Why is it always either/or, you can only have one? Why leave a useful tool behind -- weight? Why not be realistic and say, " I have $xxx to spend. For this specific task (ie., being a grunt in SWA) what's the best tool or combo of tools I can buy and where can I buy at that price?" The good 'Hawks aren't cheap, but a good 'Hawk and a good knife can do a good deal more tasks than a great knife. Just my $.02.
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Best All Around Knife
- Thread starter OrdnanceBubbaUSMC
- Start date
I think a good tomahawk would be more useful in the wild than a big knife.
However, a good knife is less obtrusive to carry and the probability that it will be on you is greater.
7" Combat knives are a good compromise that gives you good cutting, chopping, prying and stabbing capabilities.
This weight is not overly taxing for carrying around all day.
This would be a good basic hikinng kit.
Camp Tramp w/ lanyard
Large locking SAK w/ saw, tweezers, and small pliers
Water purification / canteen
Firestarter / lighter
Compass
Diamond rod
Survival manual
Basic first aid kit
Now the tomahawk and axes will begin to weigh you down. However, if you plan on staying in the woods for a while, a Tomahawk and a collapsable saw will make life a lot easier for you.
However, a good knife is less obtrusive to carry and the probability that it will be on you is greater.
7" Combat knives are a good compromise that gives you good cutting, chopping, prying and stabbing capabilities.
This weight is not overly taxing for carrying around all day.
This would be a good basic hikinng kit.
Camp Tramp w/ lanyard
Large locking SAK w/ saw, tweezers, and small pliers
Water purification / canteen
Firestarter / lighter
Compass
Diamond rod
Survival manual
Basic first aid kit
Now the tomahawk and axes will begin to weigh you down. However, if you plan on staying in the woods for a while, a Tomahawk and a collapsable saw will make life a lot easier for you.
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2002
- Messages
- 73
My survival kit contains a Gransfors mini and a SAK (one handed trail master)
The Gransfors looks like a toy but outchops any kinife of the same weight and does a pretty good job of slicing too. It will do a lot of work for it's size. Amazing kit.
The Gransfors looks like a toy but outchops any kinife of the same weight and does a pretty good job of slicing too. It will do a lot of work for it's size. Amazing kit.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2003
- Messages
- 494
Honestly... I've tried many, including the beckers... and the Camp Tramp, from Swamp Rat Knife Works, is the winner. By far.
Just get one and try it. You'll be amazed.
This is the first knife I ever handle that's at ease at everything, from cutting notches on a bow drill board to chopping down and splitting arm-sized stone-dry oak.
Edge retention is great. Toughness is pretty much incredible...
Can't be beat.
Cheers,
David
Just get one and try it. You'll be amazed.
This is the first knife I ever handle that's at ease at everything, from cutting notches on a bow drill board to chopping down and splitting arm-sized stone-dry oak.
Edge retention is great. Toughness is pretty much incredible...
Can't be beat.
Cheers,
David
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2000
- Messages
- 1,058
I never carry just one knife. I'm a fan of a good combo, where each knife could serve as a 'survival knife' alone, but all together the combo is much more powerful. The classic combo is the Nessmuk style: belt axe, fixed blade, folder. The modern nessmuk approach for me is the small fixed blade or 'tactical folder', SAK, and multitool. I add a large blade or hatchet in the woods; usually my GB mini, but sometimes a khukuri. I find the 7" 'combat/survival' knives to be nice for 'one-knife' type of scenarios, but too much of a compromise otherwise.
Perhaps an interesting alternative to the 'one knife' scenario would be the 'one pound' scenario; you get one pound of cutting tools, your choice....I know I'd spread it among a few different items...
Perhaps an interesting alternative to the 'one knife' scenario would be the 'one pound' scenario; you get one pound of cutting tools, your choice....I know I'd spread it among a few different items...
Myself I'd go with the Bark River Evo 1 IF you can get one I beleve A.G.Russell has some left. Got mine recently from Joe at ODS (www.outdoorsuppliesuk.com I think he still has a few left too), and its as close to the *one knife for all* that I've come across.
Cheers
Shaun
Cheers
Shaun
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2004
- Messages
- 4,172
Well, I do like the looks of that EVO 1, but this is a very opinionated topic. There's a lot of folks who believe in the 9.5" bladed knives like Busse, Swamp River, Fehrman, etc. Then, there's a big community that are minimalists and like the smaller, thin bladed knives like Grohmann, Finn knives etc. Heck, you also have those that can just get by with a good SAK.
Depending on your environment, most people could probably get by with a medium sized blade, but if you're needing a more robust tool to chop, dig, etc., a larger blade would be more appropriate.
Blade size has a lot to do with your selection. I really don't like the heavier 9+ inch bladed knives, and I've been able to accomplish a lot with the 6-7.5" range. Of course, I also prefer a knife that I will always carry and is comfortable, which is typically the 4-5.5" blade range. You can also dive into the debat of blade material, blade thickness, drop proint to tanto, bevels, flat, hollow grind, etc., most of which will come from your own expectations and preferences.
