I'm planning on retiring my CS Tanto (1 war and plenty of deployments I think is enough) and replacing with a slightly more practical knife for hiking in areas I can't carry a gun and/or survival. I was thinking about a Fehrman LC or First Strike. I prefer a bigger knife for defense, but was wondering on thoughts of how practical a 7.5" bladed survival knife is?
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Size of fixed blade knife for hiking, survival
- Thread starter mudriver
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Prolly ought to ask this over in WSS (Wilderness Skills and Survival).
Personally, I would go for a 5-6" bladed knife, if you only had one.
Andy
Personally, I would go for a 5-6" bladed knife, if you only had one.
Andy
Yes, 5.5 inch max is plenty for most uses, including battoning, imo at least, and you need even less for skinning or stabbing if it comes to that.
I too retired my cs tanto (still have it though-may need to chop open a tank one) and have gone for a recurve, drop point, edge and a half vaiant custom...if I was going for off the shelf the Zero tolerance fied blades woul;d get my attention, esp the 0121.
I too retired my cs tanto (still have it though-may need to chop open a tank one) and have gone for a recurve, drop point, edge and a half vaiant custom...if I was going for off the shelf the Zero tolerance fied blades woul;d get my attention, esp the 0121.
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Hey Mudriver! Love that name. I live about 2 miles from the Mud River.:thumbup:
I like the 4-5" range.
For a "one knife" I like 4."
I normally carry a smaller blade for processing game, and in that instance I'll go as big as 6 or 7 but that is only to be able to split larger wood.
There is very little you can't do in the woods with a stout 4-5" blade.
For a "one knife" I like 4."
I normally carry a smaller blade for processing game, and in that instance I'll go as big as 6 or 7 but that is only to be able to split larger wood.
There is very little you can't do in the woods with a stout 4-5" blade.
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7 1/2" is a perfect size for a survival knife but for hiking it's a lot of weight to carry around around just in case !!!
IMO my Chopweiler is the perfect survival knife......
But for general hiking I prefer to carry something more like my Koster Nessie....
Ratmandu......
Or my BlackJack Grunt....
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Well I needed an excuse to post this pic tonight. Moving from 6" on the left to 2.5" on the right. My preferences for the most part is a 4" blade for hiking and bushcraft. A 6" blade is starting to get in the large realm of things good for basecamp but not optimal for fine cutting chores. There are plenty of great custom knife makers on the forums where you can pick up something that suits your needs. For production blades, consider the rat-cutlery knives. They are excellent all rounders and a great bargain.
mtnfolk mike
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you're definately going to be getting some mixed opinions....
i prefer to carry a blade in the 3-4 in. range...
i prefer to carry a blade in the 3-4 in. range...
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Couldn't agree more on both accounts:thumbup:
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4 inch for me. But depending on the terrain and time spent out I'll take a big chopper too. Machete or hatchet. I think a lot of it is skill with a knife.
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I find I carry 3-4in blades most often. I have been carrying larger knives lately though for some reason. I like a 6in blade too. I have a 5.5in laconico on on the way, a 6in JK scout, and a 7in MOD survival knife, I also have a charlieridge 5.25in on the way.
A thin 3-4in blade is all I need though. I am hooked on the Busse Game Warden. Its IMO perfect for me.
Im mixed on this subject. Whatever you choose, make it carbon steel, make sure its handle is gonna work for you.
A thin 3-4in blade is all I need though. I am hooked on the Busse Game Warden. Its IMO perfect for me.
Im mixed on this subject. Whatever you choose, make it carbon steel, make sure its handle is gonna work for you.
I will shortly have a matching JK combo which should cover all my bases. 3" Hikers Backup sharpened to a 30* bevel (total) and hair popping sharp for game, and a 4 5/8 Kephart, both in Cocobolo.
Though with the smaller knife, I could afford to have a bigger belt knife now. Hmmm.....Scout in Cocobolo anyone??? J and John yer killing me!!
Though with the smaller knife, I could afford to have a bigger belt knife now. Hmmm.....Scout in Cocobolo anyone??? J and John yer killing me!!
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I will shortly have a matching JK combo which should cover all my bases. 3" Hikers Backup sharpened to a 30* bevel (total) and hair popping sharp for game, and a 4 5/8 Kephart, both in Cocobolo.
Though with the smaller knife, I could afford to have a bigger belt knife now. Hmmm.....Scout in Cocobolo anyone??? J and John yer killing me!!
Man that set sounds sweet. I cant wait to see pics of it!
cocobolo scout? Hmm. I say GO FOR IT!:thumbup:
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I prefer something in the 5-6" range for camping and potential survival. But if you like big knives, I see no problem with something really large especially if you carry a pocket knife also. The biggest knife I own is the SOG Tiger Shark. I have three of them with different blades or steels. It seems a bit big to me, but to each his own.
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for general camping chores, hiking and possibly survival. i'd throw in with the 7-8 inch crowd, leaning more towards the 7.
a 7 IMO is a good all round knife, it is long enough to do some light chopping however it is also small enough to do some detail work (although it requires alot more skill to manage a 7 inch blade for detailed work then a smaller 3-4 inch one).
you've mentioned your preference is for bigger blades, i'd say follow it and get a big one
my question would be, do you carry a small knife like a pocket knife, sak, or possibly a multitool of some sort? what sort of terrain do you cover. do you also pack an axe, machete or saw?
if you carry a trio combo such as axe+saw+knife or machete+saw+knife etc... i would side with those who suggest you carry a 4-5 inch blade. if you are planning to carry just a knife (possibly a saw, i suggest a pocket chainsaw or a folding bahco laplander saw), then perhaps it would be better for you to get a 7-8 inch blade as you are concerned with defense as well.
happy hikin,
JC
a 7 IMO is a good all round knife, it is long enough to do some light chopping however it is also small enough to do some detail work (although it requires alot more skill to manage a 7 inch blade for detailed work then a smaller 3-4 inch one).
you've mentioned your preference is for bigger blades, i'd say follow it and get a big one
my question would be, do you carry a small knife like a pocket knife, sak, or possibly a multitool of some sort? what sort of terrain do you cover. do you also pack an axe, machete or saw?
if you carry a trio combo such as axe+saw+knife or machete+saw+knife etc... i would side with those who suggest you carry a 4-5 inch blade. if you are planning to carry just a knife (possibly a saw, i suggest a pocket chainsaw or a folding bahco laplander saw), then perhaps it would be better for you to get a 7-8 inch blade as you are concerned with defense as well.
happy hikin,
JC
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I like keeping it under 7" (usually 4-5") because it's unobtrusive and thus will always be on my belt at all times. I'm for the trio: chopper/saw, small fixed, multitool (Khuk, F1/Bravo-1, Wave) but most of the time I only need the small fixed and multitool. As for defense on the trail, i'm thinking about getting myself a nice strong hiking staff (if i'm not bringing the khuk. probably worth it to have one anyway even if i had the khuk, offset the weight). Still can't decide if I'll be giving up too much stability by putting a pointed end on it, we'll see...
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Why don't you try the Fallkniven A1,9.P. Peltonen M95 or the RAT RC-6.BRKT Bravo 1 or a Fallkniven S1 would be a good choise too.
Personally,I would choose the M95 or the S1.
Just their size - 15 cm blade is perfecto for me.It's not too big for some finer work,but not too small for light choping,batoning,etc.I think it's the perfect size for a camp knife.
Personally,I would choose the M95 or the S1.
Just their size - 15 cm blade is perfecto for me.It's not too big for some finer work,but not too small for light choping,batoning,etc.I think it's the perfect size for a camp knife.
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