Need a good outdoor/survival knife

I'll second (third?) the SAK idea, but based on the thought that this could be his only knife, I'd recommend the One-Hand Trekker. Similar tools as the Farmer, but a slightly larger, locking main blade with a surprisingly useful partial-serration... Hmm... I just peeked at the website and noticed they are making a non-serrated model now, as well, if serrations turn you off...

pinnah said:
This is a really excellent recommendation, imo. The spear point blade is great for meal prep and you get the bonus of the included saw blade.

I should have noted above that I carry a Leatherman Wave in the winter for the sake of the pliers and saw blade - the latter of which is similar to the Farmer's saw blade. I find I can do a lot with that.

Really, the Farmer is the most intelligent update of the old Camper style I've seen. (I don't consider cork screws a survival issue). That's a stellar suggestion.
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Really hard to go wrong with the Fallkniven for a camping/survival combo. If the axe isn't coming along with then I'd certainly recommend a fixed blade. If you're going to carry an axe with then you may want to think about the Vic OHT. On it's own the OHT doesn't have enough beans to handle "survival" (whatever that means) duties. It does lock and have a great little saw blade. I carry mine every day.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Because he hasn't realized he needed them yet! Good question, though. I know a machete would be my number one choice for a survival tool. A normal knife is good to have for fine tasks too (though a machete can handle them too, with practice). I have a knife (several actually), machete, and a saw with me every time I'm in the woods.
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Good point. I can take a decent sized dead tree down in a surprisingly short time with a machete, even a cheap one. Less weight, smaller package, and no worries about a debilitating accident with an axe.
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Force9000 said:
The reason is, because I already have an axe, I'm in a outdoor ed program at my highschool where they recommend to have some sort of outdoors knife but they never recommended anything, there are about 20 camping trips throughout the year which some of them include having to survive for two days on your own, you can bring a little bit of food and water but the rest is up to me to find.

Also thanks for all the great suggestions guys, I think I'll take a look at the f1 and the Farmer.
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Suggest strongly you ask the instructors if they will be teaching techniques that require a fixed blade knife or not.

As you go into the course and into your backcountry skills development, it might be useful to be aware that there are several schools of thought about backcountry skills. Roughly speaking, one might be described as the modern backpacking and climbing tradition. NOLS, Outward Bounds, the Seattle Mountaineer, the Appalachian Mountain Club all have curriculum in this direction. Another is the hunting, fishing, field & stream tradition. And yet another is the bushcraft and survivalist tradition. Here's my take on the differences.

The backpacking tradition is going to emphasize light weight, low impact camping skills and making do with the minimum of tools. In this tradition, about any pocket knife capable of cutting cords and basic whittling will do.

The hunting and fishing tradition will emphasize the dressing of game. Opinions among hunters and fishers will vary wildly on the necessity of fixed blades. Some will argue that skinning hooks and fixed blades are needed. Others will argue that, with skill, you can field dress a moose a with a non-locking traditional folder like a Case Trapper.

The survivalist and bushcraft tradition will emphasize heavy woodcraft knife skills. In this tradition, a fixed blade is really a necessity.

Each of these traditions as value and I don't mean to draw any negative judgments about any of them. I think the important thing for your course is that you choose a knife that will best enable you to learn what the instructors are teaching, so it's important to ask *them* and not us about what kind of knife they think is best.

My backcountry skills are definitely informed the most by the first 2 traditions - backpacking and fishing/hunting. So, I'll offer up these comments from that perspective (with no disrespect meant towards the latter). First, I strongly prefer a folding knife in nearly all cases. I find them much easier to pack and carry in the backcountry. For me, backcountry travel is fairly dynamic: skiing, scrambling, bushwacking, climbing and all of them usually with at least a small pack on. Carrying a fixed blade on my belt is non-starter. It interferes with my movement too much and interferes with my pack straps. My knife is either going to be in my pants/short pocket or in my pack. In both cases, I strongly prefer a folder. People like river raft guides or sailors have different survival needs btw. In those cases, a sheeps foot serrated fixed blade for quick line cutting can be the difference of drowning or not. But, that's a different kettle of fish.

