I was waching this program about Aron Ralston and his ordeal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=SyPBTblkzBI

The thing that make me think the most was his choice of cheap multitool !!!!

I am myself a cheap-knife type of guy. Most of my pocket knives and multitools are in the $5-15 range. But I am a very urban guy and my "adventures" are limited to crowded beaches or campgrounds! They cannot be compared with Aron's lifestyle , who is cheating death again and again.

A guy like him , IMO, should not even depend on ONE top quality knife. In his case, one is none. A solo risk-taking adventurer like him should have no less than two top quality fixed blades, one or two top quality folders, AND a multitool.

I am still shaking my head in disbelif that he was carrying a very similar multitool to the one I have on my desk for opening envelopes !! If this was a "reality show" I might have blamed the producer, but it was an interview and showed the real thing !!

My question here is not about Aron's specifically but about such cases like this. Why do you think such experienced folks fail at times to be properly prepared ???

To a lot of non-knife guys as long as it cuts it's good enough. And a lot of times knife doesn't have to be razor sharp to work, which they probably have never experienced.

We all do it really, like my ski tuning gears are all cheap repurposed items that will make a pro cringe, who probably have a grand or more invested into tuning gear alone.

I only saw the movie, and I thought his mistakes included far better ones than carrying only a cheap multitool with him: not telling anyone where he went or when to expect his return, not going with the two hot hiker chicks...

The movie showed him looking for his better multitool as he was hurriedly packing for the trip. I don't know whether any of the movie is true.

I think the lesson of his ordeal is that you don't need to drag around a bunch of cutlery when in the outdoors. What would "two top quality fixed lades, one or two top quality folders, and a multitool" accomplish that his one multitool did not achieve? - what would all those knives weigh? What would they cost? That money and weight could clearly have been invested in items that would have been of more use to him. Actually, simply making sure that his route and plans were made clear to someone else, an action with essentially no cost, was clearly the best course. Being unburdened with unnecessary redundant gear is often a safety measure, and a wise decision, in its own way. Good judgement is more important that lots of gear, and your mind (making those good decisions, of course) is the most important gear of all.

"cheating death again and again" often results in failure to cheat death eventually, frequently in a way in which it doesn't matter how many knives you carry. If that lifestyle is your choice, that's OK - in a properly conducted society you should have that choice. Just be aware of the potential downside and accept the results of your decisions.

In his situation I would almost certainly have been carrying at least two pieces of serious steel, probably at least one Busse (normally my Bony Active Duty) along with a RAT-3, RAT-7 or a JK Handmade custom. But you know what? Ralston wielding a cheap multi-tool and a steel will is a lot better than me wussing out with my Busse! I have to seriously question whether or not I'd have the stones to cut my own arm off!

But if I ever had to try I'd at least have an extraordinarily sharp, high quality knife to do it with!

BTW, I understand that most of the details of the film are true to his actual experiences.

Just a reminder to all : The link up there to an interview, NOT the film. In this program, he re-visits the scene of his survival incidence. IMO, it is worth seeing more than the film.

Indeed he has a steel will.
Just a month or two before his ordeal he was buried in an avalnche and survived. He never thought to quit his adventures. Even leaving his job at Intel ( great sallary and all) to be closer to ghis favorite adventure land shows what he is made of IMO. And still after his ordeal and being one-handed, he still climes and goes solo.




I wish him the best of luck and many safe trips , but still wonder if it is wise for people to go into deep canyons ..etc. with almost no tools.

His story reminds me of an episde of ( I shouldn't be Alive) where a female marathon runner chooses a very deserted area for running ( very similar to Aron's canyon-land, and while she was running on the edge of a canyon, she slips and falls down several meters and breaks several bones ( hips ..etc.) and start to have internal hemorage (sp?) She was in a canyon in the middle of nowhere !! She didn't even have a dollar store knife on her !! Not that it would have made a difference , but come on !! Having tools may give you some options depending on the situation.

Here's a very short U-tube about it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SduaI06NoA

A PLB would be useful in thse situations . But I would still wonder ( espcially about the runner girl) why is it that she has to be training in such remote area ??!!! I would even feel guilty about the dog if I was crippled by severe injury in such badlands.

High risk taking like this is not admirable. It's selfish. Aaron has a family who loves him. Aaron shows through his actions that he cares about his adrenaline rushes more than he cares about those who love him and want him around.

The video says he was just wandering around looking for a little rest and relaxation, and wasn't looking for a wild adventure. I don't believe it. I believe Aaron was fully aware of the risk he was taking, and took the risk anyway for the thrill. I'm not judging Aaron. I understand him because I've taken some unnecessary risks before. Let's just call this what it is.

EDIT: Coincidentally, Aaron admits his selfishness at 7:25, which I heard after I wrote this post.

I guess I'm the opposite of ol' Aaron! Adventure is great but I don't seek the kind that's likely to kill me. If you ever read about me in the papers it won't be bungie jumping or getting stranded doing a solo summit of K2! I try to maintain a margin of safety as best I can. If I get in trouble it will be because I tarried to long sight-seeing, or because I got wrapped up in the moment and missed a trail or misremembered a fork.

Once you have a family, you think about the risk element quite differently.

You don't think that's a little overboard ? There's a huge difference between being properly prepared and ridiculous overkill. A good blade and a multi-tool sure, but no less than 4-5 blades is what you consider minimum ? wow Chisel, I would hate to have to hump your day bag around.

Assuming you don't carry 3-4 of those as well