How long should a survival knife be?

O

outdoorgeargeek

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Dec 23, 2015
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I have no clue how long a good survival knife should be. I am on a limited budget and I am debating whether I should get the schrade schf36 (5 inches) or schf37 (7 inches). I would be doing light - medium chopping and batoning as well as some general bushcraft (notches, making feather sticks...etc). I like the portability of the schf36 but I don't want to be limited with what I can do. Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
Short enough that you will always have it on you when you need it. In my case a LionSteel M1 daily carry. Not all survival needs occur in the wilderness.

If you are talking outdoor carry only, the maximum size I will wear constantly is my 6" Busse Zero Tolerance Natural Outlaw which is a thinner, lighter 3/16" Model.

IMO choosing large heavy choppers you will not wear for long is pure fantasy because by definition you can't schedule an emergency. This is from someone who has dozens of large heavy choppers, because they are fun to have and use. These are ok for vehicle carry, however.
 
I agree with Sunyata... IF you are going to count on it to chop... you need length or weight, optimally both. The 7 inch will chop better than the 5 inch, but that's not to say a 5 inch knife can't chop, it just won't be as efficient at it....

Take the BK2 for example... its about a 5.5 inch blade, but because its a thick heavy knife that wears its weight well, I find that mine out chops MOST 7 inch blades which are made of thinner stock.

Ideally... my suggestion would be, add a folding pocket saw in with your knife and use it...a good folding pocket saw can be had for under 20 bucks and should be able to handle wood larger than you want to try and baton thro with any knife.... use your knife to baton slabs off the sides rather than attempt to drive right thru the middle and you'll find you can split much larger wood with a much smaller blade.

Really, its all about just getting out there and learning to use what you have.... make your selections based on what YOU think you'll need/want.... then go learn it.
 
It depends on what you like and will carry, for me at least 7 inches. I carry between a 7 1/2 and a 9 1/2 on my belt in the woods all the time with no problems. Along with a pocket knife your pretty set for any cutting or chopping you need to do.
 
Meh, too general of a question imo.

It all depends on your skill set, personal preference, what other stuff you have on you and the area you're in.

I like ten to 12 inches but frankly there isn't much that one of those does that my 7" blade can't. And if I have my folding saw too then my 3,5" EDC blade will suit me just fine for 99% of the stuff I need to do
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edit: thinking about it some more; get a folding saw. Or more specifically; a Bahco Laplander. Considering you're on a tight budget you can just add a Mora companion or Nr. 1 for around the price of one of those Schrades and you'll have a much more useful toolset imo.
 
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Limited budget....... I would get a folding saw (I have Silky Pocketboy) , a 4-5" fixed bladed knife, and a folder for the detailed stuff. My choice has always been the BK-15 for a general purpose woods knife, but they are discontinued and the ones I have seen still for sale tend to be priced on the higher end for this knife. So, if you prefer a Taylor Schrade product, I'd get the smaller of the two as you will be more willing to carry it. Chopping is the weak link with the SCHF36 (5"). So, I would think in terms of doing most all your major cutting with the saw, and then if you baton, slab the bigger stuff or baton smaller wood. You won't be lacking many options in the woods with this combination relative to the 7" bladed Schrade.

If chopping with a knife are really important to you, then I would look at a larger knife such as the Condor Moonshiner (9") which is fairly inexpensive, keep the saw, and carry a small folder such as a SAK. But I guess you're still in the $100 total price area for the combo. The Moonshiner is not so big that you can't do smaller tasks with it, but you won't be spreading peanut butter with it. It is a matter of style relative to your choices and willingness to carry the blades and tools.

There are many combinations that work very well and ultimately it depends on your willingness to carry them out in the woods/field and have them available for use. Hatchets are another option for modest chopping and you can certainly split wood nicely with one.
 
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Long as it takes.

So you are sure your survival depends on chopping and batonning? Or is that stuff stuff you just wanna do? Nothing wrong with that.
 
