Need help choosing a Survival knife that fits these specifications!

marcinek When I'm "stuck" with wet weather it's hard to make fires with wet wood ground even if it's not actually raining. Splitting wood makes it easier. Ive done it many times with my hatchet but I want to lighten my pack on some upcoming trips. Not sure why your panties are so ruffled about that...

marcinek said:
Me, I'd go pretty much with what 22-rimfire (or ozgooner) just suggested. Not entirely sure why all this lumber needs to be split. Seems like everyone is always hiking in a place with no small dead branches, and just big, square cut logs. Strange woods.
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Gwashington.. Yea, I have a water filter and back up water purification tablets. Boiling water would be a last resort in an emergency since its a bit of a chore.

I will check out that tomahawk.. seems like a good suggestion.
 
That tomahawk is sweet but it actually weighs more than my friskars hatchet which I am dropping for weight. Probbaly going to get a bk2.. its still a bit heavy at a lb but everyone seems to love them so much Ill give it a whirl. If its too cumbersome maybe ill try to find something lighter.
 
Probbaly going to get a bk2.
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I notice that on a lot of threads, people are just looking for affirmation that a particular knife (BK-2 in this case) is good versus really searching for options.

The BK-2 was my introduction to Beckers and I purchased it entirely because of all the praise it tends to get on this forum. Guess everyone needs a tank. If I want something larger, I choose a BK-7. I honestly only used my BK-2 a few times and decided it was too heavy and cumbersome for my normal woods needs. It is one of those knives that people choose for SHTF end of civilization scenarios because it is so tough. The BK-10 is more suited for me (0.188" steel vs 0.25") and my activites, but since I got the BK-16 and ESEE 4, I have been hesitant to just buy another when I really don't need it. My favorite is the BK-16. The BK-7 is under rated, bigger but still a good knife if you can handle it. It can do about everything short of chopping holes in car bodies.

I have a number of knife choices in the 4-6" size and have been choosing my Dozier KS-3 Wilderness Guide's Knife lately for general woods duty over just about everything else I own. I change a lot and rotate between a Fallkniven F1, Blackjack 125, Dozier Wilderness knife, the BK-16, and a few others. For general stuff I often carry my Dozier Personal with a Wharncliffe blade. Love this little knife for EDC and quite frankly, it is all I need for the woods as well but it is not a great skinner/hunting knife design. I absolutely would not baton or beat on it with a club.
 
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I have carried the BK2+sheath in my pack along with a ton of other "survival" gear (stove, pot, food, shelter, first aid kit, paracord, etc.) on a hike as a tryout of the combined weight. This hike was over 8 miles long and was up a steep mountain side most of the way. The BK2 was noticable, but I would have no fears about packing it on longer trips after this test hike.

Get a BK2. If you don't like it, you can easily trade it for almost any other Becker.
 
I myself have a BK2 that I've been working on customizing. I haven't been able to use it nearly as much as I'd like but it's a great knife to beat on. The BK7 is just as thick as the BK2 I believe but longer. The blade is 7" which should work for you, you can chop with it, beat it up, cut, whatever. My friend has one and it's great. So my suggestion would be that.

Please read our rules. Link to commercial site removed.
 
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KevA said:
marcinek When I'm "stuck" with wet weather it's hard to make fires with wet wood ground even if it's not actually raining. Splitting wood makes it easier. Ive done it many times with my hatchet but I want to lighten my pack on some upcoming trips. Not sure why your panties are so ruffled about that...
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Well...I think enough people have suggested the Becker BK2 for you. Since its going to be your "survival" knife, and not an outdoor recreation/field/camp/hunting knife, let me throw in a few suggestions.

1) For the love of Grylls, spray paint the thing orange immediately. You are a dead man if you don't.
2) Do not even bother bringing a Bic lighter, Power Bars, smart phone, compass, or GPS device with you. The second you step out of the car, they will find the nearest body of water, jump in it, and will be washed away forever.
3) And this is most important....start drinking your own pee immediately!

Come back alive, bro, come back alive. :D
 
HelixKing said:
I myself have a BK2 that I've been working on customizing. I haven't been able to use it nearly as much as I'd like but it's a great knife to beat on. The BK7 is just as thick as the BK2 I believe but longer. The blade is 7" which should work for you, you can chop with it, beat it up, cut, whatever. My friend has one and it's great. So my suggestion would be that.
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You best edit that link out quick,
 
KevA said:
marcinek When I'm "stuck" with wet weather it's hard to make fires with wet wood ground even if it's not actually raining. Splitting wood makes it easier. Ive done it many times with my hatchet but I want to lighten my pack on some upcoming trips. Not sure why your panties are so ruffled about that...
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It's not all that hard in wet weather unless we're talking about monsoon season or grabbing sticks out of a lake. More often than not the inside of smaller sticks stays dry even if the outside is wet, with the exception of really thin twigs. Splitting smaller sticks is much easier and can be done with a pocket knife.

