Knife you could rely on for survival

DracoKrys said:
Holy heck dude you do know how to keep the argument going geez. I made the mistake of assuming the definition of a big knife without asking what your definition was, I had an idea in my head of what y'all meant by a big knife that was probably wrong, when there are knives of all shapes and sizes that are good and bad. We all have our biases, opinions, preconceptions and false notions that we love to throw at each other in a normal debate. Now can you stop dissecting and analysing all of my posts because this thread is becoming unpleasant. I am very new to this forum and to knives so if you could cut me some slack that would be nice. The primary intention was to learn and I'm aware being challenged is part of the learning process but this argument has become somewhat tedious and I don't wish to continue it. Overall I've had a lot of great answers but this thread has become somewhat derailed.
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The best way to learn is to read the dozens of other threads already started based on whatever questions you want answered, if you have a question be assured it's almost guaranteed to have already been asked and answered in this subforum and all it takes is a bit of searching to find it.

Don't expect slack because you're new, if you post biases and opinions you'll get responses for them that won't take into account your naiveté. The biggest thing to learn on this forum is to not take criticism so seriously and to learn from mistakes, as long as you just relax it'll ultimately be fine.

The worst mistake new people here make is to not learn from their mistakes, everybody makes them but those that survive are the ones that can learn and move on.
 
Well said Matt, everyone eats their share of crow. Best to just poop the crow out and leave the turd behind.

Not learning and continuously eating crow over the same things leads to several (dozen) different screen names and a barely fizzling meltdown.
 
The beautiful thing is the massive amount of choices available you have to try out... and then buy the next one to try out... and the next....
My personal preference is always in the 4.5 - 6 inch range, full tang, can strike a ferro, has a usable pommel, very comfortable grip, and a very good sheath (which so many manufacturers miss the mark on after making an excellent knife). My biggest 'knives' fall in the BK7 size range, and I kind of view most everything above that as my glorified short machetes, but to each his own and use what works the best for you. So much of it depends on the environment on which you intend to enter. If I'm in an area where I may also be prey I keep a TOPS Hazen Legion 6.0 or Moccasin Ranger on the front of me with a canted cross draw. Those were just flat out made to stab something deep and not very useful for most other chores. If you intend on going into an area with thick briars and hawthorn patches and still be able to do other chores, you'd probably wish you had a BK9 with you instead. There is never only 'one' knife. There is 'my first' knife.. 'and then I ended up buying these other 50 along the way ' ;) Best of luck to ya.
 
DracoKrys said:
I did indeed say that and I was basing that opinion on the fact that many bushcrafting knives and average to large folders are in that range, but something exactly 3 inches or under like my SAK I wouldn't feel very comfortable bringing without a larger knife, and 5 inches or a bit over would be my ideal length for a fixed blade. I base that off the fact that I only have average sized hands and don't intend on using my blade very hard, i.e chopping and splitting wood, and I don't want it to be heavy. And I think it is fair and safe to say larger knives tend to be heavier and better for more hard use activities.
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I see no problem as you are comfortable with this size of knife. My preferred general woods blade is essentially a BK-15 and I have a number of other knives that are essentially shaped similar and are about the same size. I have carried a larger knife (>7" blade), but I seldom used it. But I wasn't "surviving" either. I was just having fun in the woods or along a river and the knife goes hand in hand with that enjoyment. I use it for whatever I might need a knife for and I would split wood if it was wet on the outside with a 5-6" bladed knife to get a fire going. Clearly, that kind of task would be quicker with a larger knife, but the real need has never happened. Big knives for me are pretty much camp knives and I play with them. My dexterity is better with a smaller knife versus the larger knife. But I certainly could bumble through whatever task I needed to do with a larger knife like the BK-9. It is just a question of what you're willing to carry and car camping and playing with big knives is not carrying. I tend to choose short machetes quite a bit for chopping tasks but they pretty much stay in camp unless I have a task for them.

The "ultimate survival knife" is probably a big knife and probably around 9-10" (perhaps 12") of blade which gives you some weight to chop with it if you need to. You're surviving, not out for a weekend camp out. That's the difference and I simply have never had to survive in the outdoors. I have been blocked on roads with fallen trees in the past. That's a bitch, if all you have is a big knife. That's chain saw or cross cut saw time, but I could make do with an axe but it might take me many hours of work on a big tree, say 12" or larger. It's also handy to have a come along in your vehicle if you don't have a winch mounted on the vehicle. Tow ropes and straps come in handy too.
 
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tiguy7 said:
So where can I get a folder made of CPM S-125-V?
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Did you not already say it? The orange one, right? You provided a picture even.

A quality fixed blade will always win over a quality folder in a "survival situation".
 
Sorry! My tongue got caught in my eye tooth, and I couldn’t see what I was saying. The correct question is: where can I get a fixed blade made of CPM S-125-V?
 
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Pilsner said:
It really does depend upon your skill set, I’m afraid.

For some, a 4” blade is just fine, a Fällkniven F1 for example. But you would need to know what you were doing. The earlier suggestion of a Mora combined with a SAK Farmer, or any SAK with a wood saw, is excellent, but requires basic competency. Hence the ill informed jeering from the gallery.
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It does depend on your skill set. This guy made this shelter with a Swiss Army Knife.
 
Mountain Man 75 said:
The beautiful thing is the massive amount of choices available you have to try out... and then buy the next one to try out... and the next....
My personal preference is always in the 4.5 - 6 inch range, full tang, can strike a ferro, has a usable pommel, very comfortable grip, and a very good sheath (which so many manufacturers miss the mark on after making an excellent knife). My biggest 'knives' fall in the BK7 size range, and I kind of view most everything above that as my glorified short machetes, but to each his own and use what works the best for you. So much of it depends on the environment on which you intend to enter. If I'm in an area where I may also be prey I keep a TOPS Hazen Legion 6.0 or Moccasin Ranger on the front of me with a canted cross draw. Those were just flat out made to stab something deep and not very useful for most other chores. If you intend on going into an area with thick briars and hawthorn patches and still be able to do other chores, you'd probably wish you had a BK9 with you instead. There is never only 'one' knife. There is 'my first' knife.. 'and then I ended up buying these other 50 along the way ' ;) Best of luck to ya.
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That's what me and my wallet is afraid of happening to me. :rolleyes:
 
I often carry a Mule and a SAK when in the woods (on longer trips, a chopper and another knife. Might be the Mule or other. Sometimes a saw and/or an axe).

I never felt the SAK Spartan was not enough knife.

Natlek said:
Look , to know what is best for you you must spend a loot of time out in wilderness . That way you will experience very different situations and you will see what kind of knife is best for you . Just make sure you always have ONE with you. Everything is better than anything ........ :thumbsup:
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Its actually better to carry two knives for serious use.

As the adage goes: "Two is one and one is none."
 
tiguy7 said:
Sorry! My tongue got caught in my eye tooth, and I couldn’t see what I was saying. The correct question is: where can I get a fixed blade made of CPM S-125-V?
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Custom only. I've only seen 1 in my time here on BF.
 
tiguy7 said:
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It does depend on your skill set. This guy made this shelter with a Swiss Army Knife.
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And here is what happened when the same guy got to work with a chisel ground Emmerson:

393px-The_Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa_SB.jpeg
 
DracoKrys said:
Why are they so popular? :rolleyes:
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They aren't.

Added: I asked Ethan Becker once why a person would carry a BK-9 or larger in the woods as a normal thing? He just smiled.... don't take things so seriously. It's about fun.
 
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