Best Set of Knives To Have In The Wilderness?

What are you doing or planning to do with your knives? The rat-1 or multitool, ONE of the fallknivens and your folding saw is more then adequate. Heck just the one fallkniven would do you. Don't weigh yourself down unless you just want some knives to play with. What you need is far less then you're thinking. Most backpackers go out in all kinds of weather and seasons with a sak classic. IMO cutlery should be mostly a back-up to other things like tent/tarp, sleeping bag, and clothes for the weather.

As for the sharpening; unless you're a hunter who needs to sharpen his skinning knife in the field or someone who's going to spend over a week at a time in the bush, don't worry about sharpening. I have yet to have my knives go dull on an outing to where they were unuseable. In fact they usually just need a few minutes of stropping when I get home. YMMV
 
I'd say what you really need is a decent machete, a large-ish full flat grind fixed blade, like a junglas or something. and a tough folder. the rat-1 is a good start.
personally I would never go into the woods without my KaBar 7" fighting knife. That blade can do anything.
 
frenchmade said:
I'd say what you really need is a decent machete, a large-ish full flat grind fixed blade, like a junglas or something. and a tough folder. the rat-1 is a good start.
personally I would never go into the woods without my KaBar 7" fighting knife. That blade can do anything.
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Yeah Im still decided whether I should go for the RTAK II or The Junglas. Ive heard they have slight differences.
 
HeavyTakeMusic said:
@JV3: yeah im in the hunt for a decent Molle backpack. I just can't decide what size is sufficient. I might go for a 3day pack...I also have a 8x10 camo tarp. Not sure if this is a good size. Im 6ft 1inch. I definitely have to go out and gain some experience and skills.
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yes, an 8x10 is fine...anything with an 8 or larger is good: 5x8, 6x8, 8x10, 10x10, etc. i used to have a 5x7 and even though i'm only 5'9" i find that it's a tad too short for anything but a light drizzle so i got rid of it in favor of larger ones.
 
NO!! you cannot survive in the wilderness with those! You don't even have ONE becker in that picture...

This is what a survival knife set looks like

BeckerGroup.jpg
 
lol yeah i want a BK9, but ive spent about 400 bucks in the last month on my knives. Lol i think I should wait at least 2 weeks before buying another knife. great collection there.
 
IIRC most people end up just carrying one medium sized fixed blade. I would want a multi-tool and a saw on top of that.
 
BePrepared, what is the total weight of all those pieces of cutlery, including sheaths?
 
Really your F-1, a good quality folding saw, and a good hatchet will cover any situation; anything else is just for fun, or because you prefer a large knife to a hatchet (either will work for splitting wood and chopping chores, but a machete is better in jungle/heavy brush).
 
The F1 is that full tang construction, also the handle looks uncomfortable, is it?
 
yes the F1 is a full tang. it even protrudes (sticks out) of the bottom so you can use it as a hammering tool. The handle feels great in my hands. Its made from Kraton which is a hard rubber which absorbs impacts. So your hand doesn't hurt from the vibrations when you use it and it won't break. Kraton also provides good grip when the knife is wet.
 
I agree with others that you should stop thinking about what more you need and find out how what you have works for you. True survival is often 2-3 days before you are found, so instead of having a multitude of blades, have a set amount of tasks written down, and test each knife for suitability in each area.

Because I am a knife guy I usually carry more than I need, but there is nothing wrong with that unless you are placing more faith in tools than on experience. I would suggest your bases are well covered with the Gerber (multi tool), the RAT (common use folder), the larger Fallkniven (heavier use fixed blade) and saw and chopper that you have. Once you get some dirt time with your knives you will understand YOUR strengths and weaknesses and may choose to fill those with your existing knives or branch out into new categories. If you are set on finding more knives before getting to work with them, add a $15 Cold Steel tomahawk or a CS/Tramontina/condor machete of similar value. That way you can evaluate what type of larger chopper works best with your style. Or a stockman/trapper/canoe slip joint.

When going out by myself I usually choose an axe, medium fixed blade, neck knife and slipjoint or clipped folder. But then again there is nothing wrong with buying more, just don't delude yourself into thinking that you NEED them to survive.

To add levity:
Toomuchsteel.jpg
 
HeavyTakeMusic said:
Yeah Im still decided whether I should go for the RTAK II or The Junglas. Ive heard they have slight differences.
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Yeah, like the Junglas is a way better version of the RTAKII? Junglas is the real deal, the other is just a crappy version of it. Trust me, they're beastly.
 
For a chopper, I would suggest the Estwing hatchet. It's inexpensive (roughly $35), holds a great edge, and it's virtually indestructible. It has a full tang, seriously, I dare you to try to break it. Also, it comes with a stacked leather (beautiful) or nylon grip. I've relied on mine for years.
 
i'm not a big bowie kind of guy but i appreciated the usefulness of one during one field work. picture this: a 12-inch bowie blade with a deep recurve near the hilt, a deep belly past that, and a good upsweep of the edge towards the point. the thing has different bevel angles along these parts. the recurve is good for wittling, carving and delicate cutting. the belly is strong enough for chopping but has enough bite to slice, and the tip works as a skinner.

i must add that the owner is pretty handy with a sharpening stone and yes, he does sharpen different parts of the blade differently.
 
My ideal setup would be to take one of your medium sized fixed blades, the Rat-1 as a backup, and get a larger fixed blade/machete/axe for all your wood work. That'll pretty much cover all of your needs outdoors. Heck, you could get by with just the Fallkniven alone.

Also, something to consider would be the Becker BK2. You can pretty much do anything with it.
 
morfield said:
For a chopper, I would suggest the Estwing hatchet. It's inexpensive (roughly $35), holds a great edge, and it's virtually indestructible. It has a full tang, seriously, I dare you to try to break it. Also, it comes with a stacked leather (beautiful) or nylon grip. I've relied on mine for years.
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Pretty heavy for anything but car camping. Wouldn't wanna hike with that unless I had to.
 
Personally I am into the tomahawk partnered with a small to medium sized blade (fixed or otherwise). For the same weight the tomahawk will certainly out chop a blade, pluss the head can be used like an ulu (uluque for all you ptkinket women out there) the knife will be for every thing else. But if I had to travel even lighter, I would go with the smaller choppers like a BK2.
That's my two cents.
 
Of what you present, unless you live in tropical jungle, A1 + multitool is all you'll use... bring a folding saw if you want to cut branches/logs in a hurry using fewer calories. There are very few tasks which the F1 can do that the multitool cannot that aren't made up for by the A1 which can do a lot more than the F1. The A1 is lighter and also more versatile than a hatchet (unless you are particularly skilled with the latter), and can be used to chop more safely and efficiently, esp. if coupled with a baton found or cut en route. Carry them on your body - NOT your pack - in an easy to access location (like your thigh).
For an over-night+ 1-man MOLLE pack, you can carry all the food/water and gear you should need on a Maxpedition Sitka - great pack, but be aware that it puts the weight all on the left shoulder which isn't the best distribution.
My $0.02
 
I'd take the A1/F1 grab a folding or fixed saw and an axe and you are more then covered.
Scott
 
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