The Importance of Carrying an OTF Knife While Camping in the Wilderness
You might be wondering what an OTF knife is, to begin with. It is a type of portable and versatile knife. OTF stands for “out the front”. These types of knives are more commonly known as “switchblades.” They can be automatic, folding, or fixed. You often see them used by law enforcement, first responders, and experienced survivalists like hunters, hikers, forest rangers, etc.
Physical Protection
No matter what kind of area you go hiking in, it’s best to be at least somewhat prepared for danger. Wildlife encounters are tricky to predict. If you have a strong and sharp automatic knife on you, you always have a weapon at the ready. Sometimes just the sight of a sharp tool that is obviously meant to hurt them will make animals back off.
In addition, some dangers come from the environment itself. Think poisonous shrubbery, thick overgrowth, or a covert hole. Use a knife to cut away dangerous elements. Shove it firmly into the ground and climb to freedom.
Food Prep
Preparing food outdoors can get inconvenient fast if you don’t plan for it. Whether you are camping for a weekend or going on a full hiking vacation, you can’t exactly lug around half a dozen pots and pans and utensils on top. You need something multipurpose, versatile, lightweight, and portable. A good OTF knife is all that.
You get a strong blade in a small form, so your storage space and carrying capacity aren’t impacted that much. The blade is a good balance of sharp and delicate, so you can be precise and even get creative with various cuts of meat. Peeling and preparing vegetables, roots, fungi, and fruits also become much easier.
In addition, you will likely have some canned goods with you. A sharp and sturdy automatic knife will let you cut them open quickly and safely. This applies to both food tins and canned drinks.
Starting Fires
Firestarting is definitely one of the most essential skills you need in your wilderness survival set. Cooking fires, campfires, watch fires to deter wildlife, emergency signal fires, and open flames to sterilize tools in medical emergencies. You have to be able to light one at a moment’s notice.
Good, sturdy OTF knives with quality blades can accomplish a lot to that end. It can help you harvest wood for fuel, or chop up the wood you find into smaller, easily transportable pieces. It can whittle down larger chunks into tiny bits for good kindling. You can utilize it to start the fire itself by utilizing a ferro rod.
Medical Emergencies
We mentioned medical emergencies just now, but it bears repeating. A knife is one of the best tools to have if you happen to require medical attention out in the great outdoors. It might not be a pretty image, but it’s necessary know-how.
A reliable blade will let you access an injury that’s covered in clothes, especially if the cloth got soaked and stuck. It will cut up spare cloth when you need to improvise bandages. It will help you remove foreign objects from wounds. If push really comes to shove, you might even improvise a cauterization.
Various Woodwork
Basic woodworking skills are a must for anyone who spends extended periods of time in the wilderness. To begin with, you need to be able to set up camp. That means you will need branches or other wood to fortify a premade ten or build shelter from scratch. You might need to harvest firewood or kindling if you can’t find enough lying around on the ground.
Then there are the “useful extras” such as fireplaces, barriers, and crude tools. Think fishing poles, improvised fences, props, or frames. You might also decide that you want a whittling stick to help you conquer long distances a little easier. For all of these, a precise and reliable knife is a must.
In conclusion, if you can bring only one tool to the wilderness with you, bring a good OTF knife. They’re lightweight, easy to handle, strong, and remarkably versatile. Utilize them for food, shelter, various DIYs, navigating dangerous terrain, physical defense, and even medical treatment.
