The Swiss Army Knife has to be one of the most underrated pieces of gear out there today.
Knife lover or not, there’s a good chance that you own one, whether you religiously EDC one, leave one in a bug out bag, or you remembered you had one in your sock drawer from way back when.
The best part about these pocket knives is how relatively accessible they are. Swiss army knives can be easily found and purchased at many stores, from sporting goods to Walmart. These multi-tool knives are high value, but inexpensive.
What makes this little multi-tool so great?
A knife saying to live by is, “Two is one and one is none” when being prepared for a survival situation, being self-reliant, or just hitting the trail for the day.
So what does this saying really mean? It shows that being reliant on only one knife when presented with a survival situation can potentially lead to losing the ability to use your cutting tool if it gets damaged or lost, and now you have a problem!
Perfect Back up Knife
Having a smaller back-up knife paired with a bigger blade will save the edge and overall life on your larger blade when sharpening is not an option at that point in time. Most of you will agree that this is not a new concept in the survival community.
This is where the multi-purpose of the Swiss Army Knife comes in; compact, lightweight, and inexpensive qualities of the Swiss Army Knife make it a sure fire back up that is easily integrated into any kit or system.
Now, to go over all the features of every tool and their specifications would take an eternity, so instead I’ll highlight some of what I consider to be some of the multi-purpose tools within the Swiss Army Knife.
What I like about the tools in a Swiss Army Knife:
Saw
The first tool (and my personal favorite) is the saw. The saw does a great job at fire board notching, small wood processing tasks, and using the spine of the saw to strike a Ferro rod.
Large Knife
The second tool and one of the most important is the large knife. This knife holds great importance as a secondary blade to accompany your regular knife and prolong the edge and life of that blade in a survival situation. This blade is fantastic for food preparation, small carving tasks, feather sticks, making tent pegs (when paired with the saw), and even processing game.
Large Scissors
The third tool, the large scissors, holds great importance from a first aid standpoint. These make a useful and first aid friendly approach to precision cutting as well as general cutting of medical supplies. The scissors are also helpful when trying to refine small projects that require precise cutting on hard to reach areas.
Screwdrivers
Finally, a tool not to look past is the good ol’ screwdrivers. Not only are they fully capable of popping the top to your favorite beer (which they are great for!), but they serve to help maintain and take apart outdoor tools and gear when necessary.
The Swiss Army Knife is one of the most iconic tools on the planet.
It has served the test of time, so why do we look past it?
The simple answer to this question in short is that it's not cutting-edge technology, built with space age materials. There is a large hype over specialty tools with all kinds of lightweight polymers and specialty steels that cost outrageous prices. (I cannot lie. I fall into this hype all the time)
Although there is nothing wrong with technological advances in gear, we often overlook a marvelous and fully capable tool that tends to receive less attention than the specialty multi-tools that cost an arm and a leg.
So what if the steel isn’t S30V?
The steel in the tools of a Swiss Army Knife will continue to retain a good edge that can quickly become sharp again after a swift strop of the handy leather belt you’re wearing.
So what if the handle scales are plastic instead of G-10?
They are light and the use of this material helps keep the cost of the tool low.
What tool is even better than a Swiss Army Knife? Click here to find out!
