Large survival knife

B

BrandonEDC

Joined
Aug 12, 2014
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For backpacking and keeping weight down I am looking for a large knife to serve multiple purposes. I am in between 3 at the moment and it seams to be which steel is better. I live in Washington state and will be in mostly forests. The pick ...
Buck hoodlum 5160 steel
ESEE Junglas 1095 steel
Cold steel trail master 0-1 steel
And also if you know of a stainless one?
If you have any knowledge about these steels or the knife its self please comment :D
 
BrandonEDC said:
For backpacking and keeping weight down I am looking for a large knife to serve multiple purposes. I am in between 3 at the moment and it seams to be which steel is better. I live in Washington state and will be in mostly forests. The pick ...
Buck hoodlum 5160 steel
ESEE Junglas 1095 steel
Cold steel trail master 0-1 steel
And also if you know of a stainless one?
If you have any knowledge about these steels or the knife its self please comment :D
Click to expand...

Hey brother, welcome to the board. This is my opinion only, but in my mind, all three of those choices listed will be fine as long as you don't abuse the blade trying to make the knife act as something it's not designed to do. My good friend has the Hoodlum and he's beaten on it, and it's held up great. I have the RTAK II (the cheaper Junglas) and have beaten on it, same thing. Great knife. I've not got any experience with the Trail Master but by all accounts they are excellent field knives also.

It might help if you're able to go somewhere and get your hands on all three to see which one fits you best?
 
Yes I can only find the Junglas so I figured I would look into which steel was better but it seams they are all fine
 
BrandonEDC said:
Yes I can only find the Junglas so I figured I would look into which steel was better but it seams they are all fine
Click to expand...

All three are tough steels. The only thing I have with O-1 is a GEC Bullnose that I use for whittling, and it keeps a really sharp edge despite being used to carve through some pretty tough wood (repeatedly). So, on a knife that needs to be used out in the woods, I have to imagine it'll do fine.
 
The problem is, there is no knife that will serve all purposes. The Junglas is a great knife, but it's too big for a lot of general purposes. It will work, but you'll be wishing you had something else. Personally I'd look more a long the lines of the ESEE-6 which is still large but small enough to do detail work. Either that or back up your Junglas with something like an Izula/Izula II or an ESEE-3 and you'll have pretty much all your bases covered. I always have found a ~6" blade to be useful for general purposes in the woods, probably because I spent a lot of my formative years beating the crap out of a Ka-Bar USMC :D
 
If weight is a concern , a mora223 might be worth a look . I got a few a year or so ago .. I dont know why they are not more popular
 
I can only tell you that if I were only allowed one knife for outdoors it would not be that big.

I agree with the two knife method. Check out some of the leuku/puukko combinations from the better Nordic knifemakers such as J. Martinni.
 
BrandonEDC said:
For backpacking and keeping weight down I am looking for a large knife to serve multiple purposes. I am in between 3 at the moment and it seams to be which steel is better. I live in Washington state and will be in mostly forests. The pick ...
Buck hoodlum 5160 steel
ESEE Junglas 1095 steel
Cold steel trail master 0-1 steel
And also if you know of a stainless one?
If you have any knowledge about these steels or the knife its self please comment :D
Click to expand...

The Becker bk-9 or 7 are alternate options with good reputations. If weight is an issue you could consider a Mora Companion (comes in stainless also), and a machete.
 
For me I like a 8 to 9 inch large blade for heavier camp chores and a good folder for smaller tasks. That covers pretty much everything I might need to do. Right now that means a Martin knives large knife in s35vn stainless and a zt566 folder in elmax.
 
The knives you listed aren't really all around purpose knives, a little large as far as I'm concerned. You might take a look at the Esee 6. They sell with a variety of options as well.
 
Maybe you can clarify if you are looking for a "survival" knife or a camp knife. Since the goal of survival is to get to civilization as quickly as possible, a big chopper would not make sense. Smaller = lighter = quicker.

If you are looking for a long term outdoor living camp knife...why do you only need one knife?

I'm confused.
 
Sorry for the clarification issue... I will always have two knives I do have a 6 and an izula for my trips now but the 6 as nice as it is doesn't do big tasks like building a shelter as easy. can it be done yes... is it smarter to just deal with the extra work and pack light .... to each is own. The trips will be backpacking trips where I will need firewood and possible shelters. Am I wrong should I keep the six and force big tasks probably and if you feel that way say something but I would still like an opinion on the topic... I'm always open to new ideas and changing my Outlook :)
 
BrandonEDC said:
Sorry for the clarification issue... I will always have two knives I do have a 6 and an izula for my trips now but the 6 as nice as it is doesn't do big tasks like building a shelter as easy. can it be done yes... is it smarter to just deal with the extra work and pack light .... to each is own. The trips will be backpacking trips where I will need firewood and possible shelters. Am I wrong should I keep the six and force big tasks probably and if you feel that way say something but I would still like an opinion on the topic... I'm always open to new ideas and changing my Outlook :)
Click to expand...

If that's the case, I would get a hatchet. You already have a good combo, and a lightweight pack hatchet like a Gerber (or Fiskars) would fill the gaps.
 
With Cosmonaut on this one.

I personally prefer the fine foresters axe (wetterlings) for my terrain here in CA, just barely over 2 pounds.

My only other add on to the great advice already stated would be to invest in a lightweight backpacking tent or tarp for shelter instead of using natural materials.

Just depends on budget.
 
Yes I have a 3.8 pound tent but sometimes when it's not going to rain I cut it for weight and to build my own which I do enjoy... and yes I have been looking into a good 15 to 20 inch hatchet just trying to get the knife and hatchet I want and try Em both see what I like from personal use.
 
Microtech crosshair great survival knife I have the d2 half serrated.this knife can be used as a saw hatchet spear slicer batton everythin all around great survival knife.you can tie a fire starter to the lanyard.personally mt hit it out of the park with this one.also try the older microtech currahee.hollow grind has them another good survival knife
 
You might look at the esee machete instead of the junglas its very comfortable to use and cuts quicker and with less effort than just a big knife.
 
cricketdave said:
You might look at the esee machete instead of the junglas its very comfortable to use and cuts quicker and with less effort than just a big knife.
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This^ but I'll add the Tops 0.170 to the mix. It's a bit smaller, but still 'big enough' for every machete chore I've ever encountered, and comes with an awesome nylon sheath with molle webbing on the back and pockets on the front.
 
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