You Are Your Knife.

All the best planning will still likely result in your experiencing a SHTF event with nothing but your on-person EDC. And of your high tech pocket litter, your knife will be the most important unless the fan is covered in darkness. In that case the knife might be in second place for a few hours. But either way, your knife defines you.

If your blade is a Spyderco Ladybug, you will be able to do everything the Ladybug does well like make small cuts, slice cord and rope, and open boxes and envelopes, keep medium to small-sized bad guys at bay.

However if your EDC happens to be the Benchmade Adamas 275, then you will have almost eight ounces of high power cutting prowess that can withstand 1700 pounds of force before its locking mechanism fails.

But realistically your EDC knife likely falls somewhere in between the Ladybug and the Adamas. Probably with blade between three and four inches in a stout lockback handle. Half of you will have combo edges splitting the cutting real estate between a smooth edge and serrations. Hopefully you are carrying a name-brand blade with of good steel and of proven design.

So what are you if not your knife? You can tell a lot about a person by their choice of knife, and when the SHTF, it will be even more important to judge a book by its edge grind.

I cannot help but feel pity for someone carrying a Rambo blade, you know the knife; huge shiny, big sheath, a real in-your-face blade. And usually with a price tag in the sub-$25 range at the pawn shop. In other words, all show and no go. In fact, the monster blade, unless strapped to the leg of a Seal, Ranger or other Special Operator, is nothing more than a soft steel phallus advertising the owners overall incompetence. Rambo blades are basically an excellent sign that you need to look for intelligence on another planet.

If your EDC knife will be representing you in the event, then the choice you make now might be the most important you ever make. Some preppers have an extensive collection of blades, each with a special purpose; day of wear, or matching grip color, and I'm no different. And all that is fine and dandy, but is the EDC knife you’re carrying right now really the one you would choose if you could only choose one? And if not, why not?

Your skill can make up for some of the limits of your knife, but why give the advantage to fate. Set your minimum standard and then always carry at or above it. 

Personally, I have various blades I carry depending on the maximum I can get away with without attracting undue attention. But no matter what, I always carry as much practical blade as possible. Sometimes that is a Ladybug and sometimes it’s my Adamas, but mostly it’s somewhere in between, again erring on the larger side. By larger, I don't always mean bigger, just better.

Given that an EDC will have double as many things besides a knife, the blade thickness, edge and pry-worthyness need to be considered as well. Although larger or heavier blades will stress the edge of your pocket, I often use the clip the same as an inside-the-waistband holster letting the knife ride just behind my right hip. This carry position is especially useful when wearing shorts or swim trunks for river activities.

You and your knife have one shot at making the best of your relationship, so my advice to you and your fine edged spouse is to make the most of your marriage. 

Hey, is that a Benchmade in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?

Carrry on.

-PP®