Suggestions for bug out bag blades?

[goldie]

Another vote for a mora; its cheap , light, simple that's what you want; with any money left over from the moras,go on ebay buy 2 used wenger or Victorinox swiss army knives, ive gotten great deals on used ones for 10-13.00 shipped …..

 

[sabre cat]

Another vote for a mora; its cheap , light, simple that's what you want; with any money left over from the moras,go on ebay buy 2 used wenger or Victorinox swiss army knives, ive gotten great deals on used ones for 10-13.00 shipped …..

IMO, weight reduction can be a critical issue. Some of us are young, healthy and able to carry just about anything. Others (me) are older, out of shape and have health issues. If I can shave a little weight with my choices of gear, then I am able to travel farther without fatigue. Or maybe carry more water and food.

 

[Pilot1]

Terävä Jääkäripuukko 110 or Terävä Minipuukko.

^^^^This. I have the 110 and a Mora HD Companion. Either would work, but the 110 is a better all around knife. Yes it is twice the price of the HD Companion.

 

[goldie]

And I don't think its necessary to put a lot of money into an expensive knife that most likely will just sit in a bag for the next 10 years....

 

[sabre cat]

And I don't think its necessary to put a lot of money into an expensive knife that most likely will just sit in a bag for the next 10 years....

Agreed. Half the fun of building a bug out bag is the challenge to find decent gear at a reasonable price. That's part of the reason that my Benchmade 162 is not part of my bag.

 

[22-rimfire]

10 years, no use... Well, I don't either. You could use it and put in back periodically. I have lots of knives I could place in a bag if I wanted to.

 

[sabre cat]

I hate to say this, but it is true, most people don't ever do anything with their emergency gear. They don't train with it or upgrade the contents. I know of one person that decided to check his family's gear. He found that the bags for the kids still had diapers. His kids had been out of diapers for years. Needless to say, the clothing was not right. I wonder what his food was like. I check my stuff in May and again in October. My birthday and anniversary. Spring and fall time changes would work too.

 

[Velitrius]

I'm on the coast up here in the PNW. The big prep fear is a Cascadia Subduction Zone quake.

Think back to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Pretty much the same. I drive 45 minutes to work each way, along the bay and beach. Most of my bag considers me busting up the hill away from the highway in the event of such event. I'll have to hang out on the side of a logging road for a spell should this happen.

So I got stuff to make a shelter, get a fire going, treat some water and hunker down for a couple of days. Should the road not open up, I need to ruck it back to the house... worst case scenario being 30-ish miles. Weight to Usefullness Ratio comes into play for me.

I also see the thought process that states "If I ain't gonna see it in 10 years, it'd better be inexpensive".

I agree with this, so the various Moras fit very well, as does the Bucklite Max line.

But I'm into my bag more often than that. I swap out the "energy bars" and batteries in the lights now and then. I also grab an item and see if there's a better/lighter/more appropriate choice for what's in there. I guess I'm with sabre cat in that it's fun for me to see if I can upgrade my stuff and still be economical about it.

BOB's are interesting, in that they need to satisfy objective as well as subjective needs.

 

[sabre cat]

I'm on the coast up here in the PNW. The big prep fear is a Cascadia Subduction Zone quake.

Think back to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Pretty much the same. I drive 45 minutes to work each way, along the bay and beach. Most of my bag considers me busting up the hill away from the highway in the event of such event. I'll have to hang out on the side of a logging road for a spell should this happen.

So I got stuff to make a shelter, get a fire going, treat some water and hunker down for a couple of days. Should the road not open up, I need to ruck it back to the house... worst case scenario being 30-ish miles. Weight to Usefullness Ratio comes into play for me.

I also see the thought process that states "If I ain't gonna see it in 10 years, it'd better be inexpensive".

I agree with this, so the various Moras fit very well, as does the Bucklite Max line.

But I'm into my bag more often than that. I swap out the "energy bars" and batteries in the lights now and then. I also grab an item and see if there's a better/lighter/more appropriate choice for what's in there. I guess I'm with sabre cat in that it's fun for me to see if I can upgrade my stuff and still be economical about it.

BOB's are interesting, in that they need to satisfy objective as well as subjective needs.

Like I said, I'm still working on mine. I know that I have never got it to the point that I could stand back, smile and say, "There, I'm done."

