emergency or survival situation. These items are often refered to as a persons Every Day Carry (EDC). Many Survivalist and Preppers may carry items like Pocket Knives, Flashlights, Lighters or even a Pocket Survival Kit. Your GHB should be built with this factor in consideration. If you carry lighter on your person it can be a good idea to consider another tool to create a fire like a Fire Steel or Matches for your GHB. If you have a Flashlight that use a particular type of batteries as EDC and want a Headlamp for your GHB it can be a good idea to choose a model that use the same type of batteries as the Flashlight or if you carry a Swiss Army Knife for EDC it can be a good idea to consider a Fixed Blade Knife or Multi-Tool for your GHB.

Summary
A Get Home Bag is a concept that lands somewhere between your Every Day Carry and a Light Weight Bug Out Bag. There is no clear line between the different concepts, the important thing is that you create a concept that fits your personal needs and provides the tools that you need. Disasters can strike without any warning and even if your Get Home Bag is not designed to provide the function for an evacuation you may have to make do with this bag or your Every Day Carry in a worst case scenario. Equipment is an import part of preparedness, but items can be lost or incomplete. The main focus of your efforts should always be too improve your health and physical fitness, learn relevant skills and your improving your knowledge since these are the things that is always with you, no matter the situation.

Other Articles
Get Home Bags - Examples of Setups
Light Weight Bug Out Bags
Light Weight Bug Out Bags - Examples of Setups
Building The Right Bug Out Bag For You

The Free Online Survival Guide

So after writing articles here on the blog and at The Survivalist Boards for over one year I have completed a number of different articles on various subjects related to survival. This is the first basic structure of The Free Online Survival Guide. I will keep working on it, adding more information and new articles. It’s my intention to provide a free resource for anyone hows interested in the field of survival, crisis preparedness and survivalism.

I would like to thank all members of The Survivalist Boards for their advice and the insights that they have brought to different subject. I have enjoyed writing the articles and hope that some people will find them useful. I’m hoping that we will eventually get a Survival Wiki on the boards so that we can start writing articles and guides together in a more structured and organized way, I really believe that such a tool could take the Boards to the next level.

The Free Online Survival Guide
Chapter One
1.) The Westfalian Risk Management Model
2.) Get The Ability to Cope With a Crisis Situation
3.) Risk Assessments
4.) Analyzing Risks
5.) The Media in a Crisis or Survival Situation
6.) Gathering Information During a Crisis or Survival Situation: HumInt and Interviews
7.) How You Can Reduce Your Own Vulnerability
8.) Travelling With Vehicles During a Crisis or Survival Situation.
9.) Travel Safety and Travel Safety Kits
10.) Staying Warm During a Survival or Crisis Situation
11.) Light during Emergencies and Survival situations
12.) Survival Training
13.) Responding To An Emerging Crisis

Chapter Two – Water and Food
1.) Water
2.) Food and Starvation

Chapter Three – Bugging Out
Introduction to Evacuation and Bug Out Bags
1.) Building The Right Bug Out Bag For You
2.) The Bug Out Plan
3.) Bug Out Guide and Checklist
4.) Light Weight Bug Out Bags
5.) Bugging Out as a Group
6.) Bugging Out Using Bikes
7.) Building a Bug Out Bag on a Budget
8.) Bug Out Bag - Example of a Setup
9.) Light Weight Bug Out Bag - Examples of Setups
10.) Bug Out Bag built on Ultra Light Equipment
11.) Bugging Out As A Group - Examples of Setups
12.) Urban Bug Out Bags
13.) Bug Out Bags for Women
14.) An Education - The Most Important Tool For a Bug Out?

