Could an Endura 4 be used for survival tasks?

[Da Thurmanator]

I have a random question. Would a Spyderco Endura 4 work as a survival knife? The Endura is one of my favorate EDC blades but I'm curious if it would hold up to the tasks of a survival situation.
I would like to know if the Endura would be a good choice to have as a backup knife when I go hunting and camping. I don't have much experience using a knife for survival related tasks. I don't know if the FFG blade would be too thin and if the lock would hold up. Would it be a good choice as a backup? And if that's all that I had could I get out of a tough situation?
Please share some of your wilderness wisdom!

 

[socalkid]

Hello,

For a long time my two blade system for backpacking was a Becker BK9 and my orange ffg Endura. The Endura did everything it needed to very well. With that being said I never did anything you shouldn't do with a folding knife. Mostly fish and game cleaning, food prep, feather sticks, or any other small task that was needed. In a pinch I think you could only take an Endura out and it would be fine. You dont need a huge knife to survive or a fixed blade but it does make it a lot easier. You can gather small sticks and not ever have to chop wood. Batoning and chopping, in my opinion, are not always needed in fire prep. I do it because its fun and I like using big fixed blades. Try taking just your Endura out on an over night or even a day trip and see how it works for you. Just remember its a folding knife and it has limitations.

Have a good one,

Chris

 

[orca8589]

It should hold up just fine. socalkid said it well: if you use the E4 within it's limitations (as a folder), it should do pretty much everything you need. I've taken an E4 camping, and it worked fine. We were camping with our Scout Troop, and no one thought to bring an ax or hatchet. I used an Endura 4 to shave strips off of an Ash log to get a fire started, and a Becker BK-7 to take larger strips off for larger kindling. Had a fire going in ten minutes. (There was a very stern talk about preparation around the fire that night.)

Growing up, I knew people who carried Buck 110's and U.S. Schrade LB7 lockbacks, and those knives worked well for years under hard use, for everything from skinning deer, cleaning squirrels & racoons, scraping battery terminals, prying paint cans open, opening gaps in spark plugs . . . you name it, it did it. One of my school friends went to Georgia with his uncle, and they took a boar, and used a store-bought lockback knife (I don't know which brand or model) to gut & clean the boar with. The knife held up fine. (If you want to wreck an edge on a knife, cut boar hide a few times. That'll do it.)

I see no reason an Endura 4 wouldn't hold up to the same kind of work - but some of what I've described is abuse, so don't expect it to be indestructible.

~Chris

 

[bdcochran]

Here comes the rain. Not really. I sold a bunch to a Marine squad before the First Iraq War. They used and abused them without concern - because they COULD obtain replacements. If you can't, then the answer would be no. They would break them in short order because they were used in manners for which they were not designed.

 

[RemyKaze]

Here comes the rain. Not really. I sold a bunch to a Marine squad before the First Iraq War. They used and abused them without concern - because they COULD obtain replacements. If you can't, then the answer would be no. They would break them in short order because they were used in manners for which they were not designed.

That's the key phase there, and defeats the logic of your "not really" statement.

OP, bring a fixed blade for big stuff, the endura for smaller stuff, and you'll be very happy with the performance of each in its own category.

 

[seth]

It's an excellent knife, and in ffg, one of my favorite slicers out there, I'm a commercial fisherman and my endura 4 is always on me when I'm out at sea (I will not use a salt until there is a ffg one and it seems that won't happen so the endura stays)

 

[sideways]

Could an Endura 4 be used for survival tasks? Yes.

but you have failed horribly somewhere along the line to have come to that point. The specific knife you are carrying will not make one lick of difference in most true survival situations. Survival is not about living in the woods with nothing but a loincloth and a bowie knife, that is fantasy.

Survival situations are short and tend to require outside assistance to fix. Nobody plans for a one way trip into the wilds, something must have happened to trap you.

