Best survival/ hunting knife?

I'm new to this forum and have tried to search for this topic. But just wandering what y'all's thoughts are on the best survival knife,the USMC fighting knife from K-Bar is one of the best and time tested from what iv heard...

You are guaranteed to get some responses on this topic; there are quite a few threads that discuss knives and there are some pretty good ones offered for sale on the ETS home page. The Kabar is certainly a classic.

I think the best knife is one you feel comfortable with, and the one with which you are familiar. The need for a knife depends greatly upon the circumstances and the situation and its duration. Very often the means for lighting a fire and/or the means for signalling (signal mirror) will be more important than a cutting instrument. Sometimes a knife will be all important - I don't know if this is true or not, but I have hear the Ka-Bar was developed so that a downed pilot would have the ability to cut himself out of the fuselage of a crashed aircraft.

I am quite happy with my Wave multitool; I would be almost as well off with a good SAK.

I think you're mistaken on this unless it was a first-revision of pilot survival kit in the 1930's.

Pilot survival knives with sawtooth spines have been around for less time than the Ka-Bar. They are shorter which would make them more liveable in the crowded cockpit environment.

"Best knife" - sounds like an innocuous question but them could be fightin' words :-)

Best for WHAT?

For dayhiking I carry an Ontario Spec-Plus Pilot Survival knife.(I tried carrying a Ka-Bar for hiking for awhile. Darn thing is too long.)

For my BoBs I have folding Buck hunting knives.(plastic handles, stainless blades)

For my pocket at work I have a 1" long SAK (and it's against the rules to have it - Security is concerned that someone will hijack the building).

For peeling old paint and caulking off the house before re-caulking and painting I have a nice Case folding hunting knife I found while out 4wheeling one year.(the knife is way overqualified for this but it works well)

I'm sure that none of them is "the best" for the applications.

I've never skinned an animal so I don't know about the "hunting knife" usage.

Welcome to ETS robbiejoe111!

For a knife to be effective, first and foremost you need to have it with you. The Ka-Bar is undoubtedly a great knife, but some people may find it on the heavy side for their needs.

For a smaller fixed blade, I think pretty highly of the Mora line, especially the stainless Companion. For a larger knife, I'm very fond of my RSK Mk2. That's not to say that there aren't other great knives out there, these are just ones that work well for me.

I have a couple of the CRKT Sting knifes.. these have a quick release Zytel sheath, are made from solid 1050 Carbon Steel. They are razor sharp and indestructible... and I rarely use them unless I am out hiking etc.

My everyday carry? A leatherman Wingman. Sharp knife, great pliers and a basic phillips and straight screwdriver along with a few other goodies. I use this thing practically every day, and it's one thing I would seriously make a special trip out to Bass-Pro to replace if I ever lost it.

Ka-bar makes a very good knife, but I would take a look at the CRKT family of knives. Also, as a pocket knife I also like the Tanto Flash II series of knives by SOG. I don't own one (yet), but I'm going to pick one up sometime this year.

Do you have experience with survival (perhaps a survival class) or with hunting? The tasks that your skills allow you to do may determine what constitutes the "best" knife for you. It's really hard to tell just by looking at knives unless you have experience and knowledge. Manliness isn't a good test of knife quality, I'm afraid.

The same is true also of fighting knives. So many knives that are being sold as "fighting" or "tactical" knives are, as far as I can tell, complete junk. If you train in a good martial art, you'll soon discover that you're going to gravitate towards something that doesn't look Rambo-esque at all, or you're going to end up with a specialized-looking tool, depending on your fighting techniques.

With that said, I am fond of the Benchmade Griptilian. Doug Ritter's modification also seems very good. Not sure you can cut yourself out of the fuselage of a crashed plane with it, though. I'm not a big fan of Ka-Bar -- a bit unrefined to me, but that's just a personal opinion. I've been impressed by ergonomics of Helle knives, but I've never used one. They're also expensive.

For a wilderness knife, I'm partial to the Fallkniven F1. I think it is a great camp knife with a robustness that would make it an asset in a survival situation where it might be the only tool available.

Last year I made a post that detailed what I thought would make a good wilderness knife and what features I was looking for which might help: Choosing My Knife

I found it really helpful to figure out what features I was looking for first, and then evaluate the available knives using the criteria I had come up with.

Some people prefer the Rambo-sized knives like the K-Bar. I don't. I'm not saying that the K-Bar is a bad knife. I just have no desire for something that large personally. I think a 4" inch blade is best for general utility for a fixed blade. So that's what I stick with (no pun intended!) But everybody has differing opinions. You probably don't want to get an el-cheapo $3 knife, but you don't need a $200+ "designer handmade wonder steel" model either. Plenty of good things out there for under $100, many are far below that.