Chapter Four
1.) Bug In - An Introduction
2.) The Bug In Plan
3.) Equipment List For Your Home - Checklist
4.) Surviving Fires and Fire Safety

Chapter Five
1.) Pocket Survival Kits
2.) Survival Knives
3.) Equipment and Techniques to start a Fire
4.) Scandinavian Survival Equipment
5.) Every Day Carry (EDC)
6.) Get Home Bag (GHB)
7.) Get Home Bags - Examples of Setups

Chapter Six
1.) Human Conflict, Wars and Survival
2.) Peace Building and State building missions
3.) Private Military Companies, Private Security Companies and Mercenaries

Chapter Seven – Weapons of Mass Destruction
1.) Biological Warfare and Disease
2.) Chemical Warfare
3.) Nuclear Weapons and Radioactive Dangers

Chapter Eight
1.) The Collapse of Civilizations and Societies: Part One
2.) The Collapse of Civilizations and Societies: Part Two

Chapter Nine
1.) Peak Oil
2.) Things That You Can Do In Order To Prepare For Peak Oil
3.) The Limits To Growth
4.) Is Peak Oil Already Here?

Chapter Ten - Natural Disasters
1.) Earthquakes
2.) Volcanoes
3.) Tsunami
4.) Hurricanes
5.) Tornado

Chapter Eleven - The Psychology of Survival
1.) The Basic Mindset for Survival

Chapter Twelve - For Swedish Survivalists
1.) For Swedish Survivalists

Chapter Thirteen - Movies, Videos and Books
1.) List of Survival Related Documentaries and Videos
2.) Survival Related Blogs and WebPages
3.) Recommended Books and Your Survival Library
4.) List of Companies That Makes Survival Related Equipment

Other Articles about Peak Oil
The Battle of Perception has Begun
Peak Oil and Our Mental Models - The WikiLeaks Cable and The Worlds Largest Oil Fields
US EIA - No Peak In World Oil Production in another 23 years

Other Articles
Another look at the Bug Out Bag
Survivalism for Dummies

Eleven Tips for Survival and Crisis Preparedness

It’s Not Over Till It’s Over
Keeping Your Vehicle Ready For Emergencies
Story Driven vs. Risk Driven Preparedness
The New WikiLeaks Publication and Iran’s Nuclear Program

Survival Knives

One of the most discussed topics when it comes to survival is what knife is the best tool for the job. There is an incredible amount of different brands of knives that range in price from a cost of a couple of dollars up to even 1000 dollars or more. All knives have their strength and weaknesses. There isn’t one knife that’s perfect for all jobs; all knives have their advantages and disadvantages. There are many knives that are specialized for different tasks like hunting, fishing, chopping, wood work, and knives with multiple tools like Multi Tool and Swiss Army Knife. What tasks that you need your knife for must govern what knives you get and what knives you carry. For the native people off Scandinavia, the Sami it’s not uncommon to see two, three or even more knives hanging from the belt.

Before you decide what knife to buy go to a store and check out the knife. How does the knife feel in your hands? The most important aspect is that the knife feels right for you. I personally prefer high quality knives, but in almost every situation a low price knife like a Mora will do the job just as good as a more expensive high quality knife. Your own budget must govern what kind of knife you will buy. It’s very common that people buy high quality knives and not use them at all or very little and later sell them on sites like E-bay. Sometimes you can also make good bargains at yard sales. In this post I will name a few brands and models, but there are literally thousands of different models on the market.

Fixed Blade Full Tang
A Fixed Blade Full Tang Knife is one of the best survival tools you can own. The Swedish company Fällkniven makes some of the best survival knives there is. The model F1 was originally made for the Swedish Air force as a survival knife. The F1 is quite compact with a relatively short blade, the model S1 is similar to the F1 but has slightly longer blade. The A1 is a bigger knife that also can be used for chopping down small trees. These are the three basic survival knives from Fällkniven and they are all very similar when it comes to design. Full tang, 4,5 mm thick blade made from VG-10 steel, simple, solid and functional design. These are the three basic knives that I would recommend that you check out first if you are looking for a high quality survival knife.

There are also other interesting fixed blade knives from Fällkniven like the new Police Rescue Knife (PRK) with a new kind of cobalt steel, tanto style blade and partial serration. The model H1 has a curved blade intended for hunting and the WM-1 is a small fixed blade excellent as a combination with a larger fixed blade knife or for Every Day Carry (EDC). I personally prefer smaller knives and an axe or folding saw as a combination instead of big knives, but it’s a matter of personal preferences. There are pros and cons to all knives and there are some tasks like splitting thick fire wood when large knives have a clear advantage over smaller knives.


