Okay, maybe I'm old school, but IMO if you have time/opportunity to whittle tiny sticks, you should be able to whittle a larger stick. Like a walking staff. And a stout staff in the hands of someone who knows its capabilities, even at a most basic level, is better than any close-up blade, by several orders of magnitude. Reach = advantage.

Generally, the point of small but effective tools in a survival kit is their ability to create larger, more effective tools from the materials at hand. Close combat is pretty low on the list of things to *really* worry about (though I concede the world also offers nasty little surprises).

Anyway, that's my 2c.