Evolution of your survival/woods knife.

[dresnor]

Just like the title says, lets see some pics showing the evolution of your survival knife. The one knife when you bought it you felt it could handle any task you came up against.


This first one came directly from watching Macgyver way too much. No I never had a mullet! I saved up for this knife when I was in middle school and this thing was with me at all times when I wasn't at school. Allright, sometimes to brought it with me to school too, but only in case of an emergency I swear! I truely felt that I could use this knife to get out of any jam. Now that I found it I might clean it up and start carrying it again.

The next one in hindsight is just bad. Yes this is the as seen on tv knife and no I am not proud of it.

I don't remember how I got this knife and I am shocked I didn't break it, even after shoving it through junk car windshields. Don't ask. Feel free to poke fun at this one, I know I do!

As I grew older I got away from knives till a few years ago when I found a Buck Nighthawk in the woods. Then it all started again. A few Leathermans, a Sog Seal Pup and now this.

I know, no big surprise there. With that said, researching this knife did land me here and I am grateful for that.


I'll be hiking for the next 3 days and I can't wait to see what you guys post.


Now it is your turn, show us how your survival knife has changed over time.


Jeremy

 

[ShooterMcgavin]

I truly wish I could show off the evolution of my knives. Unfortunately, I experienced a large theft in 2005. Literally, EVERYTHING was stolen, including a few of the knives that I have had since I was a kid. I did carry my knife to school with me most of the time, through highschool and college. It was usually a Vic Tinker or Soldier. I also had a locking SAK, but forget what it is called. Through that theft, the one knife I was able to hold onto was my daily carry knife, a Benchmade 720. I have had it for about 11 years now and still love it. Since then, I have replaced stolen knives with a RAT (ESEE) RC-4 and an Izula. I want to move up to a BK7 some day

 

[Cobra281]

Just sold this bad boy - the one that REALLY started it all for me ... Buckmaster. Orig 184. Bought it new. Was the bomb in 1985

In theory it was sweet: Sheath had pouches that were made for it. Built in sharpening stone. Compass in Pommel, handle held survival stuff, grapling hooks, could cut wood, metal ...

But Honestly ... never really liked it. Too heavy. Didn't cut for $hit, handle ripped your hand up ... BUT it was COOL !!!! (LOL)

Today they're collector pieces - prob. shouldn't have sold it, but no worries.

 

[trailbum]

 

[DerekH]

The evolution for me was pretty short.

First real knife I had was this guy here:

I loved that Camillus Marine Combat knife, and only recently gave it to my fiancee's son. He now treasures it as much as I did at his age.

But, about two years ago (give or take) I joined up for Scouts with the boy, and so I purchased a BK3. It never got used, as I quickly found out I couldn't have a fixed blade in this Troop. So, after time went on, I ended up outside more, and really enjoyed myself, so I figured I would make the missus get me a knife that would be more appropriate for the stuff I had in mind.

Enter the BK2:

And, as you may or may not know, it is my favorite knife ever. I have since acquired more knives, and the BK14 pairs up with the BK2 like no ones business, but at the end of the day, that right there was the evolution, and I don't see it changing much, if at all, for quite some time.

 

[dresnor]

Derek, no pics of your big custom with the becker handles?

Jeremy

 

[dresnor]

Just sold this bad boy - the one that REALLY started it all for me ... Buckmaster. Orig 184. Bought it new. Was the bomb in 1985

In theory it was sweet: Sheath had pouches that were made for it. Built in sharpening stone. Compass in Pommel, handle held survival stuff, grapling hooks, could cut wood, metal ...

But Honestly ... never really liked it. Too heavy. Didn't cut for $hit, handle ripped your hand up ... BUT it was COOL !!!! (LOL)

Today they're collector pieces - prob. shouldn't have sold it, but no worries.

For kicks I looked on ebay for the going price of this knife..........i'm sticking with beckers

Thank you!

Jeremy

 

[clich]

Ill edit to add pics later but here's how it went for me.....

