How big a knife do you really need?

Most of my knife chores are in food preparation , fire kindling and other sundry every day tasks. I've gutted all my deer with a knife blade from 2 3/4"" to 4" long and about 3/4" wide or less. A thin sharp blade is what I've come to prefer approx 3/32" thick of simple high carbon steel. The Russell knives with their 1095 steel are hard to beat. They make a knife blade called the 4" Ripper which has excellent ergonomics , it costs about $7.00 . An equally good choice is the 3 1/2" narrow blade Mora , less than $10.00

I've never really needed a big knife but for splitting wood or batoning poles they may have a place.... though I'd rather have a folding saw or axe for the poles.

I live in rural BC if that matters ;)
 
I find that most of my larger knives don't outperform a small hatchet for chopping ability, and so the most I usually carry is my GB mini, along with a couple of SAKs and a small fixed blade (usually 3" or less). I also find that even though I live in heavy forest, I very rarely need to chop anything at all. In most cases here, chopping is a waste of energy due to the large amount of fallen wood, branches, etc... Only in the dead of winter would you need to get serious about large firewood, and you'd need a proper axe to do the job. I do find that a big knife provides a bit of a security blanket type of feeling when alone in the great outdoors, and I will sometimes carry one for that reason alone, but a firearm is a much better choice for that purpose.

I, too, live in rural BC, pentlach....where are you from?
 
#3 - I live in the Comox Valley, usually spend part of the fall in the Interior.

Did you ever get some 1/16" thick carbon steel ?
 
i can see many valid points for the smaller blade but if you are out in the woods for fun then i like big blades because they are more fun to use than small ones. go try your battle rat and see if i am wrong. they are heavier to carry all day but this shouldn't be a problem for a civilian unlike the military.
 
numberthree said:
In most cases here, chopping is a waste of energy due to the large amount of fallen wood, branches, etc...
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that is exactly the reason i haven't taken a big blade with me yet..
even in down-pours, there are still large enough branches on the forest floor to get you by comfortably..

since i've joined the Blade Forums however, i've been wanting the big blade to clear a path in thick growth so i can walk thru comfortably, rather than snaking my way thru like i've been doing forever. haha
 
Being raised in the city that never sleeps and now living/working in our nation's capital, I've got favor carrying small blades. Sadly, carrying a big blade as an EDC is just not going to happen for me.



My weekday carries (WDC) are a Boker Titan 3 (3" blade) and SAK Tinker. On the weekend I alternate knives depending upon my chores/locations plus my SAK Climber. Why a SAK? Because a single blade knife can't pop open a beer while hanging with guys or crack open a bottle of wine while out with the wife. Well, maybe you can but I think the SAK is simpler and less objective



That's not to say that I don't have larger blades in my collection but for "environmental" reasons have decided not to carry. When I go camping I have a knife (5" blade) that's kind of a generational hand-me down (don't know the maker) but the thing is a workhorse.
 
pentlach:

I DID get a couple of strips of carbon steel (1095 I think) from Dick Baugh, thanks for asking. With house and studio building here, I've had little chance to do much with it yet...

...apparently you are a fellow Firemaker; say hi to all the regulars for me.
 
I try to look at it simply. If I have the luxury of matching specific tools to task then ill take my hawk and about a 4" fixed blade (geber gator for me Im poor! haha)

If not id take the bigger knife that will perform both functions, just not as simply. Like my Ka-bar. Or a becker!


BTW I saw a swamp rat at bladeshow that is going to replace my gator eventually. I think it was a bog dog, but it was very light 4" or so blade and the ergos were great! Had a grip like a 4x4 tire kind of Haha I liked it! The D2 probably wont resist rust like the 440? of the gator. But the added strength and toughness would most likely be worth it.

When I hunt hogs I take a Kabar kukri, really aggressive big knives seem more suited to combat than knives oriented for wood craft chores. But there presence in the woods, especially in a pinch, can be EXTREEMELY gratifying!!

Let us know how you likke the Rat!!
 
A large knife isn't necessary to build a shelter, a debris hut doesn't even require a knife to make. Right now i'm working on a variation of the pima lodge, and all i'm using is my mora and a saw.
 
ras said:
Michael got me looking at the Dozier Pro Guides knife and I thank him. It's a very nice, useful knife.
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Indeed. These are very fine knifes. But at $195 I'm wondering whether its that much better than my $49.95 Cold Steel SRK or my $95 Grunt?

