Could someone explain to me the need for batoning your knife in a survival situation (or any situation, for that matter)?

I understand the idea is to split wood. I imagine to get to the dry inner parts if the wood was wet. But aren't there better ways to reach dry wood besides putting your knife at risk with this pretty brutal technique? Like finding a smaller stick and carving/shaving it with your knife?

If you're in a survival situation wouldn't potentially destroying your knife be a rather counterproductive thing to do? I don't think you could adequately test for baton-proof-ness of your knife. Ten successes at home doesn't prove the next try (for real) in the wild wouldn't destroy your knife. That's like playing Russian Roulette: "Well, the first five tests didn't do anything to me, so I predict the sixth try will be OK too."

The idea is to use a knife as a wedge. As you correctly say. Many of the tecniques presume that you don't have a proper logging axe and a splitting wedge on you. It's really intended to split larger chunks of wood longways so as to reduce them to something that can be burned. It does little or no damage to a decent quality full tang knife. Simply because the wood is a lot softer than steel. A poor quality knife will probably break. Batoning with a multi tool is probably a no-no. Why anyone who has a perfectly usable saw to cut standing wood with would want or need to baton is beyond <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />me. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Batoning can help get to the dryer wood inside larger branches. Smaller branches and fingerlings tend to have more moisture from being in contact with the ground.

How practical is it to use non-knife tools for splitting wood? I am thinking of something like a Prybaby or a Ti-shark. These pocket-sized prybars have wedged edges and are plenty strong but not sharp.

Perhaps one of these would fit the bill:

Hacking Knife

Pete