If you read his book you'll understand that he was a very high-risk-seeking kind of guy.

The risk seeker doesn't look at things the way most of us here do (backups, alternate plans, turning back under duress, etc) hence having really good tools probably wasn't on his radar.

When I teach my course module on survival I use his example to emphasize the importance of a trip plan - or having a really sharp knife- student can choose.......

I respectfully dissagree Izzy,

"you live or die by training, knowledge, experience and a healthy dose of dumb luck"-me

Tranlation: people have survived a lot more with a lot less. What matters is what you carry between your ears and not how many tiers in your pack. You can't buy experience or common sense in a gear shop.

That being said, don't get me wrong. I do not think for one second I am at such a high level of experience to come across as preaching.(not my intent) I do believe knowlede and experience is a greater contributing factor to my overall survival than what I outfit myself with though. What I carry certainly helps, buts it not the most important consideration by any stretch.

I agree with you in that you should take the gear you need and the best you can afford. I do think some people get too carried away on the whole "two is one, 1 is none" concept however. For SOME people, I believe they rely on lots of back-up gear as a way to compensate for lack of confidence and skill. (not refering to anyone in particular or anyone here, just an opinion)

Think of the gear your grandfather used to take into the woods, Then your father perhaps. Now think about what you carry. The wilderness hasen't changed, so why all of a sudden do we feel it's taboo to go on a wilderness outing without a PLB, GPS, 2 or 3 stoves, 5 knives and about 10 ways to start a fire? Did the wilderness change or are we relying more on gear than we need to. Now I am not suggesting going out into the wild without a solid plan or some essential gear, But where do we draw the line on what is really enough stuff? I guess that is for everyone to answer themselves....

Anyway. I guess this is straying away from the intended topic. My bad. To answer this question however


Because some people try too dammed hard to be prepared for every situation when they should realize that no matter how hard they try, s*** happens to the best of us anyway. Regardless of the type or amount of knives this dude took, I bet he didn't think about being crushed by a huge SOB rock when he stepped off that morning. There are a lot of things that would have helped him out, but I don't think the number of knives in his pack was his greatest concern.

Apologies for the bad spelling and gramar, but I got this wonderful bottle of Glenfiddich 30 yr at the duty free shop recently and now we are getting to know each other.....

I should know better than to drink and type. BTW, happy St Paddys day all .......

A lot of people who have studied survival seem to agree that the will to survive is more important than gear and gadgets. Ralston's case is a good example. How many of us would have the will (or even the notion, for that matter) to self amputate our hand, sharp knife or not? I am not sure that I could do something like that, and I hope I don't have to find out....

Mention has been made of the "poor quality" of his knife. But compared to the perfectly adequate Green River knives that were top gear on the nineteenth century frontier, demonstrably capable survival tools, I'll bet it measures up pretty favorably. And any of these were a vast improvement over the flint cutting instruments that served mankind quite well for many thousands of years before steel came along.

I have an idea that a good many of today's expensive, top of the line knives are more bling than anything else. Ridiculously cheap Moras seem to get the work done just fine, for a fraction of the cost. The same picture appears with a lot of the other gear we fret about. How did we ever make it before titanium appeared on the scene. Times were hard then...

Taurus,There's No Bull in your Bad,Very Well said that's for sure!I'm having a Pt.of Guiness & watching an Alien invasion outside my window at present-Rain!Happy St.Paddy's!

Kinda sorta. The thing with todays top-of-the-line-take-out-a-second-mortgage-on-your-home knives is they are made up of these super hard metal, process sensative, single manufacturer, super alloys. Yes, the brand name (Strider, Emerson, etc.) can kick the price up too, and you are paying a fair amount for bling with these. The knives of yesteryear and their current derivatives all seem to be made of alloys better suited to large scale production (10XX, 51XX, 420 440 and AUS families). They don't have the same performance as the super alloys, but they'll readily handle the job. On the other hand, too cheap can means **** quality control. Won't take an edge, won't hold an edge, and usually so poorly constructed that they're more likely then not to cut the user.

