Dear Mr. Kavanaugh,

I was outside gutting a racoon with my Mora when a crazed man wearing a thong and sandals made from old tires accosted me and took the carcass at knife-point. I think it was a Cold Steel Master Tanto. He slit the laces in my shoes so I couldn't give chase. He also relieved me of my wallet and half-eaten toasted cheese sandwich. All in all, I would have been better off not following your advice, but I'll chalk it up to experience.

It'd be a little slow and tedious cutting through brush or splitting wood with a 3cm blade, but I guess you could get it done if you can hold your temper and keep a good sense of humor <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.

Troy

I'm almost finished with the book.

Well, I've got the donation out of the way :-) Thanks for the list.

If you are the kind of person who gets into knife fights, then by all means carry something which will function as a weapon. I am not that guy. I'd just get cut as well as thumped, and my assailant would now be armed.

It would not be the tool of choice, but I think a small knife could deal with a small animal, like a rabbit. To be honest, faced with road-kill I'd probably sit by the side of the road and wait to be rescued by the next car.

Splitting logs and other kinds of heavy woodcraft, yes, I can see that. It's not really an urban requirement, though. For everyday use a multitool suits me better - smaller blade but with screwdrivers, scissors and preferably something which can cut metal.

Sparking a fire can be done with a small blade, or preferrably a lighter or SparkLite which can be used one-handed.