I like the Hultafors Heavy Duty Knife for general camp use.

http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/Hultafors-Knives/Heavy-Duty-Knife/p-92-913-6866/

Cost was about $7.

For an agricultural indestructible survival chopping knife the MoD 4 i.e chopping down trees, it is quite handy.

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=221551

These knifes can be readily abused out in the wilderness without worrying about breaking an expensive knife.

For example splitting 6-7 inch wide logs for a fire is the limit of Mod 4.

Getting to know the limits of what your survival knife can do is probably more important than the model. Some very expensive survival knife bling have been known to fail badly even during light duty.

Rob ... welcome from me also.
Always glad to give thoughts about knives.

The original K-bar knife used by the USMC in WW2 was famous for taking a very sharp edge. The alloy was soft enough that the Marines could sharpen the knife when it got dull. The same alloy did not hold a great edge for a long time. But the Marines did not care - they just sharpened their knives again. I can't say that I have any problems with that logic :-)

I tend to agree with ChaosMagnet. Over the years I have carried every kind of steel known to man ... knives, long knives and Bowies, machetes, tomahawks, you name it. But what tends to happen is that any piece of heavy hardware gets left at home, or camp, eventually. So the most useful knife is probably the knife you are willing to carry around all the time. Right now for me ... it's a folding knife from Emmerson with a blade about 3-1/2 inches long. I use that for all purposes, including survival and defense (if necessary). The Emmerson cost way too much $$ by the way :-) - but it's a nice knife and the blade steel is excellent.

For strictly hunting purposes, you would need a knife that excels as a tool for cutting, and also can be used for skinning game. I'm not sure I'd use a K-Bar for skinning ... you want something with a finer blade and more dexterity. Really, survival knives and skinning knives are two completely different animals. You need both if you are going to be preparing freshly killed game in the wilderness.

You should probably go away and think a bit harder about your real priorities ... don't ask "what would I like?". Instead ask ... "what am I going to be doing most of the time - realistically?".

cheers,
Pete2

If I knew I was walking into a survival situation I would carry a heavy knife such as a heavy camp knife or Kukri. But, a survival knife is the knife I am carrying when an emergency happens. I always carry a neck knife such as a Becker Necker and a multi tool. When I am hiking I usually carry a 5" to 6" carbon steel full tang knife as well.

I have a feeling that when I land up in a survival situation it will be the
Neck knife and multi tool that will carry me through.

David Enoch

We haven't had a knife discussion around here for awhile. Fun! They're so addictive to collect.

I have the Kabar Becker BK-2, 7 and 9. They are so heavy I keep one in my car and the others in a box. Good value if you want a heavy chunk of black steel. It's the last knife I'd hike with. But I'd feel like Crocodile Dundee whipping out one of those bad boys in certain situations.

The knife in my dayhike pack will always be a Mora - because they are light, sharp and plenty capable in the unlikely event a dayhike should turn into an overnighter. Mora's are an incredible value. You can get some of them on Amazon and just about all of them at Ragweed Forge. I'm loving the relative heft of the new "heavy duty" Moras.

http://ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html


I have several Bark Rivers - highly regarded and gorgeous knives. They are my "garage queens" -- I don't use them. I admire them.

http://www.dlttrading.com/


If I could keep only one of my knives, it would be Doug Ritter's MK3. It strikes the sweet spot of being substantial without being heavy. I love the balance of it and the grip. If I could, I'd trade all my Bark Rivers back for a full refund and plow the proceeds into buying a bunch of the MK3s. I want to always have this knife:

Doug Ritter's MK3

http://www.knifeworks.com/dougritterrskmk3fixedbladeutilitysurvivalknife.aspx

I used to break Kbars like they were made of plastic, and have chipped the blades many times. I personally expect a lot from a knife, especially if my life is depending on it, and I tend to use them as much as tools as as for cutting. I tend toward a thicker knife made out of high carbon tool steel. There is a great deal of personal preference in how you use a knife, and you should find the one that works for how you will use it, and what you expect it to do. There are many that are great for a simple cutting edge, and the Kbar may be one of those. It does not have a full tang and tends to break at the tip and the hilt if used for prying. They bend easily as well.

My longest lasting knife is the Gerber BMF that I bought back in 1985. I also really liked the old Cold Steel Tanto, though it was not a good field blade shape. Durable knife though.

I now have a Daniel Winkler belt knife that I love, and another good one from TCT knives, made by a friend. Like I said, I am rough on knives and need one that I can abuse without fear of breaking. These meet my expectations, but are probably overkill for most people.

