Urban survival knife?

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Fonly

Joined
Sep 24, 2006
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Hey guys,

I got thinking the other day ( I gotta stop opening with the line:D)

And I need some type of......"Urban survival" knife, something stout, fixed and just overall robust. I dont want anything too tactical looking, but obviously its going to have a certain look to it. Im thinking something in the 3-5" range, but I've never really looked for something like this, and I dont know where to start.

The first piece I have been eyeing is on of the CRKT MAK-1's, I dont know if any of you have used one, but I know it has to be a fixed for sure. I have a multitool in the kit with what ever knife I get, also I have my millie with me, so im good cutting efficiency wise.

Anything that pops out in your mind?
Somthing you've used and liked?


Thanks guys.:thumbup:
 
JK ewok...the blade is smll enough to be sheeple friendly, but the blade is robust enough to be super sturdy, that and a leatherman wave are my edc and the whole thing will fit into your pocket, there is always a rat izula, or a becker necker as well... I think if you put some scales on the bk-11 and took the coating off you'd have a real dandy.
 
I'll let others pontificate about which knife is best, but I will throw out a couple of observations.

The first point seems obvious, but make sure that whatever knife you're carrying is legal. I'd sure love to be able to walk around with my Gerber Mark II, but I'd probably end up getting busted (and losing my concealed carry permit too, which is a heck of a lot more important to me than any knife).

I've also found that everyone from store owners to restaurant managers to cops will hassle me for carrying a fixed blade. Don't get me wrong - I actually prefer fixed blades, but you might as well wear a sign that says "KNIFE!" Even with a legal knife, I just really don't need the aggravation. For that reason, you really ought to look pretty hard at folders.

That said, there are a gazillion nice knives out there which will suit your purposes quite well. Of course, you'll need to look at prIce range, what style blade you like (are you a slasher or a stabber?), and dumb as it may sound, what feels best in your hand.

Good luck!
 
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(And BTW, Calgary doesn't qualify as "urban." Though they do have some mighty fine "dancers" there.)
 
My everyday EDC is a Becker Necker,Vic Hiker, Buck Smidgen. I feel I am set in town or just bumming around in the woods.

I have been thinking of picking up another Becker to scale and strip the coating off. Might be a fun little project. The BK11 is a stout little knife.

100_0563.jpg
 
Where I live, a fixed blade is only legal in areas where sheeple roam if you are hunting, fishing, or trapping. Therefore, If I carry one I must have a fishing or game licence on me as a minimum.

If I get stopped with a fixed blade while wearing dockers and a dress shirt, the police aren't going to buy it. If I have my outdoor clothes on but no hunting or fishing gear on me or in my vehicle, I'm in just as much trouble unless he believes I'm on my way to or from my gear.

I do carry a fixed blade but it stays in a bag for urban carry. At least it is not on my person and readily accessible so I might get some leeway from an LEO. That's transporting. Not carry.

All that out of the way, I do carry a BRKT Woodland on occasion as it fits in the pocket of my Carhart coat and its not on my belt. I usually only do this when walking the dog or playin' in the woods out behind work.

Check your local laws as Samael said and use your best judgement. In an urban area I'm usually close to my car or at least a short walk from it.

Just like the old gun addage. "A handgun is for fighting your way to your rifle which you shouldn't have put down in the first place"


Use a stout (legal) folder 'til you can get back to your fixed blade.
 
Well, aside from the obvious legal hassles, what do YOU think you need differently in an "urban" knife versus a "wilderness/outdoor" knife?

Even if you consider using a knife for self-defense purposes, the RAT-3 would be very, very hard to beat. It also doesn't scream "fighting knife" or "killing knife" or "whatever we're terrified of knife." Of course, some people are always going to wet their panties over any knife, that's just a sad fact of life nowadays...
 
When I feel the need to carry a hardy blade in the city, I slip a Schrade LB7 in the back pocket next to my wallet.
 
Think about what you really use a knife for in an urban environment. I mostly open boxes, cut up cardboard, etc. A utility knife (I like Stanley Fat Max) works very well, and it is legal even when I have to go onto school campuses. I also carry a Knifeless Fuse from Leatherman, to have a few useful tools with me. Again, even legal for school campuses. These aren't "sexy" knife choices, but they work very well for me in a urban environment.

Spud
 
I know there are a gazillion laws and restrictions in every small "urban" town/city. To be honest, I'm sure I've bent a few of those laws, but I always avoided trouble, tried to blend in and be discreet. I have the CRKT MAK-1 for my day pack (slips in the side pocket discreetly), it's a decent enough blade for tasks such as chiseling, light prying, breaking windows, removing glass, cutting wire (the handle is not insulated though!), cutting through plastic/sheet metal, etc. I already have another conventional fixed blade, so I'm less worried about chipping or messing up the CRKT. Those that saw it asked why I was carrying a knife and once they saw it and I told them "it's not a knife, it's a Fire and Rescue Tool", they changed their tune and thought it was a neat "tool"...sheeple are so manipulative :D I have the version with the seatbelt cutter which is another plus as a "tool" package.

