what is a survival knife for you?

upnorth said:
Isn'tMy prep seems to go to a higher state when I know that i'm leaving town for an isolated spot.
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Same here...which is why I probably won't ever get stranded in the woods.
I'd end up having too much fun!:D
 
OK, so I'm going to take a different approach, and while there have been many good points made here, I'm going to actually pick a knife ...

ESEE 4. It is capable without being too big and heavy, thin enough to be a decent slicer, and inexpensive enough that I have one in a small kit in each of my vehicles. I can use it to build small shelter, start fire, skin and clean game/fish, food prep, self defense, mumbly-peg ... that oughta do it ...

~ Edge

p.s. I almost always have a Spyderco Para 2 on my person (even in a suit), so hopefully that's the worst case scenario for me.
 
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Okay, Spyderco Tuff.
It fits in my pocket.:)
Or SnG.
Or Umnumzaan.
Or original Mini Manix.
Or SmF.

Or Swiss Army Knife.
 
stabman said:
You cannot plan on not getting stranded.
People don't plan to get lost, be in a plane crash, or whatever other stupid thing ends up happening.

So, the point actually remains that it's the knife you have with you.

Today, for me, that would be a Spyderco Tuff.:)
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You don't have to be stranded or in a disaster to be in a survival situation. You also can prepare for specific disasters despite not being able to plan for them.

If I was to drive across country through the mountains, I might throw some extra blankets in the car in case it breaks down. If I were driving through the south in 115 degree weather, I might pack some extra water or a tarp or something for shade in case we're stuck on the side of the road waiting for assistance.

Ideally, I'd pack more stuff in case of an emergency than I have room for, but since I can't I'd make sure that what I had was on the top of the list of items I needed.

Just in case...
 
EZ Bake said:
You don't have to be stranded or in a disaster to be in a survival situation. You also can prepare for specific disasters despite not being able to plan for them.

If I was to drive across country through the mountains, I might throw some extra blankets in the car in case it breaks down. If I were driving through the south in 115 degree weather, I might pack some extra water or a tarp or something for shade in case we're stuck on the side of the road waiting for assistance.

Ideally, I'd pack more stuff in case of an emergency than I have room for, but since I can't I'd make sure that what I had was on the top of the list of items I needed.

Just in case...
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True, but it seems that the more prepared a person is, the less likely for things to reach a "survival situation.":)
It becomes an inconvenience instead...hmm, what's the best inconvenience knife? :D
 
stabman said:
Same here...which is why I probably won't ever get stranded in the woods.
I'd end up having too much fun!:D
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I was metal detecting and looking for an old fur trade spot. My plan was to walk in and walk out in wild river bush that I'd never been in before. I had a small water bottle, a bubble compass, folding knife and lighter. This was only going to be a simple trip, what could go wrong. It turned out to be an exhausting trip through hell with multiple bogs, mixed dense bush, hills, you name it. The old trail basicly dissapeared half way in. I seriously thought that I would end up spending the night out there. I may or may not have had a tin of sardines, I can't remember. I hate cell phones and realized that if I couldn't get out that my wife would be freaked, although I told her roughly were I would be. After having multiple drinks out of tan water sloughs and pouring the small back swimmers out of my bottle, I staggered out with the aid of my compass. I scared up a moose (and it was bear country) and had pants with rip flaps on them. Slogging through the ice cold leg sucking bogs became too exhausting so I tried to bypass them in the hills, resulting in being lost for a bit. I ended up staggering out on a farm about two miles south from were I started. The owners drove me to my car after giving me buckets of water. I was wasted. My very basic gear helped me out of that one but the entire episode scared me. A real sober slap in the face. I will NEVER EVER again be so arrogant as to brush off a decent little back pack of goodies. One less item like the compass and I would have spent an exhausted, rough, bug eaten night out there. If I had been further north and more isolated the situation would have been compounded. I got a real wake up call with that one a couple of years ago.
 
Ed G said:
OK, so I'm going to take a different approach, and while there have been many good points made here, I'm going to actually pick a knife ...

ESEE 4. It is capable without being too big and heavy, thin enough to be a decent slicer, and inexpensive enough that I have one in a small kit in each of my vehicles. I can use it to build small shelter, start fire, skin and clean game/fish, food prep, self defense, mumbly-peg ... that oughta do it ...