There's a ton of good choices out there...you have production knives on the more cost effective scale like Becker, Fallkniven, Grohmann, Marbles, Cold Steel, etc., or some of the excellent "semi-handmades" like Chris Reeve, Randall, Strider, Swamp Rat, Busse or TOPS, , and then if you fancy a more personal touch, their are a bunch of great custom makers to choose from, and most on the higher end cost-wise.
For me, I've taken my Busse SHII (older A2), Mission MPK (A2) and Randall #15 on military deployments.
For camping and hiking I've really warmed up to the Swamp Rat Camp Tramp and a Chris Reeve Project 1; and a whole host of smaller fixed blades for camp utilities (Grohmann, Cuda Talon, Nimravus, Mora & Finn/Puuko-type knvies, AG Russell, Fallkniven, Dozier, Spyderco, just to name a few).
Of course, there is also the popular SAK and mutli-tool crowd, that feel they can do or make anything they need...and I also believe a good mutlitool or SAK is an indispensible part of the kit.
For me on daily basis, my fixed blade has been a Mad Dog Pygmy ATAK for the last 5 years (where it's rides extremely well under BDUs).
If I was preparing for an emergency/survival/wilderness/combat situation
, I'd make sure I brought along one of my full sized blades: CR Project 1, Busse SHII or NOe, Mission MPK, or Camp Tramp...along with a good shovel, tomahawk/GB axe, small fixed blade, neck knife, a few folders, SAK and a multi-tool 
ROCK6
Depending on your environment, most people could probably get by with a medium sized blade, but if you're needing a more robust tool to chop, dig, etc., a larger blade would be more appropriate.
Blade size has a lot to do with your selection. I really don't like the heavier 9+ inch bladed knives, and I've been able to accomplish a lot with the 6-7.5" range. Of course, I also prefer a knife that I will always carry and is comfortable, which is typically the 4-5.5" blade range. You can also dive into the debat of blade material, blade thickness, drop proint to tanto, bevels, flat, hollow grind, etc., most of which will come from your own expectations and preferences.
There's a ton of good choices out there...you have production knives on the more cost effective scale like Becker, Fallkniven, Grohmann, Marbles, Cold Steel, etc., or some of the excellent "semi-handmades" like Chris Reeve, Randall, Strider, Swamp Rat, Busse or TOPS, , and then if you fancy a more personal touch, their are a bunch of great custom makers to choose from, and most on the higher end cost-wise.
For me, I've taken my Busse SHII (older A2), Mission MPK (A2) and Randall #15 on military deployments.
For camping and hiking I've really warmed up to the Swamp Rat Camp Tramp and a Chris Reeve Project 1; and a whole host of smaller fixed blades for camp utilities (Grohmann, Cuda Talon, Nimravus, Mora & Finn/Puuko-type knvies, AG Russell, Fallkniven, Dozier, Spyderco, just to name a few).
Of course, there is also the popular SAK and mutli-tool crowd, that feel they can do or make anything they need...and I also believe a good mutlitool or SAK is an indispensible part of the kit.
For me on daily basis, my fixed blade has been a Mad Dog Pygmy ATAK for the last 5 years (where it's rides extremely well under BDUs).
If I was preparing for an emergency/survival/wilderness/combat situation
, I'd make sure I brought along one of my full sized blades: CR Project 1, Busse SHII or NOe, Mission MPK, or Camp Tramp...along with a good shovel, tomahawk/GB axe, small fixed blade, neck knife, a few folders, SAK and a multi-tool ROCK6
I have just been on a hiking trip, actually not very sucessful, we gave up half way. We failed on medical ground.
In Europe I will probably avoid taking any heavy fixed blade knife if I am on a good well indicated path near populated areas. This is because too big knife makes people around you worried. Also, you do not need it much because you stay in hostels and B&Bs, so no fire and very little cooking is involved. However, if the path is not well indicated and there are not many people living nearby, I will think second time if I should go there. When someone is injured, your pace reduces dramatically that even 2 miles can take a few hours. From this experience I realised that you get into trouble quite suddenly, it seems that everything is under control until suddenly you are in quite a sh*t.
Regards,
In Europe I will probably avoid taking any heavy fixed blade knife if I am on a good well indicated path near populated areas. This is because too big knife makes people around you worried. Also, you do not need it much because you stay in hostels and B&Bs, so no fire and very little cooking is involved. However, if the path is not well indicated and there are not many people living nearby, I will think second time if I should go there. When someone is injured, your pace reduces dramatically that even 2 miles can take a few hours. From this experience I realised that you get into trouble quite suddenly, it seems that everything is under control until suddenly you are in quite a sh*t.
Regards,