The likely suspects
- getting lost
- bad weather/exposure to cold or sun
- injury
- no water

You can't fix that with a knife. Well you could build a big fire and some sort of primitive shelter, or improvise other solutions but why would you want to? You could have picked up the correct gear at REI for a song. You could have made sure someone will come looking with a note before you left.

 

[Kwon Kwang]

Could an Endura 4 be used for survival tasks? Yes.

but you have failed horribly somewhere along the line to have come to that point. The specific knife you are carrying will not make one lick of difference in most true survival situations. Survival is not about living in the woods with nothing but a loincloth and a bowie knife, that is fantasy.

Survival situations are short and tend to require outside assistance to fix. Nobody plans for a one way trip into the wilds, something must have happened to trap you.

The likely suspect
- getting lost
- bad weather/exposure to cold or sun
- injury
- no water

You can't fix that with a knife. Well you could build a big fire and some sort of primitive shelter, or improvise other solutions but why would you want to? You could have picked up the correct gear at REI for a song. You could have made sure someone will come looking with a note before you left.

I don't disagree with your general opinion, but I do disagree with some of the finer points of your post.

Getting lost - you can use a knife to make a primitive compass and sundial, as well as a bonfire for signaling.

Weather/exposure - a knife is very important for sheltercraft, and can be used to make a fire.

Injury - you can use a knife to make an emergency bandage.

No water - depending on where you are, you may be able to cut certain plants a certain way (such as vines, cacti, and certain kinds of roots, among others) to acquire water. You can also use a knife to make a primitive container to hold said water.

I know you mentioned some of these, and you're right that they are a last resort, but they're options.

 

[theyoungone]

I like Spyderco knives, I have a delica FFG myself. It will be fine with basic camp task, but I would not rely on a Endura/Delica FFG in a "rough use" situation. I don't want to start a flame war but other folders have a better lockup and are stronger yet heavier than the newer spydercos.

[video=youtube;g71paP336kg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g71paP336kg[/video]

 

[Doughnut]

Some guys who teach survival courses will demonstrate that you don't need a crazy knife by only using a Swiss Army knife.

I think it will be fine if you know what you're doing.

 

[JD Mandrell]

A lot more REAL "survival" was done in days long past by humans carrying pieces of chert......An Endura is probably gonna be just fine.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

A lot more REAL "survival" was done in days long past by humans carrying pieces of chert......An Endura is probably gonna be just fine.

One of our members used a sig line of "the more you know, the less you need."

Whatever you're carrying, you need to know how to use it. There are obvious circumstances when an axe or a big chopper is more of a hazard to the user, who is cold, tired, hungry, and lost, than they could help him.

 

[sideways]

I don't disagree with your general opinion, but I do disagree with some of the finer points of your post.
*snip*

Well I did mention that you can improvise solutions... The thing is improvised solutions tend to suck.

Just being able to tell which was is north won't save you when you are badly lost, you need a map for reference points and either a compass or the ability to navigate without one. A gps really helps to get your bearings too.

In really bad weather improvised shelters do not hold up too well, water gets in and heat gets out or it just takes too long to build. A fire will dry you out after a tumble into the frozen drink but probably not before you die from exposure. A fire will not be enough to keep you warm in brutal cold unless you can find a way to trap and focus the heat. Even if you can trap it you'll be wasting a lot of calories getting firewood.

You can cut up a t-shirt or make a splint for a fracture using a knife but that won't save you. For it to be a survival situation the injury will have to be pretty serious. Your mobility will most likely be compromised and outside help be required. Any food borne illnesses and bacteria you pick up can't be fixed with a knife.

Purifying water with a fire takes much too long and is not a foolproof method... you might fail at building a fire or you might not have a suitable container to purify it in or to transport it. Water might not even be readily available in that location.

 

[upnorth]

Mora Companion in high visibility orange with a stainless blade. Toss it in your gear as a back up. They are tough, inexpensive, lightweight knives that slice like a razor.

 

[Shotgun]

Here comes the rain. Not really. I sold a bunch to a Marine squad before the First Iraq War. They used and abused them without concern - because they COULD obtain replacements. If you can't, then the answer would be no. They would break them in short order because they were used in manners for which they were not designed.

Use it in the manner in which it was designed and it will do just fine. You have to realize that a folder isn't a fixed blade so you need to adjust how you get things done. You don't split wood with a folder(though you can split small sticks if you know how), you make feather sticks. You don't beat your knife cross grain to cut down a shelter pole, you flex the branch and cut through the fibers. Ideally you should learn how to survive without the knife. The knife should be used to increase your speed and increase the range of what you can do. That's all.

Then again like upnorth said, a mora is only a few ounces and is something that has less of a learning curve then using a folder.

 

[Brisket]

I would like to know if the Endura would be a good choice to have as a backup knife when I go hunting and camping

I think the Endura is an excellent companion knife to a stout fixed blade knife. It has a very useful blade profile suitable for many hunting & camping tasks plus is light and compact. As far as a solo survival knife it would not be my first choice but most real and documented survival situations I have read about the participants rarely have the most ideal tools to work with.

 

[RemyKaze]

Well I did mention that you can improvise solutions... The thing is improvised solutions tend to suck.

Just being able to tell which was is north won't save you when you are badly lost, you need a map for reference points and either a compass or the ability to navigate without one. A gps really helps to get your bearings too.

In really bad weather improvised shelters do not hold up too well, water gets in and heat gets out or it just takes too long to build. A fire will dry you out after a tumble into the frozen drink but probably not before you die from exposure. A fire will not be enough to keep you warm in brutal cold unless you can find a way to trap and focus the heat. Even if you can trap it you'll be wasting a lot of calories getting firewood.

You can cut up a t-shirt or make a splint for a fracture using a knife but that won't save you. For it to be a survival situation the injury will have to be pretty serious. Your mobility will most likely be compromised and outside help be required. Any food borne illnesses and bacteria you pick up can't be fixed with a knife.

Purifying water with a fire takes much too long and is not a foolproof method... you might fail at building a fire or you might not have a suitable container to purify it in or to transport it. Water might not even be readily available in that location.

Where did anyone say they were going to walk out into the wilderness with just a knife and get lost? I'm confused.

 

[marcinek]

Here comes the rain. Not really. I sold a bunch to a Marine squad before the First Iraq War. They used and abused them without concern - because they COULD obtain replacements. If you can't, then the answer would be no. They would break them in short order because they were used in manners for which they were not designed.

And using your tools in a manner for which they are not designed is a catastrophic fail in a survival situation.

You preserve your blade at all costs is a survival situation...not abuse it.

Could someone who has outdoor skills and common sense use an Endura in a survival situation? Yes. Of course. Even if it's not orange, which, apparently "survival" knives have to be. (Though, people with outdoor skills and common sense don't get in survival situations.)

That said, it seems like when people talk about "survival" they are really talking about outdoor recreation, like camping. Would an Endura work for that? Sure. Bit a Vic Farmer would be better.

 

[sideways]

Where did anyone say they were going to walk out into the wilderness with just a knife and get lost? I'm confused.

It happens.

 

[northwalesBill]

I was under the impression that whatever you EDC is what you want to have on you at LEAST for whatever circumstance. If someone abducted me right now and threw me in the middle of the woods with only what I was carrying I'd have a Swisschamp and a Classic on my keychain. With the survival skills that I've practiced over the years I'd be in better shape than if I didn't have anything compared to a typical person I'd say.

With that said. Your Endura 4 would be fine if that's the only blade you had and definitely an excellent backup. You can handle more precise cutting tasks than a very large blade. It's one of those no knife vs a knife scenarios to me really.

Edit

Keep in mind I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to EDC but if I knew I'd be getting into a potential survival situation I'd have a bit more. I'm not suggesting only going camping with your Endura is all.