Holy cow Montanero.
Get some help ... next time you kill and skin a woolly mammoth. I can loan you a welding torch and a crowbar - if that will help :-)

Pete2

That knife is overbuilt, and that's a flaw. It is too heavy and too massive. Sure, it's durable because it's got a big, thick blade. But my hand gets tired fast, especially since the balance isn't so great. This seems like an unfavorable trade-off.

There really is no answer to this question. It's like asking, who's the best girl to marry? Yeah, sure we can talk about the subject from a distance, naming a few famous women who seem awesome in theory. But when the rubber meets the road, few or none would really want to MARRY the famous people mentioned. My point is that at some point, each person needs to get out there on their own and figure out what significant other, I mean knife, is best for them.

Put another way, I can guarantee my most important knife features are quite different than many other people's. I know this from watching nuttinfancy YouTube videos and reading the comments. I bought a few of the popular knives from his videos. I'm not using any of them as we speak. I really tried to like the knives too.

The best survival/ hunting knife shoulnt really exist. Honestly the best "hunting" knife would probably be a small single blade folder, like an old timer or peanut. Super sharp. When cleaning game or fish you want a small controllable blade you can work easily just under the flesh. Its the extension of a finger tip.

The best survival knife is mythical and ever searching. But lots of sightings.

Welcome aboard!

Choosing a knife is always based on what you think you will need to do with it in what scenario.

But as far as the "survival" part of your question goes, I like the "Light My Fire Swedish Fire Knife" as it combines what is essentially a Mora knife with a removable fire steel in the handle, thus covering 2 key elements in almost any survival scenario--knife and fire. There was a thread about it here some time ago, and I bought one. They are reasonably priced, and I may get another one to stash in the car. Here is a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Fire-FireKni...edish+fireknife

No association etc., just pleased with what I think is a good idea and a good product.

I have bark river fox river.Work very well:

the "best"? if there was such a thing, everyone would already own it.

there are some really excellent ones, lots of good ones, but far too many poor ones.

in the end it comes down to what fits your needs, your price-range, feels good in your hand, and what knife you enjoy using.

rule #1: buy the best quality you can afford. cry once.

there is no one answer. hell, after buying edged tools for over 50 years, there doesn't appear to be even a couple of handfuls of knives that all-together meet my every need.

for survival alone i usually carry more than one, which might include a tiny SAK classic in my watch-pocket, a SAK Champ & a leatherman in my pack, a locking single-blade folder clipped to my front pocket, maybe even a 5" fixed blade on my belt and a large fixed blade camp knife tied to my pack. seems like overkill even to me, until i leave one behind and regret it.

If you are looking for a purpose designed general fighting/survival knife, of reasonable size, I suggest that you strongly consider a Gerber LMFII. Commercial production, good price, decent steel, reasonably HD, cut your meat, wood, cockpit canopy, hot wire, break tempered glass, hammer, etc. Built-in rough sharpener. I'd add a small nylon belt sheath to the main plastic sheath and insert a Leatherman Wave Tool, Fenix E-01 flashlight. I might add a fire steel and maybe a TOPS whistle. Thus equipped, you'd be ready for almost any emergency or camp task.

There is a reason that 'knife' rhymes with 'wife.' So I guess the next topic of discussion: who is the best girl to marry?

There is no need to discuss this issue because the best girl to marry is already married - to me (lucky dog that I am).

My knives are pretty good,, too......

Hikermor, thought you would have heard; Marilyn Monroe is dead.
Don't know about your knives though.

The traditional Ka-Bar comes with a seven-inch blade in 1095 carbon steel. There is a version with D2 steel. There are versions with leather or Kraton grips. There is a 5.25 inch version. You can drive yourself nuts without leaving the KaBar catalog.

One of the things I have noticed in these discussions-and there have been many-is that there are a few knives which everyone who has used them recommend with only a few minor complaints. Minor complaints such as how the grip fits the hand or sheath design are very personal.

The Gerber LMF is usually noted without complaints (besides size). The Fallkniven F1 as well. The Doug Ritter Mk3. (Most other knives made by Benchmade as well.) The Cold Steel SRK has its vehement fans-and some detractors.

When I was working at a cutlery store some years ago we had several folders with VG10 blades from a major manufacturer come back from customers with chipped blades. The general conclusion was that there had been a bad batch of heat treating, because it was neither a common or repeated problem.

I have been impressed with the VG10 alloy in my Emmerson knife. Darn that knife is sharp. When I am working with it ... I have to be careful and maintain good blade awareness - the blade can slice you up quite easily :-)

Robbie - here is what I would do if I were you. A basic K-Bar or an LMFII should be affordable. I would buy it, keep it for a couple of years, carry that around, use it as much as possible, and get very familiar with all the goods & bads.

After that, I would go back and buy one REALLY GOOD knife to last me a lifetime. My choice would be something from Fallkniven or a San Mai III blade from Cold Steel. Either choice is going to cost you a lot ... but this is a lifetime investment. Why these two selections? Because the blades from both companies are laminated. This means that there is an inner core of hard steel that provides the edge. And an outer layer of tough steel that provides good mechanical strength. It's a beautiful way to make a knife .... costs a bundle ... and produces a real keeper. After that - I would carry that knife and use it for all tasks. Like I said ... it's a lifetime investment.

You could also look at the Randall knives. They are also expensive and very popular. But I have heard that the Randall's have a very long delivery time - most of a year. They are not laminated steel - I think it's a tool steel. But they are still fine knives. I have never owned one.

And BTW I am not picking on Doug's knife in any way - looks like a nice knife. So as your starter knife one of the Ritter knives is also a good choice.


Pete2

Maybe someone can correct me on this, but it's not "hard steel" vs. "tough steel." Harder steel, which you need to hold an edge, is more brittle. Softer steel is less brittle (i.e., does not break), but cannot hold an edge as well. The laminated construction uses the hard steel for the edge, but softer steel is added to absorb the effects of percussion. So you get the best of both worlds.

Also, please keep in mind that you'll lose your knives. I lost my nice $250 Emerson knife on a trip. So I no longer use the fancy stuff. $100-$120 will do me. Maybe someone like Pete can hold on to his fancy sanmai knives, but not me.

I live about 3 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, so my hunting is typically for something that swims....my "go to " knives are a Grohmann #4 and Randall #10.... I paid a whopping $35 for the Randall

Thanks guys, helps out alot! Iv grew up in the woods and camping, but I always have just used the cheap-o flea market knifes and got by, but im really looking into a decent knife that wont break the bank! The Mora knifes seem to be a really good knife and pretty cheap too (may just buy one cause there too good to pass up).

What's "best" for one person may not be ideal for another. Lots of factors come into play. In what environment will the knife be used? How do you plan to use it? What is your skill level? What other tools will you be carrying? How do you plan to maintain the knife? Like I said, lots of factors!

The Fallkniven F1 is a great knife by any objective standard. It's very sharp OOTB and holds the edge well. It's very strong and ideally sized for a great variety of tasks.

Not having anything to do with who hosts this forum ...

I find most of the beefy knives just too heavy to carry. That's my frustration with Leatherman knives too. If I need that kind of cutting power I'll just bring an axe (and usually do ... and a saw).

My favorite knife for outdoor use to date is the Doug Ritter RSK Mk3 - the so-called "fixed Rittergrip".

In my view it is perfectly sized (not too big - not too small), has great blade steel and shape, has a tough, nicely shaped, and perfectly textured handle, and has a bit of a built-in finger guard. I also like the sheath's multiple attachment capabilities.

I waited a long time for Doug to come out with the long-hinted Mk3, and it met all my expectations. BTW, I like his Mk2 (RitterBecker) too, but I prefer lighter weight knives.

If you're looking for a lower cost option, then my recommendation is the Mora Robust - for only $15. The blade is noticeably thicker, but still the whole package is plenty light enough to carry. I wish they made a stainless version of this knife. Yes, I know lots of people prefer carbon steel, but I tend to prefer stainless (or semi-stainless).

"Maybe someone like Pete can hold on to his fancy sanmai knives, but not me."

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I have actually been lucky, as well as observant, and haven't lost one of these expensive knives yet. But I can guarantee you that I will not be a happy camper if I lose my Emmerson :-)

My biggest problem losing knives was when I was a scuba diver (many moons ago). I would occasionally set them down on a rock while I was doing something on the sea floor (e.g. getting an abalone), swim off a few yards, then come back. I could never find the dang things again. It's super-easy to lose stuff under the ocean.

Pete2

Just as an FYI for my fellow Ontarians and Canadians, Sail is finally carrying this knife. $39.99 regular price feels way to high for me, so I passed. Never held a Mora before, and I don't doubt their reputation, but it just felt... I don't know... chintzy?... compared to my $30 Ruko.

