Survival knife size question

Sure a large knife can do about anything a small knife can do. Are we talking about using it at a car bar-b-que at a campground or going into the wild?

The advantages of a smaller knife to supplement a larger one are many...and the longer and more involved the outing the more advantageous a small blade becomes.

First it's less fatiguing to use over time.

It can be carried more comfortably and weighs less.

After several days it's nice to be in camp kitchen without that damn monster I've been hauling around; much more supple in hand for food prep prep and in-camp chores. Usually when I hit camp at the end of a day out my large knife goes to ground and the small one stays on for the rest of the evening.

Is just quicker for minor tasks...."Cut this about here, will ya?"

Better in tight places than lugging a twelve inch piece of steel hard Kydex on your belt too. Try that in a canoe all day. Or falling on it on ice.

The larger a blade goes the main gain is in chopping ability. The smaller generally maintains a finer cutting ability.

True, a first outdoor knife should be a larger one. The second should be a smaller one that best complements the larger. My favorite survival rig has been a leuku/puukko combination for many years. But a CS Trailmaster and a Bradford isn't a bad setup either. Two knives are ideal.

btw, that B.O.B. is a good knife.
 
I would rather field dress a deer with a Victorinox than my BK9. I like a knife in the 4-5in range for woods use/survival preparedness. One of my Moras is always in the woods with me. I love my BK9 and its fun to play with, but it usually ends up left at home or in the truck. Its just hard to make space for a 9in long and 1.25lb knife. I would rather bring along extra socks and water.
 
Shotgun said:
Debatable depending on what you need a knife for. I read something a while back that made perfect sense and summed up survival needs perfectly. "Always carry the tools you need to brew a tea. " Warmth, hydration, comfort, and stopping to have a think are all checked off with that simple idea. I use something similar with survival knives. I want a knife that can cook me a meal. Meaning I want it to start a fire, prep my food, and allow me to whittle something while I wait for it to cook. The key I've found is to find a knife that can do it while being easy to carry. Every knife has a workaround for this or that so the one sticking point has been carry ability. It makes little sense to leave the perfect knife at home. ;)
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I’ve been a big knife-small knife guy all my life. But my EDC is the Victorinox Farmer. The Farmer is what I recommend for a light BOB. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1200695-An-Educated-BOB I also discuss the virtues of brewing tea.

Even experienced woodsmen get lost. So lost that they know better than their compass. It must be lying to them. (“Nine men out of ten, on finding themselves lost in the woods, fly into a panic and quarrel with the compass. Never do that. The compass is always right, or nearly so.” Nessmuk, Woodcraft, 1884)

Have a second compass. Hold one in each hand. Whatever is failing here, it isn’t the compass.

What’s the first thing to do when you realize you are lost? Make a cup of tea. Say what? You heard me. Make a cup of tea. By the time you light a fire, heat some water, steep the tea, drink a cuppa, you’ve calmed down. You can assess your situation. Stop blaming the damn compass.
 
collim1 said:
I would rather field dress a deer with a Victorinox than my BK9. I like a knife in the 4-5in range for woods use/survival preparedness. One of my Moras is always in the woods with me. I love my BK9 and its fun to play with, but it usually ends up left at home or in the truck. Its just hard to make space for a 9in long and 1.25lb knife. I would rather bring along extra socks and water.
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Having never field dressed a deer, I've got no idea what I'd like most, but suspect it would be closer in size to the farmer than the BK9 like you and what I guessed at before.

I also think the answer to this question will always change depending on the environment, and the "requirements of travel". I think the BK9 would be my choice if I was given one knife to bring (and nothing else) before I was whisked away to an undisclosed unpopulated area of North America to survive there for X number of days. But, with that "not possible" event in mind, there is no traveling once you're there, and there are also no other gear to weigh you down (which of course is basically a fantasy situation).

For hiking, I'm with you. I'd want a BK16/Mora type knife if I knew I had to take along a bunch of other gear/travel a distance for most places around here (and a folding saw).

