Having a knife along as a part of you emergency pack is very important. Having the right knife makes all the difference. With the multi-tools that are available today the knife has become much more than just a sharp blade. Even if you wear a multi-tool on your belt I highly recommend that you also have one that says with your pack. Leatherman started the multi-tool craze and a multitude of knife manufactures have followed with there own version of the same. BE SURE TO GET A GOOD ONE. A cheep knife is almost as bad as no knife at all.
The multi tool provides a few important tools;
- A sharp blade (Some times more than one) It is best to have a blade that locks.
- Pliers which can be used for a wide assortment of things.
- Can opener for if you have canned foods.
- Some have a wood saw
- as well as other tools.
The 2 most important items are a GOOD SHARP blade and a good set of pliers. If you can get a tool with 2 blades that is even better. Some tools have a serrated blade as well as a normal blade.
The Gerber Multi-Plier 400 makes a good emergency pack knife
The Leatherman Kick makes for a lightweight knife with the basic essentials
My Bug Out Bagz pack came with a knife the I find fairly useless as en emergency pack knife. The Victorinox Rescue Tool is well suited as an addition to rescue gear or to carry in you vehicle but it is heavy and lacks the advantage of pliers that a multi tool will have.
Victorinox Rescue Tool