OK..you have all those knives and have to make a dash
for it with just one and the clothes on you back--


a Blackjack copy of a classic Randall Hunter

Mora Survival knife in a plastic sheath

US Divers work knife with saw back

"Camp" folder with spoon,fork,blades and tools

$9.99 "Rambo knife

Swiss Army pocket knife

Leatherman tool

OK..just take a second--off with just one of those..lets say
Northwoods kind of place because thats my stomping grounds.
this time of year with a change in the weather..
and to make things easy lets say a rescue in less that a
month....a little music here....trembeling hand..sweat
on brow..........OK---it's a trick question---




The Rambo Knife...because it has matches in the
handle---and if you can make a fire everything else
is gravy..
the backstory----i found that knife stuck in a tree
on the backwaters of the St Croix River in Minnesota
where someone had forgot it after butchering a deer..
a very small deer..i found the bone pile next to the
tree and the bones were very small..the knife had been
there all winter--i took it home and tossed it in a
junk box to use as a prop for some "how to canoe camp"
talks i had been giving to BSA troops..what a hunk
of junk--bottle opener!!!--that will be real handy..
HA--HA..then one day i had a good look at it..
hummmmm..the top screws off....well..well there
is stuff in here..fishing kit..cable saw---MATCHES--
well the joke is on me..with the other knifes all
i could do is chop--cut--bend--screw--punch holes---
with this baby i could make a fire ASAP....
i was going to add a clever moral to this story but
the only thing that comes to mind is ?????
anyone---????....

If "clothes on your back" includes the stuff always in my pockets, I can take a better knife (I kinda like the Blackjack copy, altho I would prefer a real Randall, just for the panache), and still make fire...

I'm with OBG. I can make fire knife or no knife. To select from the list given I'd take the Mora hands down.

I think "Knives to Avoid", here on the ETS site says it all regarding most of those "Rambo" style knives. Especially the part about the loss of this type of knife means that you've also lost your PSK.

What you failed to note was the hunter's bones a few hundred yards down the trail. Kidding.

"...loss of this type of knife means that you've also lost your PSK..."

True. But then, loss of your knife is a really bad thing, no matter what...

You're assuming he forgot it rather than leaving it behind on purpose The only knife in that class I'd carry is a CRK Shadow III because even without the stuff inside it's still a very solid knife.

Instead, I have had ferro rod pockets added on sheaths for a couple of my fairly conventional custom blades. One sheath accepts a large Army model on the front and the other has a small pocket for a 2" x 1/8" ferro rod on the back of the sheath where it's better protected.

Call me crazy, but I'd grab the Swiss Army Knife. It's the type of knife that I've been collecting and using for years and years. I'm just more familiar with them and it would be easier and more comfortable, for me, at least, to use in a true survival situation. I would make some type of a brightly-colored lanyard, though, to further prevent it from being lost...

I guess it also depends on which SAK and which Leatherman. I'd take a good fixed blade over a small SAK which likely only has 2 small non locking blades and a can opener that's of any use...though given the right situation a can opener is just as likely to be a life saver.

I'm with OBG,
My pants already contain a solid knife, tinder, a Hot Spark and Photon.
So maybe I would take the Mora as it is a serviceable fix blade.
The Rambo knife may have some other stuff inside but it is probably as trust worthy as the knife itself. Since I don't need matches; by the way is there a striker included?

As far as can openers; how many cans of beans has anyone found in the wild?
I guess it is our roots to Hansel and Gretel and the thought that we definitely come across a cabin in the wilds.
If I found a can I can definitely open it with either my EDC (ouch) or the trusty Mora. Then I can sharpen the Mora on a rock.

If we're talking which of those specific knives, then I'd take the Randall wannabe because I have a ferro-rod, SAK (in my Mission Wallet with a Peak 1xAAA LED light, Leatherman Squirt and pieces of DR's PSP) and locking folder as EDC now. I'd go with the bigger blade just to have something for bigger jobs. The Randall Model 1 is a pretty solid knife, hopefully the Black Jack clone will also be a good piece of steel.