Hanging my head in preparation for the beating I'm going to take when I announce that my Mother's Day gift this year was a BG Ultimate Survival Knife by Gerber. (Smooth edge, not the serrated version.) I know. I know. We're really torn about it, but the truth is, I like it. It feels good in my hand and I like the weight for what I intend to use it for - wood processing. Jr wanted to get me a new axe and Sr thought I needed a new fixed blade, a thinly veiled attempt to reclaim the Ruko I stole from him, I suspect.) Jr then suggested a machete and a tomahawk, so Sir thought a bigger fixed blade would be a nice in between, and get to what I was after - better wood processing. (Combined with my new Bacho Laplander, I'm laughing!) We set a budget ceiling of about $70-$80 and wanted to buy it locally. It came down to the Gerber, a Buck Vanguard, a LesStroud Camillus and the LMF Mora. The local army surplus guy had an Ontario, Cold Steel, Kershaw, SOG and some other good names, but he's just wayyy too overpriced on that stuff that I dismissed the idea quickly.

I've played with it a little since we got home and I really like it. I'm not letting my hubby know where I keep that Ruko yet though. :-)

Thought I'd give the heads up about the Mora to anyone that might be looking.

For those who have an MEC nearby, or like ordering from them, they have the FireKnife for $33 ... I actually helped my step-son select that knife for his outdoor adventures earlier this year (maybe last year?).

Regarding the Gerber BG knives, I don't think I've heard a bad thing about them from anyone who has tested & used them. There's a bit of hate out there, but by all reports they are solid and effective tools. Last year I got my son the Scout folder and it is a great little knife. Actually, they've expanded the BG survival line for 2013 and there seem to be some good picks among the new stuff too.

Randall. Model 13, attack/survival with the saw teeth.

While I own Mora, Gerber, SOG, Buck, SAKs and many others - if the SHTF I am grabbing the Randall. I trust BG as far as the nearest Holiday Inn. I like the Les Stroud knives, but the sheaths are way too big.

And, unfortunately, this is pretty much the quality of most of the critiques of the Gerber BG knives that can be found around the internet.

For completeness, the only exception that I've run across are the very legitimate gripes about the pommel issue that caused the recall on the first version of the original BG Ultimate Knife. Most everything else seems to be either criticisms of the aesthetics or about Bear himself.

Unless Randall has changed the design/kerf of the teeth on the saw-backs, I would not be wanting a Randall for its saw. The large format Victorinox Swiss Army knives have a locking blade and an outstanding saw for their size.

Better, if you are in a situation where you might need a saw, get a dedicated saw that is really designed to cut wood. The energy expended cutting would with a compromise is expensive energy in a survival situation. A small garden pruning saw fills the need nicely and can be had cheap.

I agree, Denis. BG's reputation has taken a beating and that includes what seem like blanket conclusions about his stuff. It's hard sometimes to wade through all of that to find a real nugget of the criticism about this knife.

Other than that pommel in the first run, I haven't heard a negative thing, except the predictable "I hate serrated blades!", which they now offer an alternative to. It's an alternative I preferred, btw, given that I will use this knife to baton wood and don't want to lose the blade length. (My Ruko Muela has a saw back, which doesn't effect the blade length, but it's a smaller knife.)

My hubby and son are determined that I should use a black Sharpie to black out the orange BG on the knife. I like orange, and could do without the Bear insignia, but I gather he was a great Chief Scout in the UK, so I'm going to live with it for that reason if nothing else. (FWIW, I really like his book "Living Wild", and did watch all the shows, but wouldn't really call myself a fan.)

On the contrary, I've heard lots of negatives about Les's Camillus knives. (Which saddens me, because I like Les and want to support a good Canadian boy.) I don't pretend to understand the steel rating debate, but on a very simplistic level, I liked BG's ferro rod, sharpener and sheath, better than Les's ferro rod, survival kit and sheath. (The pocket on that sheath just begged me to start manufacturing a new PSK to fit in it, btw.) Ultimately, I liked the feel of Beard's knife the best in my hand.


BTW, I would get a Moral for a day hike pack, if I could pay $20 or maybe $30 for the LMF or another beefier version, rather than the $40 they wanted today.

Let me be clear. The significance of a knife, especially a big knife (blade over 4" in length) in a "survival" situation is way overrated. I routinely carry at least one knife, but I have met every outdoor situation capably with something like a SAK or a multitool. Money spent on the typical large (5 inch or bigger) survival knife is essentially money wasted, money which would be better allocated to other more basic survival items, like a good fire making kit, basic shelter gear (especially a lightweight tarp) a FAK and FA training, and so on. You will do just fine with a moderate size Swiss Army or Mora knife, especially if you can keep it sharp. The SAK has the advantage of being something you can can and will carry just about everywhere;hence it is likely to be the blade available when things go off track.

It's not that I don't like knives; I own a bunch, including a couple of the large bladed types I am ranting against. I rarely carry them, because they are just too heavy and cumbersome for what they can accomplish.

We have all seen too many Tarzan and Rambo movies. They are Hollywood and I am speaking from a real life perspective.

