Suggestions for bug out bag blades?

The Mora's are hard to beat, but personally I found that I'm not big on the scandi grind they have.
You could check out the Bucklite 673 fixed blade which is currently $18 on their website.
I don't have one but I do have other Buck knives and a Bucklite 482 folder and came tell you it's a pretty nice handle shape.

The mora is probably the best way to go though, the cost and the easy to spot bright colors you can get them in make them a good option.
 
For most EDC purposes, I don’t think the grind matters all that much. I have sliced up a lot of food with my Moras, and never had occasion to say “Dang, that Scandi grind just isn’t working for me”. I’m not all that fond of the hollow grind Buck seems to favor, but they seem to slit the envelopes open just fine.
 
I'd say start with the moras. Then over the years watch the exchange for good deals on upgrades. That is what I did. Ended up with several SOG knives (pup and team) after starting with cheap crkts and gerbers. No need to go too expensive or fancy with a knife you will hopefully never use but I would find my self wanting something a bit more robust with a full tang, than a mora. Think about what you are preparing for.
 
ignatius said:
PLEASE share some suggestions folks! Input and past experience is greatly appreciated.
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Based on news events from the past 1-2 years, my personal thinking is that EDC and home/car-based emergency kits are infinitely more useful than any portable "bug out bag" system.

Based on news, I see 2 primary threats that could cause major disruption. The first is climate-change fueled weather events such as Katrina, the California fire and this spring's tornado season. The pattern of these events suggest that life transitions from normal to SHTF in fairly short order. One minute, you're going about your normal life and a few hectic hours later (if you're lucky) your in an emergency shelter with nothing other than what you had on your person. To me, this suggests an EDC system.

The second major event that I see as not unlikely is a continent-wide system failure of the electrical grid. It's been widely reported that Russia was behind the Ukrainian grid attack and our military (correctly, IMO) characterized it as a proof-of-concept demonstration. It's also been widely power grids are one of the primary battle fields in cyber warfare, that Russian incursions into our power grid are common place and that estimates to bring the North American grid back on line range from 1 to 3 years.

I suppose a third scenario worth mentioning that I literally pray won't happen is the prospect of civil war. Putin has asserted that the country that dominates AI will dominate the globe and AI generated and targeted fake news (Cambridge Analytica) has already demonstrated what can happen when military grade Psy-Ops are used on our population. I expect 2020 to be worse than 2016 in this regard.

The common theme of both my 2nd and 3rd sad scenarios is that there is no place to bug out to unless you leave the continent. IMO, a better strategy would be to figure out how to shelter in place. I've concluded that anything we can do to strengthen the bonds with our neighbors at the local level is the best strategy for responding to systemic collapse. Local civic groups of any kind, neighborhood cook-outs... This suggests to me that home-based emergency planning makes more sense than a bug out bag.

For EDC, I think something like an SAK or a folding knife/small multi-tool combo makes sense.
For home emergency kits, a broad selection of hand tools (along with the knowledge on using them) that don't rely on power makes sense to me.

My 2 cents, which is about as much as it's worth.
 
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craytab said:
....Think about what you are preparing for.
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Having a prepared bug-out sounds great, but what are you preparing for? The situation often dictates what might be included in some sort of emergency carry pack/bag. In general, for most things, I say stay home and concentrate on being somewhat prepared at home. Yes, your home could be destroyed.... tornado, hurricane, earthquake, floods.... but in most cases, I would suspect it won't be.

All of that said, having an emergency bag makes some sense, but it would primarily contain normal kinds of things (smart phone, some rope, knife, some basic tools perhaps, tape, a change of clothes, pen/pencil/paper, etc.) This assumes that the infrastructure is still functional. I think if you simply know what you intend to include in such, you can assemble it quickly (if you had the foresight to acquire the stuff) and it all starts with the "bag". so, what is the purpose of this bag? As far as knives goes, a Mora or SAK works just fine for most things.
 
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Ill echo some others in here and suggest the bk14 or bk11. You would have to buy a sheath belt clip seperately, but then it can be mounted onto molly or other straps, tip up or tip down.
 
It comes as no surprise that Mora is an overwhelming first choice for this application. But as Molokai and a couple of others point out, not the only choice. A few others occur to me that come in under forty bucks:

Cold Steel Bushman
Russell Green River 5” fish knife (w. Kabar sheath)
Old Hickory 7” butcher knife (w. Kabar sheath)
Schrade SCHF55
 
Hickory n steel said:
The Mora's are hard to beat, but personally I found that I'm not big on the scandi grind they have.
You could check out the Bucklite 673 fixed blade which is currently $18 on their website.
I don't have one but I do have other Buck knives and a Bucklite 482 folder and came tell you it's a pretty nice handle shape.

