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Rescue Knife

As we know if for some reason you become suspended in your saddle, harness or RCH you need to free yourself. For discussion lets not discuss other rescue gear. Just the KNIFE you carry. I have a rescue knife they issue Airforce pilots that I have used for many years. Its great but on the heavy side. In light of recent threads on tree hunting deaths lets find some good optionhttps://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/outdoor-recreation/hunting-equipment/hunting-knives/guidesman-reg-operative-trade-folding-knife/pk-15044/p-1444447940036-c-13899.htm for hunters.
As we know if for some reason you become suspended in your saddle, harness or RCH you need to free yourself. For discussion lets not discuss other rescue gear. Just the KNIFE you carry. I have a rescue knife they issue Airforce pilots that I have used for many years. Its great but on the heavy side. In light of recent threads on tree hunting deaths lets find some good option for hunters.
You can clip this knife thru your top molle and lower mollie on your saddle. The knife is cheap, and will work to cut any rope. I never had it come out when climbing. Very inexspensive.
 
Don't take this wrong and I hate to be "that guy", but this is a terrible analogy.

With a skydiver, they're manually cutting away their primary chute in order to deploy a reserve chute. With saddle hunting, what is your reserve that you're cutting your primary towards?

If people are truly hung up on bring something for the "what if", bring trauma shears, not a knife. Trauma shears will cut through webbing, clothing, gloves, hair, etc. that may get sucked up into a belay device but won't cut through your main line. If your only option is to cut your main line without a proper backup under load, reevaluate your position and try again.
It’s the ability to quickly access and manipulate an item with either gross or fine motor skills in an emergency situation. No folding a blade open while upside down. No digging for it in a pocket or wherever it is mounted to. The fewer movements that need to be made, the better. Same with a pistol malfunction, a tourniquet or whatever your profession requires of you to save your own life quickly and properly.
 
all my hunting knives are folders with a big hole in the blade for one handed opening

i'm thinking without a hook....the safest way to cut a rope with a hunting knife might be this, which requires a folder:

shut the rope in the blade by closing the knife with rope inside and with the blade tip pointing away from you, saw back and forth while gripping the blade and handle like you are trying to shut the knife, when you cut through the rope you'll also close the knife in your hand.....this is much easier than trying to toss a blade in the fraction of a second you are falling and should be focused on landing as well as possible (i.e. not on your head)
 
I've been using a folding knife with thumb stud for one-handed opening and has a pocket clip for attachment to my chest pocket. Thankfully, have never had to deploy it. The special purpose hook blade knives mentioned above definitely look like a better option.
 
I think the Benchmade 7 Rescue Hook is an excellent choice for the application.

If you go that route, make sure it can easily fit your rope in the sharpened portion of the hook.

I do think that a short fixed blade knife with a point can be an advantage in certain situations. It's a much more versatile cutting tool - but along with that comes the risk of cutting oneself accidentally, so decide if versatility or safety is your priority and select accordingly.
 
I'm looking for a self-rescue knife so this thread is timely to me. I concur with @LoadedLimbs take and am planning on a fixed blade, carried centerline, either a neck knife or attached somehow to my bino pack. I'm leaning towards a dive knife with a blunt, serrated blade. Dive knives are carried to allow a diver to free himself from underwater entanglements (fishing line, anchor rope, buried cables, whatever). Stainless is less likely to corrode. Serrated blades in the 3"-5" range tend to have good performance on a variety of ropes. Large, 'chunky' handles work well with gloved, frozen, numb hands. Synthetic sheaths are made to be attached to scuba gear or strapped to a thigh or forearm. Seems to check a lot of boxes, now to swing by my local dive shop.
 
Do you wear it around your neck or somewhere else?
I keep it around my neck (the cord on mine has a quick disconnect mechanism, so the rope cannot choke me) and inside my shirt or jacket so that I can get to it with either hand easily. I have also tested going upside down and it has not come out or fallen.
 
I keep it around my neck (the cord on mine has a quick disconnect mechanism, so the rope cannot choke me) and inside my shirt or jacket so that I can get to it with either hand easily. I have also tested going upside down and it has not come out or fallen.

Anyone thinking about neck knife carry of their rescue knife needs to consider if they’ll be able to get to it with one hand in an unplanned fall that may leave them inverted. @Bwhana was wise to test things out to verify. You should too if you choose neck knife carry.

I prefer a fixed carry location near my centerline on my belt. Your mid-section is easily accessible by either hand as long as that arm & hand are not entangled and have a decent range of motion.
 
(the cord on mine has a quick disconnect mechanism, so the rope cannot choke me)
Any neck lanyard I wear is ball chain for that reason. Basic lamp-pull stuff from the hardware store, I figure if I can pull it apart with my hands - and it occasionally breaks on its own - it likely won't strangle me. The breakaway links are nice but what if that part catches in such a way that it's isolated from the part that's chocking me? I've also seen heat-shrink used with paracord to create breakaway failure points in neck lanyards.
 
I have a brand new, super sharp folder from the auto parts store that is always clipped to my saddle. I also always wear a razor sharp fixed blade knife.

However, (and correct me if I’m wrong here) but simply cutting oneself free is deadly. We need a more comprehensive strategy than simply carrying a sharp knife.

I think the better questions might be: have you learned and practiced self rescue? Can you Always access your phone and dial 911? Can you instantly access and implement a secondary fall arrest system (cause I ain’t cutting myself free just to fall to my demise.)? Are you using safe practices in the first place? Etc…
 
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I agree with you, the knife is one tool out of many. For me, I originally started hunting wirh a knife on my belt. Eventually I realized that I really didn't need it until I killed something, and put it in my pack. Now, I want to have one accessible in the unlikely event that I need it in an emergency.
 
I’m not a huge fan of neck knives. I've seen too many people cut their chest during deployment. Also, if your strategy is to use a neck knife for self rescue consider that if youre tangled in ropes, the knife dangling from your neck could be part of that entanglement. Now for an inverted scenario the neck knife is either dangling in your face or hanging below your head. Neither of those scenarios make
For easy deployment.
 
I keep a razor sharp knife in my pocket at all times.
The key for rescue is "razor sharp" .
Under tension you would be shocked how quickly rope, strap etc pops.
1. Razor sharp
2. Easy access
3. One hand deployment
Spyderco, Bencmade, etc...

I also keep a whistle on my pack shoulder strap.

My hunting partner and I do 2 check-in texts.

I am headed to the tree at this location
I am safely in the tree.

If the second text is late in coming.
1. text for conformation
2. I'm on the way if no reply.
 
I never walk out of the house without my Benchmade Freek in my pocket but when hunting I also carry a Wood Steel hunting knife on my hip and a Benchmade Nimravus on the shoulder strap of my pack.

Woody:
218b071a52c63dcd8b90b42af4b8ddfa.png



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