I'm with you, hikermkor. I've never been a fan a big knives. I've always gotten along with my SAK, folder or my Wave. Only in the last few years have I even brought a fixed blade with me, and the two I have are only 3.5 and 4 inches respectively. I've never felt the need for a big knife than my 4 inch Ruko Muela. I've historically just gone for a saw or axe for bigger jobs.

I didn't actually want one. I'm not complaining though, and after two sessions with it, I like it. It's a very thoughtful gift. I'm using my knife more and more as a substitute for an axe or hatchet so it'll be a good experiment for me. I'm thinking of it like a little machete. I can't imagine wearing it on my belt though, and I won't forgo a good axe in the winter and early Spring. The knife is in my pack now, snugly beside my new Bacho Laplander. My Wave will be on my belt too, since I use that sucker alot, thinking particularly about the pliers when I'm cooking. It should be an interesting summer of picking a new favourite combination of sharps.

These 'best survival knife' threads corkscrew around like a whirlwind, going nowhere until they just fade away from lack of energy, only to re-emerge later on. The reason for this is that the question, as posed, is unanswerable. There are simply too many moving variables.


Seems that any large knife is labeled with some pejorative like "Rambo knife". There's a picture of it below. I have several big knives, but not that one. In fact, I have seen a lot of big knives on guys back in the woods, but never seen one like that.

Primitive and pioneer cultures lived close to the Earth, and many of them carried the biggest knives they could get. Machetes, Hudson bay, Bowie, Leuku, teke, kris, scimitar, cutlass, to name a few.

As I write this, I'm trying to envision a Dakota warrior from early Minnesota proudly carrying his trusty Dakota Little Buddy (see below) in a beaded elk hide pouch while heading out into the trackless wild.

In the forests, river bottoms, and ravines where I live I have used my BK-7 or my Ontario CT-1 knives to hack down wild parsnip and water hemlock taller than me and thicker than my wrist. I have used it to dig holes and pry out rocks. I have used it to hack underbrush to make a place for a fire. I have used it to split deadwood to get at the dry core, and chop out pine knots for the fire. I have used it for shelter building. I have even used my CT-1 to cook fish.

Nice as it is, I just don't think a Ken Onion 'Leek' would have done the job for me.

One who actually lived in the woods for a time and has been called the "father of minimalist camping", Nessmuk carried 5 blades: a two edged hatchet, a two bladed pocket knife, and a larger wide fixed blade knife. I have followed his lead to some extent.

In lieu of a hatchet, I carry either my hardwood handled BK-7, or my Ontario CT-1 in a sleeve on my pack, a Mora clipper in the pack, and a Vic Classic in my pocket. If I'm in a non-wilderness area, such as a state park, I may opt to leave the big guy in the truck.

Non-wilderness EDC for me is a Wave, or a Vic Huntsman, or a Vic Classic depending on where I am.

To the OP: Pay no attention to those who say you can get by with the little sharp pointy thing on your nail clipper. Go out and look at knives you can afford, and just buy one that you like and keep it with you. You can use that knife experience as a point of reference for a lifetime. Is it too big? Too small? Too cheap? Too heavy? ........ Could lead to a lifetime of knife collecting.

Bingo! We have a winner. Well stated.

LOL
Sorry but this made me laugh

Sr should have bought a new Ruko for the gift, and then get back his own.

Everyone is happy

the best knife is the one you have on your person and hopefully is sharp and ready to go. A kabar may be great for fighting with - don't know, I've never tried to fight with one before. But why even bring it up as a survival knife?

All kinds of aspects of a knife to discuss the steel, length, shape, grind, thickness, weight, handle type and material, fixed vs. folder, etc. - where to start?

On the subject of folders, in one of his video's, Ron Hood mentioned one of the Victorinox Swiss Army locking knives (the 111mm format) such as the Outrider or the Trekker because of the saw and other tools that can come in handy.

Doug Ritter's RSK Mk 1 is a folder. IMO folders make good survival knives because you can carry them just about anywhere and will have them when you arrive at that unexpected survival situation. If it's not unexpected, you won't be there.

There are many good knives for hunting, I s'pose the best depends on what you are hunting; the best for Quail ain't the same as the best for Elk. Check out the Dozier website for his line of hunting knives. D2 steel makes a good steel for this because it holds an excellent edge.

If you want a fighting knife then the Marine Kabar is as good as most, most of what makes a fighting knife good is the skill of the guy whose hands are holding it.

In my defense, I did coach the kids into getting him a new fixed blade for Father's Day a couple or years ago. Hand crafted right here in Ontario. He had been eyeballing it for a while but, I suspect, still hoping that the Ruko abduction was only temporary.