The design of knives from Fällkniven is not unique. Many other brands have a similar design to their knives. One example is RAT Cuterly / ESEE Knives that makes excellent knives the RC-3 / ESEE- 3 and the RC-4 / ESEE-4 are two models. The RC-3 / ESEE-3 also come in a model with an orange handle that’s easier to find comapred too a model with a grey handle if you would lose it. The Sissipuukko M07 and Sissipuukko M.95 are also very good knives that’s similar to the Fällkniven F1 and S1. The Gerber LMF 2 is also a high quality fixed blade knife that has a sheath that can be attached to vests and bags of with Molle type attachments, the sheath also has an integrated sharpener. The American made Ka-Bar with a seven inch carbon steel blade used by the US Marines is often recommended. The fixed knives from TOPS Knives and Ontario also have a similar design solid design. The Norwegian Company Brusletto makes high quality hunting knives with wooden handles that are very good both for hunting and as a survival tool. They come in many sizes and have many forms on the wooden handles, make sure that you try the knife out before so that it feels good for your hand.

Mora makes low price knives that have a very good quality considering the cost of the knives. The main disadvantage it that the Mora knives have rather slim blades that can be broken if you’re not careful. There are new models of the Mora from Neverlost that have orange fluorescent handles. Personally I recommend the Mora 2000 as the best model of knives from Mora. There is also other knives like the Mora Bushcraft Forest and Mora Bushcraft Survival that has a similar blade design and a more ergonomic handle. It has a sharp thin blade that’s excellent for hunting, camping and fishing. The only down side is that the you have to consider the strength of the blade when you use it, but as long as you use it with care it will last for many years.

Double edged knives are generally knives that designed to be used as a weapon. A double edged tip makes a knife an effective stabbing weapon, but the tip is generally not as strong as the tip of a blade with a single edge. I do not recommend double edge blades as a survival knife. In my experience a blade with a single edge makes a much more effective tool for survival, hunting, fishing and camping.

Advantages
• Solid design with no moving parts that can break
• Stronger than a folding knife
• If the handle off a full tang fixed blade knife breaks a handle can be improvised from paracord or leather strips.

Disadvantages
• Not as compact as a Folding Knife, Swiss Army Knife or Multi Tool

Multi Tools
Multi Tools are tools that are built around a folding plier resembling a balisong. Multi Tools are generally much better than Swiss Army Knives when it comes to repairs and other mechanical work, but they have a higher cost and weight. Leatherman makes some of the best models, Charge TTi, Charge ALX and Wave is popular models. Leatherman has recreantly introduced a new multi-tool specially designed for military use with tools for maintaining handguns and assault rifles, the Leatherman MUT / MUT-EOD. Victorinox also makes multi tools; one of the models is Swiss Tool. Gerber and SOG also make high quality models. Multi tools often have knife blades, saw blade, scissors, can openers, screwdrivers, bottle opener, bits, and other tools.

Swiss Army Knives
Swiss Army Knives is folding knives with more tools than just a knife. Some examples of common tools are bottle openers, can openers, wine openers, scissors, saw blades and screwdrivers. If you decide to buy a Swiss Army Knife I suggest that you go with a model from either Victorinox or Wenger. In general there are three different sizes of different models. The smallest mini models have really small tools and can be carried on your key-chain without taking up much space. The medium size models are the most common ones; they have normal size tools and are in general just under 10cm in length. The come in many different variants with different tools, find a model with the tools you would use the most in your everyday life. In general the medium and small size models DO NOT HAVE A BLADELOCK. This means that you have to be careful when using the knife or it may close over your fingers; this also means that the blade is not suitable as a weapon. Swiss Army Knives are known by most people and seldom attract that much attention. There are also larger models of Swiss Army Knives that have larger blades and blade locks. These models are generally safer to use and have a thicker more robust blade. The new Soldiers Knife from Victorinox is one example that has green handle, a large locking blade, a saw, bottle opener, can opener and a screwdriver. Victorinox also have the model Rescue Tool that has a florescent handle, knife blade, window breaker, seatbelt cutter and disc saw especially designed for first responders. Wenger also have a number of different larger models. There are also specialized Swiss Army Knives like the Model Biker 37 from Wenger designed to repair bikes.

