If you could only choose ONE knife

P

psychicwarrior

Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
3
Imagine the unimaginable for a moment. Suppose there is a cataclysmic event and for one reason or another you are thrust out into the wild with a bare minimum of survival gear and one knife. The knife can be any knife regardless of price or availability, and this knife would be the only one you will have for the rest of your life. What ONE knife would you choose to survive in the wild and what are the reasons for your choice?
 
Victorinox SwissTool.

More tools equals more usefulness.
Survival is too serious to rely upon a single knife blade.
 
allenC said:
Victorinox SwissTool.

More tools equals more usefulness.
Survival is too serious to rely upon a single knife blade.
Click to expand...

What use would a screw driver and nail fiel be in the wild. I would rather have a KNIFE with a proper blade than a bunch of bottle opnerers and tweezers:D
 
Seems like the first thing any rational person dumped into the wild would try to do is get out.
 
"Nail file"?
"Bunch of bottle openers and tweezers"?
:confused:

You must not be very familiar with the SwissTool....

Maybe this will help:
http://www.equipped.com/pp/pic99.htm

A plain-edge blade, a serrated-edge blade, a woodsaw, a metal saw, a wood chisel, an awl/reamer, and pliers....a great survival tool for the thinking man.
 
allenC said:
"Nail file"?
"Bunch of bottle openers and tweezers"?
:confused:

You must not be very familiar with the SwissTool....

Maybe this will help:
http://www.equipped.com/pp/pic99.htm
Click to expand...

Allen I can see your point but still, I would like to see you chop some fire wood with that, hunt, defend yourself, build a shelter, build a boat, sharpen a big stick, etc etc etc

I think a big strong knife or an axe is what you need if you could only cary one knife.
This
130woodchopping.jpg

over this
index.18.jpg
 
Large knives and axes certainly have their advantages, such as chopping wood and felling trees.
But they also have plenty of limitations (especially in a desert or an area with few trees).

Anyway,here are just few things (off the top of my head) that small knives do better than large knives (and much better than an ax):

Picking thorns and splinters and cactus spines from your body,
trimming broken fingernails or ingrown toenails,
emergency medical procedures (can you imagine doing an emergency tracheostomy with a 12" machete or an ax :eek: ),
making notches and triggers for trap construction,
skin small game like snakes, lizards, birds, eels, and squirrels,
carving bones or wood into fishhooks, clothing fasteners, needles and other useful items,
carving eating and drinking utensils,
carving notches for a fireboard,
carving holes to turn a coconut or gourd into a canteen,
making arrows,
making a sling-shot,
making an atlatl for your spears,
making boomarangs and throwing sticks,
making blowguns and darts,

With a multi-tool and a good imagination, the possibilities are endless.
 
I have to go with what allenC said. I think people think that they always need a huge survival knife when they don't. A SAK or a multitool would be very good in this situation I think.
 
Just considering your question, gave me an instant splitting headache.

It can't be done.
 
psychicwarrior said:
Imagine the unimaginable for a moment. Suppose there is a cataclysmic event and for one reason or another you are thrust out into the wild with a bare minimum of survival gear and one knife. The knife can be any knife regardless of price or availability, and this knife would be the only one you will have for the rest of your life. What ONE knife would you choose to survive in the wild and what are the reasons for your choice?
Click to expand...

With enough skill and luck the rest of your life could be a long time. This one knife would take the place of all kitchen knives, utility knives and presumably other specialized cutters like chisels, scissors, saws and axes. The knife would be utilized for routine chores and probably occasional abuse far beyond the norm. This one knife would (hopefully) do ALOT of work, EVERY day for a LONG time. I wouldn't trust any folder for this.

I would go with a really stout fixed blade to maximize the chances of surviving the years. Maybe something like Fallkniven, Bark River, Busse or Chris Reeve one piece knives.

As has been pointed out, the size of the knife depends on type of terrain and vegetation encountered and that is unpredictable after "a cataclysmic event".
A big heavy fixed blade gives up a good deal of fine control but obviously gains in chopping, prying, digging ability, self defense, etc. But the important thing is, a big, strongfixed blade is more likely to hold up, intact, over time. No one tool do it all but the right choice of versatilty and sturdiness can make the life or death difference.

And big fixed blades can do some of the small jobs. They can also be utilized to make other specialized tools. For example; In South America, cheap machetes, by themselves, have been utilized to do an amazing variety of work in the back country; From food preparation to building shelters.

There are a large variety of quality fixed blades out there from 3 inch to 10 inch. I would probably go with a 10 inch blade. A shorter one might prove a better choice. But the old adage; 'Your survival knife is the one you are carrying' probably trumps all other possibilities.
 
Probably a 6" fixed blade butcher knife. Best all around utility knife, and great at making all the other tools you will need, like drawknifing the handle on an axe.

If you can't make other tools with it, you will quickly wear out any knife. It's all about conserving your primary tool as long as possible.
 
tirod3 said:
If you can't make other tools with it, you will quickly wear out any knife. It's all about conserving your primary tool as long as possible.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The above really puts the everything in a nutshell, given the original scenario.
 
It would be my own custom made fixed blade with a 6 inch blade that I frequently carry. If I were not allowed that one, then a similar sturdy fixed blade with a good leather sheath for belt carry would do.
 
The best knife would be the one you had in your pocket at the time! (it took 16 post for this to be said :D ).
 
I always get a big laugh when someone suggests the ultimate survival tool is the biggest knife they can carry.too much tv.probably the best survival tool for anyone in an urban area would be a can opener.
 
Probably my Chris Reeve Mountaineer II. Incredibly strong one piece construction, 5.5" blade, and hollow handle for storing things like matches, fishing line, hooks, bandaids, etc.

Out of knives I don't own, I would probably take a big Busse or something..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top