~ Edge

.
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As you can see in my avatar, I have a little ESEE 4. I love it. I also have a soft spot for my little Becker BK-16. The 16 has a LOT going for it but I still tip in favour of the noticeably heaver 4, logicly or not.
 
stabman said:
You cannot plan on not getting stranded.
People don't plan to get lost, be in a plane crash, or whatever other stupid thing ends up happening.

So, the point actually remains that it's the knife you have with you.

Today, for me, that would be a Spyderco Tuff.:)
Click to expand...

If you are stranded in the woods or anywhere, chances are you did something to put yourself in that situation. If I am going into a situation where there is higher chance that I might need survival tools I am going to have them on me, therefore I want to know what tools I should carry, not that my survival tools are 'the ones I am carrying'. That is just stating the obvious. Like I said if I am stranded with nothing my hands will be my survival tools, there is nothing interesting about this statement.
 
Moses2792796 said:
Like I said if I am stranded with nothing my hands will be my survival tools, there is nothing interesting about this statement.
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It's at least as interesting as the last 56 threads asking what a survival knife is (or what's the best, or which one should I buy, etc.)
 
I am not a huge fan of the terms 'survival' and 'tactical' knives, but to go with the title heading, I would say, its the knife you have on you in a situation where the fit hits the shan - whether it be an unexpected situation or prepared or not.

I belive Aron Ralston used the small dull knife blade from a cheapo multi-tool. He go the job done with what he had. Thats a survival knife right there!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0830_040830_aronralston.html

After waking, still alive, at dawn the following day (Thursday, May 1) he had an epiphany that he could break his radius and ulna bones using torque against his trapped arm. He did so, and then performed the amputation, which took about one hour with his multi-tool, which included a dull two-inch knife. Although he never named the manufacturer of the tool he used, other than to say it was not a Leatherman, he did describe it as "what you'd get if you bought a $15 flashlight and got a free multi-use tool."
http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/karis/level-b/topic-the-life-of-aron-ralston/

ar_zps750caee0.jpg


ar3_zps339ce9a5.jpg



Today, Ralston has equipped himself with another tool.
ar2_zps8a50d8d4.jpg
 
MIKE MACINTOSH said:
I think the above statement is as true as it gets. Survival is not about about knives its about the person. What happens if you wind up loosing all your gear including your knife. What do you do? Sit down and wait to die.no you get up and carry on. A knife just makes it much
easier. A good pocket knife is something you can carry just about any where. When in the woods bring the fixed blade. but a pocket knife with you even a cheap one is better then 10 Randall's sitting home in the safe.
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This is the most intelligent statement I've read......

I have many "survival" knives, everything from a SAK Pioneer to a Becker BK7 is a survival knife. If it's on your person, it's a survival knife, if it's home, it's worthless.
 
For me, it's a knife I can count on to do everything I ask it to do. Survive GSO 5.1 is a good, do everything and anything knife under any situation. Small enough to carry and do intricate work, big enough to chop larger objects, sturdy enough to support my fat ass if I stand on it.
 
to me it means a knife that is as big and choppy as possible, while still being small enough to not need a smaller fixed/folder.
the esee-6 is my choice.
 
I think a survival knife is the knife you are most likely to have with you. Usually I consider a survival knife to be >12"; anything much bigger for me I am likely to not have on me. I keep a USMC kabar under the seat of my car with some essentials (Cotton for tinder, waterproof matches, painkillers, fishing kit, cordage, flashlight). I prefer a smaller blade, something around the size of a Esee-4 or a bit bigger because, with a knife that size, I am more likely to have it with me. It is very functional knife if you know what you are doing. It can baton tinder, chop small saplings, whittle and more.
 
There is a lot of negativity toward hollow handle knives.
Would it because the people who have them never use them becaue of the high price?
 
porkchop3583 said:
There is a lot of negativity toward hollow handle knives.
Would it because the people who have them never use them becaue of the high price?
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It would be bc those Rambo knives are held together at the blade by a nut and bolt.. Hard work = broken. Been there, done that.. its Full tang or nothing.
 
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