Best knife for survival ?

I have the Tom Brown Tracker 2,that said do i think its the perfect
survival knife,no but...i think the moras junk :eek: I like my tracker 2.the
full size one was too big for me.I've made shelter,fire,fishing pole,everything
that a 4"inch blade can handle.the great thing is thou i can split logs with it
being in the pacific northwest.that is important.when fishing or hiking i don't
carry an axe.I have the tracker 2 on my belt and a smith and wesson
outback on my pack,and a sebenza in my pocket and leatherman wave

heavy knife,3"-4"folder and multi tool can't go wrong;)
if separated from pack i'll have the tools i need to survive

tyrantblade
 
You cant go wrong with a...

Swamprat
Scrapyard
Fallkniven
Bark River
RAT
and of course BUSSE

I would suggest a Swamprat Ratmandu. In fact theres one in the exchange right now.

And please whatever you do dont get a Tracker.
 
Ok, I recon its over engineered. I dont like the step on the cutting edge.
Sharpening the straight section can be a hastle ... filleting can be a problem ... retreiving the blade from inserting into material can be a problem ... sticking while chopping ...
Do you all think the step may me rounded out as a modification?
 
A few considerations.

1. The "Tracker," in all its incarnations, costs a lot of money. Redscorpion6 seems to have his version on offer here on the forums for a discount.

2. One consideration is going to be that the likeliest way for you to end up suddenly knifeless is probably not that the knife you choose will fail, but that you'll lose it, drop it into a lake, etc. This can happen with a $500 knife just as with a $2 knife. Given that knives are so crucial as parts of one's survival gear, you may be better off with three inexpensive knives than with just one super-expensive one. If you just have the one (due to weight, expense, etc.), and it snaps, or gets lost, or sinks with the airplane whose ditching is the cause of your survival situation, or is confiscated by somebody after a disaster, you might have been better off with a bunch of knives. In a lot of survival situations, you might also like to have extras to give to friends, to trade, etc.

3. The "more than one knife" theory of #2 above also conduces to keeping a few of different kinds, so that you can keep a couple of different kinds on hand to deal with different tasks.

4. One thing you'll notice in the survival literature is that different instructors have radically different ideas about what a likely survival situation will look like. Famous Australian survival guru R. H. Graves opined that a machete would be about the most useful bladed tool, but his main idea of a likely survival situation seems to have involved the Australian bush, Indonesia, and/or southeast Asia. If you are planning on day-hikes in the desert, or survival on the Alaskan tundra, or time on a life-raft on the open ocean, you'd probably be a lot better off with a smaller knife.

5. The most important attribute of any survival knife is that it actually be with you when your survival situation happens. Pocketknives are good this way, since they're likelier to be something you have on you when disaster strikes; relatedly, people don't tend to flip out when they see a Swiss Army or Boy Scout pocketknife in the way that they might if you had a Ka-Bar Bowie with a 9-inch blade. Really big knives have a nasty tendency to get large amounts of money paid for them, only to spend most of their lives in safes or closets, because they're too heavy or unwieldy for realistic use.

6. I think the single biggest problem with a survival knife would be for it to outright break. I would much rather have my knife rust, or bend, than break. That means that I usually trust high-carbon, non-stainless steels more than any kind of stainless, D2, etc. If I were living in a place where non-stainless steel rusted in hours and took the sharp edge off my knife constantly, I might think differently--but I don't.

7. Many fans of small knives for survival purposes recommend that you cut large pieces of wood, etc. by pounding your knife through the wood with a big wooden club. This works. It can work amazingly well. There are a couple of problems, however: (1) this subjects the knife to a great deal of force, and even quite decent knives can fail catastrophically if this is done to them. Before doing this with your one knife out in the woods, ask yourself what you'll do if you find yourself holding only a handle; and (2) it requires that you have two available hands--something that might be a problem if you're injured, or, say, if the piece of wood you wish to cut off is a high tree branch you'd like to use to make a bow. If your cutting method involves using both hands, but your situation requires you to hang on with a third hand, you may find yourself wishing you'd brought a saw, or a knife big enough to chop. The small, almost-disposable knives made in Mora, Sweden (good selection available at www.ragweedforge.com , under the Swedish Mora knives sub-site) are favored by many outdoor survival experts, and they cut very, very well, hold up to medium-hard use, are light and inexpensive, and don't trigger as many people's "this guy is a homicidal nut" reflex as do more military-looking knives. They're a great choice for most survival applications--but they do have a bit of a history of breaking under extremely abusive use (which probably includes batonning through big chunks of wood). Survival instructors Cody Lundin and Mors Kochanski seem to swear by them, and someone on the forum wrote that even Tom Brown, who is claimed, I believe, to have designed the "tracker" model, sells Mora knives to his survival course students.

