What is the best folder for survival use?

DirtDiver said:
I can't believe no one has said a Swiss Army Knife. True, not the best knife, but in a survival situation, its hard to beat.
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I carry a Rucksack but for basic knife work they are vastly outperformed by a decent folder like a Manix. It isn't just edge retention, but ergonomics, grip security, cutting ability and a massive increase in blade strength/size which leads to far greater efficiency in a lot of wood work. The saw can be of benefit in some cases, but it is usually outperfomed by chopping and batoning with something like the Manix. The standout of SAK's is more for urban than rural/wilderness survival where the metal working abilities are more useful. I carry a Leatherman usually as well but it is mainly for the pliers for stitching.

-Cliff
 
In a survivial situation, you would want a big folder. My vote would be for the SOG Tomcat II (a big tough folder), or the SOG Revolver Hunter which has a saw blade also and would come in handy. If I had a choice, I would not have a small knife with me. Most likely theire would be two knives, a folder and a fixed blade.
 
pict said:
Bulgron,

BOB - Bug Out Bag, a backpack full of kit and supplies that you keep packed and accessable 24/7 which you also tear into and rip apart repeatedly every time you want to go camping. The creation of a BOB is highly addictive and generates never-ending threads as everyone looks to it's magical contents to dispell their fears about life, society, disaster etc.
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Ah, I see. This is what I call my "Grab and Go Bag," although I don't keep it out of fear. Basically, if I want to go for a walk in the woods, I hate having to chase around looking for all my "stuff." So I have a bag that holds minimal survival equipment for a walk in the woods, another that holds additional stuff for an overnight stay in the woods, and a third that holds enough to get me through 7 days in the high sierra in summer time.

I just finished training on emergency preparedness. This was offered through my city and is an extension of the California Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. It included things like light search and rescue, scene triage, disaster medical training, etc. As a consequence of that, I'm now putting together a "Grab and Go Bag" that I can use to respond to an "incident." This needs to be heavy on first aid supplies, plus a few other odds and ends that are useful for triage and light search and rescue. There's actually a surprising amount of overlap between what I want in that bag and what I want for survival in the woods. The proportions are different, though.

Anyway, I suppose this could be viewed as a BOB in that it exists out of fear of my world falling apart. But then, when you live on top of an active fault line, a little fear is in order, IMO. :)

pict said:
Personally I now go with the "Kitpile" strategy. I have a BOC - Bug Out Closet where everything I own is piled up and in view 24/7 on several shelves organized in a haphazard manner that only I can decipher. In the event of an actual emergency I will lock myself in that closet. Mac
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LOL. My problem is, there's a non-zero chance that in the event of an emergency my closet will no longer exist because my house will fall down around my ears. So, no hiding there. However, I'm also putting together a BOTB (Bug Out Trash Bin). This is one of those large plastic garbage cans on wheels. It will contain everything my family and I need to get along just in case our house falls over (or, more likely, but still thankfully unlikely, burn down). So it gets clothes, shoes, tarps, blankets, first aid, food, money, camping equipment of all stripes and sizes. It then sits in a corner of our property far away from falling or burning walls.

However, I now see that I need a larger trash bin. It needs to hold all that stuff, plus I have to be able to hide in it....

Erm, except that I'll be racing my kids to get in. Damn, I'm getting older and they're getting faster.

One bin per family member? :D
 
Interesting idea about SAKs.
I find a large SAK much more ergonomic than other folders. It is very convenient to hold, it can have a saw which cuts through the wood faster than I can chop it with a small knife.
Yes, I agree the edge retension is not particularly brilliant, but at the same time I am sure I can sharpen it on almost any stone, unlike knives with harder steel.
One serious drawback is that you had better not to use it for batoning, this winter I broke my Picnicker this way, but dealers would rather replace cheap (relatively) broken SAK instead of arguing with you whether it was mistreatment or not, so you are quite well covered on this issue.
I guess my choice is SAK, but I have recently stopped carrying folders only into the woods.
 
