I gotcha beat. Last fall I bought a bunch of Leathermans on clearance at Walmart for $10 each! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

Howdy Ho Andy - great to see you again! I was afraid you got swallowed up by a big Indiana rattler.
I got a couple of those Leatherman pacs at WalMart as well, so now I have multi-tools in my bags, vehicles, and an extra for Christmas.
By the way, don't you think the next release should be the BOWIE ?!?

Wow, that vaction must have done something to you! 25 for 3 or 10 each.....these were 2 PST IIs and standard leatherman....I don't know the model of the other one. That still comes out to
8.33 with tax and shipped! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Oh, ok. I thought you meant you got 3 of them for $25 each. Yeah, that was a really good deal then, especially for those models. The ones I got were the Leatherman Kick...one of the crappy-est ones they make. I bought them to sell on eBay and only made like a $2 profit... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

The best deals are yet to come - after Christmas and New Year Day. Some of the stores have decent sales for 4 hours the day after Thanksgiving, and I have scored then as well.

Well, the WalMart near us has stopped selling firearms other than muzzle-loaders. When I asked the Sales-lady about it she said that only the top 100 stores would be selling firearms. Sounds kind of backward to me!

You are a brave soul to go out on Black Friday! I wouldn't face those crowds even if they were giving away leathermans!

In the rural areas, the farm supply stores will run a decent sale. The crowd is not anything like what you will run into at WalMart or any of the other big-name stores. People are actually civil to each other!

I manage fine in the woods without a knife, but it's sort of leaving home without wallet, keys and cell phone. Even if i don't need them all the time i feel naked without them. There is no real need for a knife when building a shelter, starting a fire, digging holes etc. The only time it's hard to manage without a knife is when detailed precision is needed or when what you can find in the woods isn't strong enough to pry, dig, poke etc.

That said, i love my knives and i carry at least one almost all the time. I jump at every opportunity to use them because most cutting-ish tasks are easier and more fun to do with a good knife than with something else.

I went shopping ONCE on Xmas Eve at the mall in Indy. It was HORRIBLE.


Well, it depends on what else you have with you and how long you’ll be in the woods. If you had a lighter or firestarter you could start a fire a make a debris shelter or whatever and spend a night somewhere. If you don’t have a firestarter, or will be in the woods longer, a knife is more important. You could not use a knife, and knapp tools out of flint, but that would just make your work harder. With a knife you could make a bow and drill to start a fire.

If you’re in the woods long term, food is important. You can use a knife to make traps to catch food. You can use a knife to make other tools and weapons. Bows & arrows, slings, atlatas, spears, clubs, bolos, etc. You can make tools like spoons and forks. You can make tools to help you cook your food (spits, holders, etc) . You can use a knife to skin and clean what you catch, fish & game. You can use a knife to split wood in wet or snowy weather to get to the dry heartwood to start a fire in poor weather.

It can also be used for defense in areas where there are large dangerous predatory animals in the woods. A knife is one of the most important, versatile tools you can have in the woods, and it is #1 on my list of most important things to carry in the field.

Peter - I believe most of us feel more comfortable having a knife in the woods, and state of mind is important (not just for survival). It adds to the enjoyment of being outdoors, for the chopping, cutting, prying, etc. opportunities that arise. And many of us subscribe to the adage: "it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it". Tom <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Personally, I think skills are the most important thing that one can posess in the wilderness. They weigh nothing, are easy to transpost, and cost little to acquire.

I collect skills and knowledge about outdoor survival. I don't consider myself an expert, and I never will. I'm just a guy who like being outside whether it be hunting, fishing, kayaking, sailing etc... Still it's fun to know 6 different ways from sunday on starting a fire without matches. Or knowing a type of shelter for each finger you have etc....

Everytime I venure away from civilization I have some type of large fixed blade knife with me. In fact I keep a Ranger RD-7 in the trunk of my car at all times.

Here's the way I see it. In a true survival situation everything is going to have a cost. For the most part these cost are going to be either time, or calories. And if having a knife saves me time so I can collect, gather, or hunt for calories then so be it. If having a knive saves me time fashioning a shelter so I can have more time spent on something else detrimental to my survival then so be it as well.


That's just my two pennies worth.

Jerry

Jerry you sound like Ray Mears! (no bad thing). I am loathe to go hiking without a stout fixed blade as since I saw 'True Romance' the phrase 'it's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it' has been my motto about such things. While if you travel too heavy it wrecks your day out a small strong fixed blade is just too critical a resource to be without (and I can't knap flints worth a [censored]!) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />