True Stories about Survival Knives

The review and grylling of the latest BG knife cause me to ask, can any of the members of the forum provide personal experiences in which the Big Survival Knife played an important/crucial role in their survival?

I am definitely skeptical about the value of a BSK, based on my experience, which is primarily in the desert southwest. Reviewing my "adventures" I have several cases where building a fire was extremely important, but I handled that without using a knife. I can think of instances where a larger canteen (or more of them) would have been useful, and situations where a good FAK, primarily an elastic bandage, got me out of the wilderness and back to town. I have just never had one of those moments where I gazed skyward and said, "If only I had brought a bigger knife!"

I certainly find knives useful,and I have EDC'd various Swiss Army models to good advantage for many years. Even now I EDC a Classic along with a Leatherman Wave, and they do get used. I even own some BSKs, but they rarely make the cut when I am selecting gear. They are simply too cumbersome for what they do, IMHO.

So, enlighten me! Let's hear the personal stories where the BSK really made a difference, and, especially, where a lesser implement would have left you in the lurch.

hikermor,
I'll step up to the plate on this one, If you ever traveled to any third world country (which I'm sure you have) and went into the deep jungles of Philippines, shri lanki, Cambodia, panama or south America's amazon you would understand immediately that survival comes very difficult with out a machete, bolo, kurkui or what have you depending on the terrain. There is a reason that kurkui and bolo knives have been dominate through the coarse of time. In the desert,Arizona and places or that nature, there is no reason to need one but if you change your terrain, try getting through down river in the amazon with out a big knife. Even Les shroud and Bear had difficulties managing this (although Bear probably had a lot of help).

You are dealt with thick brush, vines and such notch and to move 2 feet requires you to cut through extremely dense forest. Also a big knife allows you to gather larger amounts of firewood, make building shelters faster with less energy, gives a false sense of security, kills game quicker, the list goes on. It's hard for me to explain until you just do it. Go through a Randle, Jest or some time of survival school in panama, Philippines or what have you and it will open your eyes. Can you survive without a big knife, yes and for that matter you can survive with out a knife period if you have the skills, and I know only a few I can count on my hand and I am not one of them and neither is Les or Bear.

Big knifes have a place in the Jungle where lots of big water bags for the desert. You won't see big water bags in the jungle nor do you see big knifes in the desert.


Ray Mears is one of a few people that could get away with out any knifes or equipment. One of the few people that actually gains weight living off the jungle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrDfkq3NEK4&feature=related

As quoted by Ray Mears, "Without a machete my chances of survival would be slim and a ordinary knife is no substitute"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYl8n6jQ32o&feature=related

As Big Man says 'Don't think wee, think Big'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc6gvyWRkvQ

I have a number of big knives in my collection, but in practice I rarely schlep them around in the great outdoors. I guess I find them too cumbersome for fine work, and too small for heavy work.

As suggested earlier, the practicalities of local terrain and vegetation dictate the most suitable tool. The machete for jungles is a good example, proven over time.

Historically, the most suitable all-around "big knife" for northern forests has proven to be a short axe (24" handle).

In my portable kits, the "big knife" of choice has ended up being a Cold Steel shovel paired with a saw.

I find myself using the pocket knife, and pocket chain saw.
I like a smooth bladed knife so I can carve easier, and make things. For sawing or chopping I use the pocket chain saw or a hatchet.

I have big knives, but have carried them less and less as time goes on.

I agree with Falcon2K, there is a place for all sizes of knives.
When I was in the military I carried a 7in. knife, survival could mean more than shredding firewood.

In my daypack I carry a carbon steel Mora with a blade under 4in. Big enough for most tasks I could encounter. A knife, fixed blade of about 3.5 to 5 inches always with me in the wild.

If going to a jungle area, I like a machete about 12 to 15 inches, a useful tool for shelter building or clearing the trail.

In a heavy forest I consider a saw or an axe, depending on my trip duration/length.

I also carry a Victorinox Farmer SAK, this one has a small saw blade, a heavier blade than a standard SAK and has enough tools for most tasks.

I carry a Leatherman Wave when traveling, in the car and when doing things like cross country skiing. May need the extra tools for a binding issue or...

I seldom rely entirely on a folding knife, as an expert once said, "a folding knife is one that is already broken in the middle". While they are great for easy, light tasks, they are unreliable when it comes to heavier work, such as shelter building, batoning wood, cutting tough materials, etc.

A lot of knife taste is just that, personal taste.

In the military, I carried a Randall or a K-Bar, just cause. Also carried an original Leatherman and a SAK too. Same belt pouch. The belt pouch was everyday wear, the big knives for field use only.

Now I tend to a 5" Gerber, a Leatherman wave and for extreme conditions, a Woodsman Pal. I really need to get either a folding saw or chain saw, but Santa may provide.

I can think of times where I said I was glad to have a sharp knife, but never really wanted a bigger knife that what was on hand.

As I said in the other thread, I rarely see anyone actually carry one of the big blades. I have been known to take a machete as a tool, but I wouldn't call that a survival knife, it's just a machete

But most survival situations happen because you get lost and don't have all your stuff. What's in your pockets?

If you do have all your stuff, then are you in a survival situation or are you just hiking and camping?

As stated above, a big knife is not always required but it does make some tasks easier. We are talking about emergency survival where having over-built, over-engineerd equipment is desired, tempered by weight considerations. Building a log cabin with a Leatherman tool is a Masters thesis (or a stunt)not a survival strategy.
I don't like digging with a knife but I can turn a piece of dead wood into a shovel a lot faster with a big chopper.
It is also faster and easier to split out fire wood to get to the dry center after a 4 day rain.
In snow country a large blade can be useful as a snow knife for shelter building.
Although we don't cut live trees to build shelters much any more, in a true emergency one can turn a spruce tree into a good shelter in minutes with a big knife.
Granted a hatchet will do as well but I find a large knife easier to carry on the belt and fits better in a small survival kit. By "large" I am referring to a range from the 7" bladed K-Bar to a 10" bowie, with a weight range of 16-24 ozs sheath included. To me anything smaller/lighter is a small knife. Anything bigger is a machete or bolo.
You asked for true stories. I have never been in what I consider a true live or die survival situation but there has been a time or two when using a big knife to help get a fire going in wet or extreme cold has probably kept me out of trouble.
Leo

When I practice shelter building I can make a better shelter more quickly with a heavy knife than with a smaller knife. I also think a large knife is easier for most people to use safely than a hatchet or short handled axe. My favorite big blade is my Charlie Ridge Survival knife.

David Enoch

Building shelters is pretty old school. I've done it and Florida has palmetto palms which are prime shelter material. The fronds can easily be woven into a wind and rainproof panel and the panel grouped to form a lean-to or, with enough effort, a comfortable hut.

It used to be popular in the 20s and 30s to create elaborate shelters, camp beds and various accouterments but it went out of fashion as more people got into the woods and the damage became clear to even the the most callous observers. Some early Boyscout jamboree sites still show obvious damage after sixty years.

Constructing a shelter out of saplings and brush isn't often done any more. Even in survival situations. Mostly because there are better options, most emergency shelters center around a tent or tarp which can produce a wind and rainproof shelter in a couple of minutes. You could spend a lot of time and effort building a shelter using vegetation and end up with something half as good as what you could get in two minutes with a tarp. Even lacking a tarp or tent a brush shelter usually doesn't require you to chop anything.

Actually no he would not. He would probably only live a day or two longer than everyone else.
"Slim" it should be understood is classic Brit understatment. After all 99% chance of death does call for a certain amount of class when discussing it.

Note about us Brit's: The more desperate it gets, the more understated we get.

And he makes no bones about keeping a deathgrip on your machete if it goes pear shaped.

I believe it was one of Scott's men, on the ill-fated return from the South Pole, who, ailing and sick, arose and said, "I shall be gone just a little while." Whereupon he exited the tent,out into the storm, and was never seen again.

Talk about a stiff upper lip.....

Interestingly, Scott was mentioned on the radio last night. Yesterday was the anniversary of Amundsen's successful first to the South Pole. They mentioned also the Scott expedition which got to the pole some 35 days later -- and then succumbed to the elements on the return journey.

They mentioned also that the Amundsen expedition killed some of their dogs for food. In the context of this thread I half wonder what knife they used for the task. (shudder)

~~~changing gears~~~

In terms of actual experience with larger knives, I did take a two day survival course last month. I brought along an M7S military survival knife, which is a fairly large knife. I did find it useful in shelter making although I generally don't carry it because of its size and weight.

HJ

I always find humor in a survival knife that isn't carried due to size and weight. Not much of a survival knife if it isn't on your person.

Some off the cuff statistics: 90% of any job is just being there and 90% of real survival knives are folders . . .

Yeah, I was thinking that as I typed my post. However, I do carry that big knife in my car kit, just not on the trail. On the trail, where weight and size are more of an issue, I've been carrying a Kershaw Antelope II which weighs about 5 ounces and some change. Far more manageable than the more than a pound M7S.

I don't doubt that for a minute. The knife you'll carry is the knife you'll use. The "perfect" knife that's in the drawer back home isn't so, well, perfect, is it? I've tried to get real with myself about what I'll consistently carry. I just picked up a Morakniv 840 Clipper which weighs in at 3 ounces and some change. There's very little excuse not to carry a fixed blade when something that light and cheap is available.

HJ

I agree with the knife you always carry will be the one you will use.

One thing to remember is if you are going into a know area that you need a big knife then I would carry one. Basically carry the right tool for the element you go in, I always keep a big chopper in my BOB but not on me.

If you travel in some countries or by ship, train, bus or plane, you will probably not be allowed to carry any knife or in some cases they may have you put it in checked luggage. And when something goes a muk (plane crash,train wreck, ship sink or what have you) it is highly possible you won't have any knife on you and the point would be mute. So, depending on the terrain and country would determine what I carry. I don't need a chopper in the desert but if I go in the jungle I will have one. When traveling I usually have to buy what I need on site than to fool with customs. I haven't been to any country yet where I can't get a knife or lighter on site.

Your right Leigh, but I have to admit the British humor in dangerous situations always amuses me. I think it is a very good trait to keep ones mine always lighten upped.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Oates

And that was the last act of a very brave man who was a dead man - and knew it.

And contrary to what has been written in modern times, Scott was neither stupid or incompetent. Just dreadfully unlucky.

My everyday carry is a Leatherman Charge Ti which gets used 3 to 10 times every day.

The backup in my pocket is a Chris Reeve small Sebenza, which seldom gets used, but when it is needed, it works great.

Both of the above are legal in San Francisco, Oakland, and Modesto; which have restrictive knife laws.

Whenever I go out on the trail, I also carry a BK77, 7" fixed blade, which always seems to get used daily. I have used this to start help build a fire after an un-expected dunking in cold weather.

You looking in my pockets?