Folding Knives

Folding knives isn’t as strong as a fixed blade knife but they are more compact and easier to carry in your pocket or in small packs, this makes them good for Every Day Carry. There are many companies that make excellent folding knives; some examples are Fällkniven, Lone Wolf Knives, EKA, Emerson, Benchmade, Spyderco, SOG and Gerber. Light my Fire has a folding knife, the SL-3 that has a built in fire steel and an emergency whistle. There some small folding knives that are often referred to as pen knives. Some examples of pen knives are the models from Sheffield Knives like The British Army Clasp Knife and the Fällkniven U-4. The French Company Opinel makes quite cheap folding knives with wooden handles that’s good for every day carry. The knives from Opinel have a twisting blade lock at the top that secure the blade both when the blade is out or in the handle of the knife. The lock and design is not solid as many other brands but functions well. The knives also come in ten different sizes making it easy to find a blade that fits your hand perfectly.

Large Knives
Larger Fixed Blade Knives have the advantage that they can be used to chop down small trees and other heavy duty work like splitting thick pieces of fire wood. In short: Large Fixed Blade Knives are especially useful for field work, splitting fire wood and constructing shelter. The main disadvantage compared to smaller knives is that they are heavy and often very expensive. For the price of a large high quality knife you can often get a smaller high quality knife, a high quality axe and a folding saw.

Some examples of large high quality knives are the Fällkniven A2, RAT / EESE Knives RC-6 / ESEE-6,  ESEE Junglas, Ontario RTAK-II, Benchmade Chooper and the Cold Steel Trailmaster. Machetes are commonly used in Jungle terrain to chop down vegetation and smaller trees. Kukris are the famous slightly curved large knives often used by the famous Gurkha fighters from Nepal. High quality Kukris can be bought from Cold Steel.

In general I don’t recommend anyone to get knives made famous from movies like the “Rambo” Bowie knives or the Tom Brown Tracker from the movie “The Hunted”. These knives are mainly designed to have a good looking design; the practical function is not in focus and they are often very expensive. However they may be a nice addition to a collection.

Small Edged Tools
As an alternative to a knife small cutting tools can be used for Pocket Survival Kits or Every Day Carry (EDC). Possible alternatives are razor blades, scalpel blades, the ESEE Escape and Evasion Titanium Mini Blade, ESEE Ceramic Escape and Evasion Razor Blade, ESEE AH-1 Arrow Head or a P-38 Can Opener. There are also compact credit sizes tool kits from Tool Logic, SOG and Victorinox containing small blades that can be easily carried in your wallet at all times.

Axes
An axe is a very useful tool for wilderness survival. With an axe you can make shelter, slit fire wood and chop down trees with little effort. There are many specialized axes but for general use I would recommend an all-round sharpened axe like the Small Forrest Axe and the Scandinavian Forrest Axe from Gränsfors. An axe with a longer shaft is generally safer to use than an axe with a short shaft and it also gives you more momentum when you’re working with the axe. Gränsfors makes axes with hand-forged blades and wooden shafts that have a high quality and affordable price. Gerber and Fiskars also make high quality axes that have composite shafts. Composite handles are often stronger than wooden handles but can’t be replaced as easily as a wooden shaft if it would break.

Axes require different tools to be sharpened compared to a normal knife and I suggest that you get a special sharpening file and sharpening stone especially designed for axes.

Saws

There are a number of different Saws that can be very useful during survival situations in wilderness settings, while hiking, camping or for bush craft. There are a number of different models on the market; the Laplander from Bahco is one of the best folding saws that there is on the market but there are also a number of different models from other companies like the Gerber Exchange a Blade. These types of saws has a relatively low weight and works quite well for smaller trees, but they do not work very well for larger trees. If you want a saw that can take on more serious work there are more heavy duty models like the EKA Viking Combi Saw that has three different blade types; one for wood, one for gain and one for metal. One of the most effective saws that you can find on the market is the Trailblazer Take Down Bucksaw 18. The parts of saw can be taken apart and put into the handle of the saw when it’s not used making easy to bring along in your hiking bag, vehicle or Bug Out Bag. When its deployed it’s a solid bow saw excellent for taking down trees or cutting firewood with a minimum of effort.