8. Thick knives are, ordinarily, harder to snap than thin ones--but they also tend not to slice as well. This can be addressed by keeping one thick and one thin knife in your kit.

9. Most survival equipment is actually going to see use just doing basic handyman things around your home or office or car--unless you really keep a totally-dedicated, sealed "SURVIVAL KIT" somewhere. I keep a Leatherman Wave in my briefcase, which usually is within 50 feet of where I am, wherever I go. Among its most common uses are pulling staples from large stacks of paper, trimming fingernails, and opening packages--but it's very much part of my everyday emergency-preparedness gear.

Some of my favorites are these.

1. Leatherman tool -- I like the ones that have a saw and scissors, since I use these all the time. There are better knives than the knife blades on Leatherman tools, but I find the overall multi-tool thing so handy that it's got to be among my first choices. Tweezers are also very useful, and at least one of the "Juice" models has these.

2. Swiss Army knife -- see above; again, I like the ones with saws and scissors. Tweezers are also very useful--I probably use these about every two weeks. (Lots of cactus and splinters out here.)

3. Ontario "Old Hickory" knives (or, very similar, Russell Green River Works knives in high-carbon steel). These are thin, slice nicely; I've heard stories of them being broken, but I myself have subjected them to spectacular abuse, up to and including clamping into a vise and leaning on them as hard as I could, trying to break them, without doing so. I'd predict that they CAN be broken, but they are basically fairly tough, at least, and, best, are extremely inexpensive. At any given time there are usually dozens for sale on eBay, used, for as little as $2 or so apiece. They are light. They take a great edge, and can hold it at least okay. Many of them are full-tang, with wooden handles attached to a full-sized steel tang with rivets. This means that they're a lot harder to break at the tang than other knives with narrowed tangs. Possibly the best bang for your buck out there.

There are entire Native American TRIBES in my state with only a few hundred people each. For a little perspective, you could give an Old Hickory knife to every man, woman, and child in one of these small tribes for the price of ONE high-end Busse knife. You would still have a few knives for yourself, even if you lost a couple, and you might end up with a few hundred friends to help you out in your survival situation.

4. USAF pilot's survival knife. These have been made by Ontario and Camillus. They are of 1095 high-carbon steel, and have blades usually 5 inches (rarely, 6 inches) long. Designed to help the user saw and hammer his way out of a downed aircraft. Lots of people hate the saw back, but I find it useful for cutting through small pieces of wood; some like it for cutting notches in sticks for making traps. The blade is pretty thick, which means it's harder to break than some--but it's also awkward for fine slicing. It's got a hammer-like hexagonal pommel which you might find useful as a replacement rock from time to time. The sheath often comes with a little sharpening stone in a pocket on the front. The leather handle and sheath might or might not be a good idea if you're in very wet environments where it might rot, or very dry environments where it might crumble into dust. I got a bunch of these for my wife and kids, who all have small hands, as the handles on these are thinner than on some knives like the full-sized Ka-bar USMC knives.

5. Mora knives--recently, the main makers were Frost's and Eriksson, but I gather these have merged into a new company called "Knives of Sweden". Hard to go wrong here. Visit the "Ragweed Forge" site mentioned above and browse. Some people love the Mora 2000 (big, stainless, nice handle, but costs 3 times most Mora knives, probably without being 3 times as good). I like the carbon-steel Clipper model (nice, very securely grippable rubberized handle), the Craftsman in triflex carbon steel (differentially tempered, so the edge is hard and holds better, but the spine is soft and resists snapping), and the classic wooden-handled ones. I hear that the laminated ones have a nasty tendency to bend. If you get one with a slick plastic handle, consider roughing it up with coarse sandpaper for a better grip--you'd hate to put your knife through your hand, or drop it through your foot, after its handle gets slippery while you're cleaning the fish you just speared.

