I just read through the "All purpose survival knife" thread and it got me thinking. What do you use your knife for? What do you use it for every day? How about camping or hiking? How do you anticipate using it in a survival situation?

Also many people seem to think a big chopper or heavier knife is what they want when they're in survival mode, but they can't carry that everyday. How would you use your everyday knife? Would you improvise a chopping tool if you needed one?

I have a Big knife (Bolo,dogfather) I carry in my BOB and in the trunk of the car plus a 5 inch blade for the "in case". If something goes wrong and I can get to my car, I have a big chopper plus my 5 inch blade, or if I'm at home and a twister, huricane or what have you comes, I grab my BOB and my bolo. Now, if I'm not near either, or can't get near either, then that's where the 5 inch comes in as a backup. The key to survival is your brain. I can jump on a plane, fly to LAX, get off the plane, goto walmart and buy 2 bic lighters for fire, and a machete for $10 to go in the trunk and they even have a 5 inch knife (drop down point)there for $10. I could mail them back when I return or throw them away, but the point is, you know what equipment you need, so when you travel, acquire and dispose as necessary. My big thing is I would like more training in bushcraft which is a invaluable tool worth more wight than gold. Look at all the survival schools and what is all in common, a big knife. There is a reason for it.

AROTC

In my case my every day carry is 2 knifes, The one I use the most is a 3 blade stockman pocket knife carred in my right pocket. My second knife is a swiss army knife carryed in my left pocket, The SAK is the large locking blade type and is called the Rutsack. This knife also has a good sized saw in it which would preclude me from haveing to use a large pice of wood on the straght blade to cut down small trees for making a shelter,or other tools needed during a bad situation. But I must admitt that in my BOB I have a Big Knife, That would be a 51/2 inch USAF Survival Knife for beating on if the job required that.

My knives don't lead very sexy lives.

My EDC is a mini-Rittergrip. It gets used to open mail, open boxes, cut hay twine, cut packaging strap - the heavy stuff, open plastic blister packaging, cut open bags of dog food and oats & bran for the horses, slice bagels, and much more.

When camping I generally bring both my fullsize Rittergrip and my fixed Rittergrip. The folder is used for carving wood - for fun, fire prep, or making "tools", for cutting packaging, cords, rope, and it is sometimes involved in cutting up food, though I'll usually try to use my fixed Rittergrip instead. Recently the fixed Rittergrip did an awsome job at cutting up onions, green peppers, and potatos for a Hungarian goulash - the meat was pre-cubed.

If I'm trying to split larger sticks, I'll use a hand axe and, if needed, batton the hand axe rather than a knife. For the most part I burn smaller lying wood that I can break or cut into suitable lengths with a hand saw.

I can honestly say that I have never had to use my knife during any day hiking or backpacking that I have done. That being said, I would never think of leaving it behind, because I know that when I actually do need to use it, I will REALLY NEED to use it.

I've used my knives a lot on ships for cutting line.

Here at the Academy I find my biggest use is envelopes and boxes.

Even with that history of light knife use, my EDC is either a KaBar Dozier Hunter or the RSK MK1. The RSK is also the knife I choose to take in the woods.

I'm thinking about the fixed Ritter, but with my light knife use I'm having trouble justifying it. And I would hate to get it and not take it hiking because of weight.

Back when I packed my Wave all the time, it was my primary go-to tool for most of my electronics work. I'd say it got used on average a dozen times a day. I used the blade for dressing coax and fiber for fittings, I used the diamond file to sharpen up other items, I used the screwdrivers a lot, I used the pliers for cutting, stripping and crimping wire and as a heat sink.

Now I use my little SAK classic as a personal hygiene tool (fingernails, mustache trimmer, toothpick), or to open plastic bags, cut tape, cut paper, open CD case wrappers, open shrink form plastic wrappers, you get the idea.

In the woods, I've used my bigger knives to field dress game, clean fish, chop kindling and make tinder, make lodgepoles, make skewers, cut rope, you get the idea.

Quite an extreme variance to go from the litle SAK with a one inch blade weighing a couple ounces to the Battle rat with a 9" blade weighing a couple pounds.

