As I compile my SHTF/BugOut list of needed items, I get to the knife category and realize that all of my knives are for medium to light duty (Sage, Delica, UKPK, Urban Leaf, Persistence, Dragonfly, Griptilian, yada, yada). The beefiest of these being, probably, the Griptilian.
Now I think I really need to acquire a heavier, more durable knife that I can use for all manner of tough and dirty jobs without too much worry about damaging the blade or the knife. I guess that means a fixed blade knife. But I'd also like to have folder that can qualify for that category.
Some folders that come to mind for the job are the Manix, Military, Zero Tolerance. Thinking probably ZT meets the need the most of these?
I know nothing of fixed-blade knives, so I don't even know where to start there.
Please offer your recommendation for a FOLDER and a FIXED BLADE for tough, dirty jobs under a SHTF/Bug Out scenario. I'm not interested in pretty, fancy, uber expensive knives, I'm only interested in knives that can do the job, keep a good edge, and stand up to tough, rough duty when life as we know it turns dark and scary.
Many thanks!
I haven't read any of the responses before answering this, so if I repeat something someone else has already said, it just means great minds think alike!
Anyway, in a SHTF, bug-out scenario, there are basically two skills you must master before anything else; finding and sanitizing water and balancing calorie output with intake. The former is self-explanatory and intuitive. The latter is somewhat counter-intuitive, and what I will address in response to your question(s).
My conclusion comes before the explanation: You don't need a folding knife for the circumstances you describe, and in fact, a folder will be more of a hindrance than an asset. A heavy-duty folder is at least one of those things, namely,
heavy. Totin' around excess weight burns calories, and replacing calories burned comes in second in importance to replacing water. In a true bug-out situation, you can forget about being able to easily replenish food stores. In fact, it will be the hardest task you will have to complete on a daily basis. It will consume so much time that other important tasks will go undone because of it.
Now, a heavy folder may only weigh 5 to 8 ounces or so, but if you're not cutting weight there where you can without giving up anything that's truly needed, then you're likely packin' too heavy in other areas as well. My suggestion is to put your "dream" bug-out bag together. Lay it all out in front of you and pick a couple of things that you can do without. Lay it all out again and do the same thing. Rinse and repeat until your pack is down to the absolute bare essentials, because that's all the human body is designed to carry for extended periods and still be able to provide for itself.
I suggest two fixed blades, one large camp knife (or "chopper") and one small one for skinning and gutting very small game, making "fuzz sticks," first aid and on and on. The big one is needed to preserve calories when processing wood for fires. You will burn fewer calories carrying and chopping with a chopper than you will trying to process enough (and large enough) wood to get a fire going that will keep you warm with too small a knife. Of course, considerations such as these vary greatly by location, but unless you're really into raw squirrel, you're still gonna need a fire, even in warmer climes.
Which ones are "best?" Man, that's a loaded question! I love my Beckers and never leave the house without at least one. I personally appreciate Beckers for their strength, design and value, but being a true knife knut, I know without a doubt that there are myriad manufacturers and custom makers that put out product at least equal to or exceeding Beckers. And of course, what might be best for the area I will be bugging out into, might be almost useless for your purposes wherever you are. You'd have to be more specific about the kinds of uses you plan to subject your survival knives to before I'd hazard a guess as to what might be best for you.
My last suggestion is, when you get your pack down to what you believe are the bare essentials, head for the hills, park the car and hike into the great beyond with only what you have in that pack. If you can survive with it for a week or so without hitting that despair wall, where you're ready to cry "Uncle!", maybe you can make it in a real SHTF scenario. If not though, you've still got some repacking to do and some soul-searching to do. Simply putting a bunch of "survival gear" in a pack that sits undisturbed in a closet or car is not being "prepared." Training is working towards being prepared, and actually surviving after implementing your training is the only true evidence of being well prepared.
Good luck, and enjoy the wilderness!
Blues