6. Cold Steel's Survival / Rescue Knife (SRK), in carbon steel. I don't think they make them in non-stainless anymore. This is a thick, tough, no-nonsense knife. A bit thick for fine slicing, but you can do it. Another knife that has quite a following, though I've never had one, is Cold Steel's Bushman--which seems to be virtually indestructible. (I've read about one lot having had problems several years back, but, at this knife's low price, just buy one, subject it to some heavy prying, and, if it doesn't break, you probably got one of the majority that are almost impossible to destroy.) Some people stuff the hollow handle full of survival gear and cap the end with a crutch tip.

Larger, chopping-oriented knives.

You may or may not really need one of these. Lots of debate on knife size here and in the survival-school world, and a lot of it will depend on what you're going to need to cut. Realism is good here. If you decide to try one, consider these.

7. Ka-bar "Large Heavy" Bowie, model 1277. Flat grind makes it a better slicer than a lot of big knives. It's long enough (9-inch blade) to actually chop quite respectably. Comfy rubber-like handle. In spite of the "heavy" in its name, it's actually lighter than a lot of Bowies. You can get this without much trouble for under $50 via eBay. Very underrated, in my opinion. There's a shorter-bladed model, too.

8. German Bowie knives from Solingen. I'm talking about the carbon-steel ones from companies like Edge Mark or Edge brand. Not too sexy, but they worked just great for your dad and grandpa, and will work for you, too. You can get a full-tang, high-carbon blade up to 10 inches for about $50 if you shop eBay for a while. Also very underrated.

9. Ontario Knife Company's "Survival Bowie" and "Marine Raider" Bowie--I like the latter. It's got a very tough, saber-ground, 1/4-inch blade. It's heavy, built like a tank. Kind of unwieldy, but hard to break (except for the pointy tip). Sheath is flimsy and sucks. The "Survival Bowie" I trust less, because its flat grind makes it much lighter and prone to breakage. However, the same shape means that it slices much better than the Marine Raider. You might also consider the RTAK or RTAK II, which at least WAS made by Ontario for a while; never had one myself, though.

10. RD-7 or RD-9 by Ranger Knives. Available at www.rangerknives.com or www.actiongear.com . I've never even held one, but they come very highly recommended. They'll set you back about $70-120, depending on where you buy. Word is that Justin Gingrich, the US Army Ranger who makes them, is about the best customer-service guy you'll ever run across.

11. Himalayan Imports khukuris. These are hand-forged by smiths in Nepal, and differentially tempered so that the primary cutting part of the edge is very hard and holds an edge well, and the rest of the blade is comparatively softer and tough. Lifetime guarantee to the original purchaser. The super-tough-and-thick chiruwa ang khola has an unusual warranty: bend or break it, and they'll send you TWO replacements. I gather this doesn't happen often. These knives retail at H.I.'s online Yahoo store for $100 and up, but lower costs are available on a near-daily basis if you just lurk around the H.I. sub-forum on BladeForums, note the time of day when the proprietress, Yangdu, posts offers of bargains, and then instantly e-mail her your acceptance of an offer that strikes your fancy. (Best deals are typically snapped up within 10-15 minutes of posting, sometimes much sooner.) You can usually get a very good knife this way for as little as $70, give or take, especially if you don't mind a cosmetic blemish like a bit of rust or a small crack in the handle. Each khukuri comes with a little fixed-blade companion knife called a "karda", with about a 2-inch blade, so you instantly have the small cutting tasks covered with one of these. Good models are British Army Service (10 inch blade, 15 inches overall), sirupati (variable size), and the various kinds of ang kholas (also variable, chiruwa model with the most-robust tang tends to be about 16.5 inches overall). Khukuris tend to be thick, awkward at slicing, but great at chopping. Rather intimidating to walk down the street with, and their bent shape makes them look a little pistol-like at first glance. The chiruwa ang khola, while very hard to destroy, has a blade that can be a full half-inch thick (yes, you read that right--1/2 inch thick) at the thickest part of the spine. This makes for a heavy knife, and not the easiest thing to use to filet a rat or a small fish. Some people swear by the World War II model, but I find the point to be blunt enough that I prefer other models. Customer service is the best I've ever seen. Anywhere.

Nice thing about khukuris is that you can get quite a lot of chopping power in a fairly short package. These hand-forged knives have much more character and conversation-piece value than any factory-made knife you'll find. Browse the internet for Cliff Stamp's reviews of these, and you will be impressed with the kind of abuse they can endure.

