How to Pick a Good Survival Knife - Article

An interesting read:

http://www.huntingnet.com/articles/articles.aspx?articles_id=472

Well, at least you can say the author(s) got the part about most hollow handled survival knives being poor quality right.

I would disagree with them on many other issues. Their list of survival equipment is full of nonsense, and missing some really important things. Their choice of a 4" blade is, in my opinion, insufficient for ideal blade length. They didn't say anything about the Swamp Rat Camp Tramp or the Battle Rat, and they didn't say anything about Pemmican as a suvival food. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Equipped.org's Gear section says:
"Many experienced woodsmen carry a knife about 4 inches long, give or take a little, for general purpose work (many also carry a second bigger knife, but the small knife is what is used for most chores). A survival knife can stand to be a bit longer, but not too much longer. You simply do not need an enormous blade for any job you will likely be faced with in the wilds."

Do you really think we need large knives to survive? I like my Becker BK10 Crewman a lot - its done everything I've needed it to do and its not much longer than 4".

You'll note that he didn't give any specific brand recommendations - probably to avoid angering the owners/manufacturers of the many many great brands that simply could not be mentioned in a looong list.

Oh, that infamous USAF survival knife. He might have mentioned the sawback is for cutting through aluminum bodied aircraft, not only for egress, but possible scavenging. The blade thickness is also matched to standard 550 paracord and if you notch wood before lashing it's usefull. The double guard is a PITA and everyone wants to lash a stick to it and hunt wild boar. Your better off grinding the top off. A small stump will leave the assembly nice and tight. Otherwise suprise! looping a lanyard there is actually safer than at the butt where we have a decent hammer. As for low bidders, Camillus and Ontario make these. USAF knives marked JAPAN or TAIWAN ARE NOT highly collectable service issue for those nations.Ontario has a slightly more robust clip point but Camillus uses a higher RC steel. You might have heard of Camillus, they make several of Cold Steel's products. The pocket sharpening stone is easilly modified for improved use. First unsnap the flap. Second remove stone and finally step number three throw it away. Get a small diamond two sided plate and use the now empty pocket for a small metal match and other goodies. Resecure snap with a dab of grease. If the leather handle is loose soak in water. Dress handle and sheath in a good conditioner. Sharpen the blade. Removing that phosphate is another PITA but usefull guide of progress. Apply a thin film to the now shiny blade. If your a Indochina vet the only vietnamese likely to see it is also likely a member of the SAR team looking for you. Flash it often, like Stallone in Rambo.

My impression is most 4" bladed knives are not thick enough to take a good batoning session to split a piece of wood. That Becker is a darned nice blade, but something in the 6-7" category seems more the norm for really rugged utilization. Cold Steel's SRK is a good choice, which is why I have two of those in my BOB. The Camp Tramp is about the same length and 1/4" thick at the cheeks, and is about the toughest blade I think you are gonna find for less than $150 in that size (actually, Swamp Rat Knife Works just discontinued that model in favor an updated version not yet released to market). In fact, SRKW has several models that are in the 4-5" blade range comparable to that Becker.

There are a lot of really tough, high quality 4-5" blades out there that have myriad uses, including many survival applications, but I don't like the idea of slamming a 10 lb mallet into the spine of a knife that size trying to split a chunk of maple or fir wood. A bigger blade can be awkward to use for more delicate tasks. I would rather have a difficult time with dressing a squirrel or a quail using my bigger blades than to snap the blade of a smaller knife while trying to get to the dry core of an otherwise damp piece of wood to get a fire going.

Now as for brand name reference, well, that's just cuz SRKW happens to be my latest infatuation. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Aside from touting a particular style, I think the author was really giving us the ole "Caveat Emptor" warning that you pretty much get what you pay for, and a cheap knife in a survival situation may be only slightly better than busting rocks.

I once learned two things about the USAF knife at the same time...You WILL snap the point off trying to remove the husk from a coconut, and coconut milk and rum make a NASTY cocktail...

I use the Ontario knives...the RAT-7 (6 1/2 inch blade), and the TAK ( 4 1/2 inch blade) ....nice knives.

Ontario's rats are effective, provided you don't bend the tip on that 1095 or that D2 too far. In fact, I was going to buy one, right before I discovered the Swamp Rat line.

I've been carrying the BK10 Crewman for a year while waiting for my Randall 25-6" to be made (only 3 years to go <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />). The blade on the BK10 is actually 5.5" which is pretty close to what you are recommending. I had ordered a BK7 7" along with the Crewman and ended up selling it because the Crewman was just about perfect for my needs. I especially like the stout tip. When Doug's new Becker fixed blade comes out it's going to be interesting to see how it stacks up.

Regards, Vince