"A capable and sturdy knife is one of the most primary tools for real outdoor survival. It is both a useful tool, on its own, and a tool to fashion other items to help you survive. A well designed and well made survival knife can be used to cut, slice, chop, hammer, pry, pierce, and scrape. Some of its many survival uses include: every aspect of building a fire--making a bow drill and a fireboard and a spindle for friction firestarting, or throwing sparks off of it with a flint to start a fire, shaving tinder or carving fuzz sticks to ignite to get a fire started, prying dry heartwood or fatwood from a dead tree for kindling, chopping and splitting firewood, etc.; every aspect of building a shelter--chopping branches and/or saplings for creating a structure (such as a lean-to, A-frame, or wickiup), prying bark from fallen trees for coverage, mincing rotten bark for bedding, carving packed snow to build an igloo, snow cave, snow wall, or trench, etc.; every aspect of food procurement--harvesting edible plants, whittling snare triggers or carving traps to catch and kill wild animals, carving a slingshot or bow for hunting or whittling fish hooks or a fishing spear for fishing, cleaning and dressing game, food preparation, skewering food or sharpening wooden sticks for cooking over a fire, etc.; self defense against feral dogs, feral pigs, etc.; penetrating lake or river ice to get to liquid water to drink; creating a digging tool for digging a water seep; whittling a twig into a whistle to signal for help; hygiene--shaving, cutting toe nails, cleaning finger nails, etc.); caping animals to make protective clothing; carving a depression into a piece of wood to boil water in; fashioning a splint for a broken bone; making a litter to carry a severely injured person; chopping steps into ice and packed snow to facilitate safe passage over slippery areas; driving the knife into rock as a climbing aid; clearing a path through dense brush; breaching a crashed car wreck and cutting seat belts to rescue a trapped victim; amongst many other uses."