Slipjoints and buck hunters since I could hold a rifle....

Then I found the bk11 and was amazed by a "neck knife"

That evolved into many dumb purchases and trades until finally the bk2 showed up.....

Then it became the fallkniven f1...

Then the bk2 again.....

Then an esee 5.....

Then the bk2 again (again)....

Then the bk10......

Then the bk2 again (again) (again)

Currently its a swamp rat mischief 6....


Can you guess what will supersede that?....hmmm......

 

[Tyler_C]

no pics of my earlier blades but it went like this
case stag trapper,since i was 8(my grandfathers) i lost on a kayak trip two summers ago, very sad day.
i later in life got a vic tinker i think
then got into fixed blades in my teens so usmc kabars (3)
got more serious lately ESEE 6 and 3 combo
now bk2
but im tryin out a 7 and 9 plus my edc vic huntsman, a real survival knife

 

[Liveitloud]

Honestly when I started looking for outdoor knives I had already gone through years of collecting EDC type production knives, mostly Spyderco. I researched and read like crazy before buying my first fixed blade. This was my 1st (I think) and I have been really happy with it.

I can't remember the order in which I bought most of my outdoor type knives but I have not purchased a single one that wasn't up to the task. Now, when I was buying EDC I went through a progression of clunkers before I settled in on higher end (IMO) production knives.

As it sits now, I have 6 or more BHK's, a couple of Spyderco fixed blades, a swamp rat, a couple of ESEE's, some Beckers and several customs. I love them all. I tend to take a lot of pics before my knives are used. I really need to start dragging my camera around and take action shots more. Will have to work on that a bit.

 

[upnorth]

I agree. Yes indeed. But I might, and just as easily could take my old Brute. Both sheaths are completely set up for fire making. I have bitched about the Brutes weight before and still come back to it when the fecal matter hits the oscillating blades. The two is lighter, more compact and virtually indestructible. Damn, hard choice, but both could\would save a life. Yup, I'd take the 2 in a heart beat also. :thumbup:

 

[Idaho Guy]

BRB getting drool rag...nice knives guys.

 

[Vaunripped]

Up until this last year I really didn't have anything that I would term a "survival/woods" only blade of any sort. I have had lots of cheepy (as in $2-5 crap) pocket knives and one of the original model leathermen's. Then I got an ESEE-6, it was a great knife and went every were with me that I took my pack. Right up till i found out that the local law enforcement could hit me for concealed weapon's for it being in my pack, It being over 4" (seemed kind of stupid to me). So after looking for about a month I traded it on the trade forums here for a Bark River Gunny. Then about a month or two later I found that I really needed a "chopper" of some sort and ended up with a Coal Creek Forge tomahawk.

I will have a "big" knife some time this year, like a BK7, 9 or a Junglas, just to round out the herd.

P.S. I still carry a Leathermen as EDC along with the Gunny, it just so handy to have.

 

[Chris Pierce]

This thread is a great idea.
I started out when I was a kid buying the cheapest fixed blades that I could find in the Atlanta Cutlery catalog. I think $7.95 for a 7" tanto fixed blade with a 'saw tooth' spine and nylon sheath. I bought two!

Then as time went on, I started to think that big fixed blades were useless, and 'real' woodsmen used hatchets and small belt knives. So I bought a few of the smaller cheap fixed blades from Atlanta Cutlery. I don't have any pics of these since I gave them away to my then teenage friends soon after buying them. We had gone on a camping trip in Oregon and nobody but me brought a knife.
Eventually I gave up on fixed blades and just carried a folder in the woods. I had a S&W extreem ops folder with a ridiculous warncliffe style blade, big finger choils and a paper thin liner lock. It came apart when I tried to split kindling with it. :/
Then I bought a cheap coleman hatchet and didn't know how to sharpen it, so it was pretty worthless. I also bought a cheap folding saw on the recommendation of my father, which was awesome.

But then I soon found blade forums and bought one of these.