People in general are both funny and stupid. They'll accept a knife like the CRKT as a tool, but freak when they see a smaller conventional fixed blade. Fortunately around the military where most of my work occurs, I get to chastise and berate Soldiers for "NOT" having a knife of them:D

ROCK6
 
Hey Fonly, as you know in Canada we have rather tame rules. You are not allowed to carry a concealed weapon under any circumstances. But pocket carry of a tool is fine. As long as your knife is a tool and you can convince the LEO that it is a tool you will be okay.

This means that any fixed blade you carry, especially if it is in a pocket must be sheeple friendly looking. Something with wood handles and a leather sheat would be better for example than kydex + black mircata.

For urban carry, I actually find that there are much fewer uses for a knife. There is food prep, cutting boxes, the odd cord cutting like when I'm tying something down. Oh and removing those pesky shrink wraps from wine bottles. In these situations, a smaller 2.5" blade does just as well as a larger one. I really like my little JK backup for this.

DSC_0039-2.jpg


One of them little Barkies like the mini-CDN might be just perfect too!
 
One of my favorite edc sets is my Vic Spirit multitool paired with a BR Mini Canadian, both carried together in a KSF Adirondack pocket sheath.
 
Rupestris said:
Where I live, a fixed blade is only legal in areas where sheeple roam if you are hunting, fishing, or trapping. Therefore, If I carry one I must have a fishing or game licence on me as a minimum.

If I get stopped with a fixed blade while wearing dockers and a dress shirt, the police aren't going to buy it. If I have my outdoor clothes on but no hunting or fishing gear on me or in my vehicle, I'm in just as much trouble unless he believes I'm on my way to or from my gear.

I do carry a fixed blade but it stays in a bag for urban carry. At least it is not on my person and readily accessible so I might get some leeway from an LEO. That's transporting. Not carry.

All that out of the way, I do carry a BRKT Woodland on occasion as it fits in the pocket of my Carhart coat and its not on my belt. I usually only do this when walking the dog or playin' in the woods out behind work.

Check your local laws as Samael said and use your best judgement. In an urban area I'm usually close to my car or at least a short walk from it.

Just like the old gun addage. "A handgun is for fighting your way to your rifle which you shouldn't have put down in the first place"


Use a stout (legal) folder 'til you can get back to your fixed blade.
Click to expand...

What sections of the MPC are you getting this from? 750.227 only applies to concealed carry of a dagger, dirk, whatnot. And I can't find any other relevant passages. While I normally won't belt carry a fixed blade south of say Saginaw, I've never had any problem doing it. I agree that Detroit or Rochester Hills would not be the place to be walking around with a fixed blade, but it still would be legal.
 
well, I got the MAC-1:O

haha, I saw it in a local hunting shop and I had to try it. Its going to stay in my kit, along with the FAK and other survival crap, but I wanted something I could beat the $#%@ out of, as well as have a window breaker, things like that.

I will of course get some pics up and do a review on it for anyone who is also interested. So far it seems to be a beast of a knife, it wasn't super sharp out of box, but had a serviceable blade, sheath inst the greatest, but again will suffice. G10 handles and I believe 3cr13 stainless, not sure about that steel, but the knife is so thick I dont think it will matter. :D

Here is a pic, not my own.
MAK-1023-1.jpg
 
I EDC a Leatherman Skeletool and a Micra. The legal limit here is an under 3.5" folder and I EDC one of several folders following that law.

The conversation leans to self defense. IMHO, just putting up a fight is going to deter a lot of one-on-one confrontations. It gets down to a paper-scissor-rock game. The one person I know who was mugged was grabbed by three guys with a baseball bat, which you can't do much about-- they came up behind him. Even a gun would have been useless and they frisked him, so they probably would have gotten the gun too.

If it is one-on-one, I think there is small difference in bluff in having a 3.5" folder or a 5" fixed (for example). Assuming the offender has some sense of self-preservation, walking into a fight with someone in a defensive stance and a sharp blade should slow him down. If he has a bat or firearm, it's back to the paper-scissor-rock game.

I don't carry a firearm, but it is the first thing that comes to mind for urban self defense. Handling situations like roving gangs of teenagers is the most difficult situation I can think of and a firearm would be my weapon of choice there -- I can't run very fast!

Other than that, pepper spray comes to mind-- no contact, works past arm's reach, cheap and light. Your local laws may vary.

Sliding off the slippery slope of self defense, urban survival to me means handling earthquakes being number one. Getting out of a broken building and making my way home to family is the goal. That's where the multi-tools rule. From there it is handling other natural disasters.

