When you need something sharp for your survival kit, look no further than SOG. From hacking through the jungle to packing an entire toolbox in your pocket, we pick the right tool for the job.
By now you’re hopefully becoming comfortable with the idea that owning a knife is not just a good idea generally, but it’s an absolutely essential part of preparing a survival bag . When I talk about survival, most often I’m talking about some end of the world, you’re stuck out in the woods stuff — if you’re prepared for the worst, anything less than that is a piece of cake.
That said, like always, forethought is key. Do you live near the woods? The desert? What kind of terrain will you be covering? If you’re going hiking, this may be completely different than where you live. A trip to Alaska is the polar opposite of a trip to Australia – literally and figuratively.
Only you know which tool will best suit your needs – and if you’ve got the cash you might be interested in buying lots of tools for lots of situations. That’s the camp I fall into. In my never ending quest to find the best, brightest and sharpest, I decided to give SOG , a well-known knife manufacturer, a test and found three units I absolutely adore.
SOG Powerlock Multitool
My first experience with anything SOG was a multitool gifted to me by my Uncle, who had a few Army surplus units. I kept that multitool around for years (okay, actually I still have it sitting on my desk) and it was one of the finest I had used. It was compact and light, but had just about everything I needed in it.
About a decade later and SOG is still at the top of the multitool game with their SOG Powerlock . It’s a good bit heftier than my last multitool, but that’s what happens when you cram it with features. The Powerlock features a thick pair of scissors, a myriad of screw driver heads, bottle and can openers, a file, needle point, half serated knife, needle nose pliars, wire cutters, ruler, blade covers, and a locking/release mechanism. Also of note is the double toothed saw, said to cut twice as fast as most pocket saws and the compound leverage gears, which effectively double your gripping and cutting power over normal multitools.
The smooth acting gears allow for one handed opening with a flick of the wrist, and the durable unit comes with pouch/belt clip combo for ease of carrying around. A multitool is a great thing to carry everyday to handle a variety of situations, but when you’re creating a survival bag , you should save some space for something like this – it has a dozen specified uses and who knows how many improvisational ones.
The Jungle Primitive
Straddling the line between knife and machete, at first look the Jungle Primitive conjures images of Rambo and lush jungles. With a blade 9.5″ long and a total length surpassing 15R...