A big knife for survival? Really?

the lone gunman

the lone gunman

Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
938
I was giving some thought to my knife collection today and what would I really need if I had to survive in the wild. I live in Central Pa. and this is what I came up with.

1. I am not going to chop wood, enough dead stuff laying around. And if its long I will let the fire do the work and burn it into small pieces.

2. I can build a shelter without a knife.

3. I don’t need a big knife to make a spear or throwing stick.

4. I don’t need a big knife to make triggers for traps.

5. I don’t need a big knife to clean fish or small game if I am lucky enough to get some.

6. Try cutting out a splinter in your finger with a 6 inch or bigger blade.

7. I can carry a small knife and sharpening stone in my front pocket, hardly any weight at all.

8. I can make fuzz sticks better with a small knife.

9. If I have to defend myself from Animal or Human, I will use my spear , not my knife.

10. A small SHARP knife is less likely to cause a severe injury to my person.


So what would be my choice to have with me if things went wrong. Well the one that’s always with me. My Kershaw Chive.
 
I think a big knife is a good camp knife. A survival knife will usually be smaller because thats the one you will have with you when the emergency strikes.

Theres that story about the rock climber out by himself who got his arm stuck when a rock fell on it. After several days he cut his arm off with a pocket knife. That was his survival knife.

I wonder what knife that was?
 
Last edited:
I googled the guy who cut his arm off. His name was Aron Ralston and his knife was a generic multitool leatherman knockoff that was so dull it wouldnt cut his skin. Talk about unprepared, sheeesh!
 
There's usually a direct relationship between an outdoorsman's experience level and the size of his knife.

The bigger the knife, the less experience! :p

Even in remore areas of the Colorado Rockies, I can't imagine needing anything larger than my 3 1/2 inch blade Bob Dozier knife. :thumbup:
 
I've been backpacking and hiking, camping, and working outdoors for many years. There are surprisingly few things in nature that need to be cut, chopped, or otherwise marred.
 
My woods knives are small and simple.
Case Wharncliff Trapper
Leatherman Wave
Modified Old Hickory w/ 3" blade
It's usually a combonation of two of these three knives.
DSCF1231.jpg

DSCF1259.jpg
 
More or less in agreement with the smaller survival knife, larger camp knife school of thought. Although for backpacking I am less likely to carry the swiss army I used to, in favor of a three to four inch fixed blade knife now. The swiss army knife is for day hikes. By default that would be my most likely survival knife, that or the Spyderco Native that has recently become my edc.
 
Most of my fixed blades are in the 3-4.5 inch range, knives in that size range will handle 95% of the tasks I am ever likely to encounter. Rare is the day that I do not have a good quality folder and a 3-4 inch fixed blade either on my person or somewhere very nearby. I do have one larger blade, a Swamp Rat Battle Rat. It is one of the very few knives I'd ever attempt to use as a pry bar, like to have it around when I'm using a chainsaw. It isn't likely to be carried into the woods on a hike, it is much more likely to be tossed in the truck when out clearing storm damage or some other similar task. I may even toss it in a utility hold on the boat while out on the lake or river fishing. It handles surprisingly well for a knife of its size, and I like having it around. I'd probably prefer a good 4 inch fixed blade in a survival scenario, but it's more a matter of being able to make do with what you have.
 
dipbait said:
I googled the guy who cut his arm off. His name was Aron Ralston and his knife was a generic multitool leatherman knockoff that was so dull it wouldnt cut his skin. Talk about unprepared, sheeesh!
Click to expand...

It's not the blade. It's the man wielding it. He knew what he had to do and he did it. He was prepared. Mentally prepared. The hardest and most important part.
 
dipbait said:
I googled the guy who cut his arm off. His name was Aron Ralston and his knife was a generic multitool leatherman knockoff that was so dull it wouldnt cut his skin. Talk about unprepared, sheeesh!
Click to expand...
In order to free his arm from the boulder, Ralston had to twist hs forearm enough to break both the radius and the ulna. Once the bones were broken, he used his knife to cut through all the soft tissue. Then, he slid what remained of his arm free, put on a tourniquet and climbed down the 60 feet rock face he was on. He said in an interview that he'd absolutely no feeling left in his arm by the time he broke and cut it off.

