Wilderness Survival School

Review of the Chris Caine® Survival Tool

 

Chris Caine is a survival instructor from the United Kingdom. He is well known throughout the country, through his school "Chris Caine Survival". Many years ago he was shown a design by survival legend John "Lofty" Wiseman for a knife. This knife was originally inspired by the Malaysian "Parang", a large blade not unlike a machete, but with a thicker blade and a more robust tip. Over the years he dreamt of this blade, modifying it in his head, on paper and eventually through computer programs with his sister company "Wilderness Essentials". After years of working on the prototype, he went to A.Wright & Sons, one of the last original Sheffield Knifemakers in the UK. Early in 2010, the prototype was completed, and he had in his hands the first "Chris Caine Survival Tool" (CC-STL for short).

 

In 2009 Canadian Bushcraft, the wilderness school I work with, partnered with Wilderness Essentials and Chris Caine Survival to begin teaching their British students here in the Canadian wilderness. While speaking with Chris (and his colleague Matthew Lodge from Wilderness Essentials) the subject of field testing this modified parang in the Canadian backwoods came up. I agreed wholeheartedly to test out the Chris Caine Survival Tool in real outdoor settings, in real situations. After they ironed out the bugs with the first knife (such as changing the brass pins to stainless steel, and upgrading the sheath to tough but flexible 5mm Gun Leather), they sent me the fourth one ever made, and the first one to ever be on North American soil. Needless to say this felt like a historical moment to myself, though most of my friends raise an eyebrow when I compare it to the Armstrong on the Moon.

 

 

I have been curious about handling a parang for many years. I have wielded machetes, goloks (similar to parangs), and even kukris. However the traditional parang had a few worrisome specs. First off many of the traditional parangs simply have rat-tailed tangs. These tangs are heated and bored into the wooden or horn handles, and usually epoxied in. Some are pinned into place, but not all of them. Without such a pin, the blades are in danger of flying out of their handles while in use and becoming deadly projectiles. As well, such tangs are very thin compared to the robust full tangs seen on many Western-made blades. This can break if strenuously used. For the native peoples of the South Pacific, the traditional parang is their lifeline, and they are trained since childhood with these long bladed tools. So it is unlikely that such failures happen often to these blades in their makers' hands. However, for a 6 foot tall Canadian outdoorsman who is known for shattering Nepalese kukris and breaking hundred dollar Swedish axes, I prefer having something more substantial to protect myself and my loved ones while I handle a tool.

 

Chris, with his friends at Wilderness Essentials (Matthew and Robin) and A.Wright & Sons, basically canceled out any of the problems I could conceive a knife like this having. It had a solid full tang, complete with a conscientiously-harvested rosewood handle. The grain of which is selected at the highest standards the knifemaker has. The blade is 5mm thick and made from 75 carbon steel, which has been tempered to a Rockwell hardness rating of 52-54. All of that jargon means that the steel of the knife has high flexibility and strength, all the while leaving the cutting edge both durable and yet easy to sharpen.

 

The traditional parang usually comes with a wooden sheath, which is good to some extent, but can rot or fall apart (as my kukri sheathes all did). Chris opted for 5mm Gun Leather, which is some of the toughest leather you can get for a scabbard. And yet, due to master leatherworkers, the scabbard is comfortable and flexible, contouring to the body and not being a burden to wear. The Snap fasteners on the sheath are designed so that when you pop open the sheath, your fingers are far away from the cutting edge, yet still have control over the removal of the blade.

 

All of this is good in theory. Chris, Matthew and Robin however went a step ahead and began beating around the woods of Great Britain with the CC-STL. Chopping, hacking, peeling and carving their native woods, they felt confident in the tool. But could it survive in the Canadian hinterlands?

