Best Singular Knife for Survival?

Lone Wolf McBlade

Lone Wolf McBlade

Joined
Jan 12, 2014
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Just wondering what others opinions would be on this. You could only have one knife to take with you into a potential survival situation. Could be wilderness survival, or urban, or zombie apocalypse, or whatever. Yes I know most people would say you have to have a survival/bug out bag for should said situations ever arise. But this isn't about doomsday prepping or anything like that. Just curious to see what all you guys would prefer, in your opinions, of the ideal knife you'd want to have if ever the proverbial caca hits the fan. I have a few in mind but let's see what you all come up with.

Thanks
 
On firearms forums the "ideal self defense gun" question is frequently raised, and the answer is based on size, effectiveness, accuracy, reliability, capacity and scenario. The resulting conclusions are, predictably, all over the place. Everything from a 12 gauge derringer to a scoped assault rifle to a tiny .22.

Scenario trumps every other consideration because "survival", like "defense", is a catch all for situations so unfathomably different that they bear almost no resemblance to each other. Most of us flash to living in a jungle or forest. What are we actually using the knife for in those places? What about in city after an earthquake? What about in a tundra or on a mountainside after a plane crash? What if you are living off small animals like birds?

I'm sure the most common answer will be a fixed blade somewhere between a Mora and Kukri. I'm not sure if either of those is as capable as a SAK with a saw, awl and tweezers.

In the end it will come down to what fantasy survival scenario the poster's favorite knife style fits into. I don't even like SAKs that much - but the more I screw around with one in the woods, the more I realize that knife styles assume certain range of problems, and multitools do not as much.


Someone should make a fixed blade with a saw, tweezers, scissors, awl, screw driver and can open that fold out of the handle.
 
RX-79G said:
Someone should make a fixed blade with a saw, tweezers, scissors, awl, screw driver and can open that fold out of the handle.
Click to expand...

Can I quote this in my sig line? :D

Perhaps there is something to be said for the right hollow handle knife.
I think you make some good points in your post.
 
"On firearms forums the "ideal self defense gun" question is frequently raised, and the answer is based on size, effectiveness, accuracy, reliability, capacity and scenario. The resulting conclusions are, predictably, all over the place. Everything from a 12 gauge derringer to a scoped assault rifle to a tiny .22.

Scenario trumps every other consideration because "survival", like "defense", is a catch all for situations so unfathomably different that they bear almost no resemblance to each other. Most of us flash to living in a jungle or forest. What are we actually using the knife for in those places? What about in city after an earthquake? What about in a tundra or on a mountainside after a plane crash? What if you are living off small animals like birds?

I'm sure the most common answer will be a fixed blade somewhere between a Mora and Kukri. I'm not sure if either of those is as capable as a SAK with a saw, awl and tweezers.

In the end it will come down to what fantasy survival scenario the poster's favorite knife style fits into. I don't even like SAKs that much - but the more I screw around with one in the woods, the more I realize that knife styles assume certain range of problems, and multitools do not as much.

Someone should make a fixed blade with a saw, tweezers, scissors, awl, screw driver and can open that fold out of the handle".


RX-BEST RESPONSE EVER TO THIS QUESTION.

HARDBALL
 
RX wrote:
"Someone should make a fixed blade with a saw, tweezers, scissors, awl, screw driver and can open that fold out of the handle. "

I believe that some of the vintage German fixed blades have many tools that fold out of the handle. Photo courtesy of Google images:

http://www.fieldserviceantiquearms....-decora-solingen.-ref.no.d1493-[3]-1570-p.jpg

Puma also made/makes a similar one. Of course many places you can't carry a fixed blade concealed. The old adage is the best survival knife is the one you're carrying at the time. Probably the best middle ground would be a 111 mm OHO SAK like the Trekker or Soldier.

Rich
 
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A good multi-tool will cover a wide range of scenarios. I'd rather have the extra tools than a bigger blade.

