What is a true Survival knife?

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gary777

Joined
Dec 15, 2000
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What is a true Survival knife?

Searching on the internet, and also Ebay, I see alot of El Cheapo "survival knives" that have compasses, matches, and fishing line in the hollow handle. Is this a true survival knife? Reminds me of the Rambo movies. Is this type of knife just a gimmick started by the Rambo movies, or were/are they used by the military ?
 
The hollow handle knives were actually perpetuated and pretty much started by Jimmy Lile. He made the Rambo I and II knives. United Cutlery licensed them and made a gazillion and then the copies came. The best IMHO of the hollow knives is Chris Reeve's knives. They are made from 1 solid piece of A2 steel and the hollow handle is precision machined out of it.
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If I was to carry a survival knife I would probably go with a Project 1 or a Busse #9 or Battle Mistress.

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Originally posted by gary777:
What is a true Survival knife?

A "true" survival knife is the knife you happen to have on you when a survival situation arises....
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Good answer Rick
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Actually I am often asked a similar question which is what is the best knife.

The best knife or survival knife is the one that performs the task you need it to when you need it to at a price you can afford.



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Lile popularized the hollow handled knife during the 80s. But he was not the first. Randall developed the very popular model 18 during the 1960s, and both Case and Ka-bar had hollow handled knives going back to the 1920s. There are even examples of medieval knives with hollow handles.

Prior to Lile; the hollow handle had a very specific purpose. The Case and Ka-bar knives sold the hollow handle as a built in matchsafe, and Randall developed the knife with the intent of storing emergency medical supplies (pain killers, stimulants) for helicopter crews in Vietnam. People have always stored whatever they wanted in these knives - some lucky collectors (not me
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) have even purchased old knives only to find that someone had stuffed the handle with cyrrency. But, it was primarily during the 80s that we got into the habit of stuffing the knives with fishing hooks and other silly things.

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So what is a true survival knife?

It is the knife you have on you when you need it most.
 
I guess then, my survival knife is my trusty SAK. At work we really don't have any silverware, so I whip out my SAK and chop up my apple, start the peel of an orange, slice a croissant in half, spread on the butter, and a few other tasks as well.

 
The best survival knife is the one you have on you. You may never know when an unforseen event may arise which will cause you to depend on a knife for survival. It may happen when you least expect it and you may be in a situation where a fixed blade could not be carried and you may have to rely on a folder. Ever see the movie THE EDGE?
 
The survival experts will tell you that for a true survival knife you can't do much better than to carry a trusty SAK. It's not a very exciting answer to your question, but they make a lot of good points to back up their claim. Doing some searches on the Wilderness and Survival forum will yield some good info.

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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
A true survival knife:
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Fallkniven A1

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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663

[This message has been edited by glockman99 (edited 01-31-2001).]
 
Here are a few suggestions for Survival Knives. All (except the KC c-fiber) are of Talonite (r), the only alloy true survivalists would consider:

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From the top, a Kit Carson large U2 dive knife in 1/4" thickness. A Tom Mayo drop point hunter; both it and the U2 have linen micarta scales. A Kit Carson model #18 with Ti scales and screws. From the same maker, a model #18 slim, carbon fiber scales and 4" Stellite blade. Next, a Darrel Ralph custom similar to the large Apogee, with Ti scales.
Bottom, a Rob Simonich Cetan with Ti scales.

The best one? The one you have with you.

Walt
 
Survival means shelter, clothing, food, water & protection. The tool that is most useful in this scenario is the best for survival.

Expensive is not always the key. Ask any native from any remote jungle on Earth for their opinion and a $5.00 machete would win.
 
The best knife is the one you have when you need it. The Cold Steel Bushman is very hard to beat. A very simple, effective design. Add one of Normark's sheaths and you have a great packsge. The V-nox Rucksack is one of the most versatile survival folders out there. I carry mine in one of Normark's neck rigs. The Swedish Moras are very inexpensive and pure function. Hope this helps.

Paul

 
I've been keeping close track of this thread, and at several threads in the Camillus Forum. I really think we need to give some serious thought to the knife that has basically established itself as the epitome of true survival knives of the 20th Century ... the Camillus / Kabar Marine Combat Knife. Literally millions of these knives have proven themselves time and time again in every environment this world has to offer. How many of us actually have one or more of these fine blades still in service / semi-service somewhere in our collections or in our camping / hunting / survival gear? It has become a timeless classic which will be revered for many years to come.

Semper Fi .

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It's not the pace of life that concerns me, It's the sudden stop at the end.
 
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