The mora is probably the best way to go though, the cost and the easy to spot bright colors you can get them in make them a good option.
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This is a good post.

There are those who will be fine with the Mora's Scandi grind, and those who might want something a bit more familiar.

My wife's BOB has a Mora Pro S and it is a great inexpensive piece.

The Bucklite Max Small (the 673) is a phenomenal choice for the budget minded. Full tang, Bos 420HC blade is tough and very easy to sharpen. It's made in the USA and it is on sale at Buck's site for under a $20 bill right now. I'll probably grab a couple more of them. Perfect BOB item.

Mora can be had in a bunch of very visible handle colors, and for not much coin. Great choice.

Get a few Buck 673s and some Moras and let your family decide!
 
I have always gone with a SAK. For a bug out bag, my top 3 have always been Farmer, Huntsman, or Climber. Any of those should easily suffice for this purpose.

I have several Moras but really don't see what the fuss is about. I think a SAK will do everything a Mora will do, as well as a lot more, in addition to having many more tools.
 
Finland knife.JPG

Terävä Jääkäripuukko Mdl 110, about $41 to your door without a sheath. I found a nice leather sheath for around $12, that fits the knife fairly well. I've had it on a couple camping/fishing trips and its handled everything I've thrown at it. Great little knife for the money. JMO
 
I don't have a BOB, but I do a lot of day hiking and backpacking. You ought to seriously consider the weight of some of the knives that people are suggesting. Anything heavy that has to get carried over a distance is not a great idea (think about all of the stuff discarded on the Oregon Trail). A Swiss Army Hiker or a Mora Companion would be fine.

Edit: It looks like a bunch of other posters suggested the same knives. That may tell you something.
 
22-rimfire said:
Having a prepared bug-out sounds great, but what are you preparing for? The situation often dictates what might be included in some sort of emergency carry pack/bag. In general, for most things, I say stay home and concentrate on being somewhat prepared at home. Yes, your home could be destroyed.... tornado, hurricane, earthquake, floods.... but in most cases, I would suspect it won't be.

All of that said, having an emergency bag makes some sense, but it would primarily contain normal kinds of things (smart phone, some rope, knife, some basic tools perhaps, tape, a change of clothes, pen/pencil/paper, etc.) This assumes that the infrastructure is still functional. I think if you simply know what you intend to include in such, you can assemble it quickly (if you had the foresight to acquire the stuff) and it all starts with the "bag". so, what is the purpose of this bag? As far as knives goes, a Mora or SAK works just fine for most things.
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The purpose of the BOB is that you can grab it and quickly flee to your BOL. The bag has everything you need to survive in your BOL until S is done HTF and things calm down. It's a pre-packed survival bag, usually prepared with the idea that it would help you get to and utilize your BOL.
 
Daedric Panther said:
Why not both? BIC lighters are convenient, but try to light one after it gets wet. Both are valuable pieces of equipment. Throw a box of those stormproof matches in there too and you’re set
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I agree with you, but must add that Bic lighters are easy to use after they get wet. Blow into the fire-hole a dozen times, then roll the wheel along your pant leg a few times and the sparks will re-appear. Child safety loop must be removed, but everyone does that anyway.
 
Mecha said:
I agree with you, but must add that Bic lighters are easy to use after they get wet. Blow into the fire-hole a dozen times, then roll the wheel along your pant leg a few times and the sparks will re-appear. Child safety loop must be removed, but everyone does that anyway.
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I know that trick works on zippos so you can use it like a spark lite, but I never tried it before on a BIC. Good to know thanks
 
There really are a bunch of factors involved here. "Bug out bag" suggests a situation where you might need to grab the bag and run. So the first question is what you might be running from. The second question is where you might be running to. Nail those down and you'll have a better idea of what things you might need.

As far as a basic fixed blade for random utility tasks on the cheap, all those recommendations for a Morakniv aren't wrong. Having a SAK and/or multitool is a good idea but they can ramp up in price pretty quickly. So we should ask a third question. What is already in each person's EDC?
 
Cosmodragoon said:
So the first question is what you might be running from. The second question is where you might be running to. Nail those down and you'll have a better idea of what things you might need.
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Suggestions if they both begin with Ex?
 
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