Most important

Here in the Oregon mountains where we live, rather than a knife, my first tool choice would be an axe. I can survive with the axe very easily. The knife would be really iffy during the wet season (been there, done that). Since you ask about the knife only; yes, firemaking and shelter construction would be a reasonable place to start.
 
mapper, I missed that in the OP's post. In that case, if the assumption is that you've lost everything but your knife then your knife would be the tool that would have to provide for everything in the typical Rules of Three scenario in that basic order.

I live in the high desert so I'd want to get out of the sun or wind or cold first, probably build a fire next, and then figure out where to get some water and how to contain it.

But how many of us are likely to be in a situation like this without any gear but a knife? Folks like us generally know better than to not have at least a few essentials on our person.
 
mtnfolk mike said:
i want my knife/knives to be able to be able to handle anything i need it to, other than standing on it..:o it need to be able to dress game, make shelter. help with fire building and keep me safe from any predators, if the need ever arises...
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+1. Well said Mike. :thumbup:
 
blgoode said:
being able to be batonned through limbs for wood gathering / shelter building.

Cut rope or light materials as well. A point usable enough for poking through materials or skin if food prep was needed. Basically any task associated with shelter or fire building.
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All of the above
 
The areas where I do my outings are loaded with wood so I would really have no need to use the knife for that. I carry several means to start fires, none of which require a knife. So since you ask the main purpose of my knife, it would be food food prep and cutting cord and rope and possible protection, weapon making and such.

Cutting stuff other than wood is always the main use of knives for me. Saws and hatchets are my wood tools of choice. My SAK would be sufficient.
 
My main use for a blade if a situation was bad would be being able to split or baton wood for getting a fire going. So a big fixed blade would be my choice.

On more than a few outings where it was wet, it was the hackers and wackers that did the work of getting the fire going.

Jerry
 
I believe it would be for shelter and to get a fire going. Without those things, surviving wouldn't be as comfortable.
 
tacticalsteel said:
In the rule of three's, I want my knife help make SHELTER and FIRE. Blade long and Strong enough to cut skelter poles and SHARP enough to cut fuzz sticks for fire.
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Yup.

However, I want it to be easy to carry (so it's not left behind) and functional for all the mundane stuff I do during the 99.999999% of the time that I'm not in an emergency.
 
For me the big survival concern is, "Will it process firewood?"

If I have a knife or axe that I am confident will help me keep a fire going for as long as I need one that's about 99% of my concern.

After that, building a shelter would be helpful. I wouldn't be too worried about dressing game for two reasons:

1. I would actually have to catch something

2. In the event of a survival situation I will probably be so hungry that I will wash whatever animal I catch and then just start taking bites out of it like a furry apple!

That's why axes have always been tool #1 for me. If I can get the fire to provide me with a comfortable microclimate everything else is icing on the cake.
 
Great responses. Thanks. I do see where alot of you feel as I do, fire and shelter are the top tasks at hand.
Scott
 
On normal trip I use my knife for food prep and whittling.

If it a real situation I would want my knife to aide me with fire prep, shelter, food gathering(traps or spear for fishing) and to clean the dirt from under my fingernails after I'm finished for the day.
 
It has to take about 50 Lbs pressure side to side for prying and my full weight (200 lbs) on the blade to cut.
 
Of course it would need to be just big enough to baton wood and have a thick spine, small enough to do small notching and such for traps or shelter building.

My most important thing is this, and this is what I have been reluctantly preparing for ever since 911:

Should there be a chemical, biological or nuke attack on the big city near me, it needs to do the before mentioned plus act as a prybar without breaking. I would need it to get into locked entrances for food and supplies or to gain shelter off street level.

So strength without snapping is my main concern.
 
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This is a very good question.....

When im "out" it is either urban, or the woods, and I carry much different when im in urban then I do the woods.

When I carry in urban environment, I carry for worst case scenerio. Those knives are meant to pry and be built like tanks, but are small, so they dont attract attention and are easily concealed, I carry a folder and fixed blade.

In the woods, I carry for cutting first, wood work, carving, making traps, food prep (cleaning game) fire prep etc. I also carry a GB wildlife hatchet. with a Koster Bushcraft and a wildlife hatchet, there is nothing I cannot do or make in the woods, feel VERY comfortable with this combo, I use to be of the BIG CHOPPER crew, but started to realize this wasnt needed for me, as I didnt chop as much as I cut when in the woods.
 
G'day Scott.

First and foremost the ability to cut.

A strong tip for the occasional drilling / gouging comes in handy as well :thumbup:



Kind regards
Mick
 
Robustness, comfort and good sheath (in this order).

Maybe not so much different from ordinary outdoor activity case.
 
For me, in this order:

1. Preparing fire, striking firesteel.
2. Aiding in shelter building.
3. Making traps, preparing food.
 
firewood,firewood,firewood!!!!...because if it can cut down wood it can cut anything else technically.i could cut up a fish with a 10 chopper if i had to.a nice little slicer would cut up the fish much better but couldnt cut firewood.

if it can do firewood it can do it all
 
udtjim said:
The areas where I do my outings are loaded with wood so I would really have no need to use the knife for that. I carry several means to start fires, none of which require a knife. So since you ask the main purpose of my knife, it would be food food prep and cutting cord and rope and possible protection, weapon making and such.

Cutting stuff other than wood is always the main use of knives for me. Saws and hatchets are my wood tools of choice. My SAK would be sufficient.
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+1 here. Cutting wood for fire is secondary to the other tasks since there is alway a lot of wood just laying around. That being said I would need a knife that could handle those tasks maybe just not specifically designed as such.
 
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