Outdoor Life Prepare for Anything Survival Manual (46 page)

Many people carry a knife thinking it ups their chances for survival in, well, a knife fight. But movies about gangs aside, chances are slim that you’ll be cornered in an alley by a handful of knife-wielding thugs looking for a rumble. Knife cultures are rare, and if you do find yourself in a knife fight, you’ll probably only realize it after you’ve been stabbed.

In most cases, you won’t have time to draw your knife. Someone armed with a knife is unlikely to give you time to level the playing field, so go with a sheath knife if you must carry one. You’ll eliminate the steps of unfolding or extracting the blade. While you’re at it, spend time practicing your quick draw.

Don’t think of it as a “fight” at all. When was the last time you saw a news story about two hombres going at it with blades? Fights escalate. You don’t want to be the guy expecting a knife fight against a guy with a club or a gun. If a knife is your best option, you’d better know it fast and act before your adversary has a chance to reveal his weapon of choice.

Last, there’s always a better option than going with a knife for self-defense. Your opponent will attack unpredictably. Even if you “win,” you’ll more than likely emerge with some bad injuries yourself. Depending on the context, these wounds could spell the end of your survival efforts. Most knife-fighting techniques evolved from martial arts. Unless you’re equally proficient in that art, your best defense is running away as fast as you can.

Whether you need to hunt for food or fend off post-apocalyptic barbarian hordes, a bow is a good, versatile weapon and tool. Building a simple wooden longbow takes a fair amount of know-how, but with these directions and a length of PVC pipe, you can improvise a bow with a draw of up to 60 pounds (27 kg).

STEP 1
Cut the ends of the PVC pipe at about a 30-degree angle (tilting toward each other) and sand smooth.

STEP 2
Mark the two fiberglass rods at about 11/8 inch (3 cm), and tape them together with athletic tape, leaving just the measured length of each rod sticking out of the tape. Feed the rods into the PVC pipe; the marked length should be showing at each end.

STEP 3
Cut two 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces from the 5/8-inch (1.5-cm) heater hose, and punch a hole through both sides midway. Put a hose piece on each end of the fiberglass rods to act as a protector for your bow string.

STEP 4
String your bow by hooking one end of your bow string over the fiberglass rod sticking out of one end of the pipe, bending the bow slowly, and slipping the other end of the bow string onto the other fiberglass rod tip. Be sure the rubber heater hose protects the string from fraying against the pipe.

STEP 5
Mark the center of the bow and wrap the handle in self-adhering medical wrap to improve your grip. Mark the middle of the string to locate where the arrow will be nocked. Cover the bow in tape or paint to protect from wear.

Now that you have a bow, you still need ammunition, and that means making your own arrows. You’ll need strong wooden shafts to safely accommodate the bow’s draw, but with a little work and the right supplies, you’ll be on your way to being an urban ranger.

STEP 1
Cut three pieces of duct tape about 11/2 inches (4 cm) wide by 4 inches (10 cm) long. Fold each piece in half, leaving a total of about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) wide open at the bottom or 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) from each side.

STEP 2
Attach tape to dowel with these flaps, about 11/2 inches (4 cm) behind the end of the dowel, evenly spaced around the shaft. Trim the pieces of tape into triangles or shield shapes to make fletchings. Wrap a bit of the fletching ends in electrical tape so they bend against the shaft, to stabilize.

STEP 3
Cut a 1/4-inch- (0.6-cm-) deep notch on the back of the wooden dowel (about half that wide at the most) to make a nock for your arrow, with one fletching perpendicular to it. Sand the wood.

STEP 4
Cut arrowheads from sheet metal in about a 1-inch- (2.5-cm-) wide by 2-inch- (5-cm-) long triangle. Cut a notch into the front of the arrow shaft and sand smooth and round. Slide arrowhead into place and secure with epoxy.

STEP 5
Sharpen arrowhead edges and coat wood in varnish or beeswax.