And clean socks are glorious. Glorious.
 
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These "one knife" threads don't apply to me anyway...I had 4 knives today (including the 2 small ones in the backpack), and that was just going to get groceries. ;)
 
vpsaline said:
What about if you could only carry a single knife, would you carry the small one or the bigger one? After handling the RBS9 I would opt for the bigger blade without hesitation. That's the point I'm trying to make. You can do more with the bigger knife!



That's exactly what I'm thinking too.
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If I were forced to carry one knife, then I'd split the difference, carry a blade somewhere in the middle. This 5 inch blade by Mark Hill can do most everything.
 
I wouldnt marginalize a small knives as a one tool option.

In the outdoor,bushcraft, survival world
smaller knives are carried by more experts then large knives.

It takes more skill and knowledge to use a small knife in many roles, the advantage is its safer,more comfortable in a variety of tasks and hardness can be traded for toughness meaning a sharper knife.

Isn't a knife made to cut?

Smaller knives can be used for hours without fatigue.
If a person is packing light and crafting items needed, making traps and processing game to live off the land.

Small knife hands down.


If a person is just backpacking into the wilderness hacking up dead treess to make fire and hiking out when freeze dried food runs out then a big blade is best.

Just depends on the user. I'm more of the latter.

I have great administration for people that can pack less and use small knives as it shows a greater command of outdoor knowledge.
 
DeadboxHero said:
I have great administration for people that can pack less and use small knives as it shows a greater command of outdoor knowledge.
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Yeah, I don't really buy that sentiment.
Lots of knowledgeable folks use big knives, small knives, machetes or axes.
There are also those who don't bother with a knife at all...a tribe in New Guinea uses their teeth to gnaw down small trees.
 
Mannlicher said:
If I were forced to carry one knife, then I'd split the difference, carry a blade somewhere in the middle. This 5 inch blade by Mark Hill can do most everything.
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That's how I lean as well. I could do a lot of work with that knife. Nice one. :thumbup:
 
Really seems like this thread is asking about a woods knife more than a survival knife per se.
For something that can be always with you but can do a bunch of things (survival knife), the Swisschamp is a pretty good one, I think. :)
 
Right on, I speak for my area in the temperate rainforest in the USA.
Otherwise I'd use teeth.

Chomp!
 
DeadboxHero said:
Right on, I speak for my area in the temperate rainforest in the USA.
Otherwise I'd use teeth.

Chomp!
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Certainly couldn't be accused of relying on gadgets too much. :D

Might run up some pricey dental bills over time though. ;)
 
knarfeng said:
A smaller knife is more likely to be with you when you need it.
"The most useful survival tools are the ones you have with you when you need them."
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stabman said:
Certainly couldn't be accused of relying on gadgets too much. :D

Might run up some pricey dental bills over time though. ;)
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Dental bills? Ha, first world problems ;)
 
DeadboxHero said:
Dental bills? Ha, first world problems ;)
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I must say I'm glad to be stuck with solely first world problems. :)

Here we have to screw up royally or go looking for adventure in order to end up in a survival situation.
In some parts of the world, every single day is a survival ordeal.

Much respect to those who manage to make it in the rougher parts of the world. :thumbup:
 
Agreed, truly blessed to be here.

In fact we can all agree that tools of any size or design are a matter of preferences, opinions, climates, cost, frequency of use. just aesthetics; coolness factor.

Its a blast debating these topics because there is no one answer.
 
DeadboxHero said:
Agreed, truly blessed to be here.

In fact we can all agree that tools of any size or design are a matter of preferences, opinions, climates, cost, frequency of use. just aesthetics; coolness factor.

Its a blast debating these topics because there is no one answer.
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Absolutely, and sometimes we learn new things along the way. :)
There have been a few "Huh, I hadn't thought of that" moments along the way for me, and my outdoors experience is more enjoyable now for them. :thumbup:
 
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