Finally some sort of insurrection should be considered. I've been there too, having been caught in the Seattle WTO riots and my office was across the street from City Hall and the jail. I convinced the management that we wanted to get out of there before anything happened as we were close to street level and the HVAC was based on heat pumps, which would suck in the outside air, possibly full of tear gas and we would be pretty much trapped inside the building too. The rioters chained several parking gates shut on other buildings as it was. Those people taking mass transit would be cut off as the surface routes were all cut off by rioters. Walking home meant navigating several extra miles to get around the riot zone. Virtually no one else in the office was prepared with decent walking shoes/boots or outdoor clothing.

If you really want to get into urban survival, there are organizations that practice urban search and rescue. I've worked in facilities management and had a little training to that end. It's a good source of info for preparing yourself and family.

For urban survival, a BOB is the way to go. Add leather gloves, light hiking boots, hat, insulation (fleece) and rain gear. I keep an air mattress in mine--- I can sleep on it and I can use it to get across waterways to get home if the bridges are down. From there it isn't much different than my wilderness PSK-- a small compass, a couple flashlights, spare batteries, am/fm radio, multi-tool, water, extra food, line, duct tape, small first aid kit, whistle, sunglasses, spare meds, matches, lighter, and so on. That all fits in a day pack under my desk.
 
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cmdionne said:
What sections of the MPC are you getting this from? 750.227 only applies to concealed carry of a dagger, dirk, whatnot. And I can't find any other relevant passages. While I normally won't belt carry a fixed blade south of say Saginaw, I've never had any problem doing it. I agree that Detroit or Rochester Hills would not be the place to be walking around with a fixed blade, but it still would be legal.
Click to expand...

- 750.227. (1) A person shall not carry a dagger, dirk,
stiletto, a double-edged nonfolding stabbing instrument of
any length, or any dangerous weapon, except a hunting
knife adapted and carried as such, concealed on or about
his or her person, or whether concealed or otherwise in
any vehicle... except in his or her dwelling house [or]
place of business... (3) A person who violates this
section is guilty of a felony...


The way it was explained to me was, "adapted and carried as such" means one would have to be hunting in order to make it legal. If you aren't carrying it as a hunting knife, you shouldn't be carrying it.

Of course the person that explained it to me could be misinterpreting it. I'll look further into it.

Fonly, looks good. Thick lookin' little buggers, aren't they? Keep us posted on the adventures of the Urban Survival Knife ;).
 
Fonly said:
well, I got the MAC-1:O

haha, I saw it in a local hunting shop and I had to try it. Its going to stay in my kit, along with the FAK and other survival crap, but I wanted something I could beat the $#%@ out of, as well as have a window breaker, things like that.

I will of course get some pics up and do a review on it for anyone who is also interested. So far it seems to be a beast of a knife, it wasn't super sharp out of box, but had a serviceable blade, sheath inst the greatest, but again will suffice. G10 handles and I believe 3cr13 stainless, not sure about that steel, but the knife is so thick I dont think it will matter. :D
Click to expand...

That's a MAK-1. Good tool and strong enough. Unless you are a rescue pro, the steel type will hold an edge long enough to get a cilvilian out of a tight spot. For those on a budget, the good old Stanley Wonder Bar, Vaughan Super bar and similar tools are good. Might even have some self-defense qualities :eek: The Stanley Fubars are great urban rescue tools.
 
Rupestris said:
- 750.227. (1) A person shall not carry a dagger, dirk,
stiletto, a double-edged nonfolding stabbing instrument of
any length, or any dangerous weapon, except a hunting
knife adapted and carried as such, concealed on or about
his or her person, or whether concealed or otherwise in
any vehicle... except in his or her dwelling house [or]
place of business... (3) A person who violates this
section is guilty of a felony...


The way it was explained to me was, "adapted and carried as such" means one would have to be hunting in order to make it legal. If you aren't carrying it as a hunting knife, you shouldn't be carrying it.

Of course the person that explained it to me could be misinterpreting it. I'll look further into it.

Fonly, looks good. Thick lookin' little buggers, aren't they? Keep us posted on the adventures of the Urban Survival Knife ;).
Click to expand...

You're right, if you're carrying one CONCEALED it must be a hunting knife adapted and carried as such. This is an affirmative defense, meaning the burden to prove this fact is on the defendant and not the prosecution. However if the knife is not concealed, you're good to go. However I still use some discretion and as I said Saginaw is roughly my line for open carry of a sheath knife, I wouldn't try it anywhere in metro Detroit though. Of course cities can have their own ordinances about knives, so it would be good to be aware of that.

Several friends and family members are LEO's and I've been told that knife charges are usually secondary to other offenses. Just never refer to your knive(s) as weapons or say they are for self defense. They've all told me not to worry about the knife I was carrying as long as I wasn't committing any crimes.

Edit: Not to mention that all fixed blades are not necessarily daggers, dirks,
stilettos, or double-edged nonfolding stabbing instruments.
 
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