Being "prepared"

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Mike-The-Knife

Joined
Dec 6, 2011
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I came on today to post this thread , but before I did I got reading a thread by MikeH called " "Hard Use" Knives " . In a way that post has much to do with this one .

We have all seen and read and posted on many of the "If you just had ONE knife" threads and there was great debate about big knives vs small ones and the right tool for the right job and so forth . And we've all read or heard the statment that when suddendly put into a survival situation "Your survival knife will be the one you have with you" . Nothing is more true , becaus we can't see the future to plan for things that come up and put us in what could be a life or death situation . All we can do is try to be "prepared" . So here is what I'm asking for opinions on today .

I know the Battle Mistress or Dogfather can chop , cut , dig or pry it's way into or out of much more than a smaller knife can . However it's often not practical to have such and large knife on you or even in your small day pack as you take a sight seeing bus tour of walk through a shopping mall or take a small plane tour in Alaska or something . So , what knife DO you bring with you all the time to be that emergancy knife ? What size and heaft of knife do you feel is easy to carry , but would be tough enough that you trust your life to it ?

Some that "I" think of might be the Dumpster Mutt , maybe the BOSS Street or the Basic 4LE . I'd like to hear what others who like to be "prepaired" would have to say . Is the Ratmandu up to the job? I know the Scrapper 6 would be , but does it's length and thickness make it to heavy ?

We're talking a knife here that might have to dig and pry as well as cut or be batoned , but has to be of a size that it WOULD always be in yur day pack .

Lets hear what you think guys .


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HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
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The upper limit of size/weight knife that I will always wear when I am in the outdoors is the Sarsquatch. However, I think that the ZTNO is just about perfect for this use. When you get north of age 65, you don't go looking for extra weight to lug around.

Now if I am vehicle-based, the sky is the limit.

The knife I will always have on me is the one knife currently available that I took one look at and said, "If Busse built a folder, this is how it would be." The LionSteel SR-1.
 
I carry my old school badger on most of the time when I walk out the front door. Kydex sheath inverted left front hip. Untucked shirt covers all but the butt.
 
I live in Alaska and fly out to my work location. While out here we work a week on and a week off. (This is one time I wish I had my camera.) In my room at camp, in my 511 Pack is one of my HHFSH's and a AD. If that plane goes down and I'm lucky enough to be alive and still moving, I WILL GET OUT!!! they are in reach in the plane as that bag dosen't leave my side.
 
The fixed blades that fit this category best for me are my day hikers which are pretty much interchangeable--a Basic 5 and S5LE. Hard to beat the B5 for strength with 1/4" thick blade, flat-ground to an asymmetrical edge that cuts like a freshly stropped straigh razor. The S5LE is INFI (rather than M-INFI) and a better slicer (Banned full convex to zero, "stupid sharp" edge) and strong enough for anything I'd find to pry, and it's a little lighter. On the other hand, the S5 is probably not quite as good a chopper as the B5 if you need to clean up a stick or limb out a support pole, just because it has less blade weight and the asym edge is so good on wood. If the knife is doubling as a hunter, the S5LE is thinner with a finer working point, so would be my choice. But either of these two knives for me fits your description.
 
I think that the S5LE and Ratmandu are both excellent choices; tough enough to handle both hunting and fishing chores. Easy to carry and not too heavy, and not too scary when in the presence of "sheeple".
 
The RMD would be my choice. Its not super heavy and that knife is one tough sucker, you could dig, chop (doesnt chop to well but will if you needed it to), pry, cut, or do just about anything else you would need a knife to do in that type of situation.
 
There's something about this thread that i really like... not sure what it is.

also, I personally have a bag of knives that i refer to as my "trash knives"

these knives all have a few things in common. First, i bought them all before i joined this site. Second, they are all made of some sort of mystery steel that won't hold an edge worth a crap, and finally, they're all knives that i wouldn't trust to prepare my food much less put in a survival bag.
 
LOL BePrepared , yeah I wonder what you like about this thread . Your comment about a bag full of knives you wouldn't trust at all is probably true of many of us though . We're ALL knife people here of one sort or another . But many carry a knife to open the odd box or letter or maybe cut up an apple and leave their "good" knives at home . Others on here carry a small day pack with them everywhere they go that has a good strong knife and many other things that would allow them to survive in some sort of emergancy .

