I am reading thru survival book after book after book. Some experts say the only knife you will ever need in a true wilderness survival situation is a good solid folder.Then others say you will need both a good folder AND a full tang fixed blade. I have noticed that when I am out in the field, even on extended stays, all I seem to use is my folder or the blade on my leatherman wave. On the other hand I like the idea of having a fixed blade in my pack and carry a cold steel SRK. Then I came acrossed a ka-bar #5055 and liked the weight and size of it. Just curious on everyones take on this knife and the fixed or folder for wilderness survival situations. The weight of my pack is a concern. But have no issues carrying a fixed blade as well if its a "cant make it without it" thing. I am stress testing the seams of my "for the day" pack and dont like the idea of going to a full fledged internal frame backpack for just long day hikes.

i'm more of a pocket knife and hand axe person..but if it had to be just knives i would go for a "tool kit" knife like a SAK
or a basic Leatherman and a one of those big Lapplander knives.
they are thin enought for cutting meat and strong enought for
chopping wood..a full sheath so you don't loose it..when i look for something like a knife i try and get an idea of who really uses it..i would think a deer herder would get the best
all around knife as he really depends on it every day..i guess
i'm thinking "work knife"--not "combat--survival--tactical..ranger..fighting.."...

Well, I never go *anywhere* (other than on commercial aircraft) without a solid folder. But I don't enter the wild without a full tang fixed blade. Not only are fixed blades more reliable (no moving parts to fail), they are much easier on your hands since they are designed for comfort (not compactness).

If I'm hiking/camping/etc I only go with a fixed blade (though I might carry a folder as backup). especially in winter when it's very VERY hard to open a folder with mitts on.

A fixed blade design is inherently more durable and reliable than a folding design. That's not to say there aren't some strong folders out there, nor are they any less capable. It's just that a folding knife is usually a compromise compared to a similar fixed blade. A fixed blade also has the added advantage of usually being easier to clean than a folder, making it better for food prep or dirty jobs.

Therefore, a fixed blade is usually the way to go if you have the ability to safely and legally carry/use one.

Personally, when I can, I like carrying a multi-tool (like my Leatherman Charge) and a fixed blade. The multi-tool does most of the little stuff like a pocket knife would, while the fixed blade does the heavy duty stuff. I also usually carry a small folder like a swiss army knife just as a backup or if I might need to do something that would destroy the knife.

As far as the Kabar goes, they're pretty good knives and a classic design, but not really my favorite for a woods/survival knife. The guard on top gets in the way (though that can be ground down) and I've had the handle fall apart or break (the tang design is the weak part of the knife). I would stick with the SRK, but like I said Kabars are proven field knives, so chances are you wouldn't be disappointed if you really like the design. You could do much worse.

I love a folder but a good fixed blade can't be beat in the thick of things. I EDC a good folder like many here but will carry folding and fixed in the field. It really depends on what you are using the knife to do I guess. For any folding knife as long as you keep to its limits it will work wonders.(just dont push it) I tried using a folder once for a job that I should have used a fixed blade and it folded closed on my fingers. Lesson - buy a folder with the best dammed lock mech you can possible afford, and dont use it to dig

The first order of business is to do away with that misnomer of 'Expert.' lets look at knives, or their history. Man ( and I use the old, classic german linguistic rootword for all of humanity)first hafted a flint or obsidian blade onto a bit of bone or wood with glue and maybe cordage for one reason alone- leverage and improved dexterity with the blade. And he seems to have 'survived' in a far more wild ( lucky twit) world than we ever shall with our toys. He knew his tools, the limits and did not abuse them. If a job needed doing, he knew how to do it. It was later with the onset of metallurgy we could increase the sheer force of leverage via a tang. And guess what? Read the Iliad and old Achilles or Brad Pitt & friends were bending and breaking weapons on a daily basis.Every metallurgical and design advancement seems to be paired with increased demands pushing that envelope of structural failure.Lynne Thompson of Cold Steel stabs the door of a Buick to show how tough his product is. Thats wonderfull, if you can cook a Buick over an ESBIT stove and eat it in a survival situation.If you can step back from all this 'progress' and actually try all the possible tasks called upon for a knife you might be suprised.With a little care and improvisation you can survive with a good folder. Our ancestors did just that with aechulian handaxes for far longer than our much shorter stewardship of the earth.you might not even have to take it out of your pocket, some survival situations being more about good sleeping bags and a canteen of water than the latest Rambo knife.

That is a pretty good dose of perspective.

In choosing my knife tools, I look to folks who use their's on a regular basis and see what it is they grab. In my case, that was soldiers in Iraq, especially the mid-grade to senior enlisted fellows. These guys did use their knives daily. The most used tool was a multi-tool, which makes a lot of sense to me, and is corroborated well watching Old Man Stroud sporting his on nearly ever episode.

After that, what was carried depended on typical usage, ranging from the tough as nails Busse fixed blades, to Cold Steel SRKs, to Ka-Bar Desert Mule folders. You did not see many of the senior enlisted with issue Ka-Bar fixed blade knives. The Px would stock SRKs and they would sell out of them often. As I've no real civilian comparison for toting fixed blades in public, and only a limited amount for larger folders, I would say that for those two categories you find something you like, can afford, and makes you happy.

The higher priority, then is on obtaining a good multi tool as your primary carry/survival knife tool. In fact, I used to tote and use mine daily for the work I did prior to going to Iraq, and I would not want to be without it. That, from all I've observed and experienced, is my most unexpert recommendation. In a pinch, heck I'd settle for a good chunk of broken glass or cracked stone if that's all there was.

Not a Ka-Bar, but I've had this knife since the early 1980s when I bought it new. I always have it with me attached to my SAR pack. It's one of those useful and inexpensive knives that I'm not afraid to use and abuse in the field from cutting to chopping.

I carry folders with me all the time, including a multi-tool. But when i really think I might need a knife itself, I'd prefer to have a fixed blade hanging on my belt. When I went to sea, carrying a fixed blade in asheath was a fineable offense (old regulation to keep sailors for killing each other). I still carried one. It was much nicer to be able to just reach for it and pull it out ready to go. I really like the strength of a fixed balde and the ease of operation.

I carry the multi-tool all the time, but I also usually EDC another cheap folder that has only one blade. When I need to pull a blade and cut something, it's much nicer to pull out that cheap folder than to have to fiddle to find the right blade in my multi-tool.