Day 2, and while Bart didn't show up some porcupine did and seeking salt chewed on the leather sheath of ( name half the knives available.) A quick reconnoiter and we spot him not far off and have our breakfast. Those quills can be potentially usefull, so lets save a few by whittling a simple wooden tweezer. (Moras and scandi) knives are great woodworking knives. But hey! black knives look cool and tactical and it takes a few minutes to find( Cold steel SRK) dropped among the ashes of our fire. Maybe shiny knives have their advantages. While mr porcupine is roasting in the embers lets build a shelter. Ah yes, the classic pine bow leanto illustrated in geometric perfection in every outdooor and survival book. The old (SHRADE survival knife) has a full on claw hammer, sawback and spearpoint bayonet blade. WE don't have nails, but that sawback, like the (USAF) is nice for making notches that make our rope bindings so much more neater and secure. We could also scribe some bark from suitable species with our ( Swiss Army Knife) just like friend Les Stroud in his video. We just built one of humanities oldest philosophical inventions, the container with which we can organise, collect, store and ultimately seperate ourselves from the natural world. The porcupine smells good, we have a supply of firewood gathered for our three signal fires still warm with coals. Lets have lunch( if you brought a hobo knife,fork,spoon combo this is getting sillly) and ponder a water container next.

Some Moras may be full tang, but several I've seen were not. Forty miles from nowhere and night/rain/snow coming on is no place to find out you have the wrong one.
I wore an AFSK on my LBE for years, but now carry a Grohman RBK #4 Survival knife; full tang, rosewood scales, stainless blade designed for cutting, well made sheath..... when out & about in the bush.
(Carrying a half dozen knives doesn't make up for lack of dirt time.)
As noted several times above, refer to the ETS knives section for sound advice. Stay far away from those "tactical" tanto blades, they brand you as a wannabe novice.

"There is nothing so frightening as ignorance in action."

Chris,

I appreciate your descriptions of how a knife might be used in a survival situation. I know a lot of people read this forum and knowing what the knife needs to do will help them when they are ready to buy a knife to keep in their day pack.

I was thinking of posting a laundry list of knife tasks but I like your approach better. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Can anyone explain the value of a wide blade?

Thanks!

If it needs wacking, use a baton or a rock. Not your knife! Ka-Bar's are robust, (I own one before anyone asks) but not that robust.
One thing that I am seeing this post that I don't like, is the idea of commiting yourself to just a knife(s). That's the sort of macho moronisum that survivalists come out with.
I consider a small folding saw is for shelter building etc as being at least as important as a knife. In fact, of the two, I would grab the saw first. I can improvise an edge from flint etc if I have to.

Let's here it for the steel trio: Multi-tool, fixed blade and folding saw! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

When car camping (with my son's Scout troop) we extend that to multitool, knife (folding or fixed), bow saw, and axe.

I carry a ontario RAT "TAK-1" or sometimes a buck "vangaurd". I also carry a leatherman wave. But I have been thinking about going to something slighty bigger for a knife. The becker "crewman" with a 5.5" blade has caught my eye. Any opinions? Thanks

While I would love to be armed to the hilt with knives everyday, that is just not practical. To be a functioning member of society I have to carry a knife that is legal. A 5" steak knife in my pocket or backpack will draw some interesting looks
from a LEO.

I loved the comment about the knife actually being in your pocket is a folder,that's absolutely the case. My daily carry knife is a CRKT Denali 6613N with a 3.5" blade (the legal limit in CO)

I feel like I have a relationship with my knife because I carry it daily and I'vehad it for so long. I trust it. I think that counts for alot.

Good evening Ladies and Gents; Several schools of thought. one is with enough knowlege and experience a knife that carves and cooks well is all you need because you undoubtedly have the requisite axe and saw with you as they are the appropriate tools for the tasks they were designed for. This is called woods craft and folks like Mors Kochanski don't do survival, they just set up housekeeping. The other school states you need the most robust knife that you can find as it will be called upon to do anything you ask of it without failure, even the work of other tools, will exceed the makers design peramiters and the best guarantee is worthless as failure could mean your demise. Where dose the truth lie? I guess it's dependent on who you ask, their experience and skill level and their view of what "survival" is. Me, I carry a lockback, SA Ranger or Forester, and Leatherman Wave. In my bag I carry a 4" fixed blade, a GB hatchet, a hand chainsaw, and a Greber Exchange Blade saw. In my backpack I have a folding buck saw, a MDK ATAC and a GB small forest axe three seasons, changed up to a GB Scandi forest during the winter. Redundancy is important to me. I want to be able to split wood with my folders using a crudgal and whittle with my axes. I recognise that I may be limited to my EDC and have planned accordingly, but I always hope to have access to the next bag up. Thoughts? thanks Jim

Aligator,
My earlier post was far from complete. I walk where I am going, so I usually know the terrain. Also, I leave a detailed plan of where I am going, and when I am expected back, with two responsible people, so my survival equipment is geared around first aid and making myself comfortable overnight.
I also go for overlap in tool capabilities, and I carry more than just the Mora. The Mora is always in my pack, because I find it so useful. I also carry a UDigIt, which is sharpened to ease digging and permit its use in splitting wood. The UDigIt is very useful for many tasks. I generally carry a One-Handed Trailmaster SAK in my pocket, which has been sharpened to remove most of the serrations. The large screwdriver blade has been sharpened to form a chisel, since I had little use for a large screwdriver blade. (Although I don’t plan to be “lost” so long as to need to trap for food, trap triggers are easier for me to make with a chisel for fine tuning.) The areas I frequent have little woods, so the Gerber folding saw with a spare blade and Fiskars hatchet are rarely carried.

Spud