:confused:
 
BlueOrca said:
Indeed. These are very fine knifes. But at $195 I'm wondering whether its that much better than my $49.95 Cold Steel SRK or my $95 Grunt?
:confused:
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Why be confused? Cost does not always equate to utility. All of the Dozier knives cost more because they're limited production/handmade, although they aen't as expensive as many other knives I've seen or own. If the CS SRK or Grunt meets your needs then be happy; they'd probably meet my needs too. I own a Becker CU7, but that doesn't mean the Dozier isn't a very nice, useful knife.
 
numberthree said:
pentlach:

I DID get a couple of strips of carbon steel (1095 I think) from Dick Baugh, thanks for asking. With house and studio building here, I've had little chance to do much with it yet...

...apparently you are a fellow Firemaker; say hi to all the regulars for me.
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Dick Baugh's articles on www.primitiveways.com include one on knifemaking near the bottom of the index. Getting that thin steel can be a problem but I recently found a link at www.kbctools.com just type in O-1 and there you go.

I'm not a "Firemaker" ... is there a secret handshake? :)
 
ras said:
Cost does not always equate to utility.... I own a Becker CU7, but that doesn't mean the Dozier isn't a very nice, useful knife.
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I certainly agree with you. But in keeping with the theme of this thread, how expensive a knife do you really need for wilderness survival? Do you really need such an expensive knife, afraid of losing it or scratching the nice polished finished, when what you really need to be concerned about is staying alive?
 
BlueOrca said:
I certainly agree with you. But in keeping with the theme of this thread, how expensive a knife do you really need for wilderness survival? Do you really need such an expensive knife, afraid of losing it or scratching the nice polished finished, when what you really need to be concerned about is staying alive?
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Actually, the real topic here is size and not expense. The topic started with a Swamp Rat Battle Rat and whether or not a knife that large was needed for anything in United Kingdom or Scotland -- size, not cost.

But to allow the topic to drift ;) If the issue is truly survival, I don't much care how much the knife cost as the money is already spent. The gear in my BOB is first rate equipment and I rarely if ever use any of it. As I said in another thread, survival is a come as you are event. Whatever knife you have is the one you're going to live with. I bought the Dozier because it filled a void in my knife selection. Some folks feel it's bigger than you really need; others think they need a Swamp Rat Battle Rat to get by.

My feeling is that if you go into a wilderness situation with just one knife, that's all you've got. OTOH if you go into the wilderness with a selection, you can select the right tool for whatever job you need to do. I find some of the larger blades are left back at camp because they're so large they feel clumsy and I only use them when I have a specific need. The Dozier Pro Guides Knife is a small enough size that it will stay with me (along with a couple folders). Your Grunt or SRK should be fine.
 
How big a knife do you need...


Kinda depends on your needs.

Seems you gotta buncha folks who maintain that a little Mora is too much. Then the folks in Nepal (including the women digging potatoes) seem to think an 18 inch Khukuri is the minimum that you need.

What works in a jungle might not work in a forest...

Know what I mean?
 
Hi guys,

It's been really interesting reading everyone's opinions on this topic. I kinda think the answer boils down to your own personal opinions, experience, skill with the tool of your choice and your natural surroundings.

I myself actually carry a 4" scandinavian type full tang knife, a GB small forrest axe and a folding pack saw. Out of these three tools I would actually say I use the saw more than the others, (shelter building, wood for the fire).

I've had a lot of practice with an axe and feel very comfortable using it even for quite fine work. Now the other day I took the Rat out... and although it did what I asked of it I didn't feel comfortable using it and that just boiled down to inexperience with that particular tool.

My choice of tools is definately swayed by weight and size as I always go into the wilderness on foot therefore what I take I have to carry and although I try to keep everything to a minimum due to the changeable weather here in the UK it does tend to end up being quite a load. The other problem here in the UK is that you are not always allowed a camp fire and sometimes have to rely on a stove which of course then means the additional weight of fuel etc.

I think most of us due to our habitat probably opt for the smaller fixed blade knives its all we need to do the jobs we need it to do and it does them more easily than a large uncontrollable knife, however drop us in the Brazillian rain forest and I would imagine that every one of us would be queing up to trade that knife in for a machette and given a few weeks of hard use would be quite comfortable with using it.

Cheers,

Tony
 
I agree with most on this thread that a 3-4” fixed blade would be a luxury in a temperate forest. I recently spent some time with a guy that does a reenactment of an 1800’s trapper camp. Interesting, there were not pants pocket before the civil war. And since a knife was so precious, most carried it around the neck. Anyway, one of the more valuable tools of the time was the tomahawk. What was, and still is, great about the tomahawk is the handle is through a tapered hole making it extremely easy to replace unlike our modern hatchets of today. Break a handle – pick up a limb and a little carving, you are good to go. You can reduce weight and space by carrying without the handle until you get to camp and quickly make one. The curved blade makes a good scraper as well. Not to mention, they are also fun to throw.
 
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