The archives:
http://www.uqac.uquebec.ca/PleinAir/toolskn1.htm
There are links to several FAQs from the newsgroup rec.knives at http://www.sff.net/people/pff/knife.html. mainly info on different blade types and materials, well worth looking at.
The general opinion among the active participants in the PSG is that hollow handle knives are an inferior design, unnecessarily weakening a key component of your equipment. In addition the act of placing all of your survival equipment in one relatively easily lost package is to be discouraged. Some suggest that you can use the sheet as a carrier for the equipment instead. These are very seldom lost, and do not affect the durability and/or usefullness of your knife.
Most tend to prefer high carbon steel to stainless, due to its better sharpening and edge-holding abilities.
Several subscribers to the list like these, since they tend to fulfill the prime requirement for a survival knife better than most; you have it with you. It is suggested that you get a model with a locking blade.
I won't go into the great debates on the pros and con's of various sharpening systems; if you want such a debate ISTR that it can be found in the the rec.knives newsgroup. There is a FAQ on the topic at http://www.customknives.com/sharpening.htm. I would, however, like to point out that it is quite possible to manufacture an excellent sharpener for a low price. Simply glue some wet/dry sanding paper (say 150 and 600 grit) to each side of a piece of plywood (see Mors Kochanskis "Northern Bushcraft" for details). If you desire the razor edge you can simply glue a piece of leather (flesh side up) to a board and smear the leather with a small amount of polishing paste (e.g. as sold in automotive parts stores for poishing chrome). With this you can get a mirror finish, and a "hair-popping sharp" edge.
My personal opinion is that the bevel of the knife should be flat all the way to the edge, i.e. no changes in the grind angle. This gives me a reasonably strong edge that is easy to maintain and works well for most tasks. Some advocate a "compound" or "Moran" edge, claiming it is stronger. This is most likely true, but then I prefer a knife that is easy to sharpen (these edges are not trivial to sharpen properly). I also feel that the straight bevel works best for some tasks, such as "feathering" wood for starting fires. The exact angle os open to debate, but for most purposes and blades 22-25 degrees are optimal.
There are several systems for testing the sharpness of a knife, from the classical shaving to testing it on a nail. I prefer the nail-test, since it gives me a good indication of where the problems lie. Simply place the edge gently at 90 degrees against the nail, and pull it (as if cutting into the mail) with no pressure. Where the knife catches slightly the edge is sharp. Note for those who care; this will leave a small mark on your nail. Putting pressure on the knife will cause damage. This edge -- i.e. one that catches evenly along it's entire length -- is not nessesarilly razor sharp, but plenty sharp for most peoples needs.
The archives:
http://www.uqac.uquebec.ca/PleinAir/surviki1.htm
The opinion on what to carry in a survival kit varies, and several even suggest that you not pack a survival kit as such, but either make sure that you have all the necessities (which is a rather personal question, depending on your skill, where you are, etc) on yourself at all times anyway, or that you instead pack a "utility kit", which contains all the things you might need during a stay in the wilderness. Remember that a survival kit is a rather personal item, and should be tailored to your needs and skill level.
Gayle (glacy1@IX.NETCOM.COM) contributed the following litle story on the subject:
Years ago, at a SERE symposium, an "expert" touted the virtues of the condom. You can carry it in your wallet and use it as a canteen. Someone asked "Would you want to hike across Death Valley with your water in a condom?"The expert said "Humph!! In a survival situation,you take what you can get." And the other guy said "But we're not in a survival situation right now.We're sitting in an air conditioned room discussing what some OTHER guy will have when HE'S in a survival situation." The outcome of this was the development of the Water Bag (a large polyethlyne bag inside a smaller nylon bag.) And the development of the "Condom rule" -- which is "Pretend you're deliberately going into the situation, and decide what you want to take with you. Only scale back if you CAN'T take what you REALLY want."
Axes come in several different sizes, from small belt hatchets, mostly usefull for demolishing knee-caps, by way of full size axes to splitting mauls. Personally I think usefull, non-special purpose, axes can be divided into the following categories.
In order to increase portability some people prefer to carry a compromize between these two categories, an axe with a medium lenght handle and a matching head. This is both a usefull and a dangerous tool. It will generate enough force to do some quite serious chopping, but is so short that your knee-caps or legs are in danger should you miss. It is easy to determine just where an axe would end up should it miss it's target. Use with caution. Always think about what will happen when you use an axe. Where will it go if it glances off? If it breaks through, where will it end up?
There are basically three kinds of saws usefull for the wilderness. The first category is the pocket saws. These look like oversized folding knives and have a sawblade perhaps 15-25 cm long. They are usefull for shelter building and gathering small sticks for firewood, shelters or crafts, but lack the capacity for larger logs. Remember that the blade is fragile is used with a push motion, but will take much more strain if used with a pulling motion.
The second type is the folding saw, This is th small cousin of the full size saw, but in a collapsible pattern. This makes it far more portable, but at the price of some ruggedness and ususally size. This is a good tool for cutting small logs for firewood and shelters, and will be much faster than the pocket saw for smaller sticks. It is ideal when you expect to but some wood, but not enough to warrant the full size saw.
Last we have the full size saw. This is the tool of choice for larger scale cutting, but takes up quite a bit of space in (or rather on) the pack, and also weights more. Get the "Swede style" (the saw looks like a gigant "D") with as long a blade as you think you need. These saws actuallu come in several sizes, and the smaller ones (blades of approximately 50 cm) are usefull replacements for the folding saws. A bit bulkier, weights about as much, but is much more rugged and versatile.
Whatever type of saw you decide on carrying, remember that the blade can break, and you should consider carrying a replacement on any longer trip.