Knife advice for new survival and backcountry camping enthusiast

[Sep]

Just FYI, I started this thread because of some survival expert's article. Previously I'd only ever heard one school of thought: "The bigger the knife, the bigger the fool." The guy said, however, that a smaller knife -- the 4"-5" people generally recommend -- is limiting unless you have an ax for heavy duty stuff, and that its' better to have a big knife and a small neck knife.

I can totally see the practicality in this, so I went with it. I live in NYC, where almost all knives can't be sold, bought, and carried, so it's a bit time-consuming, costly, and inconvenient to really test out all these different setups. Gotta start somewhere, though!

People with military background tend to go the big knife route (survivalist) because of the 7" issue bayonet or ka-bar utility knife. A soldier has to carry tons of other more important gear, so he can't usually afford to carry an axe. This works for him because the military rarely needs to process a lot of wood for fire or shelter. His setup would be augmented by a folding knife or multitool for fine work.

A day hiker who does not need to process a lot of wood (if any) can do just fine with a large knife. If your fire comes from a portable stove, the knife is there as a "just in case" or "emergency/survival only". Toss in a light folding saw or manual chain saw, and he can even tackle largish dead trees in a pinch.

Hunters / trappers / bushcrafters stay in the woods for extended periods. They need to maximize material from the environment, so they need a setup that can process a lot of wood in the most efficient manner. That means an axe. Because they have an axe there is no need for a large knife, especially since a medium/small knife is more appropriate for skinning and trap making.

I tell you what, buy that ESEE-6. If you find it to be dead weight, you can sell it here on the forum with only a little loss.

 

[Reorx]

Food for thought >>> Have you considered a folding saw to replace a big chopper? It is probably lighter, cheaper, and more efficient than a large chopper...

Bahco Laplander >>>
Wt: about 7 ounces, 9 inch blade, inexpensive (about $30)

 

[uyotg]

Sep, you got it spot on. the author of that article used to be in the army.
I have my ESEE6 on the way so, needless to say, I am excited. I'm definitely interested in bushcraft, but more as a means to survive than to live and hone my craftsmanship - there must be some overlap between the two, yeah? even if the ESEE6 is too large, I'll hve the Izula for finer work, too.

Reorx, I did also get a Gerber Sportsman's Wood Saw folding saw, but did not spend much time researching all my choices. I always thought hacking and chopping were more efficient than sawing, but with two people telling me to go for it, I went for it

 

[cziv]

A survival and backcountry camping enthusiast shouldn't be on too cheap of a budget on his kit. I don't mean being extravagant, just not worrying because one item is a couple bucks more than another.

Get what's good and feels good to you. You'll want a good machete or chopper (either / or) if you're going to be out there for more than the day, in the wild.

If you're on well used trails and doing day trips something a bit more moderate like a RAT/ESEE RC4 is nice. The large and small Beckers are okay too, I'm just not digging them as much as say the ESSE lineup. I like the ESSEE Izula for a neck knife about $40'ish.

A Bark River Bravo 1 is a nice all purpose camping and bushcraft knife too.

 

[Buffalohump]

Gransfors Wildlife Hatchet and a Swamp Rat HRLM is my personal choice. In my experience a small axe/hatchet is a much better chopper than a large knife. And easier to carry too.