First and only general survival/camping knife: BK22 or something else?

H

hal3134

Joined
Jul 26, 2015
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I'm moving to Boulder Colorado in a few weeks and want to take advantage of the hiking and camping. I'll probably do more day hiking with my family than anything else, and I'm thinking that I want a reliable fixed blade knife to throw into my day pack for "just in case" situations. I had a friend in college that died hiking in Colorado (fell off a ledge into a remote canyon), and I'll admit that this might be coloring my need to equip myself for a survival situation.

My research has pointed me towards the BK22 for a knife.

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I want to keep the price to under $100. The only downside that I see is that this knife looks pretty heavy, which is not the best for my pack weight. I will also carry a Sawyer water filter, SOL survival blanket, three types of fire starters, signal mirror, whistle, compass, map, paracord, flashlight, first aid kit, cereal bars, and a few other misc items. All this will be in a Osprey 10 hydration pack (3 liters of water). I'm guessing total weight will be 5 lbs plus water weight.

But back to the knife. Should I be looking at another knife for something better (but still <$100) or for lighter weight?
 
Its a very good knife, but it is heavy.

I guess it all comes down to what one means/does during camping/survival. Not to be insensitive or flippant, but a knife wont do anything if you fall off a ledge into a canyon.

Its sounds like you have a good set of gear for "survival." To me, survival is about getting out fast...which means light. I might throw a Vic Farmer in with what you have...maybe a folding saw...and I think you would be set.

And that Vic by itself would do you pretty well for general camping use too. But if you cant carry a fixed blade out in the woods, when are you gonna carry one? I would want one!

For me, 3-5 inch blade is ideal. I like a full flat grind and a convexed edge, like in a Fallkniven F1. Its a little pricey....I'm sure you will get plenty of suggestions to just get a Mora. They are very good, and inexpensive....I just dont like the grind. Many, many, many others love the grind.

But! Camping to you may involve bashing the bejeebus outta wood. Nothing wrong with that. Then I'd want something in the 7 inch range, like from the Kabar Becker or Ontario Ranger families.
 
I'm a big fan of the 2/22....it is an overbuilt beast though....you might look at the BK 10 instead, same knife, slightly thinner steel, less weight, but to be honest, you SHOULD be able to do everything you'd need in a survival situation with a BK16 ......

I'd carry the 2/22.....if I were YOU with weight as a concern, I'd look at the 16.....but I'm a big guy and honestly, a few ounces of weight has never really even been noticeable to me.

Now...if you start doing 50 mile weekends and weight becomes enough of an issue that you are buying several hundred dollar Titanium cooksets and such....different story.
 
Becker Tweeners are very good--15, 16, 17--and not heavy. I have a BK2 that I really like and the weight doesn't bother me, but I'd probably go with my 15 if I were going to do what you're describing. Not too big, not too small, not what would be considered "heavy".
 
Welcome to Colorado - the national Park forest is some of the most fun places to explore and play, i hope you enjoy living here. The BK2 (22) is a great knife, and i don't find it excessively thick for camp chores (like cutting fruit & vegetables), and for the price it makes a particularly attractive b.o.b. knife precisely because of its thick, tough blade. If you handle one and the thickness/ weight still seems too much, i agree with the above suggestions of the BK10 Crewman, one of my favorite knives of all time for any price. Also the BK12/ Mk. 2 Becker/ Ritter collab. is one of my favorite knives of all time. A little longer at 6", it has almost supernatural handling characteristics and is 3/16" thick v. 1/4" for the BK2/22. It might be a few dollars over $100, but not by much, and is a fantastic knife. Other knives in that size/ price range that might be to your liking include the Ontario RAT5, Scrapyard knives' many offerings, Condor makes some in the same neighborhood, and the Ranger RD6 (now made by ontario) is probably my most heavily used knife since i got it in 2003 or so. I hope these are helpful - do let us know what you end up getting! peace,
-Yogi
 
I would just ask yourself what you will realistically want the knife to do for you. I know you are thinking about survival, but having one model of knife instead of another probably isn't going to be the deciding factor for success when it comes to finding yourself in a situation where you are isolated, desperate, and need to keep yourself alive. The knife is only one small piece of the puzzle and I would be concentrating more on survival skills themselves if you want to up your chances of success in a real emergency. That's not to downgrade the importance of carrying a capable cutting tool in a survival situation. I just think people place to much emphasis on the term 'survival' when it comes to classifying knives. Like the term 'bushcraft', it really has become a marketing tool. The truth is, you could survive with a two-inch neck knife from Wal Mart if you had the skills.
 
Ontario SP-52

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If a Survival Knife is not going to be a chopper, I fail to see the point: Around $100 this is the best possible choice. It way outperforms the BK-9, and looks like it could have a reasonably fine edge...

Gaston
 
Any of the Becker lines, esp the tweeners (15/16/17), offer great value under of $100. Also, check out the Ka-bar large heavy Bowie -- it's not any "heavier" than the Becker 2/22 either, as it's name is a bit of a misnomer. Their weights are nearly identical. Pairing the LHB with a good multitool would make a great hiking/just-in-case combo.

Good luck with your choice!
 
Carry as much weight as you want but understand that campfires are prohibited in Rocky Mountain National Park except in designated campgrounds. No fires while backpacking.
Also we frequently have fire bans in the National Forest (different from National Park) including in fire grates in campgrounds.
So a big knife for routine fire prep isn't as handy as you might think.

If you really get into backpacking this will not be your last knife because you'll be looking for ways to reduce weight.
And nothing will save you from certain kinds of mistakes that one can make in the woods like falling from someplace you shouldn't have been in the first place.

