Survival Knife ·Aug 17, 2021

Survival Knife Guide to Batoning

Survival knives are an essential survival tool for anyone who spends time in the wilderness. A survival knife is used to cut through objects that a survivalist would not be able to cut with their bare hands, such as branches and logs. One of the most popular survival knife techniques is batoning wood. If you're going camping or backpacking anytime soon, it's worth taking some time to learn about this technique so you have a better understanding of how your survival knife can help sustain your life when it matters most! This guide will discuss what batoning is and why it's essential, as well as the different methods on how to do it correctly.

What is Batoning?

Batoning is a survival knife technique that is executed by forcefully swinging the survival knife into a log or branch with enough force to split it open. There are many different ways you can baton wood, some of which we will discuss below. The critical thing to remember is that this survival knife technique should only be used as an absolute last resort when your life depends upon using it; otherwise, there's no need for such harsh treatment! The survival knife batoning technique is best used when breaking open small-sized branches because this way, there's less risk of getting stuck inside what you're trying to chop apart (that's just asking for trouble). To execute this survival knife technique, start by making an initial groove on one side of the object using the survival knife. Next, position your survival knife at an angle on the log or branch and use a batoning motion to drive it through the wood, all while applying downward pressure with both hands (one hand on top of the other).

If you're having trouble breaking open this piece of wood using only one swing, try placing your survival knife in another spot closer to where you started working away from any knots that could make things more difficult for yourself. Some people prefer splitting large logs along their grain instead, which is accomplished by starting with a vertical cut halfway down each side of the object before dropping them onto their backsides. So they are lying flat across two rocks or branches that have been placed parallel to one another. From there, work into these incisions and drive your survival knife down through the object until it has split open.

Many different methods can be used to baton wood, as we mentioned before. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages depending upon the survival situation you find yourself stuck in. The wedge and baton technique is great if you need smaller logs or branches broken down into pieces with which to build a fire or construct some type of shelter structure out of sticks. It's also useful if you want to split open very large rounds without having them roll on top of you. To execute the wedge and baton survival knife technique, you start by making a small groove at one end of your log or branch using either your survival knife or some other sharp object like an ax. This cut should be made on the underside of where you plan to chop; this way, when your survival knife strikes it, there won't be any issues with getting stuck in the wood (we hope that makes sense). Once you've created this initial groove just deep enough to expose half of the survival blade, slide another stick into place right behind it, which will act as your "wedge." Then strike down hard on top of both sticks until they split apart!

A survivalist should avoid using this survival knife technique on branches that are too thick or tough to cut into easily as these types of pieces will be much more difficult to break apart than smaller, weaker wood. Also, remember not to baton logs if they have been completely submerged in water because even though cutting one of them would release trapped air pockets inside, which could cause you problems later on, don't risk it! You never know what dangers might await you once you're knee-deep in a body of water; besides, there's no need for such harsh treatment unless absolutely necessary.

Batoning's Purpose

Batoning is a technique that will help you split wood into smaller pieces. This can be useful when building kindling or to access the dry inner portion of wet logs for creating tinder and much more. Batoning is a highly efficient way to split the wood when you don't have a chopper or ax, making it useful in situations where chopping would be difficult. It requires less effort and takes much less time than using the ax because there's no need for accuracy-since all that matters with batoning is striking hard enough to make the blades meet.

Advantages of Batoning

Advantages of Batons are described as giving people more options if they do not happen to bring their axes on coming trips or forget that at home while splitting firewood which can take up valuable energy without proper experience like aiming accurately might require an ax.

Disadvantages of Batoning

The survival knife batoning technique is best used when breaking open small-sized branches because this way, there's less risk of getting stuck inside what you're trying to chop apart (that's just asking for trouble). Batoning is difficult in some situations, so it must be done carefully. To reduce difficulties and knife breakage, a proper batoning technique should be used. To execute this survival knife technique, start by making an initial groove on one side of the object using your survival blade, then slide in another piece that will act as a wedge into that groove behind it before striking down onto both sides at once! It requires more attention and focus than using an ax or other tool but can be extremely useful if done correctly.

