What do you classify as a survival knife?

If it's a comet coming, it would be a 'L.E.E.'. I'll grab a small knife - sit in my recliner and watch the coverage on FOX news... cleaning my nails with that knife. Maybe order a pizza - and tell them to 'take their time!'. I wouldn't want to meet my Maker with dirty fingernails. And, if the news was wrong, I'd have a pizza...

Okay, seriously - I always have a couple of generally folding knives - a big and a small - on me, anything from a Buck 110 and Vic SAK to a ZT-301 and Boker Tree Brand Trapper. My Altoids tin kit is on me or in the Jeep - as is a larger kit on trips. The little tin includes a Vic SAK, flashlight, ferrosteel, fish-hooks, line, vial with treated cotton balls, bandaids, alcohol swabs, and aspirin & Benadryl - it's full - and an important 'grab'. My largest 'kit' is an attache case with important documents, some ca$h, a Gerber LMFII (It was a gift - found a use for it!), disc/tape copies of wedding pix, etc, lists of important house items, and a S&W 2" 10 with ammo. It's well hidden - but quickly accessible in seconds for home loss calamities.

If I were planning on woods-stomping, I'd have a fb with me - and a revolver & ammo.

Stainz
 
JParanee said:
A survival knife to me is one knife that if it was your only knife could get every job done that was required of it

so it would have to be large enough to handle big tasks

A big knife can do small knife duty maybe not as well as a small knife but better than a small knife can do large knife duty
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Actually I think exactly the opposite.

For me the amount of large knife's job is by far less than the amount of small knife's work, and small work like wood crafting, food preparation or even simple things like cutting bandages or rope can be seriously dangerous with a large knife in not "normal" conditions like being very tired or chill.

Answering the original question, I'm not completly sure but a survival knife must be tougth, easy enough to sharpen, durable, small enough (9-11" with a 3-5" blade aprox) and with the best handle and sheath possible.

Falx
 
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I would take this one is I could also take an axe, if not I would take this one

triflex steel (differentially hardened, harder edge)

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A Buck 119

The handle is smooth so it won't blister your hands, but countoured well enough for me to have a super grip, as well as having a guard. It's a fixed blade, and 5" so it can be used for some chopping and batoning, but it's also not so big that it would be cumbersome for cleaning any kind of deer or game, and it's said by some to make an effective combat knife, but I wouldn't know about that.

Mostly I think it would be ideal because of how common they are. If it were a survival situation you could find them in tons of stores and peoples' homes, and not to mention that if it was a survival situation the steel is ideal. It holds an edge somewhat well, doesn't rust too badly, and when you need to sharpen it you can probably do so with concrete or some kind of rock.

I'm sure there are other knives that fit this bill, but it's just the one I would take. I might take my Kulgera though too, since I don't think it would take me more than 60 minutes to grab both of them. Maybe one of my beater knives and a diamond hone too.
 
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KennyB said:
A Buck 119

The handle is smooth so it won't blister your hands, but countoured well enough for me to have a super grip, as well as having a guard. It's a fixed blade, and 5" so it can be used for some chopping and batoning, but it's also not so big that it would be cumbersome for cleaning any kind of dear or game, and it's said be some to make an effective combat knife, but I wouldn't know about that.

Mostly I think it would be ideal because of how common they are. If it were a survival situation you could find them in tons of stores and people's homes, and not to mention that if it was a survival situation the steel is ideal. It holds an edge somewhat well, doesn't rust too badly, and when you need to sharpen it you can probably do so with concrete or some kind of rock.

I'm sure there are other knives that fit this bill, but it's just the one I would take. I might take my Kulgera though too, since I don't think it would take me more than 60 minutes to grab both of them. Maybe one of my beater knives and a diamond hone too.
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This is a well thought out answer, and I clearly see you understood the question.
 
I always carry multiple knives on me and in my EDC bag. On me is a Vic Midnite Mini Champ, Spyderco Ladybug, either a Caly3, Dragonfly or one of my BM Mini Griptilians. In my EDC bag I always carry my 2nd gen Leatherman Wave, Vic Huntsman. In a SHTF scenario I'd add at least one of my fixed blades, RAT Izula, RC-4, RC-6, Spyderco Jerry Hossom Forester or Fallkniven F1.
 
KennyB said:
A Buck 119

The handle is smooth so it won't blister your hands, but countoured well enough for me to have a super grip, as well as having a guard. It's a fixed blade, and 5" so it can be used for some chopping and batoning, but it's also not so big that it would be cumbersome for cleaning any kind of deer or game, and it's said by some to make an effective combat knife, but I wouldn't know about that.

Mostly I think it would be ideal because of how common they are. If it were a survival situation you could find them in tons of stores and peoples' homes, and not to mention that if it was a survival situation the steel is ideal. It holds an edge somewhat well, doesn't rust too badly, and when you need to sharpen it you can probably do so with concrete or some kind of rock.

I'm sure there are other knives that fit this bill, but it's just the one I would take. I might take my Kulgera though too, since I don't think it would take me more than 60 minutes to grab both of them. Maybe one of my beater knives and a diamond hone too.
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exuse me sir but a buck 119 is 6 inches the 105 is 5 inches.
 
A survival knife is the knife that you happen to have with you when the crap hits the fan. It doesn't matter the type of the knife, the brand of the kinfe, the style of the knife, etc. What matters is that you have a knife with you at all times.

I've got all kinds of knives -- Cold Steel SRKs, a Cold Steel Recon, Buck 119s, a Puma Hunter, a Camillus Pilot Knife, etc., etc., etc.,. However, if I don't have any of them with me, they're not worth squat.

The one tool/knife I have with me at all times is a Leatherman Super Tool (1st version). Other than that, I carry a Sog Stingray (1st version) in my left front pocket and usually a traditional slip joint in my right front pocket. The key here is to have them with me.
 
A knife that has a primary function as a multi-purpose tool - which in the hands of the skilled is most any knife.

For me, a survival knife is one which is able to do the predominance of cutting tasks i'll need for basic, initial survival needs.

For knife specifics, my EDC survival knife kit is a Buck Paklite "Skinner", a 1st Gen Spyderco Delica, a Leatherman "Wave", and a Cold Steel Trailmaster. No joke. I EDC all of them pretty much everywhere. The Spydie fits in my back pocket, the Paklite and Wave in my EDC "pouch" (canteenshop.com), and my Trailmaster fits in my camera bag (Kata 3n1-30) which also houses my EDC "pouch".
 
I would choose a good multi-tool.

The last thing I would want to be carrying is a large heavy blade.
I would most likely be "bugging out" on foot or on bicycle, and I would already be carrying as much ammo, food, water, and medical supplies as possible.
 
In a perfect world, well perfect before the shtf, I would be carrying my izula (just ordered one :) ) and a H.E.S.T. (next purchase) and running out the door I would grab a junglas. I think that combination would cover pretty much everything, but to answer the question if I can grab any ONE knife, and I'm not edc'ing anything, it would probably be the ESEE 5. To me it seems the perfect "do-it-all" (or at least as much as a knife can do) survival knife, especially with the bow drill divot and the glass breaker pommel.
 
TheHunt said:
For me its the one knife I have on my person, when the shtf.
Simple as that.
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Exactly what I was thinking... it's what I have with me when the crisis comes. So when I buy, I buy both for known everyday needs and for that "hope it never happens" event that might be around the corner.
 
TheHunt said:
For me its the one knife I have on my person, when the shtf.
Simple as that.

Maybe that explains, why I dont leave home with just one knife...or run out the door in your example.
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If you are going to quote the late Harry Archer, why not say so?

"A survival knife is the knife you have when you encounter the survival situation." 1974
 
Why not look at the knife carried by the "ice man" when he was murdered a few thousand years ago in the alps. the blade was only about one inch in length, flint or obsidian attached to an antler handle.
 
I keep a kabar heavy Bowie in GHB in the Caddy, my Puma original Bowie in the Tractor trailer and my new favorite Outback 17 inch Bowie in bug out. Yea yea I know but I'm a 300 lb guy big feels good in my hand. Ide rather have to much and not need it than the other side of that coin.
 
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