12. Reflections of Asia bolos. These are also hand-forged, this time in the Philippines. Less polished and pretty than Himalayan Imports' stuff. These are bolos--thick, big, long, machete-like knives, forged from truck springs. Handles are wood or, more usually, water buffalo horn. You may need to sand/shape the handle for optimum custom comfort. I hear that they are also differentially tempered. Go to www.reflectionsofasia.com, use the search function for "bolo", and shop to your heart's content. I think the price on these has gone up to about $25 apiece plus shipping from California.

Have fun!
 
busse
scrapyard
swamprat
ranger
fallkniven


those seem like the best choices to me.
especially the swamprat ratmandu, fallkniven A1 or Ranger rd6.

I would shoot for the fallkniven A1.

I know it's a touchy subject, but i found this review VERy helpfull.
(you can also see the full destruction test to see what a tough knife it is)

http://www.knifetests.com/page24.html

now Ranger is a good brand and justin is a great guy, but i think a fallkniven would better suit your needs and be an easier to care for knife.
scrapyard is also great, but are hard to get.
busse are kind of expensive and can be hard to get.
swamprats can be hard to get too.
although I guess if you look on the aftermarket you could find a knife that would suit your needs.
(just make sure the demensions are right for you, obviously the .285" thick scrapyard dumpster mutt with sabre grind wouldn't be a good choice for bushcraft type stuff)

bark river is another good company, but i think may be a little too small (generally) for what you're looking for.
as I'm under the impression you might want something that can chop a little too.

and there is nothing wrong with getting a "do it all" knife.
i just don't think the tracker would be that knife.
:D

hope that helps a little.
 
Swamprat Ratweiler is MY survival/Do Anything Knife. Its comfortable in my hand (most important) and will take a beating alot of other knives can't. Pair it with a SAK, or in my case, a SAK and an HRLM and you have the bases covered.
 
A favorite quote of mine is "When all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail." A larger fixed blade knife can substitute, in a pinch, for a smaller knife, hatchet/axe etc. but that doesn't make it the preferred tool. A smaller knife, for cutting and slicing, a hatchet for chopping, and a multi-tool/SAK for repairs is a much more effective choice (and generally more cost effective to boot). If one of them is lost you have another option, albeit not the best tool, but one that hopefully works sufficiently for your need until a replacement can be garnered.

Just an opinion,
 
I see this is your first "survival knife" the tracker and tracker 2 appeals
to different people.this being your first i would suggest something in a
4" blade to 6" range learn the techniques,gain some knowledge.first
what can you afford,second how is it to be used area,edc,etc.it
might be better if you break it up into
multi tool
3"-4"sturdy folder
5"-7" fixed blade

if your willing to drop 330.00 for a tracker you can get a pretty good trio
for survival use
any of the RAT,Busse,Ranger,Fallkniven,Ontario,K-bar products
 
Trust ME!!!
$50 and under range...Javenpaa or Wood Jewel PUUKKO.
$50 and up..Randall Adventure Training
$100 -$150..BARK RIVER, Aurora, NorthStar, Nebula, Bravo1
$150-$300..BUSSE, SWAMPRAT, SKOOKUM
 
I think for a "First Survival" knife you should look at What you want it to do?
My first one was a hollow handled knife back in the "80's and that knife purchase set me on to an obsession that probably every member suffers from, " just one more knife" syndrome.
For all practical purposes I would say a RAT-3 or Mora. They are affordable and tough and if you break or lose it, your bank account doesn't take such a hit. They will get the job done. Or check out my ESK it has the simple shape but couldn't let go of the survival knife concept. But no way could you go wrong with the RAT-3 or Mora.
The WSK/Tracker design is good and solid but you need to understand the function of the blade and get that it is a multi-functional tool. It is a bit "gadget-ity" to some and Sexy to others. But it does have limitations too. I carry it but you will still want a smaller knife to do some work. But Most importantly you need to have the skills to use it. Doesn't matter if you buy the knife that can do a job, the question is Can YOU do the job first and foremost. Great marketing manuals and shows are cool, but you need to find what is right fit for you. Doesn't really matter if it is tagged as the end all of knives, if you don't have the skills to use it.
You need to make sure you got the SKILLS, like nunchaks, bo staff skills and such..before gangs will recruit you.. lol
-- IMHO as quirky as it is. good luck.
 
Take a look at a larger Busse like the FFBM or the Koster WSK.
 