I hesitate to get too "knife geeky" but I'm one of those you-get-what-you-pay-for type guys for the most part. The Mora knives truly are a great deal- good steel, well heat treated and sharp OOtB. I can think of a handful of pretty good knives that are under $40 or so: CS Pendleton Mini Hunter, Becker BK11/13, most Moras and the SOG Field Pup. But even those superb value knives fall far short of the performance of, say, a Busse BAD or Game Warden or a Falknivven F1. While merely spending a lot doesn't guarentee you'll get a good one, moving up to superior steel in a knife made by folks that know how to use it (eg D2 from Knives of Alaska or Bob Dozier, INFI from Jerry Busse) then your odds get very good of getting a superior blade.

Of course, superior isn't always important. It may just mean longer edge retention or a bit of extra sharpness. This may be trivial or it may mean life and death, depending on the user and application. Certainly a stronger blade could make a big difference- a knife that shatters at the tang isn't going to be of much help when you need it.

I try to match the knife to the task. While I love Moras their rat-tail tang isn't all that robust. I've seen people baton with it but I consider that a bit beyond the limit of prudence and safety. Now I wouldn't hesitate to do this with my Fallkniven F1, Bark River Aurora or JK Handmades. I'll break before my Ontario SP8 does, I'll wager!

Still, the best survival knife is the knife you have on you when you're survivin'!

I am with you on "you get what you pay for" - up to a point. Above a certain price point, you are buying bling and status, not significant utility, at least for most stuff.

In most products, you begin with super cheap and in this price range, you typically acquire junk. You are truly throwing your money away. As price increases, you find products that are quite useful and offer good value. Increase the price still more, and the small increase in utility does not match the ever higher price, except possibly for a very small number of purchasers. Eventually, any increase in utility is hard to see as prices soar into the stratosphere..

This kind of relationship can be seen in knives, firearms, watches, wine, (but not women, of course) - you name it.

Ageed. I carry several knives when out in the wilderness. I believe in the condom principlee when it comes to gear: I'd rather have it amd not need it, then need it and not have. Quality counts as well, though you couldn't tell it by going through my day pack lol. I'm also a loner so I rarely go out with others. A stupid decision on my part I know. Fortunatly I've aged and had a lifetime of risks and adventures so I'm more careful and less foolhardy now.

Shhh! I need the sales after the middle east conflicts are over!

You know SD, condoms have been known to fail ...

At any rate, to each his own. My way is not everyone else's way. If it were there would be no need of this forum as there would be nothing to debate.
When I first joined this forum I had backups for my backups as well. My past few deployments have left me with a whole new outlook on life and I kinda got a max relax attitude in areas that 5 or 6 years ago would have bothered me to all to hell. I had a few lessons in "survival" that taught me I need to start enjoying my life more and stop "what if-ing" every possible scenario to death every time I step into the woods. I no longer worry about giant bears jumping me from behind, or losing my only knife, or the end of the world happening when I am out camping. In short, I now go on wildernes trips to live rather than survive and I enjoy myself a lot more. If I break or lose my knife I have a multi-tool which is a good enough back up blade for my needs. If I lose or break the multitool then I will Improvise,adapt and overcome as trained and make do without. It's as simple as that.

I have since removed the unnecessary crap from my pack and replaced it with a bottle of fine scotch. It may sound like wasted space to some, but when the sun goes down over the water and I am totally alone in the wilderness with nothing but a glass of spirits and the sound of wolves howling in the distance for company I am really glad I don't sweat the small stuff anymore. I feel there is a fine line between being prepared and overprepared. There may come a time when this mind set bites me square in the a**, but for now I feel as equipped to survive as the next guy and I have plenty of free space in my bag.

If I suddenly find myself naked up a tree and swinging a bottle of scotch at a man eating bear after losing and breaking all my gear I will feel rather silly however.