Survival Knife Description ?

When I see these threads about the perfect survival knife, I always think of those stupid insurance commercials where they say "Life comes at you fast." We rarely get to forsee a true survival situation. Going out into the woods where we might need to put our outdoor skills to use isn't quite the same as a hardcore survival experience.
I always carry at least a Sebenza, Dozier folder or a Strider PT or SnG, because a fixed blade is not always practical for my situation. My favorites tend to have the smaller choils, but I seem to end up with the PT pretty often. I'm not with the large choil guys because when you need to cut fabric or cordage quickly, it never fails that it will get caught up in that choil. A well desiged handle will solve the choke up problem. The Bravo-1 is a perfect example and is a very good design for long term survival use.
 
saxon i totally agree about the choil thing on small knives. i gave up carrying knives with choils because of the frustration of stuff bunching up in them.
 
Yep, as much as I've leaned on Strider folders for strength, I think I'll start carrying a 3" Dozier as EDC because it has no choil and very little ricasso. The edge starts pretty much right at the front of the handle scales, which is just were the cutting wants to start. It also has a more hand filling handle than most folders.
I thought about this thread today as I was going about my days work. I drive betwen 4-7 thousand miles a month in a small 6 cyl. cab over box truck. I travel out from N. Carolina and either go south toward Florida or north to Maine and then all over the Mid-west. I never sleep in the same motel or city 2 nights in a row. So, I think alot about what ifs. Although I have a fixed blade in my motel bag, the knife that is clipped to my pocket will most likely( and has ) been the one that will save me or someone else.
I may even go back to the one that is my best, but not necessarily most cop friendly folder, an Emerson SOCFK spearpoint. It is the fastest out of the pocket and made for business. That is survival for me.
 
The Emerson SOCFK is an interesting looking knife. Do they all come with the serrations?
 
Ok, I read the first post, sorry:o

I would still use the basic Martindale Golok design as my prototypical survival knife.

Features:
1. 11" inch blade.
2. 3/16th thick.
3. 5160 or 1095.
4. Micarta handles.
5. Parrot's beak handle for serious cutting action with comfort.
6. A pommel with a hole for landyard.
7. A large 2 finger choil for close up work.
8. Flat ground.
9. Full Tang
 
You know, I was going to call Extreme Outfitters who has the exclusive on them and ask if their new run from EKI gives us the plain edge option. Looking at their site, they show a choice of serrated or plain in the 'A' blade config which is the one I prefer. The one that I've been carrying for about 2 yrs is serrated because that's all they offered when I bought it. But I never really cared because that knife stays put until a particular need comes up. For everything else I use whatever I have clipped in my back pocket.
 
Just as a for instance,and so you can see the SOC. This is what I have with me on this trip.

Picture063.jpg
 
chrisaloia said:
Ok, I read the first post, sorry:o

I would still use the basic Martindale Golok design as my prototypical survival knife.

Features:
1. 11" inch blade.
2. 3/16th thick.
3. 5160 or 1095.
4. Micarta handles.
5. Parrot's beak handle for serious cutting action with comfort.
6. A pommel with a hole for landyard.
7. A large 2 finger choil for close up work.
8. Flat ground.
9. Full Tang
Click to expand...

Did ya mean 11" overall or do you really mean 11" blade ?:eek:
 
i really couldn't answer this definitively. there are configurations i'd be happy with.

4"-6" blade, flat or convex ground, full tang, choil, possibly recurved or clip pointed, grip material can vary, steels of choice are 5160, 12c17, vg-10, 1085, and the busse family.

i guess it's somewhere between a mora craftsman and a scrapyard dumpster mutt.

then of course the departures from that general format i'd be comfortable with: victorinox, spyderco, any decent machete...
 
Yeah, it is an 11" blade. I love that one. Admittedly, it is too big for short hikes but I do take it on longer ones. This is my ideal knife for survival.
 
y'know a machete-length knife is a pretty good pick for true 'survival'.
There isn't much it can't do, and lots it can do that a little knife can't do as easily. Or at all.
When I think of being in the bush and hiking around and sleeping there, I don't consider as much the ultimate survival scenario, as usually convenience and light weight trump my fear of being in a survival situation. I am pretty confident, due to many factors, that a smaller knife will provide almost all the uses I'd want it for on any of my jaunts.
But if the chips are REALLY down, and I have one knife to rely on for everything, it would be a foot long bolo machete, of any quality. A pocket knife of any kind would also be welcome.
That little Scrapyard knife I got to handle today's got me thinking, nevertheless...:thumbup:
 
I'm glad it got you thinkin bro cos pit Jr never shut up goin on about about your little D2 Benchmade all the way home !!!!:grumpy:
 
heres a picture of my ideal survival knife. its something Ive thought of for a while and after trying out tons of different types of kniifes(steel, lenghth, handle material etc) I decided to have one made.Id also like to thank everyone on this forum for helping me with finding a knife that im comfortable with and feel like its an extensive of my hand. to each his own and this is mine. here it is next to a game warden.
thanks again
 
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i also edc a szabo ko fixed blade. it has a 3 3/4" 5160 blade with full tang micarta handle. i find it is also a capable knife for the woods with a flat ground blade.

simple and effective. close to top of the page

http://www.szaboinc.com/index1.html
 
daniel4572 said:
heres a picture of my ideal survival knife. its something Ive thought of for a while and after trying out tons of different types of kniifes(steel, lenghth, handle material etc) I decided to have one made.Id also like to thank everyone on this forum for helping me with finding a knife that im comfortable with and feel like its an extensive of my hand. to each his own and this is mine. here it is next to a game warden.
thanks again
Click to expand...

Nice knife bro, looks pretty perfect to me as well !:thumbup:

I think I have seen it before, is it the one made by Justin at Ranger knives ?
 
pitdog said:
If I am going to be more than a Shout or a Crawl from civilisation then I GO PREPARED to coin the phrase that 2 Dogs used. To me that means a knife that is not too large to be cumbersome, a 4-5" blade seems about right.
I'm the same as most on here and have knives in many shapes and sizes but this is what I would now be looking for....

4-5" blade of 3/16" High Carbon Steel. A Drop point, straight ground blade. A comfortable handle that permits different grips. It must have a full tang !
The knife must be strong enough to use with a batton, this also means it should have a flat spine, no saw-backs or false edges !!!
It must be able to be choked up for finer wood-working tasks and have a blade that is of use around camp for cutting up food stuffs. In saying this I do not care if my rabbit or squirrel is a little hacked up and not cut wafer thin like a sushi chef, this is after all survival !

Do I own this blade....NO, but I am still looking and do have others that tick most of the boxes !!!
Click to expand...


Thats pretty much my idea to. Thats why I love my Scrap Yard SS4. It may not be the toughest, but I am 100% confident it can do everything I need it to.
 
If I'm going prepared, I'd want three knives:

1. Victorinox Farmer (along with my Benchmade 550 Griptilian, it's my EDC).
2. Mora Swedish Army Knife or Becker BK7.
3. Valiant L. Survival Golok.

If I could have only one, then it's the BK7.
 
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