I clip a little 1" on-hand locking gerber folder in my right pocket for the everyday cutting, opening tasks that seem to come up. I also carry a swiss "field master" with a little piece of tinder and michmetal clipped to it in my left pocket. this beauty has the scissors, phillips and flathead screwdrivers that I seem to use everyday for one thing or another. using the gerber for everyday cutting leaves the two blades of the fieldmaster razor sharp for backup. also, the straight blade of the gerber can be touched up on my stones to arm shaving keenness in a minute or two. This allows me to do it every couple of nights or so while waiting for the dogs to come in from their evening whiz. I wear a "field vest" (ie. fishing vest) every day with all sorts of goodies in it. I'm not actually too out of place here in NH with it either. Anyway, I have a fixed 4" blade Mora in the inside breast pocket of the vest, so it's always there. I don't use it too often, but sometimes pull it out in the woods to split fire wood, etc.

BTW, when hiking I "throw" my woodmans' pal in the backpack for good measure. I suppose this is major overkill, I could certainly at least ditch the mora to cut some weight. I don't however because it is on me in case I lose the backpack!

My EDC was a SOG Flash-1, but lost it. Not crying much, since I thought it was a POS. Currently it's a Kershaw something or other, 2 inch blade. When I'm not in class, it's often a Benchmade Griptilian.

Like most very little hard use. Mail, the occasional stray string on clothes, cleaning nails. Packages in the mail, cutting up cardboard boxes for recycling. Occasionally I'll use it for something hard. The Griptilian is also my second knife when I'm on any overnight hike, supplementing a SAK.

I never go anywhere without my Leatherman Supertool, plus a diamond sharpener, and use some part of it every day. In my car is a Sven saw and a "boys" sized axe. In my daypack is a Cold Steel Master Hunter. I figure that with those I can do just about anything I might want to, short of building a 1500 sq ft house...

I'm always carrying my Leatherman Squirt P4 micro multitool (pliers). Very well built, very small and light, has all I need to maintain computers at work, and for everyday needs.

Another knife which is very personally crafted, compact, and _truly_ always with me (yes, even in the bathtub!) is my 3/16" long blade thumb-nail. Properly shaped and properly sharpened every other day - it is perfect for opening mail and cardboard/plastic packages, cutting strings and tapes, opening latches in plastic laptop cases (and other electronics) without damaging its finish, and also works as a quick PDA stylus substitution.

My every day carry knives are a Benchmade Griptilian and a SAK Executive. I use these as most of us do to open boxes, cut string, tape, tubing, plastic seals, etc. I work in a laboratory environment. Of I'm outdoors I carry a neck knife, usually one of my own or an A.G. Russell Woodswalker as well as a sheath knife ranging from an old 1930's KA-BAR hollow aluminum handled hunting knife with my own mini kit in the handle. (This knife was made before the way "Rambo" knife craze spawned every cheap knife in the world with a hollow handle.) or possibly something more substantial or lighter depending on where I am and how long I will be out. If I'm camping I invariably have one of my Philippine Bolos as well. I use this for chopping fire wood and other heavy duty jobs. My maxi kit always contains one of these to be used not only for chopping wood but for building shelters, making traps and other improvised equipment out of wood, cutting vines, splitting small logs, butchering game etc.
I have been a knife colector for many years and I choose my carry knives much the same as most men choose their clothes for the day, taking into account necessity, portability, style, and just a feel for a certain knife on any given day.
Kix

I totally agree Falcon,
Look at any serious survival school and the one piece of equipment that they will tell you that you really need and can do the most with is a big substantial chopping knife. If you have this one piece of gear you can make it. All the other tools like multi tools, saws, axes, etc. are nice to have and can extend your repertoir of capapble tasks, but IMHO you simply gotta have the big chopping style knife. There is always one in my vehicle and my bug out kit for this very reason.
I also agree with your plan for unexpected events, go to Wal-mart and get what you need if nothing else is available. The problem is, once an emergency of any magnitude occurs, these are the first things that disappear from the store shelves, taken by all the num-knuts that neglected to prepare. Example: There was a lot of looting in Wal-Mart stars and others after hurricane Katrina. The news showed people taking color TV's and Stereos but the stuff that went first was food, water, tents, batteries and other camping/survival gear like propane cartridges, stoves, ponchos, bug repellent, etc. If it had been a colder environment things like sleeping bags and warm coats would have topped the list.
Kix

Today I used my knife to:

Open several boxes and to go through the plastic and paper wrapping.
Cut open a couple of blister packs.
Cut and pry off excess shims.
Cut through some rope.
Trim off a little wood to smooth out a saw cut

I EDC a LM c301 folder, LM Blast and LM Micra.

