If you only had one knife lineup......................

timberweasel is right. Wait until after Basic and your advances training before you worry about bringing knives. There are some fine choices above, of course, when you're ready.
Good luck and thanks for your willingness to serve your country.
sonnydaze
 
I'd probably take a:

Leatherman MUT
Spyderco Tenacious/Resilience (so it won't be TOO painful if it walks off)
Cold Steel SRK, maybe the SOG NW Ranger.
 
thankyou so much everyone for you advice i will defiantly take all of the above into perspective and consideration:)
 
You may actually be issued some type of multi-tool. If not here is my choices (Active US Army 81-84, NYANG 84-89).

Leatherman of your choice
BK&T BK-16 or 17, First Production Run (Sabre grind on the 16)
A 1/4" thick, full tang/extended tang blade of your choice. Tops Steel Eagle 107E comes to mind.
 
Swiss army champion
Small sebenza insingo
Demko AD -10(either fixed or folder)
 
omegaonne said:
Don't they issue u knives there? Honest question. I'd take a mut leather man multi-tool, benchmade adamas fixed blade and my favorite folder, Emerson cqc-15
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Not exactly bro.... Yeah you get a bayonet and MAYBE a multi tool. But just because its issued doesnt mean its worth a plug nickle..... Most of my buddies and I used to bring our own personal tools to the fight. Just disguise it in Army woodland or ACUPAT camo pouches and they dont care whats in the pouch for the most part. Kinda sucks but its the nature of the beast.... ;)
 
timberweasel said:
None. Wait until you've finished with Boot Camp, have your Trades Training under your belt, and then you'll have a better idea of what you're going to need. Best to not bring your own personal effects to Basic Training (you ought to 'sterilize' the contents of your wallet too!) You'll most like just have to put it in lock-up anyway where it runs the risk of being stolen. Sad but true.

Best of luck, OP! :)
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This. You can't get the right tools until you identify your needs. If you get the chance maybe talk to some guys with the same MOS and see what they carry. I would think the risk of loss would be higher so low-cost high-value would be what I'd look for as well as keeping an eye out for used.
 
Hold off on buying much of anything untill you get to your real duty station (unless you are being sent overseas right off)

Bootcamp/basic training...most likely they will put All your effects in a paper bag and stapple it shut and it will go in storage untill you are leaving...anything you bring will not be allowed and may walk away. In your MOS schools, you will likely be allowed to have personal items, and a multi tool will do everything you need.

Depending on your MOS a MT may be all you need...ever, but its nice to have a good folder that is not high dollar, and you may or may not even want to carry a fixed blade.

I had a EK bowie that after the first few months almost never saw the light of day, but my leatherman was always on me, and most times I had a spyderco. If I knew then what I know now in place of a spyderco i would have taken a SAK or opinel. maybe even a mora would have made it into my pack. Why? cheap priced knives that are light, and not very cool looking, easy to sharpen and stouter than most folks think is what I would want.

Don't forget a good sharpening "system" as well.
 
A multitool with pliers and driver bits.
Spyderco Military or Paramilitary 2
Ratmandu
 
timberweasel said:
None. Wait until you've finished with Boot Camp, have your Trades Training under your belt, and then you'll have a better idea of what you're going to need. Best to not bring your own personal effects to Basic Training (you ought to 'sterilize' the contents of your wallet too!) You'll most like just have to put it in lock-up anyway where it runs the risk of being stolen. Sad but true.

Best of luck, OP! :)
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This.
Anything you take with you to basic training will be taken away from you. In tech school you will be living in barracks, and "weapons" are not allowed.

After that, the tools I got the most use from were an issued leatherman, and a Swiss Army knife. I also carried a buck 110, but it rarely left the sheath. As others have said, it depends on what your MOS will be. In communications I did not have a need for a large fixed blade, or tactical knife. A small utility blade was much more useful.

Not to say I didn't have a few tacticool blades...:)
 
Get agood multitool leatherman or gerber and any decent folder I like spyderco's but Iwouldnt take a $150 dollar folder because things do seem to walk of in the military. If your in any combat arms they will give you a bayonet(the marines is a kabar) and it will hold up for any fixed blade knife needs. Don't get a big fixed too much weight and all they end up to be is glorified mre openers.

Semper Fi
 
Nothing too expensive, I always hear good shit gets stolen while deployed.

I would bring my Busse NMSFNO and have it on me at ALL times.

For a folder I would bring a Kershaw tremor, and then a leatherman of you're choice.
 
for me,I would take a Strider SMF, Busse team gemeni and a ZT 0560 and a leatherman wave. hope this helps! they all are very expensive but they are all amzingly strong and durable.
 
Lot's of fantastic response here. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Apparently the military is kind of funny about knives. Different comanders have different requirements, limitations, and the like. I'll bet every single knife mentioned here so far either is or recently has served over seas, on the high seas, or in The States.

You will not be given nor allow any knife whatsoever in Basic. Depending on the branch of service, you may or may not see a bayonet in basic either. If you take one, your Sargent will have himself a nice new knife.

If you are being deployed, every active duty or recent duty soldier on this forum will tell you that stuff gets lost, stolen, or broken a lot. So there is probably some merit to volume. Taking more, less expensive knives.

I am an old man (says my wife any time I look at a pretty girl) who has never served in the armed forces. However, were it me, I'd take a Leatherman Wave or maybe Sidekick which is sort of a smaller Wave. I'd take two or three pocket knives of some sort...Victorinox Soldier..and two or three either inexpensive or moderately priced fixed blades. I'd probably prefer to take like 10 Moras but you'd have to make new, much more secure sheaths for them out of leather or Kydex. The sheath ends up costing more than the knife. Of course you could get two sheaths and 10 knives and presumably if the knife gets lost, your sheath will still be attached to you. Get all the same kind so you can use the same sheath.

ESEE are mid-priced knives...about $100 a pop. Get the 3 or the 4 or one of each. The 3 is very tough and very light. The 4 is even tougher. The 5 is way too heavy and the 6 is way too big. The Izula II is very tough, very light and would carry like a dream. They're about $60. All ESEE sheaths are very good, offering multiple attachment points.
 
Use what they give you and supplement with a Benchmade from the PX.
 
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