# 17th Century Highland Survival



## .matthew. (May 19, 2020)

Quite a nice little overview of the sort of equipment a traveler could use, provided you understand Scottish


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## Brian G Turner (May 20, 2020)

I do like his channel- I'm surprised his videos don't have higher views.


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## .matthew. (May 20, 2020)

Okay, in the interests of having an actual topic - hopefully without channeling a stupid Twitter feed - if your character could only have one of those knives, which would it be? and why...


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## Toby Frost (May 20, 2020)

Well, I think it's a topic in its own right: I learned a lot from that, especially about making fires and keeping dry. Thanks for finding it. That said, I think he'd got for the dirk, just for general (and violent) utility! Actually, I've always wanted to say "machete" in fantasy, because so many cultures have some sort of long, heavy peasant knife like that, but I've had to make do with "falchion", as it sounds a bit too regionally specific.


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## .matthew. (May 20, 2020)

I've always thought falchion was a war sword rather than any form of utility knife. A machete would work for jungle climates but weren't really common in places where there isn't a need to chop through terrain?

The dirk for self defense makes sense but at the same time it losses utility by being more unwieldy. He has another video on the staff and it's uses and I reckon that would be ideal for someone not tending towards violence. It would also have the advantage of not escalating a situation as much as whipping out a foot long dirk


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## -K2- (May 20, 2020)

.matthew. said:


> Okay, in the interests of having an actual topic - hopefully without channeling a stupid Twitter feed - if your character could only have one of those knives, which would it be? and why...



The medium sized one (as shown, not the historical example). First off, from a utility standpoint, food-prep, gutting an animal, skinning it and preparing the skin, it's the only one that is versatile enough, not too small or too large. 

As to defense, it's the best size for fighting...don't buy into longer/heavier/pointier is better. Knife fighting is NOT about slashing and jabbing at range. It's about grappling, using one hand to grasp the assailants weapon hand--and controlling it--while you do your work with yours keeping their free hand from grabbing it. It is also a good size to make a spear tip for hunting or fighting. The dirk might work better for that, yet the short grip and long end makes it more prone to being twisted out of its mount.

Lastly, knives typically are poor choppers...all of those shown very poor. You'd be better served making a stone axe for that.

K2


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## sknox (May 21, 2020)

Somehow in every one of my novels, someone winds up using a "long knife." I never get very specific about its characteristics. It remains just useful enough to serve the plot and to serve the reader's imagination. In my own mind, I think of a Welsh knife or a Bowie knife, though it will morph depending on how much attention I'm paying to it.

Now I think on it, I'd rather focus on a blade's limitations. That comment about an axe clued me. In terms of telling stories, a weapon's deficiencies offer more interesting opportunites, whether it be knife, sword, or whatever. Especially the dreaded Whatever.


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## -K2- (May 21, 2020)

sknox said:


> Now I think on it, I'd rather focus on a blade's limitations. That comment about an axe clued me. In terms of telling stories, a weapon's deficiencies offer more interesting opportunites, whether it be knife, sword, or whatever. Especially the dreaded Whatever.





Spoiler: Off Topic Nonsense



In my story Half-Breed, at one point the protagonist tells a young gunfighter, "he brought the wrong weapon to a knife fight," since they're standing a foot apart. The older guys watching agree, but the youngster says 'she has it backwards,' (the expression). So, she offers a contest, all he has to do is draw on her and he wins, she'll leave. He can't resist, so draws, but becomes frustrated because she swings her hand forward and he raises the gun into her grip (so, leverage, she now controls it). She says, "just shoot and you'll win." He pulls the trigger--nothing--the web of her hand is between the hammer and the frame. Then she raises her 3" blade knife to his throat.

That's how it really is. They say the *vast* majority of gunfights happen within 3'. Anywho, sorry for the off-topic.



K2


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## .matthew. (May 21, 2020)

-K2- said:


> As to defense, it's the best size for fighting...don't buy into longer/heavier/pointier is better. Knife fighting is NOT about slashing and jabbing at range.


But if one party has a literal sword, they could slash and jab out of the range of the knife users grappling 





-K2- said:


> That's how it really is. They say the *vast* majority of gunfights happen within 3'. Anywho, sorry for the off-topic.


At that range you wouldn't try to aim down the barrel though would you? Be more like an old west draw? possibly while stepping backwards if possible?


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## -K2- (May 21, 2020)

@.matthew. ; I'll PM you to not derail the thread further than I have.

K2


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