For a survival knife, I truly prefer a fixed blade, carbon steel knife with a blade about 9" in length. I'm comfortable and familiar with that size of knife for my survival purposes and it's what I opt for :thumbup:
 
A Survival knife for me must be Titanium. Beta Titanium is very sharp, very strong and will Not rust. In a Survival situation, I'll have other things to worry about, not my knife rusting. But that's just me.
 
Hi guys, I've got to disagree with you a bit. Up North where I live a big knife is not imperative but it will save you a LOT of energy and limiting your efforts is key to surviving. Up here if you don't have something like a big knife or a machette to open a trail you'll be out of juice in half an hour, a big blade will build you a shelter in a matter of minutes, gather and split fire wood effortless and try to cut a hole in 12'' thick ice with a 4'' blade...those are a few examples why you should carry a big blade at least up here. I know some of you are thinking 'why doesn't he carry an axe' well I think it's less efficient and harder to carry but that my oppinion of course...Cheers!!! Oh and don't forget your RC-4 for the ride...:)
 
Treg said:
Hi guys, I've got to disagree with you a bit. Up North where I live a big knife is not imperative but it will save you a LOT of energy and limiting your efforts is key to surviving. Up here if you don't have something like a big knife or a machette to open a trail you'll be out of juice in half an hour, a big blade will build you a shelter in a matter of minutes, gather and split fire wood effortless and try to cut a hole in 12'' thick ice with a 4'' blade...those are a few examples why you should carry a big blade at least up here. I know some of you are thinking 'why doesn't he carry an axe' well I think it's less efficient and harder to carry but that my oppinion of course...Cheers!!! Oh and don't forget your RC-4 for the ride...:)
Click to expand...
I think you're missing the point a little bit - the point isn't that a 3-5 inch blade is ALWAYS the best choice for a survival blade, but thatthe best choice for a survival blade depends upon the context in which one finds himself. In the environment you describe, then it certainly does seem highly useful to have a bigger, heavier, tougher tool than in other scenarios, but your situation is far from universal - and that's the idea. Instead of framing this in the context of "what is the best survival knife", I think the idea might be better stated as "what do I need from an edged tool to help me survive in any situation I might likely find myself".
 
Ben Dover made a good point earlier when he related a man's experience to the size of his knife. But, I also think it has to do with what you prefer to do in the woods. Me, I don't want to build a shelter in a matter of minutes and rather prefer to walk around and gather wood instead of choping. It will keep your mind focused, which is the most important thing to keep in check during a survival situation, instead of worried. Thus, for me a big knife is not needed unless I'm camping with my wife and daughter then I don't want to take any chances for them to be unprepared.
 
And the internet debate rages on.

Personally, as a guy whose spent a lot of time outdoors, SOLO, I prefer a larger knife for chopping and batonning. But I DO also carry a smaller knife for smaller jobs. If you only have one knife, then you're kind of stuck with what it's good at, and bad at. I wouldn't try skinning small game with my Yard Guard any more than I would try to chop wood with my Kershaw Shallot.
 
I would probably take a Victorinox Huntsman. The saw will lessen the need for a chopper, and you of course have two blades, so you wont run out of sharp edges quickly. Plus the Vic steel is virtually rust-proof, which is very valuable in certain wilderness situations. If multitools are an option, I'd take a Swisstool X for many of the same reasons.
 
Nothing is better in the woods than a long 8 to 10 inch knife. Yes, you can live without it but it makes work go much easier. Imagine cutting down a tree to meke a bridge to cross a stream with a small knife. Imagine if a tree has blocked off the road for you to get out of someplace and you only have a small knife. Imagine making a BIG stake to hold your canoe along shore. If you can take one, do so. Big knives, just like small knives, do some jobs better than anything else. You can even kill a rattler with one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top