When preparing for a camping trip, packing a high-quality automatic knife is nearly always advised. But as many individuals go camping without ever using a knife, especially when staying on modern campgrounds, they may wonder why knives are so important in the wild. As it turns out, automatic knives have a wide array of uses and can be incredibly helpful in a number of different situations, here are just some of the many reasons why they might be important to you as well:
Preparing food
While it might not be the intended purpose of an automatic knife, it can be a brilliant cooking tool when camping. These knives can be used for cutting meat and vegetables you’ve brought from home, as well as hunting, cleaning, and gutting if you’re in a survival situation or simply plan on hunting your food. Automatic knives can also be used for making cooking implements such as skewers and roasting forks, thus making them quite a handy tool if you’d like to cook over an open flame. Regardless of the situation, a good knife is essential for preparing and cooking your food.
Starting a fire
Whether it’s for food preparation or for staying warm, chances are high you will be making a fire on your camping trip, and good knives can be of great help here as well. A knife will enable you to cut down and chop wood easily for starting a fire with another implement. But in case of emergency or any other instance where you need to turn to primitive fire creation, a knife can truly be crucial. This tool will help you make a fire plow, a bow drill, and any other useful piece of wood that can create friction and start a fire.
Making a shelter
As long as they’re tough, durable, and well made, the best automatic knives can be quite helpful when it comes to making a shelter. They are essential for cutting ropes down to the proper length, both in survival situations when you need to lash ropes to make a shelter or a raft, and in traditional settings when you have to put up a tent or a hammock. Similarly, a knife will be needed when cutting vines and whittling away at branches, which can then be tightly bound together in order to create a base for any type of shelter.
Making tools
As already mentioned, automatic knives can be used for creating cooking and fire-starting utensils. But depending on your knowledge and skill level, there are a wide array of different tools that can be made simply by knowing your way around a knife. For example, if you ever need to create weapons or other types of tools when camping, a high-quality knife will be crucial for making traps and snares for smaller animals or sharpening wood in an effort to make hunting arrows or spears for fishing.
Fixing gear
When you go camping, you will likely need to bring plenty of gear and equipment that’s necessary for your trip. Although it doesn’t happen often, there is a chance that a screw will come loose, a cord will snap, a zip will get stuck, etc. When these smaller issues do happen, a good knife can be invaluable for fixing them. It might be a bit more tricky and take more time, but it is possible to fix a number of different issues using the right knife, and it sure beats carrying a set of tools around during outdoor trips.
Self-defense
Even though it’s not recommended to rely on a knife for this purpose, they can be used for self-defense as well. Running away and finding secure shelter is always advised, but if you need to defend yourself from dangerous animals or even other people who wish you harm, an automatic knife can serve as an additional layer of protection in those instances. However, it’s important to remember that knives can be just as dangerous to you if you don’t know how to handle them properly, so be particularly careful if you have no previous experience or training in this form of self-defense.
The uses mentioned above are just some of the many different ways a quality knife can be utilized when camping. Clearly being a helpful and versatile tool, there’s truly no reason not to carry it on every outdoor trip.
