choosing a knife for wilderness survival

[murderedsongbird]

i'm planning on spending the next month or two in the wilderness and need help choosing an affordable, quality fixed blade. any ideas on what i should choose as a companion?

 

[Evolute]

It would help us help you if you could give more information to work with. What kind of wilderness are you going to? What are you going to be doing, there? What are you planning on using the knife for? What other equipment will you have with you?

 

[Cliff Stamp]

It depends on your skill and strength and experience and wood type, but a decent place to start is something like :

For all the fine cutting work from :

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

and a decent heavy machete from longer cutting if necessary :

http://www.cutsforthknives.com/

has a decent selection, the Martindale Golok is a nice place to start for woody vegetation, the Jungle knife is better on softer and leafy vegetation. Depending on the type of wood a small axe may be more productive, Wetterling and Bruks make decent ones. Fiskars is a better soft wood and splitting axe and has some features nice for an introductory piece, and is a lot cheaper.

The small blade + Fiskars or Golok + a coarse/fine stone from a hardware store will only run you about #35 total. If you are looking at a more integral one knife approach and want specifically a more rugged blade to handle heavier loads for aggressive cutting and splitting, check out the Ranger Knives series. These are more than the previous combination but still quite affordable.

With some feedback and use on these blades as a starting point you will be much better prepared to choose optimal equipment. If you think you are going to want to cut any thick woods, over a few inches, then a small folding saw is a real benefit. Tashiro Hardware makes a nice one as do many others.

-Cliff

 

[longbow50]

You might also want to check the laws of the area you'll be in. If they have banned knives over a certain length, or of a certain type and that's all you take, you could end up with no blade.

 

[bill_G]

get a fixed blade with carbon steel....and a fullsize multi tool.

i recommend a Victorinox swisstool spirit and a Cold Steel RSK or master hunter (in carbon V).

 

[Preacher Man]

I second bill_G's recomendation. My first choicce for a multitool would be a Leatherman Wave or Charge, but since you are looking for an affordable combo, you can't go wrong with Victorinox.

The SRK has a toughher point and profile than the Master Hunter, so it can take care of heavier tasks. That been said, the Master Hunter is not a pushover. You can use it for spliting and medium chopping. Its profile makes it better suited than the SRK for regular/mundane camp chores like cooking.

Keep in mind that the SRK's blade is 6 inches long and the Master Hunter's is 5 inches. Like Longbow 50 said, check the local laws before buying you knife.

 

[ras]

For a fixed blade consider one of the knives from Becker Knife and Tool. I like the BK7 Becker Combat/Utility Knife. That and a multi-tool will cover just about everything. On another thought, also consider a Victorinox Locking blades. I like the Rucksack, Outrider and Trekker (Trailmaster?).

 

[mr.trooper]

WOW, I wish i cold just take "a month or two" break from life and just go traipse around the wilderness. Your one lucky dog.

That being said, Ill support the carbon steel fixed blade and a multi tool idea. SOunds like all you realy need.

 

[Jay_Wyatt]

Becker makes some good knives for the money and very durable.

 

[Ebbtide]

Who stole cliff's password?
I agree completely