(I tend to fall into creeks myself..... rather than fall off ledges.)
 
Gaston444 said:
If a Survival Knife is not going to be a chopper, I fail to see the point: Around $100 this is the best possible choice. It way outperforms the BK-9, and looks like it could have a reasonably fine edge...
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That is just your opinion.

Like most everyone else here I would say go for the BKT tweeners. BK 15 would be my choice. That said, if it were me and I was only going to have one knife I would spend more money and get something else. Esee 6 on the low end. BRKT Bravo 1.5. But Ideally a swamprat Ratmandu.
 
craytab said:
That is just your opinion.

Like most everyone else here I would say go for the BKT tweeners. BK 15 would be my choice. That said, if it were me and I was only going to have one knife I would spend more money and get something else. Esee 6 on the low end. BRKT Bravo 1.5. But Ideally a swamprat Ratmandu.
Click to expand...

+1 on the Ratmandu (RMD)

I know it's outta your price range but it's a GREAT all-arounder!!!
 
Yeah, you need to ask yourself just what you are going to be using it for? I'd choose the BK-10 over the BK-2/22 personally. I own a BK-2. It is just more knife than you need and it is not a chopper. The Kabar Becker 15/16/17 are good general purpose knives that are easy to carry. If you want something larger, the BK-7 perhaps, but again, it depends on what you might use it for. For me, I always have a SAK in my pocket and seldom need a fixed blade hiking for anything. It just depends on what you might be doing with the knife or what you envision doing. The BK-15 is just about my favorite woods knife when I carry a fixed blade as I am not afraid to use it hard if I need to. I have quite a few others in this size range including the BK-16 which is a great knife.

There are lots of good knives in the 4-6" range that would work nicely. On the inexpensive end of things, the Condor Bushlore would work nicely for general purposes. Think about what you might actually use the knife for in CO. The fire thing mentioned above is important.
 
One point, get what you think you might like for your hiking adventures. If it's the Becker/Ritter 22, go for it. It is not like you can't buy another one down the road after you get some experience and learn what you might prefer. As a kid, I always had a traditional slip joint (Case kind of knife). As an adult, I seldom don't have a Victorinox SAK in my pocket and use it a lot. That is not to say that other knives aren't higher quality. It is just what I use and depend on day in and day out. I only started carrying a fixed blade in the last 10 years in the woods. As Marcinek said, if you can't carry a fixed blade in the woods, where are you ever going to need one? Enjoy your purchase whatever it might be and get what you like.

I bought a BK-2 as my end all-woods survival knife after reading all the reviews and comments here at BF. I don't use it. I don't regret buying it, but I learned that it is not the knife for me.
 
The Bk 16 is perfect for what your looking for.

A lightweight, more wieldy bk2.

I love my BK 2 for having fun. It's really heavy though if you hike past 5 miles
 
I'm jumping on the tweener bandwagon. A BK16 plus a Bahco folding saw would still only weigh about as much (maybe less) than the BK2, and offer even more utility.
 
I tried a BK 22 and found it to be of limited value for most of what I use a knife for. If I had to choose a "one tool option" (which I would not do by choice), then I would go for a Bravo 1.5 - not too big to do knife work, and bulletproof tough if you feel the need to abuse it, and they cut like a laser.

Over the years I have learned the value of having the right tool for the job, and a big, thick knife does not do fine "knife" work well, nor will it chop like a good ax or machete (depending upon environment), nor can it hope to keep up with a good saw.

My choice of tools for everything from playing in the woods for fun, to handling a real outdoor emergency, to the fantasy "zombie apocalypse" that some folks worry about is the same: An L.T. Wright Genesis in full flat grind coupled with a 21" Sven saw (Or 24" Dustrude if I am camping out of a vehicle of some kind) and a Tramontina bolo. I usually have a Mora along too because the thin scandi grind does great shavings (fuzz sticks) for fire prep and the weight and cost is almost nothing. (In the fall and winter the Tram usually stays home, btw.)

The combined weight of all of these tools is slightly heavier than a big monster blade, but this approach gives you options as far as matching up the best tool for the job at hand. Keep in mind that in an emergency, additional injuries can result in your death and conserving calories is of extreme importance. You can build a shelter, for example, in much less time and a with a whole lot less effort with a Sven saw than with a big knife. You also minimize the risk of a bad swing causing the blade to glance off whatever you are chopping and sticking in you.

If budget constraints do not allow the Genesis, then my best recommendation would be for a BK 16 (stripped) and a 21" Sven saw. You can get both for around $100 if you shop around and will be all set for the vast majority of what you'll ever need to do...
 
Bk2 was my first knife purchase. Fantastic blade. I convexed the edge. It's in the trunk of my car forever.
 
For me, a survival knife should be on my person at all times. If I have my a pack I have a rain coat, a tarp, an insulating layer, paracord, snacks...you get the idea. If I have my pack then my need for a "survival knife" falls to nearly zero. So really, IMO, a sak farmer and a mora jump to the top of the list for me as an "always carried" survival system. With fire starter and maybe a light to round it out. When I'm day hiking in bad weather I hedge my bets with a silky pocketboy. I've been outside in winter when it's cold and raining sideways and although I've never needed it, I can't think of something more efficient and more safe then the silky. I have a great "survival knife" in a thinned edge scrapyard 711 and it's awesome. Does a LOT. It still can't beat a sak, a mora and a silky.
 
Bk16 or a ESEE 6 or swamp rat RMD or Falkniven f1 would be the choices I would recommend around the $100 plus a few bucks. Bk2/22 is way to heavy for what you describe. And get a victorinox of your choice. Imho
 
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