Why Knives Break When Batoning

A common cause of knife damage is when the user tries to baton with an incorrect object. This means that wood should be used as a proper form of self-defense only since knives are easier than rock or brick, which you can easily shatter during use. If you want to avoid damaging your blade while practicing survival techniques like this one in case something happens and help doesn't arrive soon enough. The survival knife should be able to cut through wood without any difficulty, so you must choose the right one. The survival knives with thicker blades are also ideal for this purpose because they can withstand harder hits than thinner ones and won't break as easily. Another thing people do that leads to broken survival knives is misusing them while batoning--such as striking too high or low on the object being split at once! It requires more attention and focus than using an ax or other tool but can be extremely useful if done correctly.

Ideal Baton

Using a piece of hardwood is the best tool to use for batoning. Using rocks, bricks, and other tough objects will work, but they could severely damage your knife's spine, which you're using to make this happen. The wood that is best recommended to choose can be found right at home; take any type of plank or branch made out of oak, maple, or ash. Once you have it laid down in front of yourself, debark and smooth off the back by shaving away flakes. Do not shave too much because there won't be enough surface area left where one end touches another while pinching together during impact with whatever material needs splitting apart/cutting through. Then start sanding down both sides until it becomes comfortable when held in your survival knife grip and the spine has a smooth finish. This is unnecessary but will make batoning easier to do with less slipping while also reducing excessive wear of the survival blade, which could slow you down if it's constantly becoming dull or chipping away at pieces during each chop! You should be able to get up into its edge without any problem by doing this simple task before making contact-just like how you would treat ax edges for chopping wood.

Ideal Batoning Knife

The ideal batoning knife should be approximately 2-3 inches longer than the diameter of wood you're trying to go through. If a single versatile blade is what you want, it would be better for you to stick with a longer one as while it might get tricky going through smaller pieces, larger ones will not have any issues being cut down by this type of sharpened metal. The survival knife should have a full tang strength construction with a good grip to it that will not slip away from you. You also want something that will be easy enough for your survival tool belt and sturdy, which this blade has by its weight, but light enough so swinging won't tire you out too fast during an extended project of splitting apart tough material while keeping the edges up!

Choosing the right blade thickness is essential when batoning, but a longer knife makes it easier to work with. If you have a choice between heavy and thin or light and thick blades in your knives, go for thicker ones because they will be better at absorbing shock from strikes on wood, while thinner ones may break easily if struck too hard. Rubber-coated handles can absorb impact shocks well, so choose one of those over other handle materials.

Batoning Knife Recommendations

Batoning is done with nearly any fixed blade knife, so long as the blade can withstand repeated batoning. Full tang knife (where metal extends past the handle) is stronger and will be better for this purpose because they're less likely to be damaged or break than knives without a full tang blade.

Ka-Bar Becker BK 9

A great option would be one made by Ka-Bar through their Becker line because some models are longer than others. It is lightweight yet built strong with aluminum pommel handles, making them ergonomic when held in survival situations where cuts can happen on any part of our body if we're not careful about what's being touched or grabbed onto by us!

ESEE Junglas

The ESEE Junglas is a superior batoning knife for a number of reasons. The blade itself can handle anything you throw at it thanks to its high-quality steel and heat treatment process, but the warranty that comes with this particular model sets ESEE apart from other brands in terms of quality assurance.

Ontario Spec Marine Raider Bowie

If your want a big knife at an affordable price, choose the Ontario SPec Marine Raine Bowie. Its clip point is very aggressive and will completely destroy your baton eventually. The only downside of the steel being cheap is that there will be corrosion on your knife blade eventually from all of the use you'll put into it!

Final Thought

Batoning survival knives is an excellent way to split apart wood in the wild when making fires, building a shelter, or even just for campfire cooking. You'll be able to use your survival knife more often if you have an excellent batoning survival blade by your side! The ideal survival knife should also have a lightweight but heavy design. So it doesn't tire out too quickly while having strong and sturdy edges that won't chip away during each strike against tough material like rocks and logs used for splitting wood or other materials required for survival needs, such as hunting animals down and cutting plants up into pieces to make fire easily among other survival activities.

Choosing the perfect survival knife for batoning can be done by considering blade thickness, the weight of the survival knife itself, and the type of handle material used to make the survival knives you are looking at buying before hitting that buy button. Check out Ape Survival, they have various options of the best survival knives you can choose from!