Second, for cleaning fish and small game, I like a blade right around in the 3" range. I like a bit of stoutness to the knife (my Opinel isn't quite enough for my taste), but honestly, I *can* and do clean small fish with a pocket knife like an old scouting knife. It's perfectly adequate. Summary for me is that short of deer hunting, I don't need more than 3" of blade.

Third, there remains the issue of tools that go beyond the main cutting blade. I've already gone on record in favor of small saw blades if fire making is a part of the mix and you're in eastern style woods. Another useful tool for 1st aid is a small pair of scissors, but this can be handled by packing a mini key-chain SAK in your 1st Aid Kit.

If your course won't be demanding a fixed blade (big if), I would say that pretty much any folding knife with a 3" blade main blade is going to suit your needs, so you should feel free to pick a knife based on what makes you happy in terms of aesthetics and tradition. If you dig a fixed blade and can deal with the carrying issues, get one and love it to death. Here are a range of options with very different feel to them....

You could go full traditional (and heavy) with something like a Buck 112. It's a great size, is built like a tank and if a bear attacks you, it's heavy enough that you could knock out the bear with one punch.
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Whole bunch of other wonderful traditional knives that will do the trick. I prefer a locking blade in the 3" range. Other modern makers I would look at are GEC, Boker and Case.

If you want a basic locking folder with a lot less weight, you could look at knives like the Buck Ecolite 112 or the Buck Boone and Crocket 482. A bit more modern but still more or less in the field and stream tradition.
The 482:
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The Ecolite 112:
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You could go towards knives that have tools that are useful. The Victorinox One Hand Treker mentioned is another great suggestion. It has both a saw blade and a locking screw driver.
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Another one I'm impressed with in this vein is the Buck X-tract Essential, which trades the saw blade for good scissors.
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I like the EcoLite 112 a lot. Steel liners, and lighter than a regular 112. The slight integral guard formed by the handle is nice in wet conditions.
 
Excellent suggestions pinnah. I go by the addage that the small knife you have with you is a better survival tool that the big fixed blade sitting at home. Large knives and machettes draw attention and raise eyebrows in this day and time, especially when carried by young people. A smaller folder will do most needed tasks and be more likely accepted by instructors, fellow students and the occasional law enforcement officer.
 
Force9000 said:
The reason is, because I already have an axe, I'm in a outdoor ed program at my highschool where they recommend to have some sort of outdoors knife but they never recommended anything, there are about 20 camping trips throughout the year which some of them include having to survive for two days on your own, you can bring a little bit of food and water but the rest is up to me to find.

Also thanks for all the great suggestions guys, I think I'll take a look at the f1 and the Farmer.
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I gotta say I find a medium fixed blade to be about useless when you have an axe. My current setup is a cold steel trail hawk and an Izula II. Great knife that fills your hand and is nice and light. I've actually been edc'ing the Izula for about 2 months now and haven't felt the need for anything bigger.
 
A Victorinox Climber and an ESEE 3. I think you can squeeze them both in for your budget if you shop carefully and don't count shipping. :-) The SAK will do 90% of what you need and the ESEE 3 will do the rest.

SP
 
Cold Steel SRK SAn Mai 3 can be found under 100.00. SK-5 Model will do fine and is less expensive. I usually take a medium to large fixed blade for heavy work, a smaller lighter fixed blade or folder/multitool for finer work, and a collapsible saw.
 
I know their company is no longer (sadly) a active part of this forum but a eese 4 or 3 seems like a good choice. I have a four and would like a three but I feel like for the money you are hard pressed to get a knife, sheath combo that is as solid as their offerings. i agree that at a lower price point condor make some good stuff to. I also like Landi's stuff and right now blindhorse's monthly special, the woodsman pro, seems to be just what you need. I just received last month blindhorse special the scandi ground small tiger napp and it is a very well made little knife so the woodsman pro seems like a very good thing. The becker bk5 or kabar mark-1 also seem great!
 
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I would look at the Swamp Rat RMD and or Rodent Solution, both meet your price point, excellent steel, very comfortable handles and will last you a lifetime imho and both are still available at factory prices
 
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