How Long and Thick is ENOUGH?????

I think the smallest one I would intentionally risk my life on is the one I carry regularly in an urban environment. My HEST

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scrumpy jack said:
I thought there may be more RAT Izulas...
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Odds are the Izula would be the small one I unintentionally trusted my life too as it is on my person when I HEST is on my pack. I have a lot of faith in my Izula...I'd just prefer to at least have the HEST too :)
 
I received a 7" old hickory butcher knife on a trade blanket during a meet-up. Since it is just a cheap beater, I keep it on the deck and use it to bust up my firewood for lighting up the lump charcoal on the BBQ. I've been doing this since May now and have started maybe 40 or so fires. Not an issue. The old hickory is 0.1" thick and 1095. I think most people would say that a knife this thickness could not take on sustained abuse, but my experience with it says otherwise.

My preference is a 4"- 5" knife at 1/8" thickness as a belt knife. I like the mid-sized knives (6-7" at 3/16") for beating on too, but I would feel quite comfortable with my preferred bushy blade. Of course, if you were stuck in the bush and your only blade was a scalpel blade (I keep those in my PSK also), then you will make due and adjust your technique according to what you have.

So in essence, I think the premise of the OP is wrong. I'd even go so far as to not restrict yourself to using one knife that you think is the best thing for all conditions. Rather, force yourself to use a variety of knives under training conditions. Hell, we knife nuts do that all the time anyway because we like handles that match our socks :D :D :D Really, my point is, that if you force yourself to work with different blades of different characteristics you will learn what the work around is for a particular tool. It really isn't about the tool per se, its about how you use and how your noggin gets you to figure out the jury rigging aspect.

So next weekend, keep that favorite security blanket on your belt, but try using nothing but your SAK for the trip. I'll bet 10 cents that you can do everything you normally do on a camping trip with just your sak but you will have to alter your techniques accordingly.. Do that multiple times over the season using different categories and types of tools. Pretty soon you won't be so worried about whether you have the perfect knife anymore.
 
I'm still researching. I really don't care for anything over .25" for users. Length depends on chores.
 
I'm pretty happy with my Horton TS-1, about a 6" blade, somewhere around .30" thick, sharp knife. Sorry, havn't taken any pics of it in use yet. :o

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kgd said:
So next weekend, keep that favorite security blanket on your belt, but try using nothing but your SAK for the trip. I'll bet 10 cents that you can do everything you normally do on a camping trip with just your sak but you will have to alter your techniques accordingly.. Do that multiple times over the season using different categories and types of tools. Pretty soon you won't be so worried about whether you have the perfect knife anymore.
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I agree with this 100%. Having read the responses, I am quite surprised that there was not a single response that mentioned a folder (and I'm not talking about a Strider, Hinderer, or CRK heavy duty folder either).

I'm not sure what the smallest knife is that I would trust my life on, but I do wonder if there is an inverse relationship between one's survival skill set and the minimum size knife that person is willing to carry.
 
While it wouldn't be my first choice for survival, this is the knife that is on my belt every day. That said, I must be convinced that if I needed to survive with it I could.
2 1/2 inch blade 3/32 O1.


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Many cultures use machetes. The versatility of a large blade is unmatched by nearly all small blades. For a single, only blade scenario where the stakes are highest, I chose a large one. Specifically this one (.275 thick and nearly 11.5 long):


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I posted the Question(like all the others I have posted) to get people to THINK about what they use and why

I do not think we should limit ourselves to small knives--or to big knives...or to anything..

We should ALL work on learning as much as we can from others--and then TESTING to see what works for us..

One man says the smallest knife he would trust has a 6" blade and over .32" thick--

Another man is fine with 3" and 1/8" thick----

Both answers are correct for them....
 
Good post Bill. I could probably get by with a 2 1/2" to 3" blade, 1/8" thick but I think the best all around that I would choose is a 5" blade, 3/16" thick by 1 1/2" wide, A2 steel. I can accomplish just about anything with this size except chopping of large wood. Pair this with an axe and saw and I'd be set.
Scott
 
Gossman Knives said:
Good post Bill. I could probably get by with a 2 1/2" to 3" blade, 1/8" thick but I think the best all around that I would choose is a 5" blade, 3/16" thick by 1 1/2" wide, A2 steel. I can accomplish just about anything with this size except chopping of large wood. Pair this with an axe and saw and I'd be set.
Scott
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I agree Scott---:thumbup:
 
The smallest I would ever have as my only knife is my HEST 3 inch blade 3/16 thick. I have used this enough to trust, I might not say the same about another knife. I would prefer bigger but.
 
if an ECO Hawk counts as a knife, then three inches at 3/16" thickness.

i wouldn't trust my life to any knife that i didn't make myself, or that was made by a trusted friend/maker, but for the one survival knife scenario, i prefer a blade that is the length from my thumb tip to my index finger when i stretch my hand out in an 'L' shape - it is an ergonomic constant, i believe - on me that's 7.5" to 8" blade - add a forgiving carbon alloy in the 3/16" thickness range and i'll be pretty happy.

if i can't have my preferred length blade, then one of those little Fallknivens or a Cold Steel Master Hunter would do for me. - i think they are both in the 4-5" length, 3/16" thickness range.


where fire is available, i can't think of anywhere that modern knives are absolutely necessary at all when advanced survival skills are present, but what a drag it is to do things without a good knife.


vec
 
I think my 5/32" thich 4" long blade is enough. OAL it's a 9" knife, but the 4" blade does everything i want with some to spare. 5/32" is thick enough to clean up fish with, whittle, split and do whatever else you need without being too thick or too thin. Even some careful prying can be done.

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