Ask 50 people what kind of knife you should carry and you'll get 50 different answers. I have an Al Mar S.E.R.E. which I carry all the time, but couldn't sharpen if you gave me a thousand dollars. For this reason, even though it's a great knife, it's for "Emergency Use only." When I get on the train to work every morning, I have a knapsack with, among other things, a Mora (Swedish) fixed blade 4" knife. It's carbon steel, pretty easy to keep in working order, but about as basic as it gets. I got the idea from Cody Lundin's book: "98.6 - The Art of Keeping Your A** Alive."

Everybody has an opinion on this. If you don't believe me, go to a gun/survival/knife show sometime and just ask. Twenty minutes later...

Carbon vs. stainless, fixed vs. folder, guard / no guard, sabre ground, hollow ground, tanto, gotta be big enough to cut down a small tree, small enough to wear around your neck...Geez, it's making me crazy!

Then add the legalities of "Urban Survival" to the mix. Carrying a knive in the Big City has adds a whole new layer of complexity: "Ah, yeah, officer, I just keep this around in case we get E.M.P.'d and I have to walk thirty miles home."

I hesitate to ask, but what are your thoughts?