P.s. he gets this look on his face when he sharpens them. I'm always convinced that the jig is up for me and that knife, but then he goes and gets me a new sharpener. Now i don't risk losing that beloved knife by asking him to sharpen it for me. I take it as acceptance of the trade for the new knife. Men! LOL!

Totally agree with you, I've never seen a gaucho wearing a knife with a blade shorter than 8 inches and their preferred carry is 12 inches. They use their knives every single day for their work and their dexterity is unbelievable.
I can't match their skill so I carry a Victorinox Locksmith and a 9 inch blade.

Right tool for the job, understanding limitations such as local laws and mode of travel. Also how much weight you are willing to carry. It may be better to carry a pocket knife/multi-tool and a hatchet, or a long blade may be what you need. Just know how to use the tool you carry.

If I could only have one knife in a true 'survival' scenario it would be an Ontario Pilot, I can't think of a better 'jack of all trades, master of none' type knife. With a fresh edge and good technique it can take care of any cutting task, yet it's soft enough to chop, pry, scrape, and dig with little risk of chipping or breaking.

I concur, in the field big knives are almost never an advantage and a small sharp knife and a baton can out preform a big knife everytime.



I think that big knives are more of a "Morale Tool" than "Survival Tool".

I agree with BruceZed. For the majority of people, the large knife is a liability. A good Swiss Army with a saw and preferably a locking blade is much better. A saw in general is much better for most tasks involving wood anyway. Like any other tool (or weapon) it is only as good as the person using it, and if the person does not know how, it is dead weight.

I have carried large blades, mostly in my Army days, and they were not used for survival (or fighting) but as a tool. I abused my big knives (and broke K-Bars frequently), but always pampered my Swiss Army Knife.

Most young troops that I knew always had to go buy a large knife as soon as they reported into their units. The first thing they cut with it was usually themselves. My Boy Scouts are much better, they learn how to handle blades properly and carrying one is a privilege that can easily be lost. They show much more maturity with a knife. And we don't generally like for them to carry anything over 3.5 to 4 inches anyway.

The SAK Ron Hood mentioned was the Victorinox Swiss Army Rucksack.

Bigger knives seem to have a different mentality about them, IMO. It's taken me a while to find a place in my heart for fixed blades, but I'm not sure I'll ever get into beefier knives for anything other than wood processing (and bigger food prep jobs) when I don't want to bring my axe. My CRKT Mt. Rainier folder, SAKs and Wave will probably always be my go to knives.







Just for reference, there are my three fixed blades. The blade lengths of the Ruko and BG are almost identical, but you can see the huge difference between the knives. They both feel good in the hand, but that BG knife is probably going to have a very limited role in my kit. The smallest of the three is the knife my son bought me for Mother's Day last year, and I actually find it too short for most of the tasks I want to do with it. (Wood and food prep.) Weird that my folders are even smaller but I'm very comfortable with using them for just about everything. (I think it's a grip thing, btw.)





All of them do this quite well:



And this, which I'd never ask of a folder:



Regardless of which ones I actually pack when I head off the concrete, my belt is probably going to keep looking this this:

If I am planning on being overnight and making a fire, I will likely have a small hatchet (Gator Axe) and saw (Bacho) with me. In these cases, the knife is almost secondary and either my fixed blade or my small SAK would be sufficient.

However, where I see the fixed blade (Fallkniven F1) shining is when I am not planning on overnighting. Most times, I won't need it at all, and other times it might see minimal use. But if I did find myself in a true survival situation I have a single tool that is more than capable of any task I need from it; the most critical being processing wood so I can make fire.

This is why I think I'll stick with the fixed blade on my belt; it's the tool that can cover all the bases if the need arises. Realistically, I could even leave the hatchet at home when overnighting but I like using the hatchet as a hammer too when setting up camp.

That said, regarding size I agree that around 4" is a good size (as can be seen in my choice of fixed blade).

Since we were talking about the BG knives earlier, I should mention it looks like the new Ultimate Pro knife seems to be a pretty good choice for those in the market for one now. They seem to be going for under $70 now and have some good improvements over the original (which still had good reviews) and you get a ferro rod & field sharpener in the package.

Agreed, GauchoViejo, a bigger one and a smaller one is my preference also.

They say "experiences create beliefs". I think that the reason there can be no general consensus on a 'best' knife is that a persons' expectations of knife performance and utility are inexorably intertwined with their experiences.

Add budget, geography, and activity types to the mix, and the possibilities are endless.

