A good winter survival knife?

A

ASharpCanadian

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Sep 12, 2011
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Thinking up a backpacking kit here- for wood processing I think Ill go with a bahco folding saw and a largeish survival knife for delimbing/batonning and fuzz stick
making. The ESEE offerings are really interesting- im looking at either a 6 or a junglas there. good value with the sheath it seems but people seem to raaave about swamp rats offerings. Im gonna buy a ratmandu i think and that should be nice- hopefully Ill hate it but from what Ive heard around here I wont, sadly swamp rats seem tricky to get ahold of because of their crazy business model-So what else is available in the largeish tougher than nails survival knife market?
 
Scrap Yard Knife Company (sister company of Swamp Rat and Busse) currently have the 511, similar in size to the Ratmandu and every bit as tough with the same type of steel and heat treat at a very reasonable price.

Not as large as the Junglas though, ESEE is well worth the money if you're looking at that :)
 
I'd also consider what gloves you'll be wearing while using said blade. Some prefer a hidden tang, for a winter knife, not as cold as the exposed tangs. The size of the handle will be the issue with gloves, how well does it fit and what's the grip like with a wet or icy glove?

A rubber handle may be worth looking at, Falkniven being an example. You could also get some grip tape and use on any knife during winter, just a thought.

I love my Bravo 1, Junglas, and ESEE 4, but haven't used any of them during winter conditions. I suspect the Bravo 1 to be slick and it's rounded handle could be a problem, depending on the gloves. My ESEE 4, with TKC's G-10 scales is more squared at the edges, and would be more stable with thicker gloves, IMO.
 
you might not think it but a good light scandinavian ground knife like a Mora is really efficient at processing cold winter wood-the thin profile and grind can bite right into cold stuff and it's necessary for the light detailed work. A nice bigger companion knife is the Hatchula II, which I had Dylan Fletcher design for me specifically for a winter survival kit. Full convex ground 3/16ths O1, 6.5 inchx2.25 inch blade. It's got heft and strength but again, a real nice thin grind for biting deep in cold hard wood. Combine that pair with a Scandinavian Forest Axe and you'll have the most effective 3-piece winter survival kit around.
 
The Condor Kumunga is good in this role.

Also, you might laugh, but the Cold Steel True Flight thrower makes a very tough froe if you're into batoning.
 
Ka-Bar's Becker Knife & Tool are EXCELLENT choices.
ESSE's are excellent choices.
Condor Boomslang is an excellent choice.
Ontario Ranger RD series is an excellent choice.
 
Check this out !

I absolutely love mine , it is one of my most vital pieces of gear. Tried , tested and true. Stainless so less worry about corrosion , convex for ease of sharpening and superior edge holding thru tough tasks.


Tostig
 
ASharpCanadian said:
Thinking up a backpacking kit here- for wood processing I think Ill go with a bahco folding saw and a largeish survival knife for delimbing/batonning and fuzz stick
making. The ESEE offerings are really interesting- im looking at either a 6 or a junglas there. good value with the sheath it seems but people seem to raaave about swamp rats offerings. Im gonna buy a ratmandu i think and that should be nice- hopefully Ill hate it but from what Ive heard around here I wont, sadly swamp rats seem tricky to get ahold of because of their crazy business model-So what else is available in the largeish tougher than nails survival knife market?
Click to expand...

How about an ax?

A "winter survival knife"? You really think it'll be efficient to baton wood in harsh conditions? You think it's worthwhile to burn calories batoning?

There's reality and there's fantasy.
 
I live in an area that has harsh winters. I personally carry a small ax in my backpack for just in case. I also have a folding saw. All of my custom knives have 8-10 inch blades. I carry knives by Culberson,Gossman,Horton,Rinaldi and Siegle.I can build a lean too pretty fast with my knives. I can and have processed deer with these large knives.When the snow hits nothing replaces an ax for speed in getting to that inner wood to make a fire that may be needed to save yours or someone else s life.Just my 2 cents. I always prepare for the worse.I also carry a 22 magnum in my pack with 100 rounds even though I have a large caliber handgun on my hip.
 
The Junglas is awesome. It's a high end bomb proof machete by design and should de-limb and baton very well. The handle should work very well with gloves also. I have one, but haven't batonned. It's really something to behold though. There is a guy around here from like Finland that uses one and did some really cool videos. Zyhano maybe? He seemed to be impressed with the Junglas for frozen forest work. That said, the ESEE 6 is ideal IMHO for a large belt knife. It is tough as nails and a great size. Batonning would pose no issues, but it won't chop as well as a machete sized blade. I watched a video of one batoning through frozen oak. It twisted and flexed as it was driven around knots and came out smiling. I highly recommend the 6 for a great all around knife. It sounds like you are looking mainly for wood processing here, so your small knife bases must be covered. In that case, I can say I love my 6 and Junglas. ESEE will NOT let you down no matter what and the sheaths are tops.
 
A Busse Basic 10 LE would be an excellent knife for such a job however if you don't have that kind of money I'd opt for the junglas or Becker BK9 also any of scrapyards offerings would be fantastic for a hard use outdoors knife
 
When I was young and thought I may want to go to Alaska, inspired by the Jack London stories I loved a 'yout', I did a lot of research. Most of the stampeders of '98 carried two axes in their gear, and thin bladed butcher knives for processing animals into meat. They put much more faith in an ax than a big heavy sheath knife.

I guess what worked in a cold harsh climate then, would be the same now.

Carl.
 
Hardcore Canadian winter?

Fallkniven A1 , Esee 6 or BK-7
Bahco folding saw
Estwing large camp axe
 
This one ain't bad for the money....
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I also like an Ontario 12" machete... and the Fiddleback 12" is good and light for backpacking.
Boomslang with a regrind is a great knife, just a bit heavy.
 
I agree with the last post. The Becker BK9 is a great choice, especially if you are on a budget.

Also, you could check out the KaBar Heavy Bowie, KaBar Cutlass Machete, and the condor kumunga.
 
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