I know there is a thread out there discussing what knife to include in an altoids tin sized PSK, and I figured we could do one size larger and discuss SAS/Mess tin sized PSK's <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Let me first start off by saying I don't know much about knives... just that they can get really freaking expensive!

The most rugged knife in my SAS tin is a little gerber ridge knife (chosen for it's flatness), but I'm concerned about it's durability and the utility of something that size for general purpose work. Is it large enough to do the job if I have nothing else, and is the design durable enough? I'm not sure...

I was looking at Jensens "J.U.S.T" which can fit inside the tin. While it's utility as a hatchet is questionable (reference to a previous thread on the matter), it does seem to make good use of space, being as large as practical given the restrictive size of the tin (~4.76" x 3.5" or so).

I think I recall someone using a mora knife blade in their tin, and planning on fashioning a handle in the field for it, but I don't know if I'd want a knife with some assembly required...

As mentioned earlier, I don't know much about knives, so I'm not keen on the most useful blade shapes for general purpose outdoor work (shaving wood, batoning, skinning, and whatever else you may use a knife for out there), and ergonomics... what's that!? But I was bored and screwing around on MSPaint trying to squeeze the most edge in the smallest space while still having something to hang onto....



A rough depiction of the JUST is in there as well (top right).

Or would a more conventional approach be superior? Instead of trying to jam as much cutting edge as I can into the space, would a smaller blade and more conventional layout be better?



I'm no knife builder of course. What are your thoughts on the matter? Is the ridge knife fine, or is there something out there that would be better?