My large survival knife experience- Opinions Welcome!

A

ASharpCanadian

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Sep 12, 2011
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So I picked up a ratmandu a few years ago- has a custom kydex sheath with an attached esee pouch that contains a fire kit. I have made myself build/maintain fires with the ratmandu and its a decent batonning blade(though I have noticed that a longer blade would be better for this)

Something I'm finding however is that Im not using it....I bought a nice mora for 20 bucks and its doing everything :) And the other day I needed to de-limb a hiking stick and realized that Im carrying a heavy blade that is crappy at chopping(for its price in weight) no less- and it isnt what Id call ideal for the purpose of batonning either. Basicially I think the ratmandu size of knife isnt good at anything (for me!) and Im gonna go with the small mora(so light anyways why not) for cutting and a big blade for firewood/chopping tasks.

I still like the idea of carrying a big ass blade though. Its reassuring- In Canada especially it just makes me think "if we get lost on this hike/hunt and were stuck here I know that I will be able to get firewood"


So now I'm looking at esee's Junglas and gransfors bruks' small forest axe. About equal weight(including sheath) and comparably capable for what I want 'em to do.

what you folks think?
 
Becker BK9, especially for the durability/price ratio. Give it a go ! Some people just aren't big knife people though.
 
I have found that a big knife isn't the most useful tool around for most things, but it's the only tool around for some things.....

Also

Like Murphnuge said, some people just aren't big knife people. That's ok.

And also

Not all knives work for all people. IMHO, you are going to want a bigger blade for chopping.......my chopper is a 10" kukri......the longer the blade, the faster the tip end of the blade travels = more energy = better chopping. Weight helps too.
 
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The knife should be better tough enough. Durable and sharpness can be maintained in a long time. Tamahagane is the best choice.
 
i carry a 6inch kukri usually camping. entire blade is probably more like 8 inch including unsharpened part I mod'd into a choil.
 
The combo "small blade / big blade" is very versatile. The small would be a fixed or folder with a 4" blade (get quality, this one you will use 90 % of the time). The big would be a short machete or parang type : rather thin, long and wide blade than short and thick (depends on the wood at your place and intended use : shorter and thicker is nice for batoning and cutting hard wood, thinner and longer is better for clearing brush and cutting greenery). This one will get a beating, accidentally hit stones and be used occasionnally for digging... Choose a strong, dependable item, no need to go high end. A short Tramontina, a Martindale Golok or a Condor Parang is perfect. You could even go with a "no brand" of that type : I use one I bought in the garden department of a supermarket 20 years ago. It's still going strong and sharp after tons of abuse... Another very efficient combo : folding saw / strong 5 to 8" blade / small pocket folder. The folding saw is actually so light, it's permanently stashed in my backpack, like the small folder in my pocket.
 
Vicker Lam said:
The knife should be better tough enough. Durable and sharpness can be maintained in a long time. Tamahagane is the best choice.
Click to expand...

Do your homework: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/522208-how-good-is-tamahagane-steel

Regurgitating opinions from tv shows doesn't help anyone, especially here where there are actually knowledgeable people.



ASharpCanadian said:
So I picked up a ratmandu a few years ago- has a custom kydex sheath with an attached esee pouch that contains a fire kit. I have made myself build/maintain fires with the ratmandu and its a decent batonning blade(though I have noticed that a longer blade would be better for this)

Something I'm finding however is that Im not using it....I bought a nice mora for 20 bucks and its doing everything :) And the other day I needed to de-limb a hiking stick and realized that Im carrying a heavy blade that is crappy at chopping(for its price in weight) no less- and it isnt what Id call ideal for the purpose of batonning either. Basicially I think the ratmandu size of knife isnt good at anything (for me!) and Im gonna go with the small mora(so light anyways why not) for cutting and a big blade for firewood/chopping tasks.

I still like the idea of carrying a big ass blade though. Its reassuring- In Canada especially it just makes me think "if we get lost on this hike/hunt and were stuck here I know that I will be able to get firewood"


So now I'm looking at esee's Junglas and gransfors bruks' small forest axe. About equal weight(including sheath) and comparably capable for what I want 'em to do.

what you folks think?
Click to expand...