Water is always a problem. So is the food. However, I recently made a command decision about food. We're using Mountain House backpacking food. It has such a long shelf life I don't have to rotate it. We've purchased some for testing and purchase more of the same if my wife and myself both enjoy the meal. Oh, I recently stocked my bag with some freeze-dried strawberries. Then I started raiding the bag for late night snacks. Everyone has a weakness. Strawberries are one of mine.

I also made a recent clothing swap. I added some old surgical scrubs and removed the T-shirts. This change gives me more pockets and a second pair of pants.
Plus, I can use them for sleeping if I end up bedding down in a shelter near people I don't know.

You would be surprised how many people you saw wearing pajamas in public right after the NorCal fires in 2017. It was a real eyeopener. They say you don't really know someone until you know what they sleep in.

 

[Mecha]

...

I also made a recent clothing swap. I added some old surgical scrubs and removed the T-shirts. This change gives me more pockets and a second pair of pants.
Plus, I can use them for sleeping if I end up bedding down in a shelter near people I don't know.

...

Everyone's gonna say, "Is there a doctor in the house! Over there! There's one!"

 

[22-rimfire]

.....You would be surprised how many people you saw wearing pajamas in public right after the NorCal fires in 2017. It was a real eyeopener.

These are people that had to make a quick exodus from their homes. They knew there was a fire. They could have been at least a little more prepared.

The knife choice thing and a bugout is pretty much not a big deal. Most of us have more knives than we will ever use and tossing a couple in a bugout kit is no big deal. It probably doesn't matter if we don't lay eyes on them for ten years. Mora's... I understand. I do have a few Moras. I just don't care much for them.

 

[sabre cat]

Everyone's gonna say, "Is there a doctor in the house! Over there! There's one!"

LOL. You're a funny guy. It's nice to see someone with a sense of humor.

I get mistaken for a doctor quite often. Out here scrubs are very common for staff attire in many optometry, dental and medical practices. Even if you just work the front desk and answer phones or you work in housekeeping. Some places even color code the scrubs by the department.

You should try some. They are much more comfortable than jeans and a T-shirt.

The practice takes good care of us by providing super nice dress shirts, sweeters and fleece jackets with a fancy "Napa Valley Eye" logo. The iris is filled with rolling hills and grape vines. Very smart looking actually. I know that they are not cheap. No question that they are the best dress shirts I own.

I've been trying to get one of the doctors to approve a polo shirt with a second eye on the back right below the collar. Just a slight spin on the whole "eyes in the back of your head" thing. Should be fun if they ever decide to try it.

 

[allenC]

Always keep a bug out bag in every vehicle you own, just in case you're away from your home when the disaster strikes.

But also, at your home, have a bicycle with bug out bags strapped to it. Or even a wheeled golf bag cart, or maybe one of those heavy duty baby strollers that athletic moms and dads run with.
On the golf course I've seen guys in their 70's pulling a golf bag cart for hours with no problem.
My golf bag with clubs, balls, and other stuff weights right at 21 lbs.
And you could still carry stuff on your back if you needed to.

 

[22-rimfire]

Yep. Some sort of wheeled cart, bicycle, motor cycle to carry stuff might be useful in an emergency. Garden carts work pretty well if they have good wheels. The key is that you are trying to assemble equipment that has varied applications in an emergency that allows you to tote more than what might be on your back if the motor vehicle is not an option. In most cases, it is best to stay home if possible. But there are situations than could arise that prevent that option. The knife is just a small part of the preparation and probably a minor part, but you need some way to cut stuff with some versatility. Knife choice is major here because this is a knife forum.

 

[Jocephus1]

Every bag I own has a Mora and a SAK in it.

 

[machineseventeen]

Mora it is then. In neon. Drop it along a trail and you'll know why.

 

[sabre cat]

It is amazing how many people choose a Mora and some sort of SAK.

 

[upnorth]

Consider dropping the smallest Fiskars hatchet into one of the bags. Pretty light.

 

[Cosmodragoon]

It is amazing how many people choose a Mora and some sort of SAK.

This makes sense to me. This isn't EDC, permanent hard-use tool, family heirloom, etc. This is "bug out bag". This is something cheap but good that will serve you well over a relatively short term.

 

[sabre cat]

This makes sense to me. This isn't EDC, permanent hard-use tool, family heirloom, etc. This is "bug out bag". This is something cheap but good that will serve you well over a relatively short term.

It makes sense to me also. My problem is that I don't use the fixed blades I own now enough to justify another purchase. I'll just stick with a SAK and D2 rat for my bag.
I have an OKC Falcon around here somewhere. I can use that as my FB.