And to beat a dead horse....

marcinek said:
I would assume someone who chose the screen name "outdoorgeargeek" ("geek" being "an expert or enthusiast or a person obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit"), would know the answer to that question.

Odd. :confused:
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That said, if I need to survive, I want light to get me out fast. 4 inch fixed blade tops. Throw in a folding saw.

If "survival" really means "bashing trees within 100 yards of the car with a trunk full of survival beer" then I'd go with something around 7-9.
 
Going down the "one blade to master it all" lane, I'd say "the longest you can safely handle"... Seriously. A big blade can do (almost) anything a small blade does but a small blade can't do (all) what a big blade can... What do you expect from your knife ? Would be the bottom line.
 
A few years back I asked myself the same question . I was wanting a new , good quality knife and didn't want to buy something I would soon regret . So I took to Google and Youtube doing searches on "What's the best size survival knife" . As expected to some degree it depends on where you will use it . For example if you are in a tropical area a knife with a longer blade to act as sort of a machete would be better than a short blade that might be better where there is less to clear and maybe more small game to process .

However there was some thing that ALL the info from "survival" sites or "survival" experts had in common . That is that a good survival knife should not have a blade less then 4" and doesn't need to be more than 6" . The blade thickness should not be less than 1/8" and not more than 1/4" . This was not information from one or two sites , but from every site I could find . So what did I take away from that ? A knife that's too small or thin may not be able to process wood and or could brake during hard use . A knife to big and thick can be too heavy and maybe not good at carving or processing small game .

So I took the middle ground . I bought a Survive GSO 5 . Which as it's name suggests , has a 5" blade that is 3/16" thick . I have a lanyard on it that allows it to chop as well as a survival knife needs to . The blade is long enough and thick enough to baton with and it's weight is light enough that I will always carry it when I'm out in the wilds where I might just need it . I also have a much less expensive Ontario TAK 1 which has a 4 1/2" blade that is 3/16" thick that I really like .

I used to have a couple of big choppers , two Scrap Yard Dogfathers . While they where fun in the back yard , I only carried one once in the woods and found both the weight and size VERY unnecessary .

As mentioned above , I carry my 5" knife and a lightweight folding saw if I think I will be processing a lot of wood for a few day stay in the woods .

Hope this helps :thumbup:
 
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outdoorgeargeek said:
I have no clue how long a good survival knife should be. I am on a limited budget and I am debating whether I should get the schrade schf36 (5 inches) or schf37 (7 inches). I would be doing light - medium chopping and batoning as well as some general bushcraft (notches, making feather sticks...etc). I like the portability of the schf36 but I don't want to be limited with what I can do. Any suggestions?

Thanks
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Hello,

My opinion.

Chopping with a knife is silly.

Get a Mora for cutting and get a small bag or belt hatchet for chopping.

This is just me.
 
I am quite taken with the Condor 4.4" Two River Skinner for general woods purposes which runs around $40. It is drop point shaped similar to the Kabar Becker BK-16. I just love this little knife. Most people have never heard of it.

Marcinek, funny post about the beer. There is some truth to this. Keep the tree bashing to a minimum unless you are on private land. It is fun however to wack at things with a big knife.
 
I'm not a hater of Schrade, and while I prefer a 5-6" cutter with a dedicated chopper on the side, of the 2 I would go with the sch37 as a one stop shop knife. If you can only have one, why limit yourself? (Assuming you have a folder to carry along for light cutting?)

For $10 more you can get an Ontario sp.

More versatile/classic blade design, better company qc, more consistent HT, better customer service, more handle and 2/3 the weight.
Either one may very well need a good sharpening on the factory edge. My Schrade was "OK", nothing to write home about, but if I could go back and spend just under $30 on my Schrade, or $40 on an sp1, I'd take the Ontario.
 
