Self defense for women is a vital consideration for every female’s survival as well as an important part of your “Everyday Carry”. Here are five weapons you need to have with you at all times.
This article was contributed by a female reader of SurvivalCache.com
1. Ninja Spike Keychain (aka“kubotan”) This weapon is intimidating and usually comes 
with an attachment for your key chain. The ninja spike fits perfect in between your fingers as you make a fist. I always grip this spike as I am walking to and from my vehicle. If there is someone up to no good and they see you gripping this weapon, chances are they will pick someone else to prey on. If they don’t happen to notice it and you are attacked, a quick punch in the eye with this will definitely make them let go so that you can flee. In a pinch, you can also grip your largest key between two fingers and use in the same manner, but keys are not as easy to use. The Ninja Spike key chain is perfect for leaving a permanent tattoo on your attacker.
2. Honeycomb Hairbrush by Cold Steel – This is by far one of my favorite weapons! This is
truly a functional hairbrush and it is so innocent looking that no one would ever think that the “brush” part pulls off to reveal a 3 1/2” dagger. This brush is made from Zytel (a stiff nylon fiberglass composite). Keep in mind that this is a dagger meant for stabbing, not a knife used for slashing so you have to have enough strength to thrust this into an attacker. Ladies, this also comes in handy if you get a bad haircut.
3. Paracord Monkey Fist (aka“Monkey Ball”) – The first time I saw this I didn’t know what
to think. It just looked like a cute key chain. Then, I swung it against a counter and realized how much damage this could do. It may look like a toy, but it most certainly is not. The Monkey Fist has a steel ball bearing wrapped in that paracord and would most certainly inflict serious damage if swung at a perpetrator’s head or even body. If you connect with this monkey…someone is going down.
4. Open Assist Knife – This knife will open easily with a quick movement of your thumb as 
opposed to a conventional pocket knife. The ease of only having to use one hand is extremely important should you find yourself in an emergency situation, making this a good choice for an EDC (everyday carry ) This is not a switchblade, as switchblades are illegal in most states. Most states allow you to carry a knife with a blade up to 3”. It is wise to review your local state laws to determine if the knife you plan to carry is legal. Bottom line, when someone sees that you have a knife…they know you mean business and no one wants to get cut. Recommended brands: Spyderco & Emerson
5. MACE, Pepper Spray, (or the hottest) Bear Spray – Most everyone is aware of 
mace/pepper spray. It is one of the most popular self defense items that people purchase because it is non-lethal and you do not have to have direct contact with your assailant. When purchasing mace/pepper spray, make sure you get a good law enforcement or military grade. I recommend UDAP because it is designed to stop Grizzly Bears and any other mammal smaller than 1000 lbs. There are a few states that restrict mace/pepper spray and you can usually find the restrictions on any website that sells it. Hit someone in the eyes with this and you will magically disappear from their view. Not to mention that the cops will not have a hard time finding the attacker, look for the blind guy walking around like Frankenstein.
Let me conclude by saying I personally am a supporter of people carrying handguns and tasers for self defense. This is only to serve as a very introductory article for those who may not currently be carrying any kind of weapon at all. All of these items fit easily into a purse and generally do not require a license or permit to carry. Always ensure that any item you carry for self defense does not conflict with any local regulations.
Visit Our New Survival Gear Store – Forge Survival Supply
Photo credits:
Spyderco Knives
UDAP
Cold Steel Knives
Photo by hearldpost
Leave us a Comment Below
My name is Scott and I run SurvivalCache.com along with the help of several great contributing authors.
You can read more on the
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Just two quick comments:
(1) Any weapon is always better than no weapon. Pick something that you will feel comfortable carrying and thus will have with you at all times.
(2) Humans are a sexually dimorphic species with the males averaging about 10% larger than females on average. This also means that on average men are 21% stronger than females. Males are usually more aggressive and the ones with a "predatory" mindset are also likely used to engaging in fights a lot. Thus regardless of what you might have picked up from various feminist theories that women can do anything men can do as well as men can, you should avoid getting into hand to hand combat situations with males if at all possible. IMHO the things that will probably be most effective for you are those items which will enable you to deal with problems at range. Thus your primary focus should be on firearms, and other devices like tasers and pepper spray. Also realize that tasers and pepper spray are not guaranteed to be 100% effective.
I work as a security guard. I have occasionally had to be pepper sprayed as part of the training that enabled me to carry pepper spray on some of the sites that I worked at. Getting pepper sprayed is no fun at all, but one can still retain a surprising degree of effectiveness after having been sprayed. If you have to use your spray run away as fast as possible *immediately* after you have sprayed your attacker. If your attacker can grapple you it won't matter that he's crying and can't see that well. What will matter is that now he 's seriously torqued at you and probably in the mood to beat you to a bloody pulp.