 

 

The knife arrived in February 2010, and I immediately put it to work erecting a shelter. Within an hour the entire hut was complete, and the only tool used to build it was the one Chris gave me. From there I began to split different types of wood, from cedar all the way to black spruce. None of which made the Survival Tool struggle. The northern Canadian woods have shorter growing periods than their southern relatives, this means for many species that their grains are much denser, making the wood tougher to cut through. Yes, some southern woods are incredibly tenacious, but anyone who has had to cut a few dozen tamaracks or some Canadian hickory would have to agree there is a close tie. I have to sharpen my axe at least once between each tree I cut down (approximately a 20cm thick tree, not a sapling of course). Even the high end axes -such as my Scandinavian Axe made by Gransfors- have to be touched up between cuttings. The CC-ST was used three weeks straight in the woods, and only needed the occasional swipe of a ceramic rod.

 

I decided to see what it could do for speed one day while harvesting woods for future projects. I chopped through an 18cm Basswood tree in thirty seconds, ripping chunks out as if I was a Lumberjack. I checked the edge. Still sharp, but with such a soft wood that is to be expected. I went on to cut down a 50cm+ thick Black Poplar tree. These trees are tricky, though one of the softer hardwoods, they seem to be finicky to bring down. Within two minutes I had it felled. I checked the edge. Still hair shaving sharp. My eye began to twitch. Ask anyone that knows me well, and they will tell you my blades get put through their paces and I often have to treat them for their bumps and nicks. I take pride in being able to make any so-called unbreakable knife break. Though I don't believe in mistreating your tools, I like to know exactly how much abuse a tool can take. The minute I know what its' breaking point is, that is how far I know I can trust it. This thing didn't dull, and didn't struggle. Now I was just plain irritated.

 

I looked around the woods for a while until one of my colleagues pointed out a pile of wood someone had cut many years before. I was well-seasoned cherry wood. This stuff is known to be full of knots when under 30cm thick. They're also one of the denser woods in the forests south of the Boreal forest. While I was alone (I didn't want witnesses to see what I was about to attempt), I arranged the cherry log how I wanted it. I lifted my arms to the heavens, both hands grasping the handle of the parang. I aimed, closed my eyes in fear (I don't advise closing your eyes while cutting wood) and swung down with enough force that even Thor would be impressed. If I had done this with a machete, I wouldn't have a machete any longer. If I had done it with my granfors axe, I would still be trying to get it out of the log. With one foul swoop I split the entire cherry log in half (well over a metre in length and well over 30cm thick). I checked the edge and cursed whoever invented this thing. Yes, it had dulled, but only by a fraction of what I was hoping. I chopped at the cherry until I reduced it all to kindling. I checked the edge once more. Now it was dull enough for me to actually require sharpening it.

 

This all sounds ridiculous I am sure. Why on earth would a man be angry at how his blade remains sharp? Don't we like our knives being sharp? The main reason for me, was that I needed to see how long it takes to sharpen the knife, and I can't really do that when the knife is still razor sharp, now can I? As well, it was giving me this foreboding feeling. Usually if a knife doesn't dull this quickly, it means the steel is very hard, which means the steel is both brittle and also difficult to sharpen. However, from the abuse I had given it, I knew it was not brittle. Regardless, I still expected to be there for an hour trying to return the edge to close to shaving sharp. Five minutes later I was done. To describe how flabbergasted I was by all of this is truly impossible.

 

The comfort and security of the handle, coupled with the balance of the overall design leaves little doubt in my mind that this knife is an incredible feat of genius, skill and talent. However, to add the durable yet easily maintained cutting edge, the strength of the entire knife, and the comfortable yet tenacious scabbard, and you now have something that cannot be explained in words of any language. Actually maybe in one language. Among many native cultures in Canada and America, the term "Medicine" means many things; health, spiritual energy, helpful items, and power. Some of the greatest Native warriors and chiefs had "Medicine Bows", "Medicine Clubs", "Medicine Horses". Well, after over a month and a half of grueling testing, which included some of the most abusive work any knife I ever owned has experienced, I have come to a simple conclusion.. this is without any exaggeration a "Medicine Knife".

 

By Caleb Musgrove

 

Caleb "Oz" Musgrave is a wilderness skills instructor from Canada, who has practiced Bushcraft and Survival since childhood. Though he no longer just practices but also lives Bushcraft, he still considers himself a student of the field, and never a guru or master.