Which knife should I prepare for emergencies?
I have never shopped for a camping or survival knife before.
I have no idea what to look for.
I have some knives at home, but I didn’t set them up in emergency bags.
My knife is very big and heavy. I don’t think my wife and kids can use it.
When you prepare a knife for emergencies, you might imagine needing it for self-defense. It’s true there might be situations where you need to use your knife to protect yourself or your family (I sincerely hope not, but these things do happen), but knives aren’t always weapons. They are useful in many ways. If we say “knife” peacefully, the first thing that comes to mind is the kitchen knife. We use kitchen knives almost every day.
We use knives all the time, which means you will probably need it in an emergency situation, too. You should prepare an emergency knife. It will help you tremendously. There are many kinds of knives, and it can be difficult to decide which one to get. Here are two websites: Knife center and Noblie.
Need to know
You need to keep in mind that each country and state has its own laws regarding buying, possessing and carrying knives. Know the laws in your area. If you don’t know the rules that apply to you, you might get yourself in big trouble.
For example, in my area of California, it’s OK to have a pocket knife with you. But there are some restrictions. The knife must be closed when you carry it. There is no limit on how long a folding knife’s blade can be, but once the knife is open, different rules kick in (e.g., carrying switchblades with blades longer than 2 inches is not allowed).
Places like public buildings and schools have more strict rules. If you carry a Swiss Army knife or something similar, follow the rules carefully. Knowing how your knife locks is key to staying legal in each state and country. (Check out The American Knife & Tool Institute and Helfend Law Group for more info.)
In Japan, there are no more Samurai,
and even if you tell the authorities that your knife is for emergencies,
you might still get in big trouble.
You need a valid reason to justify carrying your knife. Be careful!
Which knife?
If we have a short-term emergency, it will be good to have an emergency knife. But if the emergency situation is prolonged, and it become a long-term emergency, we will definitely need a survival knife.
The short-term emergency
will be hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornados.
Usually, for emergencies of this scale, we can get support from our city, state, or federal governments, right away.
The long-term emergency
will be a war, major climate disaster, nuclear winter, giant meteorite, zombie apocalypse, food crisis, or something major along those lines.
If such an event happens, do not expect immediate support from the government. We will have to survive by ourselves.
We might feel that there’s no end in sight.
Emergency knife
I picked up these knives, and I set them up in my emergency bags and in my cars. I try to get used to them by cutting tree branches, outdoors. I also let my kids use knives to cut tree branches during our hikes. Just having knives, and not knowing how to use them, is pointless. Look for opportunities to use your knives and get the hang of using them.
Victorinox (Swiss Army knife)
Very compact!! and many varieties.
Survival knife
I picked up this knife because the top of the blade has a notch for efficient striking of a ferro rod (for starting fires). It’s a good size for me. The handle is comfortable in my hand, and the blade is effective for cutting wood. I should not carry this kind of knife in the city, because of local knife laws. So I keep this knife in my garage, in a strong metal box. I hope that, after a fire or earthquake, my knife will come in handy. But if a tsunami comes… or flooding… it might be difficult to get my knife out of the garage.
Not so heavy for me and the kids.
I recommend you get both an emergency knife and a survival knife, at the very least. I will continue to explain about knives in my next post.
See you next time.
Remember, “Protect your life by yourself” （自分の命は自分で守る). You need to survive first, and then you need your emergency supply. No matter how well you prepared your emergency supplies, if you die, then all of your preparations will have been for nothing. First and foremost, keep your health up all the time. Build your stamina so that if you need to, you can evacuate as quickly as possible. Stay healthy.