22-rimfire said:
Limited budget....... I would get a folding saw (I have Silky Pocketboy) , a 4-5" fixed bladed knife, and a folder for the detailed stuff. My choice has always been the BK-15 for a general purpose woods knife, but they are discontinued and the ones I have seen still for sale tend to be priced on the higher end for this knife. So, if you prefer a Taylor Schrade product, I'd get the smaller of the two as you will be more willing to carry it. Chopping is the weak link with the SCHF36 (5"). So, I would think in terms of doing most all your major cutting with the saw, and then if you baton, slab the bigger stuff or baton smaller wood. You won't be lacking many options in the woods with this combination relative to the 7" bladed Schrade.

If chopping with a knife are really important to you, then I would look at a larger knife such as the Condor Moonshiner (9") which is fairly inexpensive, keep the saw, and carry a small folder such as a SAK. But I guess you're still in the $100 total price area for the combo. The Moonshiner is not so big that you can't do smaller tasks with it, but you won't be spreading peanut butter with it. It is a matter of style relative to your choices and willingness to carry the blades and tools.

There are many combinations that work very well and ultimately it depends on your willingness to carry them out in the woods/field and have them available for use. Hatchets are another option for modest chopping and you can certainly split wood nicely with one.
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I agree with this information almost word for word... personally I run a triple rig consisting of a larger knife like the condor moonshiner, a smaller blade like a condor bushcraft knife...and a folding saw, in my case specifically the silky Gomboy medium tooth 240..... never ran into anything I couldn't handle with a rig like that.... but I live in an area where I do not need to do much chopping. if I ever added anything else to that mix I'll occasionally take along a SAK Trekker...but its more to fiddle with than anything else cause I just like knives and stuff ;)
 
Look up how to fell trees with a knife. You dont HAVE to chop. Use physics, and let the tree essentially cut itself under the tension. Look up Cody lundin specifically, he does it with a mora classic.
 
marcinek said:
That said, if I need to survive, I want light to get me out fast. 4 inch fixed blade tops. Throw in a folding saw.
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I don't go anywhere fast these days...the walking stick ain't being carried as a fashion statement. ;)
That said, I can carry a decent amount of weight as I lumber along.

If survival in a bugging out situation were a thing, well, that's what the .38 and the 12 inch barrel 12 gauge is for. :D
 
As for size of knife, that's entirely up to each person.
And the opinions of internet "experts" should be taken with an entire salt mine.

Make up your own damn mind; buy a few knives in various sizes, try them out, and then decide...for yourself.
You should be your own expert. :thumbup:

What works for me might just annoy you, and vice versa.
 
It really depends on what else you'll be carrying in your system (no reasonable prepared goes out in the woods with just a fixed blade and nothing else). If you're carrying a saw or small axe, then a 4-5 inch "survival" knife would be sufficient. But if you're not carrying a saw or axe, and you're going to be doing shelter- and/or fire-craft, then a longer (and heavier) blade (at least 8-10 inches) will save lots of effort in chopping, splitting (aka batoning), and cross cutting. But also be sure to have smaller blades (fixed or folders) in your system for those fine, delicate tasks. Every job requires the right (or at least the best available) tool.
 
MikeH said:
Short enough that you will always have it on you when you need it. In my case a LionSteel M1 daily carry. Not all survival needs occur in the wilderness.

If you are talking outdoor carry only, the maximum size I will wear constantly is my 6" Busse Zero Tolerance Natural Outlaw which is a thinner, lighter 3/16" Model.

IMO choosing large heavy choppers you will not wear for long is pure fantasy because by definition you can't schedule an emergency. This is from someone who has dozens of large heavy choppers, because they are fun to have and use. These are ok for vehicle carry, however.
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What he said, a lot can be done with a small knife. Big knives are fun but I doubt I would have one with me if I found myself in a " survival" situation. For all I know I have been in a survival situation before and just didn't realize it because I was having too much fun.
 
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