Best Knife To Ride Out A Hurricane?

GatorFlash1

GatorFlash1

Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
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I'm thinking a nice Spyderco Pacific Salt might work. Best to all who have to ride out the beast. Our thoughts are with you. It is lousy way to spend Labor Day worrying about this monster hurricane. Let's hope it heads north towards Iceland.
 
navman said:
honestly, the one you have on you. A swiss army knife, kitchen knife, multitool, handy folder are all going to be far more useful than a hunter, skinner, tactical killer stiletto.
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I've been through five direct hits by storms whose names have been retired, and you are absolutely correct.
 
To be clear I have a ready bag for rescue/recovery ops that also has an e-tool, sturdy fixed blade and a folding saw...but those are specifically for recovery operation requirements, clearing pathways and obstacles after the storm.
 
Swimming in tropical storm conditions with machetes, axes, and other tools might make you rethink your selections. :D
 
If I was in hurricane country I'd probably take my Lionsteel M4. Small enough for most tasks but stout enough for some heavier work. M390 doesn't hurt either.
 
No doubt if I was currently still in Florida, I'd retain my Buck 110 on my belt, and a stockman and a SAK Huntsman or scout/camp knife in my pocket.
Not sure if I would add one of my CS machettes ("Heavy machette" and "Royal Kukri") to my carry or not.
I suppose it would depend on the amount of damage in my area and what I was doing.
 
jaseman said:
If your at the point that you’re swimming, you’re beyond the usefulness of any edged tool.
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Not entirely true. Ive been in flood waters, not deep enough to swim. There’s a lot of stuff floating around. You’re walking over and through a lot of debris. You can easily get caught up or tangled in something. A fixed blade could easily save your life especially if you’re swimming. Just one example.
 
115Italian said:
Not entirely true. Ive been in flood waters, not deep enough to swim. There’s a lot of stuff floating around. You’re walking over and through a lot of debris. You can easily get caught up or tangled in something. A fixed blade could easily save your life especially if you’re swimming. Just one example.
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Yeah, sort like how scuba divers like to have a knife in case of getting tangled in lines or nets or aquatic plants. I would probably want something with not a super pointy tip. If you are tangled up in murky, swirling water then you don’t want to accidentally puncture or perforate something/someone. More of a sheepsfoot or warncliffe shape with serrations. Spyderco Atlantic Salt?
 
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If I had to ride out a hurricane, I'd have my Tramontina 12" bush machete with me. In my little belt-carry survival kit, I'd have a SAK Hiker. In my pocket, I'd have my Case Peanut and probably my Endura. I might even have one of my fixed blade knives on me, like my Vanguard or Marttiini Bronze Guard Hunting Knife. Maybe even a neck knife like my Stiff Kiss or Fallkniven WM1. That should do it, lol!

Joe
 
I've been through several. Including Katrina and Gustav. And a flood. And never needed more than what I usually carry. My zt0550 pretty much covered if. Even during flood rebuild, I carried never much more than a traditional, an improved wharncliff trapper, at the time.

Honestly, a chainsaw was much more useful and needed than a pocketknife.

Self defense always falls to the S&W M&P shield.

To be 100% honest, I don't see the draw "what knife foe xxx". One knife may be better at a particular cutting than another, but they'll all accomplish about any cutting given time and patience. You ain't gonna clear trees off your driveway with any knife or machete (after Gustav, we cut 3 out of my parents house, 4 off their driveway, 1 off my driveway, then 6 off the road just so we could open access to the main road). And if you need a bigger knife to cut firewood to cook (for one example), well, it's all wet anyway and you didn't prepare well. I do keep a ratmandu in the trunk of my car, but it's gonna be bad to need it. Put that preparation thought into something more productive.
 
SVTFreak said:
I've been through several. Including Katrina and Gustav. And a flood. And never needed more than what I usually carry. My zt0550 pretty much covered if. Even during flood rebuild, I carried never much more than a traditional, an improved wharncliff trapper, at the time.

Honestly, a chainsaw was much more useful and needed than a pocketknife.

Self defense always falls to the S&W M&P shield.

To be 100% honest, I don't see the draw "what knife foe xxx". One knife may be better at a particular cutting than another, but they'll all accomplish about any cutting given time and patience. You ain't gonna clear trees off your driveway with any knife or machete (after Gustav, we cut 3 out of my parents house, 4 off their driveway, 1 off my driveway, then 6 off the road just so we could open access to the main road). And if you need a bigger knife to cut firewood to cook (for one example), well, it's all wet anyway and you didn't prepare well. I do keep a ratmandu in the trunk of my car, but it's gonna be bad to need it. Put that preparation thought into something more productive.
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Yes. Most of the cutting after Hurricanes I've been through involve a chainsaw.
Any decent pocket knife will do fine.
 
NWPilgrim said:
Yeah, sort like how scuba divers like to have a knife in case of getting tangled in lines or nets or aquatic plants. I would probably want something with not a super pointy tip. If you are tangled up in murky, swirling water then you don’t want to accidentally puncture or perforate something/someone. More of a sheepsfoot or warncliffe shape with serrations. Spyderco Atlantic Salt?
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Most of the Navy Divers I worked with carried EMT shears underwater instead of a fixed blade for this very reason.
 
Back in my sport diving days I actually had to use my knife underwater one time to cut a fellow diver free of monofilament fishing line. Mostly the knife was used on land for meal prep. For a hurricane knife you'll want something akin to a rescue knife or a bush knife, but most likely end up using it to open cans and meal prep chores. A decent quality fixed blade or larger folder is your best bet. I assure you that the folks in the Bahamas, who have just been through 24 hours of biblical class hurricane, that have knives on them right now are pleased they have whatever knife it is that they have.
 
Folks in the Bahamas are going to need a lot of help. The death toll is surely to rise. I think it was more like a couple days of constant pounding by the hurricane winds and water.

Best knife is the one you have with you.
 
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