Almost anytime you have a person who is under the influence of drugs/alcohol they are harder to bring down with physical blows. I have had personal experience with this problem, for some reason whenever I am out at the pool hall/bar people like to try and start fights with me. I don't know why, and I won't attempt to understand some drunk guy's rationale behind trying to start something. However there are some "pressure points" that are, for lack of a better description, "physiological weak points" that work because of the way the human body is "set up". These "weak spots", again from what I have PERSONALLY seen, work on anyone. Drugs/alcohol or even how tough/motivated an attacker is will not matter if you hit them square in the "Adam's apple" with enough force. The result (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME) if enough pressure is applied is the breaking of the "rings" that make up the trachea, this WILL cut off the airway and could easily stop an attack. I don't advocate using this unless it is a life or death situation, because it will SERIOUSLY injure/kill the attacker. There are other "weak spots", but again they are likely to kill rather than injure someone and should only be used in a "him or me" situation.
Thank you for your concern over my use of the "rope-a-dope", this is not the ONLY "technique" I know, it's just my favorite. It's more likely for me (again as a large male) to avoid problems concerning defending myself if the person threatening me inflicts damage. Also I find that it helps to "motivate" me if I receive a few "hard knocks", but this and ANY technique should be used when it is appropriate. If I am in a situation where medical treatment is not easy to obtain, or my friends/family are in danger I will end the threat with as little risk as possible.
I was just saying to study Ali's fighting style because it's rather effective, Lee complimented Ali on his ability to adapt to any situation in the ring.
Actually being able to "rope-a-dope" is really, REALLY good, some styles train for it to get students used to being hit (called body conditioning) so if you were to take formal training you'd already have an edge on sparring partners. To be honest I'd avoid any teacher that doesn't allow you to make contact (obviously they'd have padding/protective gear to prevent serious injury) in some way with your sparring partner just for body conditioning purposes.
Thanks for clearing up the kidney punch thing for me by the way, I almost considered removing it from my optional target list.
Good points! I especially like the "saber-toothed rabbit" thing!
I agree with the idea that situational awareness is the most vital skill you can implement. Why fight if you can avoid the situation entirely?!
i personally agree with you in everything you said. this goes for anyone, if you want to make sure the bad guys can't hurt you go with a projectile weapon. if it was my choice, i would favor either a concealed pistol (of course) or maybe the taser; even though it's technically not a projectile weapon, i know some people who are in law enforcement who say they are not something to mess around with.
as a side note, i also thought the monkey's ball was pretty cool….ouch!
nice comments
, though i am still going to try out for some martial arts classes when possible.
There are a lot of good martial arts to pick from, but you'll have to see what's in your area and then choose from what's available. Given a choice, I would pick something that clearly covers fighting at close quarters, and deals with escaping/defending against grapples. I would *not* recommend Tae Kwon Do, for example. Nearly every fight you face will start at close range, or immediately close in to that range, and your opponent will very likely attempt a grab or knockdown early in the fight – if you can't respond to those common threats, you are in serious trouble. This is why 'sport' karate fails so often on the street – people train to fight at tournament ranges, and starting out facing their opponent.
I live in a large city, so there were plenty of options to pick from, but after some research and watching a demonstration, I chose PTK and have no regrets whatsoever. It works very well for my wife (who is 115 pounds, 5 foot 2 inches tall) as well as for me (230 pounds, 5 foot 10 inches). We both carry knives as part of our normal attire, every day, and we practice with those same knives in our training.
i work at a bar as a bouncer and the single most effective tactic ive found in dealing with a single drunk is the rear naked choke. but that is a different subject than an attack. im having to engage them as a part of my job. but i like it for several reasons, it isnt permanently damaging, its easy, it takes little strength, its fast, and even before fully engaged it is a good starting point to controlling their actions because you are behind them and less vulnerable to a counter attack and your body mass is close to theirs so you can use it more readily to tire them or force them to the ground and into a hold or really anything you need from them. also would say that the situational awareness is a tremendous thing to have, not only to keep yourself safe, but its generally visible when someone has it, and therefore you are doubly less likely to become a victim. you will see things coming, but you will also be seen to be one who will see it coming. fantastic. great article altogether. great comments also.
a couple of weapons not listed that are very effective are the expandable baton, and the tactical flashlight with high lumen output. I'm not a fan of the lights with the knurled edges though as the smooth edge will do the same damage (ask anyone who has shot a high power scoped rifle and got too close to the scope) without the disfigurement that a civil/defense attorney might be all over after the criminal gets out of jail/prison and wants reconstructive surgery because you "purposefully meant to cause disfigurement by going above and beyond just self defense that a pansy judge or jury might fall for. The key to becoming efficient with either of these tools is training and recognizing that the more kit that you carry for defensive/offensive (fighting) purposes, increases your reaction time in responding to a violent encounter and that speed, surprise and violence of action will be needed to overcome your assailant. I'm with Survivalcyclist on the martial arts training issue …
batons or clubs of any kind are prohibited weapons, i.e., illegal to carry, in TX, and likely other states. Even if you have certification and/or a security license, you cannot carry them for self defense on your person or in your car, only on duty. (I am a certified ASP instructor.)