A Cold Steel ODA in Carbon V. A great knife, if you want to stab people. Not so great for the woods. It did work for splitting kindling though, which was all I really used a knife for back then.

In the last few years I have gone though probably 50-100 fixed blade knives. Some of which I have actually used in the woods, some of which never made it out of the house.
I've tried everything from mora's to the RTAK II. Cheap Cold Steel machetes to a Nick Wheeler Custom.


I've settled on an Alox Farmer as a back up to my fiskars folding saw, a pair of cold steel master hunters and a wetterlings hunters axe. I also have a few cold steel machetes still, but they are more for work then outdoor fun.

Here are gratuitous pics. No action shots, I never think to take pics of my tools when I'm out and about.

Looking back I wish I would have kept a lot of the knives I have traded or sold. But these things happen, and I am pretty happy with the small selection that I have at the moment.

 

[tradewater]

I have hung onto most of my knives over the years. Just couldn’t part with old friends, so here’s pretty much how the evolution went for me (as far as survival/woods knives goes).

I “modded” this broken tip Old Hickory my grandmother gave me and this Arisaka bayonet came home from WW2 with my dad. From about twelve years old all the way through high school these were my woods knives. They built cane shelters on the creek, cleaned fish, rabbits, and squirrels. They did it all. A wool blanket and a lumber cover, a single shot .22 and away we would go for a day or three on the creek. I still take it with me sometimes, I added a fire steel loop to the sheath.

My first big purchase was this Tapio Wirkkala puukko because it felt nice in the hand. A good knife. It, a Buck 110 and this Plumb hatchet went to the boonies for years. During that time I had Pumas, various Bucks and a bunch of folders, but the puukko was my “go to” blade.

Kids grew up and I had a few more bucks to spend on myself so I starting building up the stable of blades. Tried my first convex blades and carried this Bark River Northstar combo for a while along with various hatchets and machetes that I’d picked up.

Now, we do a lot of woods and water time and I have quite a few knives by a lot of makers. Fun to play with. For serious stuff I am most comfortable with the robust quality of my Beckers. Just hard working no bullshit blades you can count on. Anytime we go anywhere that has even a remote chance of having to depend on a knife, I’ll have some combination of Esee and Becker on me. Usually these two right here.

 

[s7brad]

I've had so many, but here a few of the main ones. Started around age 7 with this oldtimer and soon a sak there after

and a kabar of course.

next moved up to an Ek bowie with my trusty stockman

had a brief affair with an Entrek and Emerson

worked into a trio of a chopper size, med belt knife and folder

that's about where I'm at now, tho the blades rotate some since I own quite a few. Not pictured is also a TOPS Mohawk hunter that has endeared itself to me as well. And a huge array of folders both traditional and tactical flavor.

here is the TOPS

 

[Bill Siegle]

I have had soooooooo many blades it's almost sinful but I started off with a Craftsman Barlow, then moved up to a Bucklite lock blade. Sometime a little later Dad gave me an Air Force survival knife. Now that was fun! I did stuff with that knife that would make Rambo nervous! Learned how to sharpen on that beast and turned it into a real cutter Still have those three knives and they would still perform in the woods but nowadays I take my customs, Busses, Beckers, etc. I still use the knowledge I learned from my first blades everyday

 

[thatotherguy]

I started with a cheap twoblade lockback, then "upgraded" to the infamous $1 walmart knife, and then I got my first good knife. A pre-2011 cold steel med. voyager with a clip point and a plain edge. After that one got lost, the kabar (beginning of the addiction) little finn was on my belt, and there she stayed for a few years, until the pilot survival knife caught my attention. I went with that until the 5" blade wasnt enough anymore, and got a kabar USMC. Now i've got a bk7, and am happy with it.

 

[dresnor]

I am back from my hike and I am amazed how many awesome knives you folks have.

Lets keep it going.

Jeremy

 

[upnorth]

I came within a fly fart of buying one of these when my preferred vendor did a boxing day sale......I still might, but I'm on the fence about having it for rough use.