Champagne budget:

Busse BATAC or ASH1 or a custom (MANY to choose from, waiting required)

Good red wine budget:

Swamp Rat Chopweiler, Mini-Mojo or Ratmandu (good timing required)
Scrap Yard Dumpster Mutt LE or Yard Keeper LE (ditto)

Beer budget:

Bark River Bravo 1 or Cold Steel Recon Scout

Add a SAK One-hand Trekker for food prep and you're GTG!
 
While I can't give you all the excellent advice and information that J.D. did (holy cow, GREAT write up... can someone pin it?) I tend to agree with most people here. Like Wabajack, I tend towards smaller knives, at least these days.

Some suggestions. First, if you want ONE knife that is going to be your life saver for everything, I wouldnt suggest anything as fancy as the Tracker to start. I tend not to like it for practical purposes, but it gets a A+ for the coolness factor in looks. Grab a decent fixed blade like the Gossman PSK sr, RC-4, a Ranger RD6, something along those lines and really USE it. I will be the first one to admit it, I beat the crap out of my knives, all of them. I don't buy for "collecting" so to speak (well except for some of my SAKs) they all get used hard.

The best survival knife is going to give you a lot of utility. Too large and it will be awkward to get comfortable in tight cutting situations, too small and you have to worry about durability.

I have owned a number of very good "production" survival knives, the Gerber BMF (replaced by the Steadfast now) the Kershaw 1005 (great but out of production hard to find) and the BuckMaster (first one broke at a time i really needed it, second lasted for years). All of these knife served me well (The BMF for 18 years of HEAVY use). But the closest I have come these days to a "one knife" solution has either been a RAT RC-4 or a Gossman PSK sr. Both as simple, hard workers and work in most situations.

When I was training in CA with Allan Beauchamp (Bow), I took me big blades, plus a Gossman PSK and a bunch of SAKs. Thru out the training, time and time again I found myself putting my big knives away in favor of the smaller more nimble PSK.

So my recommendations would be (like everyone)
1) RC-4 or Gossman PSK sr (the larger version)
2) Leatherman or Victorinox Spirit Swisstool
3) Victorinox Trekker or Farmer or Huntsman

And use the left over cash to go someplace awesome to use them! :)
 
I agree, excellent post Return of the J.D.!! I have come to, though often by a hard lesson, of many of the same conclusions. I like to carry several different knives with me as well. The Leatherman wave, too, is always in my computer bag/briefcase and is with me almost always. I would also add that Swisstools are excellent as well. I also am a fan of the Frosts Mora 780 Craftsman and have a couple as well as the 2000. The 2000 is generally designated for food prep. Plus they are so light they are easy to carry. I generally only have one knife that you could really consider a chopper; a Ranger RD 6, an excellent knife for the $ and it does chop and baton. But I really don't carry it that often because of the weight. I still find myself going back to carrying cable or pockets saws, or a sometimes a hatchet for wood cutting. So, I usually have with me on a extended camp/hike a good folder, a carbon Mora, a stainless Mora, a compact saw, Leatherman or Swisstool, and one "beer budget" ($100-150) custom carbon bushcraft blade of 4 inches. Sounds like a lot, but once packed it really isn't.
 
I seem to change my mind every other day on knives...I have a Gossman Tusker on order, yet I'm selling my RD6. I have mostly 4 inch blades and a small axe. I'm back to the smaller sizes as I just really didn't use the larger blades, just carried them!
I don't like moras with plastic (I'm a wood/leather guy), but love scandi grind blades. I have owned Swamp Rat knives, Rangers, a Tracker, and sold them all. They all performed for me in some way, some better than others. I have redirected to supporting the guy sweating over a grinder as opposed to the big company-yes I pay more but I like the personal touch.
Ok, I'll get to the point. The Tracker I bought was from TOPS and it was heavy, dull, and tough to sharpen. I got it based on a friend's recommendation and I thought his was freakin' cool! I forked over the $$ and even sprung for a Hedgehog leather sheath. I used the knife on a weekend camping trip, making a bowdrill, throwing it, trying to carve with it, using the sawback...it was ok, but just OK. Mine is long sold, and so is my buddys. (He has moved to the Tracker 2 for size and weight reasons).
Try a RC-4 as has been suggested. Or a Kelly by Sicily here on the forums.
 
RC-4
leatherman skeletool ce
and of course my
cold steel shovel!! (everyone underestimates the utility of a good shovel)
 
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