+1 on flashlight training… perfectly legal to carry
So what would you recommend for seniors? I should add, seniors not in the best of shape. I think we as a group, besides children, are the most vulnerable. We practice keeping our keys out as we walk to the car and locking the doors immediately; keeping house doors locked; we have a barky dog who has a fit if ANYONE drives up and sounds like she would love to take your leg off (we are in the country with a very long driveway, off the main road.) We live alone. Sometimes I just feel vulnerable (female, here) when shopping, etc. I don't think either my husband or myself are physically fit enough to learn a marital art. I recently bought my first handgun, but still need to learn to do more than pull the trigger at a target (my son is an excellent shot and was helping me). So what advice do you have for us?
I think a knife is an excellent choice for self defense because it can be deployed quickly with some practice. It can also be used as a kubotan when closed if your not trying to gut an attacker.
Ladies, you might want to look into push knives since the handle is perpendicular to the blade it will be harder to wrestle from your grip.
Just checking back on this thread to find that my previous comment had been deleted.
That's nice. It was only super important, mandatory survivalist reading that I spent a long time composing.
Oh, I spoke out against Krav Maga and the folly of considering a knife in all but the most dire self-defense situations, that must have been it.
Weird, my post seems to be back now. Thanks. Hope someone gets something out of it. That’s the reason we all share our comments here, isn’t it?
SurvingJerry – we never delete comments unless they are "way over the top" offensive. We have had a few cases where comments are attributed to another writer which we think is a glitch in the software that we are working on. Thanks – SurvivalCache Team
I have a kubaton,but don't carry it. I usually carry my monkey fist on my keys,but I seem to have misplaced it….its around here somewhere. Mostly I just keep my keys on a lanaryd, the keys hurt (their fairly hefty for keys), in a pinch I can stab you with them and the lanyard is long enough to be a good soft weapon.
To all those posts about women not being able to defend themselves – if they have the right mindset (most don't) they can. Mess with me and you will lose, mess with my loved ones and you will lose more than just the fight. When I train in martial arts, I do so for fun and because I enjoy it. But I am also sure to learn what does and doesn't work for me against larger opponents, having two giants for brothers doesn't hurt either.
Also it is important to practice improvisation. Use your surroundings, everything is a weapon.
Please! Don't get tooooooo cocky here Miss "mess with me and you will loose". The surprise of an attack by someone with the mindset to even want to attack you can be un-defensable. Good that you are training and that you are preparing yourself for the possibility…but again don't get over confident. As some of these folks have pointed out, watch what you are about…and don't put yourself in a vulnerable position in the first place…
Nice article, good posts. Just one point: Ninja Spike is illeagal to carry or pocess in the state of California. So be aware of your local laws are and carry items that won’t get you in trouble with local LEO / DA.
I think defending yourself in any way is illegal in California .
This is very cool for women ( or anybody ) , I bought my sweety a pepper spray RING . It holds just enough to spray and run away ! We tested it out and then had it recharged , you only get one blast out of it but advantage is , its always on you and there is no fumbling around with it , its always ready ! and is definitely not unexpected .
* expected*
One thing that I wonder why it hasn’t been done , is why they dont put a colored dye in pepper spray so an attacker is more easily found by law enforcement ?
Never carry a weapon that you would not "feel comfortable" having turned against you in a fight. I'm not saying don't carry a weapon, just be aware that if you lose control of said weapon, you could be in for a hurting.
I find it a little disconcerting that everything listed has to do with weapons of self-defense. Most of the time you have little to no time to retrieve those weapons. As with all things, training must be included in your everyday life. The only things which works his hand – to – hand combat skills; and those skills must too be practiced regularly. A palm heel strike to the nose or a strike to the throat with a fist among other things will almost always work. There is a host of things anyone can do to protect themselves without the use of weapons. Weapons do have a place and can be used quiet effectively but only if you train with them regularly. Do not let a weapon give you a false sense of security.
The problem with hand-to-hand combat, as put it, is you must put yourself within striking range of your opponent in order to deliver the blows. Which means, they can reach you just as much as you can reach them (don't even think that if you have longer arms you somehow have an advantage).
Anyone who's spent anytime in the "ring" (or on the mat, etc) should know that there is no guaranteed outcome of any fight and the risk of injury is very real to both sides.
A weapon can help provide distance from your opponent, and relative safety, unless they also have a weapon capable of covering said distance.
You are correct about regular practice. I am not able to train as often as I used to, but I still think I can hold my own, but I also know from experience that I'd rather not fight as much as possible. I think that is one important thing one can learn from martial arts (that includes real, contact sparring… not point fighting or stopping short), the humility that you are not invincible.
I also do somewhat agree about the over reliance on weapons, but if the opponent is armed, your best option is to also be armed.
A cane with a sword inside is a concealed deadly weapon. Carrying it will result in your being arrested, should you try to board a plane or use it in public. I would highly advise against it, but it's your call… check your local, state, and federal laws to be sure.
Push knives often fit the definition of prohibited weapons, check your local and state laws before carrying one.
"I've heard also of teachers using real knives just to get the students to take the training seriously."
Any teacher who uses real knives to train students is guilty of blatant negligence. Should students also use real guns with live ammunition for disarming training, so they will take training more seriously?
If the instruction is good, and the student is not "serious" about training, then the problem is the student, not the tools.