Always remember that your most important piece of survival equipment is free. That mass inside your skull will save your life, everything else is secondary.

KevA said:
That tomahawk is sweet but it actually weighs more than my friskars hatchet which I am dropping for weight. Probbaly going to get a bk2.. its still a bit heavy at a lb but everyone seems to love them so much Ill give it a whirl. If its too cumbersome maybe ill try to find something lighter.
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I have the Trail Hawk, it's a bit lighter than my BK2. The BK2 isn't a bad knife, it's just that I can't find a good use for it.
 
Well, I thought it over, and I gotta admit I think you guys gave some good advice on not *needing* a real heavy knife. But after admitting that to myself, as someone else said, there is nothing wrong with WANTING a real heavy knife! Ha so I got the bk2 anyway! I love it. If I decide it ends up being too heavy after a few big hikes, well, then I guess I just started my knife collection! I'll have an excuse to buy something lighter later.
 


British army M.O.D knife, built for Arctic and jungle survival! .25" thick, 7 inche or so blade, built to dig hole, pry doors open an dtough as fuuuuuuuu'!

There are loads of fake M.O.D tools out there so only buy one with the legit prints on the blade like mine. Otherwise you'll get poop grade Chinese steel instead of infamous Sheffield quality! ;)

I don't use mine much, but I have beaten it silly and it was still shaving sharp.
 
KevA said:
Well, I thought it over, and I gotta admit I think you guys gave some good advice on not *needing* a real heavy knife. But after admitting that to myself, as someone else said, there is nothing wrong with WANTING a real heavy knife! Ha so I got the bk2 anyway! I love it. If I decide it ends up being too heavy after a few big hikes, well, then I guess I just started my knife collection! I'll have an excuse to buy something lighter later.
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See? Doesn't it feel better to get over all that "survival knife" and "I need to baton" nonsense and admit to yourself that you are going out for a nice hike in the woods and want some big ol' knife to beat the bejeebus outta innocent trees with? Liberating! :D Good for you! Beating the bejeebus outta trees is fun! "Survival" beer helps.

Make sure to bring along a Swiss Army Knife like a Vic Farmer. It will take care of all of your non-bashing/smashing/chopping tasks.

And get one of them ferrocerium fire steels...wayyy more fun than a Bic.

Enjoy the BK2. People seem to love them. :thumbup:
 
ESEE-6 if you really need a blade that long. It is plenty tough.
 
This is contradictory:
KevA said:
A THICK beastly tank of a knife. I'm thinking .20-.25 in thickness.

I am not carrying a hatchet because of weight concerns.
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This almost contradictory too:
KevA said:
A THICK beastly tank of a knife. I'm thinking .20-.25 in thickness. I want to beat on this knife and abuse it and know it won't break.

I'd prefer a quality stainless steel, as my main use for it is in wet weather.
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In general stainless steels are more brittle than non-stainless steels. Ideally would be something in CPM 3V of Busse's INFI, but that is way out of your budget.
 
[video=youtube;vyPSsRZOxx4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyPSsRZOxx4[/video]
 
KevA said:
Well, I thought it over, and I gotta admit I think you guys gave some good advice on not *needing* a real heavy knife. But after admitting that to myself, as someone else said, there is nothing wrong with WANTING a real heavy knife! Ha so I got the bk2 anyway! I love it. If I decide it ends up being too heavy after a few big hikes, well, then I guess I just started my knife collection! I'll have an excuse to buy something lighter later.
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The BK-2 is probably the best choice given your parameter although it is shorter than you wanted and not stainlees. I personally get more use out of my BK16 and BK7.
 
I think if you want to have one knife that can chop and split wood and not be too heavy , the ESEE 6 is IMHO the best knife your money will buy . You get your 6 inch blade (best size survival knives are said to be 4 to 6 inches) . You can chop and split with it . ESEE has great heat treat on their 1095 steel making them very tough , so the .188" thickness if PLENTY . It comes with comfortable handles and a good sheath too .


...............................................
HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS !
 
In your price range I would go with an ESEE 6
Use will keep rust at bay, and if any forms just rub it with dirt and water in the field.
You have to look at weight vs rate. Yes, a hatchet/hawk + a knife will weigh more, but you can process wood easier with the hatchet/hawk than you can with a knife.
 
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