There Was Fire Before 1095 Steel

In this video I respond to a number of arguments that viewers have made about how important it is to have a knife that can be batoned.
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Music: "back in the wood" by audionautix.com

[@nathanadrian7797]

Years ago, I helped a stranger try to recover a Mountain Goat he had shot. Long story short, we got stranded on an island in a very nasty stream, soaked to mid thigh and not prepared to spend the night. He was a smoker but had no lighter or matches, and although he had been a park warden, he did not have the skill to build a fire nor did he know the basics of which tree was which, and he was getting hypothermic fast. I was a kid of about 22, dressed for a Friday night out, except I was packing my custom , expensive, large and very tough knife. I was also a smoker, but my lighter was done and I had no other ignition source. Long story short, I managed to coax a tiny weak little flame from that dead lighter and light a sliver I had carved from a cedar slab. Once that fire was kindled, I didn't touch my knife again, we burnt logs all night and survived by doing the "turn and burn"! Any pocket knife would have done just as good a job as the expensive custom knife I was packing

[@kevinhodgson2085]

If no one ever needed a Swedish torch, why did the Swedes invent it? In fact the Swedes and Finns argue about who invented it. It was invented and used for a reason, and that was a survival reason, not as a backyard trick. Like you say, different forests are different. Your forest has lots of dead standing wood and a nice mixture of all the nice flammable things like birch bark, pine resin and spruce sprigs. Lucky you.

[@KorumEmrys]

I believe this philosophy is somewhat common. Many people who learned forest survival skills learned them in the military. Batoning is displayed as a method to breakdown wood to ease the fire-building process. Many Bushcraft/Survival classes teach batoning as a "technique" to assist in building your fire. I'm not finding either fault or denying value of batoning. I have shared my opinion which is Only In An Absolute "Survival" situation would batoning ever realistically become a necessity if you have neither hatchet nor axe or saw. Is it good to know how to do safe and properly?? Yes, but really over-rated unless your sole intent is to use your knife for something to feel more "rugged" . I love knives and have a few dozen, at least. Do I always carry a knife in the outdoors - woods, desert, hills, etc,.? YES. Do I also carry a hatchet, axe, or saw? Yes. Knives are tools but the right tool is always the better tool..I don't want to hit and pound my knives into wood 🪵 or anything else unnecessarily. Smart Work is rarely working hard in the outdoors... Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon children lived usually Only by knowing all this. Well Done Sir, And Great Points. Use and Keep Your Good Expensive Knives, but don't damage them without 110% necessity!!

[@TheRichtaber]

You will find zero, as in nada, references to batoning in any of the old woodlore books of the 20th century. How did those woodsmen survive? You explained how very well. I think you hit the nail on the head in this video!

[@davidsmith31]

I have camped all my life and collected knives for all my 80 years. Not once have I ever batoned wood, Intuitively, I knew to start a campfire with twigs and add larger pieces as the fire grew. I wouldn't think of pounding on one of my knives. I do bring an axe. Both your fire making videos are top notch. Thank you for them.

[@calholli]

Here's another thing: Why bring flit when you can just carry 3 lighters? I always have lighters, and I'm not a smoker.

[@ibtat2969]

These type of comments just haven't had to opportunity to experience the Canadian bush, eh. The bush is so thick you can't even walk through, not the mention the same thing about the black flies.

[@shawnpatrick1877]

And yet there will be people in these comments with irrational fears that if you don't know how to baton wood, you may literally be lost in the wilderness and die.

[@ianbruce6515]

Some old timers here in Maine have been hunting their whole life--and dress out their deer with a jack knife. When they get it home--they butcher it with kitchen knives. Knives made to carve meat.

[@Anndyinthewoods]

If I head out for the afternoon, I usually carry a knife a saw and a hatchet. If I am spending the night, I swap the hatchet for my axe (we carry the same Garant axe btw). I am a big fan of carry the right tool for the right job but be prepared to work without it if need be. Carrying the equipment is great but you need to bring the knowledge to get things done if you lose or break something during the trip.

[@woodsman132]

I have been a woodsman,trapper, and hunter for 60 years and built a lot of fires and never batoned wood with a knife in my life .

[@qbarnes1893]

Crazy that before social media this topic wouldn’t be an issue....

[@Mortalrigger]

So here in Florida we have absurd amounts of rain, regularly. I grew up having a fire out in the yard pretty much every night, and I never even became aware of the concept of using a knife to baton until sometime around 20 years old. It seems like another potentially useful bit of knowledge to keep in one's head, but definitely not strictly necessary. It's definitely fun to do though, and it's a good way to justify getting a big knife 😅

[@scottnelson9311]

Never in 50 yrs. have I had to batoned firewood. Risks are real when batoning....fingers, hands and an exposed blade, not a good idea. This video is so important.

[@michelplourde5714]

I once saw a native kid, about 10 years old, cutting a log in small pieces by propping up the log on an other, and dropping the largest rock he could lift on it. He did it like it was a daily activity for him, surely his ancestors knowledge at work.

[@MountainGoat69696]

I totally agree with your concepts. I am in Australia and I spent the last 40 years (still do) hunting and hiking off-track for days and I never "batoned" with a knife.

[@alanbierhoff6831]

This is probably my favorite bushcraft video ! I love this presentation. I’ve had this discussion with numerous people throughout my life and I either end up losing my mind or just walking away. You can’t dissuade the indoctrinated lmao

[@genewentz9906]

Excellent video and with alot of common sense added in. What a breath of fresh air!!

[@carrdoug99]

I don't want to get weird, but I love you, man.😄

[@DamianBloodstone]

It all comes down to what my Granddaddy told me years ago. The right tool for the right job. I don't have an axe, but I do have a tomahawk. With a belt knife and my tomahawk with a little piece of flint or quartz, I can start a fire without ever batoning anything. With the tomahawk, I can cut 4" dead trees, but why waste the effort and not just push them over?