All around survival knife, whats your pick?

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Late to the party ...

... but I'll weigh in anyway.

I'm one of those weirdos :uhoh:
that thinks there's no such thing as
"the all round survival knife".

So, I own 4, all of which will be
in my pack should I ever need to "survive":

* EDC: Benchmade Osborn
* Fixed blade: SOG Seal Pup elite
* SOG tool
* SAK (with toothpick)

Weight? We're talking ounces.
Space? What space?

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My suggestion is a SOG Seal Pup Elite with a straight edge. I have one and it is my go to knife these days when I carry a fixed blade outdoors. Get a big 111 mm SAK and stick it in the little pouch on the sheath and you should be ready to go. The SAK can do the detail work and the accessories are often handy in a pinch.
 
I vote for anything by Bark River. My personal favorite is the Woodland for a small blade, but would definately go for the Gameskeeper for survival knife.
 
how 'bout a kukris

for a tough jungle or woods knife the cold steel kukris are a good option but there awfully steep the machete version is around 25 as opposed to the 130 to 200 range and the scandinavion puko idea aint bad but a stout broad bladed foler from cold steel, crkt, or bench made would be a good choice whatever the small knife try practicing batoning it but remember that the manufacturer propably wont refund any broken knives
 
I can vouch for the SOG seal pup, i have one and use it for my SCUBA knife. works great, hold up to salt water well, and holds a d*mn good edge.
 
I personally like the Chris Reeve Project 1 as the ultimate survival knife. Good compromise of big and small. If necessary, the Project could be used for chopping, something some smaller blades might not be able to do. And a larger knife can do anthing a smaller knife can do, it just might not do it quite as well.

Advantages of the Project:

-incredibly tough knife, being an integral hollow handled design, one of the toughest knives around
-easy to sharpen in the field (not hardened anywhere close to A2's max...which adds to its toughness)
-knife will NOT leave your hand, no matter what (in fact, you could prolly file through a steel bar with the handle)...too rough? maybe, but in a survival situation, who cares if you get blisters on your hand?
-hollow handle for storage
-hollow handle makes it easy for spear function
-no grips means no blood gets into knife and creates bacterial issues (easy to clean safely)
-superbly balanced
-superb finish
-it's a functional work of art

Yup, it's expensive, but you get what you pay for.
 
in a survival situation, who cares if you get blisters on your hand
Click to expand...

I would think that's when you'd be most concerned about preventing injury wherever avoidable.

In daily life it's only a rather painful annoyance.

In the wilds it not only impedes the use of your hands, it also is a wonderful avenue for infection.

But your choice, your tradeoff. :)
 
blisters lead to infection which limits your survival options

blisters lead to lots of pain that doesn't just go away it complicates all the other survival tasks that have to be done

so, yes, it's bad for the knife to be so poorly constructed that it causes blisters when used in a survival situation
 
Don't agree. The aggressive checkering is a tradeoff b/w great comfort and an ABSOLUTE no-slip surface.

My blistering comment is a worst case scenario. And, of course, I'm not talking about weeping sores, but merely uncomfortable bumps-- something you might get while raking the leaves.

It's not a big deal. *shrugs*

Actually, you would be less likely to get blisters with a handle that is found on the Project because there would be very little if any friction. Friction causes blisters.
 
I think checkering has it's place, but I don't think that's on a tool that will see heavy use if it's needed. If a knife is all you've got, you're already going to be 'pushing the edges' of what a knife is meant to be used for in the first place. Your body is going to be making up the difference there most of the time, and I'd prefer that be in sore muscles rather than lost skin.

I do think, at least so that you have an option, that this is another good reason to keep a good length of inner tube in your kit. You can have the aggressive checkering if you want it, then wrap the handle in the rubber if things get rough. Options are a good thing to have.
 
I’m on record in a previous thread stating that Chris Reeves’ “Survival Knives” look much more like fighters than wilderness survival knives, at least to me.