Victorinox-copy.jpg
 
I'm seeing two knives already emerging - a multitool of some kind, whether it be a SAK or a Leatherman-style tool, and a strong, reliable fixed blade.

To further refine the inquiry, it appears the multitool should have a saw blade, Phillips head and straight screw drivers, awl, scissors, can opener, and tweezers. I'll add to that list pliers, because a leveraged squeezing tool is incredibly useful.

The fixed blade should first be strong enough to not snap and big enough to function in a wide range of scenarios, but small enough to not be perceived as a burden.

Interestingly, these are the two issued tools in a couple of survival courses I took. The instructors loved the Carbon-V Bushmen for their durability and inexpensive price and preferred Leatherman to Gerber. We were encouraged to bring and practice with any and every tool we wished.

For an everyday compromise scenario, I like to have a Leatherman or SAK with saw and a fixed blade with carbon steel and a blade that's 5"-6" long. Such a blade fits in a backpack or on a belt without being cumbersome or dainty. A Leatherman Supertool 200 or Rebar and anything from a Becker Bk-15/16/17 to a Bark River Gunny, Cold Steel SRK, SWP Rat Ratmandu, or Fallkniven A1 fit the bill for me. I know the Fallkniven is stainless, but I'd be willing, after testing, to take one if I lived somewhere particularly humid.
 
If truly limited to just one it would be my Mora Bushcraft Black.

I'd much prefer to have the option of a Mora no 1 and a Victorinox Farmer.

If I inly had one cutting instrument you better believe I would be careful what I used it for.
 
With only the choice of one blade to survive with, it would have to be large enough to chop with, small enough to handle and carry and tough enough to not break. I think the Scrapyard Regulator or Himalayan Imports CAK fit the bill.
 
[video=youtube;UcBdtDhHnsA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcBdtDhHnsA[/video]

Survival tool for the outdoorsman/alcoholic.
 
Lone Wolf McBlade said:
Just wondering what others opinions would be on this. You could only have one knife to take with you into a potential survival situation. Could be wilderness survival, or urban, or zombie apocalypse, or whatever. Yes I know most people would say you have to have a survival/bug out bag for should said situations ever arise. But this isn't about doomsday prepping or anything like that. Just curious to see what all you guys would prefer, in your opinions, of the ideal knife you'd want to have if ever the proverbial caca hits the fan. I have a few in mind but let's see what you all come up with.

Thanks
Click to expand...

The actual knife people would have with them would be their EDC they are carrying that day so whatever knife that is.
 
sideways said:
A good multi-tool will cover a wide range of scenarios. I'd rather have the extra tools than a bigger blade.

Victorinox-copy.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm with you, sideways. My SHTF survival combo is a camp knife (Swamp Rat Camp Tramp) and a multi-tool (Swisstool Spirit). Conspicuous by its absence is a folder. With the combo I've chosen, I don't need one.
 
Becker BK9 with a good multitool shoved in the front sheath pouch. :D

If that doesn't count, the BK9.
 
It sounds like a lot of people's "one knife" is actually two knives.

bld522 said:
I'm with you, sideways. My SHTF survival combo is a camp knife (Swamp Rat Camp Tramp) and a multi-tool (Swisstool Spirit). Conspicuous by its absence is a folder. With the combo I've chosen, I don't need one.
Click to expand...

In what parallel universe is a Swisstool Spirit not a folder?
 
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In what parallel universe do you equate folders (aka uni-tools) with multi-tools?
 
bld522 said:
In what parallel universe do you equate folders (aka uni-tools) with multi-tools?
Click to expand...

The one where both of them have folding knife blades?


You're basically implying that if you add enough extra crap to a folding knife it suddenly stops being a folding knife that you have to count for the purpose of telling how many knives you have with you.

Which one of these multitools with pliers and knife blades isn't a knife?
maxresdefault.jpg
 
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