Outdoor/Survival Knife Choices Hell

Captain Spaulding said:
My RC-6 is MORE than enough knife for the bush. Get one and an Machete and you are pretty much ready for anything.
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If I were to carry a machete, I would pair it with a much smaller knife than an RC-6. I'd carry something that would excel at skinning and fine work - not another workhorse like the RC-6 when there's a machete available for tougher jobs.
 
To each his own...my 6 skins like a pro, does fine and brutish work as well.

Then again I get a lot of practice being a chef.
 
Captain Spaulding said:
To each his own...my 6 skins like a pro, does fine and brutish work as well.

Then again I get a lot of practice being a chef.
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I love to hear that! The RC-6 is my current favorite production knife, but skinning is the one task that has given me trouble with it. If other people are getting the job done with it, that just means I need more practice! :D I think I like the knife even more now.
 
Just choke up on the blade and if need be, for the delicate bits, put your index finger along the spine while you are choked up and it will give you a more scalpel like control. It really is a very versatile blade if you experiment with more grips and uses.
 
Hey thanks everyone! I'm really impressed everybody took the time to help me out with their shared experiences.

The Chef said:
Little more info please...whats your location?

If its in the bush in the high sierra deserts then that would necessitate something different than the glades of Florida or outback in Alaska.

Without that info I just put an order in on a ESEE RC6. great knife, it is light and has a good cutting length for general purpose, its not an amazing chopper, its not an amazing skinner but overall it is a well sorted, amazing knife.
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Well a little further outback than Alaska... try Victoria, Australia. Insofar as what I'll be doing wandering around the bush I shoot cameras not game so skinning won't be an issue. The Aussie wilderness can get pretty damned cold in very rugged terrain so I guess I want the knife to be a simple tool for making fires and shelter in a tight spot and other more general activities where the Kabar is too small.

I thought about an axe especially after seeing some great vids on chopping technique than I'd never considered Ray Mears Bushcraft - Choosing and Using an Axe, but I think the weight and bulk after camera gear and emergency provisions will be too much and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to use it for anything other than splitting wood.
 
Thanks guys! I've finally made my decision. In the end it was length and heft the won me over plus these two reviews:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NaBI6uL1Vw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIt77o1gJdI

It has ticked all the boxes but I still have my eye on the RC-6, that knife is very impressive. I think I might upgrade from the Kabar Short USMC in the next year or two.

Many of the knives mentions such as Fallkniven are very hard to find her in Oz or are very expensive (despite AUD close to parity with USD these days) and while I could import from eBay etc I don't trust customs to do the right thing having read some feedback on this very forum!
 
Hay Dragon, thanks for the heads up on the Spydy. I just bought one. Dam that was well done on your part!
Thanks again.
 
I was thinking along the lines of what NothingCoherent was thinking; The KaBar short is about the length of my Badger Attack or my North Star both of which will handle all the smaller camp tasks I ever need do including fuzz sticks and even slicing things like Tomatoes, if you have em on hand. I'm thinking what you need is something similar to what I got, a Heavy Heart or a Bushwhacker Mistress or DogFather or similar size knife from another maker which has anywhere between an 8" and 10" blade. I've used my Heavy Heart to take your typical sized wood ready for the stove down to kindling with some battoning and it will handle chopping down 3"-4" trees with little effort, for camp shelters and such. The Heavy Heart is small enough to use for some of the lighter camp stuff ,like fuzz sticks, but it is definatly a better chopper. It is currently my, "if I had only one knife to take with me knife" top choice. Of course the Heavy Heart cost me close to 600.00 and the Bushwhacker Mistress will run about 600.00 also. However, I have hit slate with the Heavy Heart's edge, (chopping through some kindling and going too far) and it did not even nick the edge. You will probably only ever have to spend the 600.00 on either of these two knives and you'll be set for life.:thumbup:
 
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HandofCod said:
Well a little further outback than Alaska... try Victoria, Australia. Insofar as what I'll be doing wandering around the bush I shoot cameras not game so skinning won't be an issue. The Aussie wilderness can get pretty damned cold in very rugged terrain so I guess I want the knife to be a simple tool for making fires and shelter in a tight spot and other more general activities where the Kabar is too small.

I thought about an axe especially after seeing some great vids on chopping technique than I'd never considered Ray Mears Bushcraft - Choosing and Using an Axe, but I think the weight and bulk after camera gear and emergency provisions will be too much and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to use it for anything other than splitting wood.
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If you are wanting to chop and baton with the knife then I would suggest the BK-9, it's a far better chopper than the BK-7 that many have suggested (or the RC-6 & others mentioned so far). The BK-9 is only $70 so if you are willing to pay more you could opt for the kydex sheath and the micarta scales which are both available for the BK-9. This knife is made with an excellent steel which is both hard & tough and it chops wood really well.

IMG_8425.JPG
 
glad I could help steer you towards the recon scout my friend. It is a great knife, did you get a coated chinese version? I can't see that much difference between the chinese sk-5 and the taiwan martemp sk-5 except a lot more money martemp may be tougher but it has got to be marginal.
Spent 6 months bumming around adelaide and melbourne back in the mid 90's learning how to surf and chaching all the smokin beach bunnies. Love your country.
 
PayetteRucker said:
the RAT7 and RC6 are two totally different knives, made by different manufacturers. You aren't paying for a sheath with the RC6-you're paying for better 1095, better fit and finish, hair splitting edge and a lifetime no-bs, you break it we send you a new one guarantee. the RAT7 wouldn't even be a consideration in my book. The Becker series by Kabar is outstanding, I have a BK7, BK11 and BK13. Superb designs. Also check out the Condor Rodan (20 dollars) and the new Condor lineup, and Mora of Sweden. Most outdoors enthusiasts use a two blade approach, a beater and a slicer, or a big knife and a companion sized knife. Thicker isn't always better, it generally takes more force to split with a thick blade than a thin one. Thinner blades with thinly ground edges generally stay sharper longer than thick blades with thick grinds. Personally I use a RC-5 and a Mora-style scandinavian puuko for my outdoors combo, but there are hundreds of good combinations of outdoors knives you can find for relatively cheap.
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+1 Well said. :thumbup:

ETA: Whoops! Too late. Still, this is good advice.
 
HandofCod said:
Thanks guys! I've finally made my decision. In the end it was length and heft the won me over plus these two reviews:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NaBI6uL1Vw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIt77o1gJdI

It has ticked all the boxes but I still have my eye on the RC-6, that knife is very impressive. I think I might upgrade from the Kabar Short USMC in the next year or two.

Many of the knives mentions such as Fallkniven are very hard to find her in Oz or are very expensive (despite AUD close to parity with USD these days) and while I could import from eBay etc I don't trust customs to do the right thing having read some feedback on this very forum!
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The Recon Scout is a great choice. It was actually the knife I was going to buy instead of my RC-6 a little while ago, but when I held the Recon Scout in my local knife place, I changed my mind. I found the handle to be uncomfortable in hand and the hilt was cumbersome, serving no real purpose on a bush knife. Other than those two small issues, it's a great knife. I particularly like the sheath it comes with.
 
Well it's been three weeks and still no Recon Scout. Damn their lack of stock. I thought I'd wait for the back order to arrive (1-6 weeks) but I'm growing impatient!
 
Congrats on your new blade. :thumbup:

Who did you order from? When ordering from the USA I recommend Cutlery Shoppe.

HandofCod said:
Well it's been three weeks and still no Recon Scout. Damn their lack of stock. I thought I'd wait for the back order to arrive (1-6 weeks) but I'm growing impatient!
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