Dirt time on the 10 c’s of survival

Below is the 10 C’s considered the must have items for any survival situation. Having the items in this list is not enough, knowing how to use them is all important.

The 10 C’s of Survival.

1. Cutting tool (Knife, saw, axe etc.)

2. Combustion tool (Fire starter)

3. Cover (Shelter  from the elements)

4. Container (Water vessel)

5. Cordage (550 cord or bank line)

6.Candle light ( flash light, headlight etc.)

7. Cotton bandana

8. Compass

9. Cargo Tape (Preferably Gorilla duct tape)

10. Canvas needle (A sewing kit would do in a pinch)

So Ill work my way through this list to make sure I actually have all the items on the list. The guru’s of survival recommend you have at least 2 of each one of the 10 C’s. Remember that there are options available to have a specific item cover more than one of the needed C’s. No need to purchase 2 or three of the same item

CUTTING TOOL.

This is considered the most important of the C”s. Without some sort of reliable cutting tool, you will not be able to complete most of the tasks you need to survive. Picking a cutting tool I believe is of personal preference. Looks is not enough. It must be practical and be able to perform all the tasks you will need it for. A search online will give you more than enough choices. No one the same. you will have to decide. Research what the experts recommend. Budget will be a factor. They can range from $5.00 to the hundreds of dollars range. The only advice I have, is know what you will need it for and pick the best one you can afford. Some of the many factors to consider are, The size of the blade, both length and thickness. Full tang, type of steel, handle shape and comfort. Just to start.

Here are my current cutting tools I have available. Some are small and have multi-uses. And some are bigger and may not be convenient for a survival kit. However remember any survivalist, whether a newbie or expert, you should ALWAYS have a cutting tool with you at all times.

Typical uses of your cutting tool.

1. Shelter preparation
2. Cooking
3. Eating utensil
4. Cord cutting
5. Fire preparation. ( wood,tinder, stricker)
6. First aid
7. Food preparation  (Game skinning)
8. Self Defence
9. Wood carving (Making of other tools you may need)

I am sure you can come up with many more uses.

Knives,

1. Browning Model 0225. This is the knife I carry on my belt all the time when out camping.

   

   It is my Go to knife for most of the tasks I want to perform. The handle fits my stubby hand perfectly. Is very comfortable and has the right amount of weight to it.I use it to cook, cut wood (smaller pieces, and can baton it to make bigger pieces of wood smaller).General cutting of cord etc.Reasonable inexpensive it suits my needs perfectly.

2. Camillus Titanium 440. I purchased this knife awhile ago when I first went shopping for camping trips.

   

   Extremely light and sharp its a good general purpose knife. a little on the light side for cutting larger pieces of wood. Great for filleting fish and skinning small game. It is now a backup for the Browning. It fits in my camping emergency bag perfectly.

3. Buck model 726 folding knife. this little guy is normally found in my pocket everyday.

   

   I got it for my emergency day pack. Small compact and extremely sharp. A great addition to my cutting tools.

4. Gerber Dime.Although this is a small multi-tool, it does have 2 small blades on it.

   

    

5. Although small they can still be used for certain cutting tasks. It is one of my multitasker tools for the 10 C’s list.

 

6.       This is my camping axe. It is the CRKT Tomahawk. This is the tool I use for heavy cutting of larger wood.

I have used it to feather wood for fire tinder and also used as a striker for my sparker. Probably the best buy I have made. Keeps me amused while camping, chopping up wood to make a fire. One of my favorite chores of camping.Small enough to hang on your  belt or on my satchel I use for my emergency bag.

7. One other item I carry is a folding saw. most of the experts agree that it is the second most important cutting tool you should have at your disposal. Used for heavy cutting it folds up small enough to fit in my camping emergency bag.

I will be posting videos of me trying out each Knife as a 10C tool. Hopefully nothing bad will happen. My track record for sharp objects is not that great.

Please subscribe to my Blog to get alerts when I upload the videos. If anything it should be amusing.

The novice survivalist

Below is a rough copy of a video I make while camping. I was trying out my Browning knife as a tool to feather wood to light a fire. The correct method would be to have longer “curls” on the end of the stick which would burn longer. The wood available was basically drift wood. Small and very brittle but served the purpose of testing the knife.

Stay tuned I will be posting more dirt time video. Starting a fire using the cutting tools. …Hopefully one will do the job.

The novice survivalist