Sharpeners
No matter how high quality a blade has it will always lose its sharp edge after extensive use. Sharpeners come in many shapes and forms; there are small sharpeners that can be worn on your key chain. There are also larger special sharpening systems that allow you to sharpen a knife in a specific angle; the Tri-Angle system from Spyderco and The Gerber DF-8 sharpener is two examples. There are good combination sharpeners that have a diamond sharpener on one side and a ceramic sharpener on the other side from Fällkniven. I suggest that you start practicing your sharpening skills on an inexpensive knife like a Mora.

The Legal Aspect
The legislation concerning knives is different from state to state and country to country. It’s important that you get a good understanding of where it’s allowed to carry a knife and where it’s illegal to carry a knife. Certain models of knives can be illegal such as ballisongs, knives with automatic or assisted opening, one hand opening, blade locks and knives with blades longer a certain size. No matter what the legal aspect states I recommend that you get a knife with a “Peaceful” look. Knives with black handles, double edged blades, black blades, serrated blades often attract a lot of attention if you have to use it in a public environment. The Swiss Army knives with red handles often attract much less attention.

Safety
A knife can be very dangerous both to you and to others, it’s a sharp potentially lethal tool that should be treated with respect. Keep your knife in its sheath if it’s a fixed blade knife or with the blade folded in to handle if it’s a folding knife when you are not using it. Never fool around with a knife, swing it or point against any person. Don’t throw you knife against trees or walls, you risk either losing or breaking it. NEVER draw you knife in tensed situation or if you’re in a hostile argument.

Anyone how ever used a knife for butchering an animal knows what kind of damage a sharp knife can do to living creatures. Always be careful when you’re using your knife, you can seriously wound yourself or others if you’re not careful. Keep your knife clean and dry, no matter the quality it will rust if you don’t take care of your blade. If you hiking make a habit of often checking your equipment and check that your knife haven’t dropped from its sheath. Keep knives in secure locations where they can’t be reached by children. If you use knives for butchering animals or taking care of fish there are chainmail gloves that offers very good protection form cuts. There are also gloves with protective liners that offer high resistance against cuts that’s used by police officers and security guards.

Improvised Knives
During a survival situation it’s possible to improvise a blade from a piece of metal by sharpening it against a hard surface like a stone or concrete and then making a handle from paracord or leather straps. Other materials for a blade could be bone, glas or stone, but such a knife is much harder to make and will not have the same strength as a metal blade.

Also see:
Bug Out Guide and Checklist
Get Home Bag
Every Day Carry

Scandinavian Survival Equipment

I would to take the opportunity to recommend some survival equipment from the part of the world where I come from: Scandinavia.


First off all I would like to recommend the knives from Mora. They have some of the best knives you find for the money. Especially the model Mora 2000 is a really great knife, I used it for hunting, hiking and fishing and it never let me down. The new knife from Mora named Bushcraft basically has the same blade as the Mora 2000 with a new more ergonomic handle.


Secondly I would like to recommend the knives from Fällkniven, especially the models Fällkniven F1 and Fällkniven S1. It’s one of the best survival knives you can find, but they are rather expensive. Go with the Kydex sheaths instead of the leather ones. The leather sheaths are too heavy and unpractical.

The Bivanorak from Hilleberg is designed as a survival shelter for Swedish Air Force Pilots. It works as a poncho, emergency shelter, sleeping bag cover and bivy bag. The company Helsport also makes a similar product with the named Fjellduk.


The Murriikka is a slightly concave cast iron wok plate with tripod. It’s excellent for cooking food over an open fire. I use it every spring out in the wild and it’s a great way of cooking food for an entire family.


The axes and hatchets from Gränsfors Bruk have a very high quality and have hand forged blades. I especially like the Hunters axe and Wildlife Hatchet.


Klättermusen makes some of the best survival and emergency clothing that’s out there. The jackets and trousers that they make may not be the most beautiful and they are very expensive. But they offer excellent quality and function.

The Norwegian company Aclima makes high quality and reasonably priced base layers. The WoolNet series offers excellent insulation and great transportation of moisture even if the looks of the base layers may not be ideal for showing yourself in public. In short great performance and reasonable price but  not the most esthetic choice.