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Originally posted by sirnex
Using the knife again I can chop down the right size sapling for a handle to make an axe with a wedge shaped rock.
Originally posted by SevenBeans
Originally posted by sirnex
Using the knife again I can chop down the right size sapling for a handle to make an axe with a wedge shaped rock.
I'm trying to imagine chopping wood with a wedge shaped rock (or shooting arrows with paracord)... no I don't see that happening.
I get your point though... if I could only have a couple things a good knife and paracord wouldn't be bad choices.
edit on 20-6-2011 by SevenBeans because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by sirnex
I'm starting to think the only real items one needs for survival are a good knife and some 550 paracord. I just went out today and used my knife to chop down a sapling for a bow using the paracord as the bow string. Now I have a tool to secure meat. Using the knife again I can chop down the right size sapling for a handle to make an axe with a wedge shaped rock. Now I have a tool to chop wood more efficiently. With the axe securing a supply of wood, I can use the wood to build a more permanent shelter. Using a curved branch and paracord I can make a bow drill. Now I have a tool for making fire. The inner strands of the paracord itself can be used as fishing line. Fashion a pole and a hook and now I have another source of food. The paracord can be used to make a snare, now my chances of securing food are greatly improved. The fire can be used to boil water making it safe to drink by heating rocks in the fire and placing them into a wooden bowl shaped by using fire.
With just a knife and paracord I have the four basics of survival. Fire, water, shelter and food.
Yeah you can do that, but with what your doing rather than having a hatchet or ax...it takes a lot longer to cut wood, an ax/ hatchet is a lot stronger and holds a better edge for cutting...also..its dull edges that usually cut you.
The guts from 550 cord is white and fish see it..many won't bit on it, so you need to make a net or other sort of fish traps.
Snares are good to use and work if you have luck on your side.
A bow is good to use but a gun is better, if you hunt..think of opening day of deer season(rifle) x100...there will be no animals left in the woods from over hunting in a matter of days or a couple of weeks...depending on where your at.
The problem with hunting and depending on it for your survival is that its hunting...if it was a guarantee to get something..it would be killing/catching...seriously, there are guys that can and do hunt a lot and sometimes during a week of hunting they get skunked.
550 is ok but with using it for everything, what do you do when you run out of 550?
I would also have several things for starting fires...matches, lighters, mag fire striker, blastmaster, magnifing glass and the ability to use tinder and sticks.
I like how your thinking, it can be done, but if you want to stack the odds in your favor, I would have more tools at my disposal for survival.