A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Thursday 12 November 2009

18th Century Wilderness Survival.

Author's Tomahawk & Hunting Knife.





When choosing the equipment you need to participate in 18th century Historical Trekking it is important to take into account what is actually required in regards to survival and not just a matter of fulfilling your persona's historical needs. A militia man or woodsman/woodswoman needs to carry a hunting knife and a tomahawk or hatchet. Just make sure it is of the correct type to actually help you survive if you ever find yourself in a survival situation.

I have seen a lot of so called survival knives in my time, some just ordinary knives of personal choice, usually with short blades. I don't think people put enough thought into the gear that they use, and the knife is one of the more important items.
The knife is made for cutting and stabbing, it is not made to chop wood! You carry a hatchet or tomahawk for cutting wood, but you can use a good hatchet or tomahawk for dressing game.
In a situation where all you have is your knife, then it must be used as a hunting tool. The best way to do this is to secure your knife to a haft to make a stabbing spear. IF you are good at stalking you can get close enough to an animal to stab it with your knife on this haft. If you are not so good at stalking or for other reasons are unable to stalk, then you can lay in wait on a well used trail.
A short narrow bladed knife is not as good as a longer broader blade for this use, and a survival knife with serations/teeth on the back of the blade is likely to get snagged on a rib and get pulled right out of your hands if the animal bolts. Cross bars on the tang will restrict the depth at which you can sink the knife, the same way a blade narrower than the handle will.
I can hunt and butcher game with both my knife and my tomahawk. It pays to think hard about the equipment you carry.


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