They are very well made blades no doubt, but there are designs that are better suited to fieldcraft than double guarded hollow handled spearpoints.
 
i use the cold steel master tanto and i know alot of you guys dont like them but thats you. the steel is a dead tuff laminant, the blade has a graceful curve to it, i fell in love the first time i used it. it's six inch blade is enough for any job a knife needs to do, and in the campground, only about 2 inches of the blade's sheath hangs below my shirtail (so as not to scare the natives or the green peace hippies and such :p ) i know someone will have to slam this but thats my 2 cents
 
For what they cost, Cold Steel are good Knifes. I use my Recon Scout often for Chopping, cutting, BBQing and other fun stuff. Can't remember when i sharpened it the last time but the Edge is still razor sharp. I also love my Cold Steel Military Classic R1.
 
I'm going all the way back to post 7.

That Hardin WSK is one of the most interesting knives I've seen in this thread.
I still like my SOG Seal Pup, but that WSK is an "interesting knife".

Problem is, it feels "interesting" in part because the design is so ... different.
(I like things, including sometimes tools, that are departures from normal.
Like the bumper sticker says, "Why be normal?" :rolleyes: )

Kaylee: would you be willing to offer a bit (or a lot) of explanation of why you bought that one?

What, exactly, does that one "do" (or allow you to do) that more traditioinal designs don't?

For example, I confess, I don't even understand what a "gut hook" is.

And what's the advantage of that rounded end, behind which is a significantly recessed straight edge.

I'm questioning neither the design nor your choice of it, but looking to understand it.
 
necessary?

I am not about to step into any discussion with other serious users and attempt to make an :confused: out of myself. For my hunting/camping trips I carry a tomahawk along with my knife. I have found that SOG' fusion is a great tool.

F01T.html


I carry a Buck Alpha Hunter. It has it's uses but I find the tomahawk more useful. More strength, just as sharp... Just a thought.
 
Kaylee: would you be willing to offer a bit (or a lot) of explanation of why you bought that one?

What, exactly, does that one "do" (or allow you to do) that more traditioinal designs don't?

For example, I confess, I don't even understand what a "gut hook" is.

And what's the advantage of that rounded end, behind which is a significantly recessed straight edge.
Click to expand...

Sure.

Basically, think of it less as a knife and more of a compact "Woodsman's Pal" kinda tool and will start to make more sense to you. It's essentially a knife-sized multitool designed for doing basic (woodlands) bush tasks. Its design is necessarily a compromise. It don't clean a critter as well as a smaller hunting knife, it won't chop as well as a handaxe, etc... but it will do all those tasks reasonably well, and it can be carried easily.

The rounded edge in the front is a chopping (and scraping) surface - works very well. The recessed edge behind it is at a steeper angle, and is more of a cutting than chopping blade. Also serves as a drawshave if you cover the notching "saw" surface.

For more info, do a search on bladeforums.com for "WSK" - lots and lots of folks chatting about it over the last few years.

Mikey -- next time I'm down there, I'll bring it for you to play with. :)

-K
 
I like the Buck Short NightHawk. Five inch blade, partial serration, firm grip, thick blade, AND only $50. Works for me.
 
I would probably take a $10 Mora and a $25 Cold Steel hawk and call it a day. I don't mind being a performance junkie now and then but you can buy a sack of Moras for less than the cost of most high-end production knives and still have enough leftover to buy a small axe, which would be a hundred times more useful in the wild.

One of my first wood carving knives was a $10 plastic handled fillet knife from Wal-Mart. I cut the blade in half and cut the integral finger guard off for whittling. I didn't find out until later that it was the same #549 knife that Ragnar sells. Those are tough little knives!
 
Kaylee, thanks. Very interesting tool. I get it:
less of a knife, more like a Woodsman's Pal.

(... which is yet another interesting tool,
now added to my acquisition list for camp.
Dang! I gotta quit reading this forum :banghead: ).

(Had to look up "drawshave"; :cool: word.)

I like multi-tools and multi-passes. :D

I can't quite get the scale of the wsk, and haven't seen a specs chart for it yet.
What's its (approximate is OK) overall length and weight?

And I'm still trying to visualize this part from here: "The teeth are also formed in a way that they can double as wire cutters. The hole in the blade is a leverage hole for wire cutting and for snapping bone etc..." Snapping bone I can visualize, but "wire cutting"? :confused:

Mikey -- next time I'm down there, I'll bring it for you to play with.:)
Click to expand...
Hey, we should have an outdoor tool rally someday. A bunch of us could meet in a forest and bring tools;
sort of a survival show and tell. :) (Guess we'd need to bring bandaids, huh? :uhoh: )
 
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