Survival Part 1 – The Two Main Reasons Why Shit Happens

John Muir ForestReading real life survival stories makes me think that in most cases finding yourself in a survival situation isn’t something to be proud of. Unless, of course it’s caused by unforeseeable events. It seems like survival situations can surprise us in remote (wild) places as well as urban areas and are caused by two main factors.

1. External – natural phenomena, accidents and armed conflicts.
– Earthquakes, tsunami, mudslides, avalanches, tornadoes, fires, floods and so on.
– Broken or otherwise injured limbs, sudden illnesses, animal attacks etc.
– Terrorist attacks, wars etc.
Not really your fault and there isn’t much you can do to prevent them. However, you can and should know how to survive should any of those disasters happen.

2. Self-generated – mistakes and miscalculations.
– Recklessness, lack of forethought and insufficient preparation.
– Lack of experience or practice.
Usually our own fault, which doesn’t mean we deserve to die and shouldn’t try and fix things. These often accumulate as a chain of, seemingly harmless, bad decisions with serious consequences, leading up to worse and worse situations.

So how do you prepare for everything? You don’t. It’s simply impossible to predict every likely and unlikely scenario. The best solution is to stay flexible and openminded. Ready to improvise and react quickly to changes.

I’m deliberately not digging deeper into the psychological aspect of survival and mental preparation. I do realize it is probably the most important part of every survival story but I am not a psychologist and honestly wouldn’t know what to tell you. My methods of motivating quitters tend to be a bit rough and wouldn’t suit everybody.

I practice survival skills for fun almost everyday. Hand drill, bow drill, feather sticks navigation… I also try to stay in best possible shape, pushing myself physically and mentally on long hikes, I try to do once a week. I understand this isn’t for everybody but I like it. Keeps me healthy and happy. It’s like going to the gym, which I do as well, only this one is free and the views are a lot better.

Planning your trip and carefully selecting your equipment is just as important as staying fit. Here’s one example of what not to do if you want to make it out of the wilderness on your own.

‘The Best’ Bushcraft Knife

Teak TLIM right sideSo what’s the best bushcraft knife? I don’t know. Frankly, I’m not sure if such a thing exists, since a knife is a very personal item and ‘the best’ will mean very different things to different people.

Some, led by Ray Mears’ preference and design, choose a roughly 10 cm (4″) long spearpoint blade. Others, like myself, prefer a drop point or a simple straight spine like those found in Scandinavian knives.

02 TLIM C440 BT Bushraft spearpoint leuku

But even if we agree to a particular blade shape, there’s still Mora Classic 2the question of blade length, steel type, handle material and so on. And then, despite the endless debate and all the arguments, you may still find that some people are just hopelessly in love with a Mora Classic no matter what you say. And if that’s not enough, there will always be someone claiming they can do pretty much any bushcraft task with just about any knife or even stone tools.

o1 bushlore clone

And they won’t be wrong. They can. In fact, you could as well. But is it gonna be comfortable? Is it gonna be smooth and enjoyable? Those are probably the first questions you have to ask yourself when choosing a bushcraft knife.

 

 

Teak TLIM in sheathBushcraft is not a chore. At least it shouldn’t be in my opinion. We don’t do this because we have to. So why not get yourself something that looks nice, fits your hand and makes you want to carve some wood whenever you pick it up?

Bushcraft is a broad topic. Things such as what you do, where you live and even your physique and personality will determine what knife suits you best. That’s why I simply could not decide on the best bushcraft knife. What I can do, is tell you which knife is the best for me and why. And that’s exactly what I do in the video.