Sharpening isn't really an issue, the only advantage the SAK's have in this respect are that they can be filed. I have sharpened even very hard and wear resistant alloys like VG-10 on concrete blocks, not even using sharpening stones. Now there is data to suggest that the very hard and wear resistant steels respond better to certain abrasives, but this is talking about the difference between really sharp and really really sharp usually. Interesting note about ergonomics, I don't find the large ones to be comfortable even the ones with the ergonomic grips.

-Cliff
 
It seems that many of these threads on "what is" go on the notion that you will know before hand when one will be put in a survival situation, going back to "the best is what you have with you".

Saying that, it would lead one to believe that you should have the best that you can aquire with you before the situation arises. So far, it appears that good quality folders are at the forefront. Not many of us are able to carry fixed blades with us on a daily basis but can do so in the woods or on our leisure time.

I always have a small multi-tool and at least one if not 2 quality folders. One for sheeple use and a heavier duty one like a Buck Strider.

To go a step further, my sling pack has a medium tanto along with a large fixed blade Ranger and a Livesay Woo.
 
I have a Buck Crosslock in SV 30 that I purchased from Cabela's. It is lightweight, versatile, durable, and razor sharp. I always have my Leatherman Wave with me also.

-Yooperman
 
bulgron said:
I just finished training on emergency preparedness. This was offered through my city and is an extension of the California Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. It included things like light search and rescue, scene triage, disaster medical training, etc. As a consequence of that, I'm now putting together a "Grab and Go Bag" that I can use to respond to an "incident." This needs to be heavy on first aid supplies, plus a few other odds and ends that are useful for triage and light search and rescue. There's actually a surprising amount of overlap between what I want in that bag and what I want for survival in the woods. The proportions are different, though.
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Congrats on the CERT training! I really enjoyed it when I did mine.
It changes your perspecive on first aid, though.
Victim of heart attack:
Red Cross version: Start CPR, call 911
CERT Version: Tag 'em black, move on. :eek:

They reminded us that in ordinary situations, we should follow the red cross version :p

Pat
 
Generally I take my Locksmith model SAK when I head out of town. It is one of the longest models of SAK and has a locking blade. It also has a very effective saw and a metal file.

I might supplement it with my customized Buck 560. This has a titanium handle and BG-42 alloy 110-style blade. I would be even happier if Buck offered a 5160 alloy blade for survival purposes. Gee, maybe that is a product idea.
 
wade said:
All the tasks you can think of that a knife would be needed for in a survival situation. Which folder would you want to have, or what folder would be up for the test.
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For me, it’s not a speculative question. I have survived with my SAK Huntsman and I know others who have as well. They have one huge advantage over all other folders, they have a saw. Remembering the rules of survival, what is the first thing you need to prepare for an extended stay? SHELTER! They may not be very sexy but they perform their function better than anything else I know of. There’s more to survival than a cutting edge.

Two things are always in my pocket, a SAK Huntsman and a new Bic lighter.
 
Well, here's another vote for a SAK with locking blade and saw. I remember watching a video by ex-Special Forces soldier and current survival expert Ron Hood. Ron likes blades, including the large ones. But, he said that if he only could have one knife for a survival situation, the saw blade SAK would be the one. - - - I've also got Leathermans that have saws and various other tools, but they are much bulkier and heavier than the SAK. Throw that baby in my pocket with a para-cord lanyard attached to me and I'm good to go. Not expensive, not fancy, not 'sexy' - - but they work and I'll always have one on me in the woods. - - - - In addition to carrying the SAK, I'd like to get another real folder, though. The large Sebenza looks real interesting - - - P.S. - - I usually carry a fixed blade of around 5-6" in the woods - that's my 'front line' knife.
 
i've started carrying an old (WWII) camillus made USA issue utility folder that is well used. Still very functional and does a good job. Still carry a OH SAK though.

camilluswwii001.jpg
 
I always have a plain edge paramilitary, full se delica and a SAK on my person.
If I could pick I would say the manix. I have used to gather firewood plenty of times while camping just too see if it could take it. Dont get me wrong I would definitely prefer a fixed blade.
 