Early on, I had a Buck 110, actually a pretty big knife when opened. I moved up to a Buck 119 Special and carried that for a long time. Next was a Western W36...similar to the Buck, but with a full tang and a wood handle. I still have and love those knives. Certainly, I have some smaller knives, but I learned what I could do with a 6 inch blade and am comfortable with them. It is no big leap to go the a Becker BK 7. I regard the BK7 as utilitarian replacement for a hatchet, one of which I had a close call with on a rainy night alone in the northern MN bush. That was an experience that created a belief.

I'll tell that story some other time.

Ahhhhhhh! Come ahhhhhhhhnnnnnn! :-)

I think there is a difference in basic approaches - what I might call "bushcraft" versus "LNT (Leave No Trace)"

Bushcraft is traditional - think Bradford Angier or Nessmuk, and rooted in the northern or eastern woodlands where timber is thick and wood resources are readily available. LNT is more at home in the western areas of the US - drier and often above timberline or in deserts, where one often runs out of bushes to craft. While a large knife and axe is useful in bushcraft regions, the LNT adherent is more likely to carry a lightweight shelter and stove, along with chemical fuel, traveling more self-contained. This person does not need to carry such large tools.

Both approaches have value and each works best in some situations, not so well in others. At least the differences between the two generate a lot of discussion.

I'll buy that... I'm going to give it a try during my upcoming two weeks hiking the canyon lands and high plains.

I have a few large blades and while they are useful for bigger tasks than an SAK, they would never be part of my EDC -- neither on person nor my EDC backpack -- so I cannot consider them to be survival knives, rather I consider them large wilderness/camping knives. As an example, my Fehrman Final Judgement while a great blade to have in a wilderness survival situation, is too large for EDC in any capacity. You would need to knowingly put yourself into the situation and then call it survival.

Survival is normally come-as-you-are which is why I wear or have within arms reach a survival vest when I'm flying. I am knowingly putting myself into a higher probability of harms way. But I carry all that stuff sitting down and if I ever deploy it I'll be swimming; in either case the weight of that vest is negligible. Does anyone here routinely carry a few extra lbs of steel on a casual hike or are there other items that might have a higher probability of being useful -- how about a half gallon of water?

I carry that knife in my truck along with a shovel and other large tools. At least for me it's not for routine carry.

The flying environment is particularly challenging. You can leave from a local airport here and in about five minutes be either in mountains about 8000 feet high or over an ocean; throw in seasonal variations and you need to consider preparation for a variety of environments and conditions. When I am traveling by foot or bicycle, the range is much more limited I almost always carry plenty of water (more than I think I will need), at least a light windshell (Patagonia Houdini), some sort of FAK, a map and mirrored compass (unless I know the terrain very well), a blade, and fire making kit. If the country is rough, or has the potential of being rough, I will often toss in a minimum of 30M of thin climbing rope. I usually have some edibles squirreled away; going hungry is such a drag!

This was a key consideration for me in selecting a fixed blade; I wanted something that could be useful in a survival situation but that didn't come with a large weight penalty. I think that for most situations (I won't talk to the aircraft scenario because I don't know enough about it) a compromise can be found that is light enough to carry and tough enough to be a very useful survival tool.

For example, when I was looking the Becker Companion, by all accounts, it seemed like a perfect survival knife but the weight killed it for me. Now, my F1 can arguably do everything that Becker can and comes in at 1/3 of the weight. It's a great compromise between capability & weight; if I ever find myself in a situation where it is my only tool I don't think I could ask for better.

Personally, I have no use for a blade that I won't be carrying.

For me, what I carry on a planned outing is situational. It totally depends on the time of year, how far off road I'm going, the weather forecast, and how high the risk level is. (I.e. what's the likelihood of getting stuck? Practicing skills is something totally different.) I always have my Wave on my belt at a minimum, and then upgrade based on all those other factors. A fixed blade and a saw (Bacho Laplander) live in my BOB/GHB and I add an axe in the winter and early spring, but sometimes I'll just take the Wave on a day hike and leave the rest behind.

For me, there is no one size fits all solution. Every trip involves planning and repacking, unless it's a BOB shakedown trip like we did this weekend, where we just grab our BOBs and go.

I believe many people grossly underestimate just how much can be accomplished with a smaller fixed-blade knife. They are to be respected, IMO.

While I would not question the wisdom of carrying an extra half gallon of water, especially in your environment, I don't really have that need. Living in Minnesota - Land o' Lakes, I could probably squeeze a half gallon of water out of my socks if I really needed it.

I don't follow your math however, as a half gallon of water weighs over 4 pounds, and a Becker BK7 weighs 12.9 ounces. You would have to 'not' carry 5 BK7s to equal the weight of the extra water.

I do agree with you on the 'casual hike' comment. I don't bring a big knife into a county or state park.