Selecting best length for survival fixed blade.

What blade length of survivalist fixed blade knife would you select?

  • Less than 3”

    Votes: 4 2.8%

  • 3”-3.5”

    Votes: 1 0.7%

  • 3.5”-4”

    Votes: 3 2.1%

  • 4”-4.5”

    Votes: 9 6.3%

  • 4.5”-5”

    Votes: 14 9.8%

  • 5”-6”

    Votes: 38 26.6%

  • 6”-8”

    Votes: 30 21.0%

  • Greater than 8”

    Votes: 44 30.8%
  • Total voters
    143
  • Poll closed .
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shane45-1911 said:
Get real, I can clean any squirrel with any knife in 3 minutes. Calories aren't a concern when skinning/gutting rodents.

It's a far cry to try to compare your analogy to mine, of building a shelter.
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How many shelters do you need to build that I can’t build using a 4.5” knife in a hacking motion? I can do far more with a medium sized blade than you can with a massive one.
 
shane45-1911 said:
Get real, I can clean any squirrel with any knife in 3 minutes. Calories aren't a concern when skinning/gutting rodents.

It's a far cry to try to compare your analogy to mine, of building a shelter.
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I used a trail master to clean and gut a few trout. Forgot the fillet knife so I had to make do. Wasn’t that much more difficult.
 
Paratrooper06 said:
I can do far more with a medium sized blade than you can with a massive one.
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Lol, and with that unsubstantiated comment, I'm out. You have NO IDEA what I have done with a "massive" knife in the past.

You started the poll, I made my choice and explained it. If you don't like my answers, you should not have included an option for >8".
 
shane45-1911 said:
Lol, and with that unsubstantiated comment, I'm out. You have NO IDEA what I have done with a "massive" knife in the past.

You started the poll, I made my choice and explained it. If you don't like my answers, you should not have included an option for >8".
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I’ll bet it’s easier to baton with a medium sized blade than it is to clean game with a 14” knife.
 
For a survival knife and no other blades are allowed I’d say between 4.5-5.5 would be ideal for me. I’m not gonna be chopping 10” tree trunks and waste valuable time and calories for no reason. Everything I’d need to do for survival can be accomplished with fewer trade offs with an ~5” blade. Processing wood, cleaning all sizes of game, cooking tasks, chopping down saplings and small trees, etc. A bigger blade means more energy being exerted for most tasks, and a smaller blade won’t be able to do nearly as much.
 
shinyedges said:
Most small game like squirell, rabbit, partridge etc.. require very little knife work. Some, non at all.

From experience 🙂
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You’d choose to clean game with a 14” knife just for the rare chance you’ve have to chop a tree down… rather than carry a small or medium sized knife and figure out how to bring a tree down with a little more effort?

Well, okay. I don’t agree.
 
One large knife can quarter up a bear or deer, and that squirrel.
A small knife might not take apart that pelvic bone...
Done just enough chopping with it to be happy...
But it's Winter up here, and I'd rather NOT be outside.
 
I'd take 8 to 13in blade for wooded north america. Big can do small but small can't do big. 8 years of living an hour north of the 45th parallel in the woods, where its a 60 to 70mile round trip to the nearest grocery store will teach you much. Farm, hunt, you know... the dirty fun stuff 🙂
 
Paratrooper06 said:
You’re about to pack up and embark on a journey to the wilderness where you will need to live for an extended time (several weeks or more). You are able to choose ONE knife to take with you, which is a fixed blade. No axe, no hatchet, no other edged tool or weapon. Just your knife.
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Sorry, I missed this for my above reply.
Out of curiosity, why am I unpacking my axe or hatchet, other tools, and leaving my bows, arrows or muzzleloaders and ML equipment, fishing gear, lighter and lighter fluid, pocket knives, and everything else at home?
Did my brain fall out or get turned off somehow?
 
Paratrooper06 said:
What length of blade would you MOST prefer for use in a survival scenario? You’re about to pack up and embark on a journey to the wilderness where you will need to live for an extended time (several weeks or more). You are able to choose ONE knife to take with you, which is a fixed blade. No axe, no hatchet, no other edged tool or weapon. Just your knife.
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I chose 6 to 8" , but I would normally prefer at least a two-knife option , and /or hatchet , saw etc .

I'd not , by choice , ever set out with only one cutting tool . It's a serious compromise and can't possibly do everything very well .

Except of course , the mighty 4Max . ;)
 
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