Why I keep the Off Grid Survival Axe in my Car

I consider myself a pretty lucky guy. Things have usually gone my way in life, and I have been in few situations where I really thought I was in bodily danger.  Unfortunately, most of the times I have felt like this were in my truck, far away from home – whether it be in a part of the city I was unfamiliar with after a rock show, or up in the mountains during a hard snow, I have come to learn that keeping essential survival gear in one’s vehicle is a must.  Among the things that have become a staple in my car – in addition to my “get home” backpack – that has an assortment of gear from laminated maps to extra food, water and clothes, is my off grid tools survival axe. Having this in truck cab wherever I go has given me an extra sense of security and peace of mind.

First off, having the OGT axe in the car is the equivalent of having multiple different tools, rather than using up the extra space and weight in my emergency back to separately pack a hatchet, hammer, hex wrenches, a can & bottle opener, and a saw. The amount of space you have in a car is limited of course, so it’s only natural to want to combine as many functionalities into one tool as possible.  While I met the Off Grid Tools team from my blog survivaljunk.com, in my day to day job I am a real estate agent It may come as a surprise, but the average real estate agent has to keep a couple tools on hand when out at client’s homes.   Just this week I went to a client’s home for a new listing and to put my sign in the ground, then I realized I had forgotten a hammer to help pound the sign into the ground.  Then with a slight sigh of relief, I remembered that I had with a slight sigh of relief, I remembered that I had my survival axe and was able to utilize the hammer head to secure my sign without a problem.  

Another great use I found for the Off Grid tools survival axe was that I  was able to utilize it as an impromptu windshield scrapper. It was the beginning of this year’s October and I went to a local bar with my friends one night and took an Uber home (responsible drinking!) The evening rain that night turned into show, and my wet truck was a giant ice tomb in the morning. When I got dropped back off at my truck I was thinking I was in a bad spot – my old ice scraper had broken last year and I had forgotten to buy a new one… then I remembered the axe.  With some good winter gloves I was able to use the axe head to scrape away enough of the ice to be able to drive home.

The OGT axe is also extremely valuable to keep in my truck in case of an accident – the axe has a seatbelt cutting razor blade as well as a sharp metal point on the end that is utilized to smash through a window. In a car accident or any sort of emergency when you need to crawl yourself out of your vehicle (imagine getting run off the road into a  stream or river) seconds are vital  and the ability to be able to free yourself from the situation certainly brings peace of mind for myself. The axe fits nicely between the vehicle’s center console and my driver’s seat, making for instant access in the event that I needed to smash myself out of the cab.

Finally, I keep my survival axe in the car as a means of self-defense. Now, I never condone any act of violence unless it’s in purse self defense, ever.  Unfortunately the world we live in is sometimes a violent place, and there are bad people out there in the world.  My state, Colorado, happens to be the 2nd worst road rage state, and you never know who is next to you out there on the highways and local roads.  A fender bender or a perceived slight sadly has the potential to turn into an encounter where someone wants to beat the crap out of you, or worse.

As I said above, I would never endorse or condone any fighting with someone who’s mad as hell and pounding on your car window wanting to drag you out.  However, I would feel a lot safer knowing I have a tool that could potentially protect me if need be if such a situation were to arise.  

Caleb is a real estate agent in the Denver metro area and writes great articles on all things survival at https://survivaljunk.com/