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Cutting & Prying Tools

3 min read

Take a full-tang fixed-blade knife with a 10-15 cm blade first, because it will be your most-used tool, then a multitool, a crowbar, a hatchet or hand axe, and a folding saw. Without cutting tools you cannot process wood, open containers, butcher game or build shelter. A saw cuts wood faster than a hatchet with less effort.

Part of Tier 1: Immediate Survival Gear

One good fixed-blade knife does more than a heap of blades, and the other cutting and prying tools each add one capability.

One Good Edge Beats A Pile Of Blades

Choose tools that can take hard use, and keep the number small. Each tool below does one job better than the others, which is why the list has five entries rather than one.

What To Take

  • Fixed-blade knife. Full-tang, with a 10-15 cm blade. Your most-used tool.
  • Multitool. Leatherman, Gerber or Swiss Army. Pliers, saw, screwdriver and can opener in one package.
  • Crowbar. Opens doors, pries boards, and doubles as a weapon. A short one (30 cm) is easy to carry; a long one (60 cm) gives leverage.
  • Hatchet or hand axe. Wood processing, shelter building and splitting kindling.
  • Folding saw. Silky, Bahco or any pruning saw. It cuts wood faster than a hatchet with less effort.

Where To Look

Hardware stores, tool chests, garages, kitchens, camping stores and fire stations. More general tools are covered in Hand Tools & Hardware, and the condition of a salvaged tool in Tool Identification & Repair.

Checking A Tool Before You Carry It

Step 1: Look for the tang. On a knife, a tang that runs the full length of the handle is stronger. A blade whose tang stops short of the handle is weaker and more likely to break if used to pry.

Step 2: Look for cracks and rust. A crack in a blade or crowbar is a failure waiting to happen. Surface rust is cosmetic; deep pitting weakens the metal.

Step 3: Check the handle. Loose or split axe handles fail without warning; a head that moves on its haft is unsafe.

Step 4: Test the edge on something soft. A dull edge slips, and a slipping blade cuts the user.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a knife as a pry bar. Blades snap; the crowbar is for prying.
  • Carrying duplicates of the same tool. One of each type is usually enough.
  • Choosing a large axe over a saw. The saw does more work for less effort in many tasks.

Safety

Edged tools cause injuries far from help

Cut away from your body, keep your free hand clear of the line of the blade, and sheathe tools when carrying. A deep cut in a collapse is a serious wound with no hospital; see Bleeding Control.

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