Fortunatly for me I convinced my company to puchase a couple of the folding and locking box cutters. I use it at least 10 times a day for various tasks from boxes, rope, bags, packages, etc, so my EDC blades do not take all the extra work abuse.

I also use my knife for peeling apples for my daughter. I imagaine others do that too. My LM has a blade launcher and lots of times people think it is a switchblade. Kind of funny because I get a good chuckle out of people who know nothing about being prepared. Was that cynical?

EDC is also Benchmade Griptilian.

Use it daily for cutting fruit & veggies - depending on what is in season. Yesterday 4 oranges & an apple. Summer time it cuts a lot of garden fresh tomatos - 3 months to go!

I have a large Kershaw fixed blade that is always in my truck. But working in a cubicle behind a desk doesn't require a large knife very often.

Also I have a Gerber Magnum LST Jr in my drawer at work, in my EDC backpack and several at home.

I like to cook & make a lot of stir-frys, salads, etc. so the Benchmade also cuts up a lot of veggies.

I personally carry a very small non-locking Buck pocket knife with a blade around two inches for most everyday tasks. Thats my "gentleman's knife" for peeling oranges, opening packages and cutting string. Its camoflauge for people that aren't comfortable with knives, and I'm not to concerned about losing it since it was a ten dollar knife.

I also wear a small mora around my neck for larger cutting jobs and 'just incase'. Its basically a fix blade pocket knife. It doesn't get used much because I can usually get by with the Buck knife.

Right now I'm experimenting with carrying a large mora, a five inch blade, in a horizonal sheath on my belt. I'm waiting for it to find its own niche or become enought of a hassle to stop carrying it. Its large enough for heavier work, but light enough to carry relatively easily. It'll be mostly for outdoors stuff, making kindling and food prep.

My EDC knife normal uses? Not very exotic: (1) opening bags of horse food when those string-pulls break before you get the bag opened, (2) slicing tomatoes in my lunch bag, (3) cutting various strings and cords. That's about it for routine uses.

When hiking, always accessible in case I have to quickly take down an angry grizzly bear or rabid buffalo, but that hasn't happened yet...

my EDC is an Elephant Toenail..short,with a heavy,wide blade
and a handle you can grip..the big blade is 2 inch by 3/4 inch
and the small one 1 1/4 by 1/2..it drops right into the watch
pocket of my jeans where i don't have to dig for it among the
keys and change..like everyone else it cuts twine..box's fruit.
the Toenail is a rope knife from the days when rope of some
sort was as common on a work site as power tools are today..
camping i carry a lock blade Sod Buster..the Leatherman and
a small Gransfors hand axe are carryed in a "daybag" for
everything else..

I live in an urban area so my everyday carry knife is a large SAK with a locking blade. I use it almost daily for opening letters, opening boxes and small repairs. The SAK seems a pretty good choice for that. I have a Leatherman Wave but don't carry it nearly as often. It has many more functions than a SAK and I love it but most of the time all I need is a knife blade and the one on the Wave just isn't that good.

Outdoors I tend to use a knife a lot more and for heavier tasks. These days it's my Kabar most of the time. It sees a lot of use, mainly carving wood, preparing shelter poles or a walking staff, making fire (with a magnesium firestarter), cutting twine etc. On shorter daytrips I can do most of the chores with a smaller Scandinavian fixed blade or even just my SAK, but on longer trips I really appreciate having a larger sheath knife.

One time when I was stuck in the middle of a steep icy slope I actually had to use my Kabar as an ice pick. I'm glad I carried it that day, I can't imagine getting out of that situation with anything smaller or less robust.