Best knife for soldier; do you really need a 7inch fixed blade!?

hey, if you can hump the rounds, baseplate or a tube, youre a bad mother**cker man. My pc's off to ANY 11 charlie. Though, im the radio man on my team, and i do have the heaviest ruck by far, (on my team) so i feel every pound as well, but i tend to agree with the older posts, that when you have soo much crap on, at that point, you arent trying to slice hairs between a small rat3, or a 13" bowie. it just doesnt matter at that point really. we're more worried about our rucks shoulder straps breaking, or our shoulders or knees givin out, rather than 8 more ounces hangin off our lbe's. Are larger blades warranted, yep. if youre just a normal dude, maybe not. but if you're light (no vehicles WHATsoever. not even helos) whether youre an indirect, anti armor, or a light infantryman, you always rely on a blade to dig minor holes, cut branches for camouflage, pound makeshift tentstakes in the ground for a hooch, or overhead concealment, all sorts of stuff really. if going to the field for you, is 2 weeks out in the weeds, with a gp medium tent, and some sort of vehicle, then no, you dont really need to carry anything, cuz you can just throw it in your toolbag or with the vehicles pioneer tools. done. outta there.
But if goin to the field for you, involves not only roadmarching out to the training area (never under 20 clicks) sleepin out in the suck for 30 straight days, with just your ass, lbe, ruck, weapon and leather personnel carriers, (your jungle boots) then humpin back in when its all over, then you most likely will be relying on some sort of decent sized fixed blade. and no, you cant go whackin away with your E tool, cuz the second you wack that branch, it makes a VERY loud PING!, that is very easily recognizable by the opposing force... so thats an immediate no-go there. so ya either use your kabar, or a small folding saw. Thats what we use. 8 times outta ten, we hide sub surface, so we have quite a lot of on site building to do when we get to the obj (our objective).
In short, it all depends on what ya do, and how much you can hump. Is there a need? Yup, sure is.
 
I never even though about my KA-BAR on my deuce gear. It was a part of the uniform as far as I was concerned. I don't think size matters but better to have the length and not need it, than need it and not have it. The KA-BAR is an invaluable tool in the field; at least it was to me.
 
A lot depends, obviously, on what you do. A guy working as a tank mechanic has different needs than a desk-bound intel officer. And while the mechanic may need a multi tool and a good pocket knife, the intel puke might be fine with a SAK. Both may be armed, however, and their need for a self defense knife varies with the probability they might be attacked. An actual combat soldier may very well want a good sized knife as a backup to his rifle and pistol, if indeed he has a pistol. In any case I always opt for some sort of last ditch self defense knife because my fear is that I might have gone through my rifle and pistol and "go to the ground." At that point you need to be able to get your hands on something sharp. I always liked a Gerber Mark I strapped to the left inside shin. this is accessible by either hand. Or a Gerber Guardian in the small of the back. A decent folder clipped to the pocket would do just fine also.
 
in 1977 I picked up a Bolo knife 18" long while going through J.E.S.T. school in the Philippines. I carried this big knife as a Marine, Grunt from the equator to the Arctic circle and consider it to be one of my most important pieces of personnel equipment. It's done it all and saved my butt more than once. A lot of Marines get by with there pocket tools and fancy razzle dazzle knives, but they also always wanted to barrow my Bolo. A Ka-bar is a good knife but would be much better if it was three inches longer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top