The Guy-Knife Problem

Most guys, and some women, think that what you need to survive, is a
large heavy knife, in a sheath, carried on the hip.  The leading I get
from the LORD is somewhat different.

It seems, after collecting many "survival knives" like that, on my
own, that the basic "kitchen-type" knives are what we will actually
use the most, in the wild.  

While it seems good to have a heavy-bladed, expensive knife in your
kit, I can not say why.    

One author states that a knife should be able to be used as a "pry-
bar, wedge, or climbing tool" I think that is at best, improbable. You
ought to pack a pry-bar, and a wedge, and not try to climb with your
knife.

Quote 1: simple knives: "The knives of the mountain men and pioneers
of years past were better suited to improvised wilderness sharpening
than many of today's blades. The thin, flexible design and absence of
heavy primary bevels and serrations made them good candidates for
quick sharpening by primitive methods."  Jeff Randall: Primitive Knife
Sharpening  http://www.jungletraining.com/primitiv.htm

What that author, above, is saying is that the common kitchen carving
knife, the kind you might buy at Wal-Mart, is more like what was used
in the wild then the Rambo or Army style knives. I expect that most
guys think of their knives like the guy in the next quote does:

Quote 2: the magic knife: "Alright, I must confess that I have other
reasons for carrying a knife. Mine is a talisman, a good luck charm of
sorts. Because it can help me keep warm or whittle a tent peg, I
infuse it with the power to bring me back home safely. And the truth
is that I am out almost every weekend, and rarely wield it."  Dave
Kreutzer   "Why You Want a BIG KNIFE "

He sees it as a Talisman, a good luck Charm, and attributes to it the
power to get him home safely.  A tall order, and not of the Lord.  

I think of the bible, talking about peoples walking staffs becoming
their idols: "For they are asking a piece of wood to tell them what to
do....... Longing after idols has made them foolish."  Hosea 4:12 The
Living Bible.