So what knives fit that sweet spot of not being too big and heavy or too small and weak ?


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HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
When I go walking in the hills I use a Berghaus Freeflow 35 +8 L rucksack because this size enables me to carry lightweight gear which I can do a mountain camp with ... it is'nt too big but is big enough to cover all levels of gear comfortably ...


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When I am wearing this there is always a Basic 9 in the rucksack. Here is an example ... I am in the front of this party returning to check in after a reunion walk in the Welsh Hills ...


Sunday_15_back_to_civilisation.jpg



The reason I carry such a large knife is that in an emergency "chopping" is the number one task I may need to do ... most of our country is wet a lot of the time and to get a fire going you will need to chop and split something sizeable enough to get to dry wood ...


This need for dry wood means usually a small tree for an overnight fire but a lot of my walking near home is Moorland walking ... these are devoid of trees up top and there is little cover ...


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In this sort of landscape you need to carry a knife which can deal with breaking up a fence post if you need an emergency fire to get you through a wintery night ... this situation usually means you may have a broken leg or ankle or some other incapacitating injury ... in those circumstances 5 inch knives like the RMD or S5LE which I have ... I know are not going to get it done ... even fully fit I would'nt fancy chopping through a fence post with a RMD ... I would probably keep me warm enough though whilst doing the task but equally it would have me sweating like crazy ... which is'nt what you want when you cool down ...


I find I can easily drop fence posts and trees with a Basic 9 and get a fire going quite quickly ... so for these reasons it is what I put in my daysack.
 
RussMo said:
I live in Alaska and fly out to my work location. While out here we work a week on and a week off. (This is one time I wish I had my camera.) In my room at camp, in my 511 Pack is one of my HHFSH's and a AD. If that plane goes down and I'm lucky enough to be alive and still moving, I WILL GET OUT!!! they are in reach in the plane as that bag dosen't leave my side.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a situation for either an ARK or a NARK.
 
Peter gives great insight to length of blade. If thats too much then it Sounds like a job for the basic-7!:thumbup:
 
I learned that when I rely on fixed blades only I often leave the house without a knife. I am more disciplined when it comes to carrying folders. They can't keep up with fixed blades of cause when it comes to performance. But when you neeed a knife, any folder in your pocket is better than the fixed blade you forgot/left at home. When going on a planned adventure/hike/camping trip I like blades between 6-8 inches (SAR-8, SARGE, NMSFNO, SAR-6, TG). It mainly depends on my mood which one of these I take with me.
 
If its down to what You always have on you, I have rarely carried a fixed blade here in NJ. Most times I had my Skeletool on me.
I recently picked up a ZT0560 and ever since that is always in my pocket.
Fixed blades, I cant remember the last time I put one on and wore it out. Wouldnt go over well in alot of the places I go . They wouldnt want me walking into my UPS night job with a fixed blade on me. I do get through with my ZT0560 with no questions though. I am going to start carrying my HLRM on me when Im not going to work and itll be stashed in my car for times when its not an option to wear.
 
I am pretty sure that once i get my MUK, it's going to be seeing a lot of general purpose action. It is kinda the optimal design for me. Perfect size and shape for food prep, game processing, and tough enough to be pressed into service as a camp knife
 
There's sooooo many variables, its tough to narrow in on any one thing. I guess in some gist, you talking about your toughest EDC knife. For me, that's a folder, plain and simple...I don't EDC fixed blades....they're for outdoor adventures (hiking, camping, etc), so that pretty much rules anything Busse out, at least at this point. I've been carrying Emersons for almost a decade, and they've never let me down. Granded I have dug, pried, or batoned with them.

Now if we're talking my most frequently carried fixed blade, which is one that I have selected as my 'failure is not an option' blade that I strap on my hip when I get off the black top, its the NMSFNO. I've handled many fine knives over the years, but the NMSFNO is the model I've settled on as my 'quit shopping, start using blade.' The TankBuster isn't far behind...So there ya go.

Yes, a RMD would be a good choice. At the other end of the spectrum (not counting the swords), is something like the FFBM, which could get the nod depending on the totality of the circumstances. But overall, the NMSFNO is what I would strap on my belt if heading into the wilds for situations unknown.

BOSS
 
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