You're all crazy.. All you need is one of those little bitty Swiss Army Knives with the nail file and the tweezers.. I mean, if those aren't the greatest weapon of war ever invented, then the TSA and Homeland Security wouldn't be quite so worried about them!!

OK, so I am kidding.. Seriously though, I carry a Benchmade 9050, but I am really eyeballing one of the SAK Firemen One handed openers.. I like the way it looks, nice EDC Knife. But when I'm headed into the great wilderness, I always have my Benchmade..
 
the biggest frog in my pond is a tops 747, a real hand full of a blade, and a good match for a small fixed blade.

alex
 
tknife said:
I always have one of these with me. The SMF has seen the most use. It's not the best slicer of the bunch because it's so thick, but I trust it for hard use. The Sebbie is a slicing demon, but I want to get one with the Micarta inserts, the ti can get slippery. The mini Commander is an amazing little workhorse, really an underrated field knife. The delica is usually around my neck, it's so light and sharp, I always carry it. (Sorry for the big pic, I'm still learning the camera thing)
jones006.jpg
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You decide you want to sell that sebbie to finance buying the micarta one just let me know, I'll take it off your hands... :D

As for the question, probably my sebbie or OHT SAK.
 
Well, as the saying always goes...your survival knife is the one that is on you, which is most likely a folder for probably 100% of the time for the majority of us.

When "dressed up", I usually carry my Sebby. For other occasions, including EDC for work, I always have a SAK Rucksak and a Leatherman (usually the larger Charge). Duty EDC, I've really like the Emerson designs (just something about that wave)...CQC-8, CQC-12, Commander. My weekside folder is a fully serrated Spyderco Military...I also have a plain edge Military which I've found to be a great design.

For folders, I will admit that the Manix is a tough folder (as is my Chinook), but for outdoors hikes I like a litte more belly in my folders for several camp/bushcraft/skinning chores. I've been toying around with larger folders for when I can't get away with a fixed blade. From a little T&E I'm currently doing here in Iraq:

Lone Wolf Harsey T3 - Finish is good; it's a liner lock. Scales are serviceable, but nothing special (especially for the price). Steel is S30V, top end with a very good blade profile. Lock up is tight, overall a good piece (minus the cheap scales). Comes with a large sheath that is MOLLE compatible or will fit in baggy pockets with its pocket clip. This is a well executed, large folder and would make a great substitute if you couldn't get by with a fixed blade. I could only recommend putting some nicer Micarta scales on it (my preference).

Ontario Hossom Retribution - Massive folder with liners thicker than most folder blades! No pocket clip, very large handle - excellent and comfortable Micarta (it wouldn't be comfortable in your back pocket though!). Large belt sheath, which probably is the only way you would be carrying this one. Has a recurved blade of N690Co. Excellent lockup for a liner lock with very thick liners..the liners are thicker than most standard folding blades!. One of the better deals for the $$. I know a recurve blade turns some off, but this one would make a good chopper even as a folder and is stoutly built.

TOPS Magnum 747 - Comfortable design, flat enough profile for pocket carry but comes with a sheath exactly like the Harsey T3. Same steel as the Hossom, N690Co. Also a liner lock that locks up really well. No choil for choking up but a very useable blade. I really like this design, but the price just sucks, this could be a great knife for about $100 cheaper.

Benchmade Rukus - Probably the nicest finish of all. Excellent and proven axis lock...very smooth. Fits the best in your pocket with the pocket clip...slimmest design for the blade size. Excellent quality steel...probably tied with the Hossom for one of the better deals for what you get. The only issue I have is that it's more of a spear-point blade. Not a lot of belly.

At home I have an Original Al Mar SERE and REKAT Sifu...both no longer produced; also have the Cold Steel Vasquero Grande...actually a pretty good knife for slashing but I wouldn't expect too much heavy use from it. Lastly, I also have Benchmade's Skirmish which is a great blade as already mentioned.

If I have to go on a low-profile mission, field trip or hiking amongst sheeple and really want a large blade with a low profile (assuming you can't get away with a fixed blade), then the large folder is a great companion that can do several fixed-blade tasks, light chopping and limited battoning...all in a relatively compact package.

ROCK6
 
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