- Joined
- Jun 28, 2015
- Messages
- 371
My definition of a "survival knife" is the knife that I have with me.
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
The problem isn't with the knives, they have their use. The problem is with people's understanding of what you need to survive.
I worked with a guy a while back that was a "YouTube survivalist". He didn't make the videos, just studied them. I took him out backpacking once. Just a single overnight trip in late September. He showed up with a 90lb pack! 90! I went through his "necessary" gear before we set out and forced him to leave 2/3rds of it in the car. He was clearly nervous.
Two things happened:
First, after 3 miles or so he started complaining about how heavy his pack was with just 40lbs left in it.
Second, the next morning he realized he hadn't used most of the stuff he brought. Including the BK9 he was so proud of.
I don't generally carry a large survival knife, but if I know it's likely to rain I will. They really do make processing wet wood MUCH easier.
If survival, i think a large knife is useful.
If bushcrafting, just a simple scandi ground knife will do.
+1 on this. That is one of the best threads I've read on this forum and very relevant.If you guys have not seen LastViking's Dogs head thread, you should check it out. Not only entertaining, but may put things in perspective.
Yeah. That has been my experience with fixed blades in general. For the most part, they are unneeded unless you just prefer to use a fixed blade. The BK-9 does carry pretty well, but it is still a big knife. One needs to think clearly as to just what they might need a big knife for camping especially when you are carrying food, shelter, and other necessary things with you already. Depending on the environment, I could see wanting to have something to pound tent stakes or cut them if that is what you do. Most of my thinking continually goes back to a hatchet as the most useful tool camping. I dislike hatchets, but they are useful. I would much rather "play around" with a knife, but the hatchet is more flexible and you are not likely to be concerned about breaking it.
I just ordered a tomahawk with a flat head. Honestly, it will probably just sit in my garage after playing with it, but I wanted to play with it. I keep thinking (the practical side of me) what I really want or need is a small high quality hatchet with a wood handle.
Fact is, like a lot of people I would like to hit upon a sound and logical reason to carry a larger blade, but when I went looking for one, I couldn't find any reason to justify it,
But even in a case like this, I can't get my mind to the dropped in the middle of nowhere fantasy. All I see is people wandering into the backcountry without adequate knowledge or gear.
I think this is a busted topic to start with.
But even in a case like this, I can't get my mind to the dropped in the middle of nowhere fantasy. All I see is people wandering into the backcountry without adequate knowledge or gear.
If survival, i think a large knife is useful.
If bushcrafting, just a simple scandi ground knife will do.
If bushcraft is basically managing to live and survive in the wilderness - it is basically survival - and if this is the case, then why can you get along with scandi and or why could not scandi knife be survival knife? What makes survival situation so different that you need different kind of knife?
How about, I don't like thorns in my face?
<snip>
But the big thing it does better than, say, the 4 inch blade folder in my pocket is keep those damned thorns out of my face.
I have machetes for that and would carry one if I were in your situation. Need is always situational.
+1 to this. My problem with this thread and the ones like it is this: the little knife guy says the big knife guy is silly. The big knife guy says the little knife guy is not prepared. The hatchet guy says they both are doomed... All with authority and experience. Yes, i am generalizing, but to illustrate a point. I don't think pointing this out is impolite or rude, but the way this was originally posted was meant to irritate a segment of knife users and get a response. This doesn't educate, it only causes a long, useless argument that has been had to no conclusion over and over. You ever watched "Dual Survival"? Those guys had approaches that couldn't have been more different, and yet both were successful in their ways. As AreBeeBee said, let experience drive your decisions (paraphrasing).My view is that marketing's job is to create categorized problems (which are endlessly discussed and worried over), then they present their company's solution(s) to said problem(s).
The category called "survival knives" is a perfect example of this. And this thread, plus uncountable similar ones on BF, illustrate that point perfectly.
Whether the product is audio gear, camera gear, high-end bicycles, whatever sales is done through making inexperienced people feel anxious over some particular category or technical specification. This provides an opening for marketing to zoom in to make a sale.
Just stand back, get some relevant first-hand, personal experience, and your buying will be a lot more knowledgeable. You may even find the "issue" or "category" is entirely false and contrived.