I'll second Murph's opinion and suggest maybe getting a BK9 if you want to try a big knife without breaking the bank. If you got money to burn though the Junglas isn't going to do you wrong, although consider that you may need to change out the handle scales for a custom option to make them comfortable enough for extended use.
 
I'm of the opinion that large knives are false economy in todays wilderness survival climate. Technology has given us other options to huddling around a fire or spending lots of calories collecting fire wood. The typical time spent in wild areas at a time has also decreased. Your average weekend warrior would do better to pack rain shells, layers of clothing, food, water purification gear, and emergency beacons instead of chunky steel. If firewood is the goal then a small saw is the way to go.
 
ASharpCanadian said:
I still like the idea of carrying a big ass blade though. Its reassuring- In Canada especially it just makes me think "if we get lost on this hike/hunt and were stuck here I know that I will be able to get firewood"


So now I'm looking at esee's Junglas and gransfors bruks' small forest axe. About equal weight(including sheath) and comparably capable for what I want 'em to do.

what you folks think?
Click to expand...



If I'm carrying a good belt knife, my choice would be the Small Forest Axe.

Not much I can't do with a combo like that. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:

Nothing better at processing firewood then a small axe.


p1012818.jpg



That said, everyone knows I love big choppers too. :eek:




Big Mike
 
4" blade and folding saw. The word "survival" is in your thread title. That changes everything. "Survival" shouldn't include a huge honkin' knife. That extra weigh could be dead weight dragging you down. Plus a large knife used for wood processing can break, not to mention cause serious injuries or strains as you're swinging it around and chopping wood. With a folding saw, you're lighter, faster, and safer.
 
Mannlicher said:
Big knife, small knife, belt ax and a folding saw. Covers everything.
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Since we're bringing the whole shed, why not a good Stihl with a 24 in. bar and a coulpe spare chains?

Seriously, look at the Condor Pack Golok and Boomslang. Both superb choppers and neither will break the bank. Nice knives.
 
"Bringing the whole shed" is really the temptation when going outdoors for some time. However, most of the time, I found out that a small blade and a saw / axe / machete will do everything you need. And you will feel great with no superfluous weight in your pockets / backpack / belt. This is the treat when going out : do it all with minimal weight. Skills compensate and even outdo stuff...
 
I find myself using the heck out of my BK-9 that has been modified by me. I am a big knife guy.



For small stuff, this is hard to beat.



 
I use a kukri for my chopper. When i am hiking/camping i am armed to the teeth in knives so i have fun finding a task for all of them :) i am just bad ar deciding what to take so i load up haha.
 
Magnaminous_G said:
4" blade and folding saw. The word "survival" is in your thread title. That changes everything. "Survival" shouldn't include a huge honkin' knife. That extra weigh could be dead weight dragging you down. Plus a large knife used for wood processing can break, not to mention cause serious injuries or strains as you're swinging it around and chopping wood. With a folding saw, you're lighter, faster, and safer.
Click to expand...



I'm no ultralighter-I welcome the exercise. I think that a small mora coupled with a larger capable piece of steel(axe or knife) is reasonable weight to carry. Its kind of my wilderness EDC.

When I think of survival I think- if this day hike/hunt goes bad and I get stuck out here can I survive? In my climate that means firewood and if that should ever happen I doubt I'd regret carrying the extra weight- within reason of course Im not gonna carry a massive axe or anything.

I totally agree with the issue of safety and the saw. Thats one of the only reasons Id consider a large knife over a small axe- axes are dangerous things and Im no pro. Sawing wood and batonning it there's just less blades swinging through the air- less that can potentially go wrong vs using an axe.
 
I think the term survival knife implies a knife that you could "survive" with. Convenience is one thing... Is the RMD heavy...yes, is it the best at any one thing, no. Will the Ratmandu ever fail if you actually needed to survive and had one knife to trust you life to...never... That knife will outlive you in the wilderness.
 
You can make due with whatever you have or decide to have.

I like big, overbuilt knives.

I recently had JK Knives make my own design - the XD XT Tactical Bowie - for when you would rather ask forgiveness than apologize for having too much knife.

DSC_3235.JPG


01 steel
1/4" thick, 12.5" total length with full tang.
Garolite scales, 3/8" hollow copper rivets

DSC_3245.JPG


best

mqqn
 
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