Survival Knife

M

MDLockard

Joined
Nov 12, 2006
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Looking for suggestions on a survival knife for hiking and backpacking. Have Spyderco Military and am looking at the Spyderco Manix as another options.

Thoughts on these knives and other suggestions?
 
I have seen many magazine reviews and personal reviews from many owners, the all say the Manix is one of the best knives out there now.

Extremely tough and well made workhorse. One guy wrote he's leaving it to his grandson in his will, it will last so long.
 
survival knives are usually fixed blade so that it can be used for light chopping as well, though you can just whittle through most reasonably sized saplings in a matter of seconds with a sharp blade. most people want a hollow handle knife for their micro survival kit, but it is usually better to go without for the sake of structural integrity of the knife. usually a pouch attached to the front of a sheath will contain much more than the handle could hold, and be much more easy to get to. if you want a folder, i will suggest that you get a strong reliable lock that has a good reputation. a larger blade with a relatively thick spine could be useful, though some people prefer a thinner spine. a good edge grind is of course essential. but ultimately it is up to you, and you have to think about the requirements that you are looking to meet.
 
I have been well satisfied with my Cold Steel SRK. I reprofiled the edge to convex, and sanded that black "krap" off of the blade, and that made a world of difference in the way it cuts.

And I'm not an expert, so I'll just say that it seems to me that the convex edge is better for chopping, although I would only use a knife, ANY knife to chop in an absolute emergency. (That's why I carry a belt hatchet.):D
 
Siguy is right. A survival knife is usually a fixed blade. You can use a folder as a survival knife, but it will never be as strong or dependable as a fixed blade in a survival/emergency situation. They can be used for battoning, but most aren't very useful for chopping. Many survival minded people carry a fixed blade as their primary knife and a folder as a backup / cooking / whittling knife.

This is routinely discussed in the Wilderness and Survival Skills forum, including the hiking/backpacking angle. The Manix is a good choice, but so are the BM Griptillian, CS Voyager, Leatherman Charge Ti, and the Victorinox Hunter and Trailmaster.

In Fixed blades, forget about a hollow-handle knife, unless it is a Chris Reeve. Hollow-handle knives have a tendency to break in your hands when you need them most. In other words, they look good on a wall, but are close to useless in the field. Chris Reeve's are the exception because he makes his hollow handle knives out of a single piece of A-2 steel.

For hiking/backpacking weight and space are issues to consider, probably why you are looking at folding knives. With that in mind consider the following fixed blades: Cold Steel SRK, Cold Steel Master Hunter, or Cold Steel True Flight. (Cold Steel makes good products for a really good price, just like Becker, but Becker Knives are heavier). You can get the SRK (8.2 oz and nearly indestructible) or the Master Hunter (6.4 oz an excellent camp/outdoors knife) from Wholesale hunter for $52.00 and the True Flight (8.5 oz basically an SRK without the false edge, kraton handle, and heat treatmentl) for $18.00.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Cold Steel SRK looks like a good option and at $52 it's less than folders I'm looking at. May be the complexity of engineering a folder. Have a leatherman wave I'll be carrying as well, believe the only difference is the TI has a few titanium pieces but all the same tools. I live the strength of the all steel leatherman wave, willing to put of with carrying a tool that weighs more than my car if it will save my life!
Will start a new thread under survival and search those posts.
 
The best survival knife IMO, is the fallkniven F1, for a small fixed blade. And the Fallkniven A1 for a larger blade.
As for the Manix. you cant go wrong. I love mine!

In the bush i always have my Manix, Fallkniven F1, and my SAK camper.
 
I suggest these: 1. CRK hollow handled knife. 2. Scrap Yard Scrapper 6. 3. Ranger Knives RD series. 4. Bark River knives.
 
For me it would always be a combination of large fixed blade (as heavy as you are willing to carry) and a medium sized folder. My choice would be a Salt, because there are no worries about rust and in a true survival situation, you might not get to care for your tools as you usually would. I found my RD9 to heavy for extended carry, so I would stick to something around 7" even though I prefer the capabilities of a blade that is longer.
 
my suggestions:
Any fixed blade made by Strider, Busse, Tops, Ranger Knives, or Simonich all make good ones, i think your probably best off trying to handle one of the above mentioned knives in person and pick which one works best for you ergonomicly and visually.

If your looking for a folder to use as a survival knife, STRIDER, accept no substitute.
 
i'm going to say the same.... Ranger Knives are superb and built for working rather than looking at...... but i say this only from experience so..... any other suggestions seems like they would work very well...... it will boil down to personal preference....

mmmotorcycle
 
MDLockard

I believe all people who have replied to this post that you started have contributed valuable recommendations. There is on thing though that needs to be taken into serious consideration: your budget. That's right, your budget! What kind of budget do you have? Can you afford a BUSSE FSH or, a BUSSE SHSH or, a SWAM PRAT BATTLE RAT or, a SWAMP RAT CAMP TRAMP or, a SWAMP RAT RATWEILER (to name a few)? If you can (all of them are available through the secondary market only) then, by all means, go ahead with any one of them. These are knives that you can trust your life with, period. Of course, CHRIS REEVE KNIVES are robust, as well as, sharp knives (mostly the one piece knives made of A2 tool steel) as very prudently recommended by Preacher Man. Fallkniven's are very good knives too. However, make no mistake about it: you can't compare the price of a Fallkniven A1 or that of a SWAMP RAT CAMP TRAMP's with, say, that of a Cold Steel SRK's.

In short, it all depends on your needs / personal preference (as already suggested by siguy and mmmotorcycle), as well as, your budget (as suggested by yours truly).

Take care in the outdoors and above all be prudent and prepared;) .
 
darkestthicket said:
oh yeah, Fallkniven's are great as are swamp rats.

Good point about his budget G Moutafis.
Click to expand...

Thanks darkestthicket. I felt this is a factor that needs to be consider. I have personal experience with almost all of these knives so, I understand differences in performance, as well as, budget.

Be well:).
 
I agree, price is really the main issue. I have a Busse FBM on order, up till now for wilderness type stuff I have relyed on my Benchmade Nimravous in M2, I like it alot, but dont seariously abuse it as the steel isint quite on par with some others as far as shock resistance. that said I have pounded it through quite a few logs with no problumes. It takes and holds an incredible edge, and that to me is more important than being super tough.

I would recomend against the U.S.M.C becouse its tang isint verry thick (otherwise a good knife) and if its survival, you'll be battoning it through wood, I personally have broken a couple at the blade / handle juncture doing this.

I dont have any of them but I like the look of the randall adventure and training series, (except the RTAK, read stamp's review) maby one of there 6.5" ones if its the only knife you'll have, or a 4.5 if its a companion? the Ranger ready detachment series looks good too. another thing that is verry overlooked is what kind of stones / sharpening systm will you be using? a good knife is just about worthless without good sharpening equiptment.
 
I just ordered a Scrap Yard Scrapper (6 1/2") based on the testing and heat treating done before it is sold, besides, they're part of the Busse family. Also the resperine C handle is resistant to practically everything. I'll have to put it through some use before giving a definitive opinion.
 
MDLockard; no one told you about resharpening because that's a major pain in the woods. Ther's no one-all, do-it-all, thing-a-magic. Conditions dictate your requirements. But boiling all down for a start, there's nothing like a hatchet, machete, and a SAK. No brands to speak of because that's all subjective to other factors.
 
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