What was your first 'survival' knife or setup?

My first knife, aside from Vic Classics, was something along the lines of a Victorinox Mechanic. It had a blade, tweezers and toothpick, pliers, can opener (Didn't know what this did back then) and a few other implements I didn't use much. I used it quite a bit, dissecting snakes and frogs with it as well as using the screwdrivers on anything I could around the house (Being quite a nuisance with it, heheh).
 
durbanposion said:
wow the buck knife in the first pic looks exactly like the knife in the game battle field 2
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Could be, as it is an M9 bayonet. Buck did make the M9 for a while; later 80s to the mid-90s, I think. I knew it was a bayonet when I bought it, but was enamored with the fact that it was designed not just as a sticking weapon to be afixed to the end of a rifle, but as a multi-purpose, multi-use field knife. I'm impressed that I never broke it batoning it to split wood. Maybe I should start taking it on trips again.
 
My first survival knife was one of those ultra crappy weld jobs sold in Sunnys Surplus. A name like Tiger, made in Taiwan, became dull after using it once, I think I was about 16, I'm 27 now. Just traded it recently.

I've owned a Camillus PSK, now a Kabar short is my truck FB, I guess you could call it my survival piece. Looking to get a Mountaineer II from CRK, to replace the Kabar, and saw Xrayzebras Aviator from CRK, I'd like to get one of those for my BOB.
 
I too must admit I bought one of those POS "Survival" knives with the big ball compass as a buttcap and the hollow handle along about 1983 or so. I think might have been from Pakistan though. Well, kids will be kids.
 
My first "survival" knife was a good old Boyscout BSA pocket knife. ;)
It saw a lot of use on youth camping expeditions, whittling, making tinder, and opening cans of pork&beans.

Next, for a dumb idea, was the good old, dull-arsed original AirForce Survival knife.
I was still young, didn't know how to re-profile a blade, and to this day I believe the purpose of that old original 1950's design was to give AF pilots something to do while waiting to be rescued, namely, try to put an edge on the dull blade with what appeared to be a soft "sand stone". :D
Needless to say, the Boyscout knife didn't leave my side.

in the 1980's the "Survivalist movement" went mainstream, and so did all of those hollow handle survival "Rambo" knives. Never got one. Oh yes, I longed for one, looked at pictures, drooled, but only wanted the "expensive" one, over $100 USD, and never made the purchase.

Instead of going "Rambo", and without a lot of thought, I purchased my first SAK. My dad had one, but I didn't have one of my very own. Back then I didn't know one model from the next, I simply pointed under the glass and said, "I'll take that one!". Purely an impulse buy, wow, best impulse buy I ever made. It was similar to the "Camper" model. A mid size, I guess is a good term for it.
The Air force "survival knife" became a garden trowel, the Boyscout knife went into the sock drawer. That SAK was thee "do all" camping tool for me, for years.
The other "great" purchase, was my Ontario Machete, also back in the 1980's.

So, removing the Boyscout pocket knife from the equation, my first "tried and true" Survival set-up was my SAK in combo with my trusty mil-spec Ontario Machete.
The machete could handle chopping good sized limbs, split firewood and clear trails. The SAK cut small tinder, opened cans and bottles, cleaned fish, wittled, sliced tomatoes, and all those other little camp chores.
With my Machete and trusty SAK I could "hang" with the best of them. :thumbup:
 
You know, now that I think of it, I did purchase a hollow-handled 'Buckmaster' copy knife way back when I was in middleschool. Another uneducated purchase on the annual trip to Tennessee. I think the knife kit cost about $15. At the time, I was into wearing camo and shooting airguns with friends. I don't remember using the knife. I remember it did come with a 'survival kit' in the handle. I think I still may have that knife somewhere. I'll have to see if I can find it.

Although the knife I mentioned above was probably a 'survival' knife, I didn't count it because a) I forgot about it, and b) I bought it because it was cool, and did not intend to use it for anything other than impressing my friends (probably). It's funny the things we did and bought when we were kids. I guess I probably bought a lot of crappy knives, while not have a clue as to what woodcraft or bushcraft was.

Good gravy, now my mind is really starting to wander. On the lines of making dumb purchases as a kid - anyone here ever own any throwing stars? Eesh... That would be a whole different thread, and I have no idea what forum to put it in... Ha ha! to be a kid again!
 
When I was a cub scout years back, my pack spent a week at summer camp. We spent an afternoon at the outdoor skills station and made survival kits in film canisters. The contents are listed below


Film Canister with cap (watertight)
Band aid
antiseptic wipe
10ft of fishing line
fishing hook
small magnet
needle
thread
strike anywhere matches
piece of birthday candle

If you are wondering; the magnet can be used to magnetize the needle, which can then be floated in the film canister filled with water to make a compass. The needle and thread can also be used to sew up clothing or a nasty cut. I think everything else is self explanitory.

I've still got my kit and actually ran a station at a camporee as a boy scout where I had younger scouts make their own.

Knives were simple SAK's until a few years later
 
My first "Survival" type knife (from back in the days when I didn't know it was knowledge, not fancy gadgets that would do the job in the wilderness) was a BUCK model 184 Buckmaster.

I carried it into the high Cascades exactly once. Once the bruises on my hip healed uo, I put it back in it's box where it has lived every since.

(I now carry a Becker Crewman and a SAK Ruchsack.)


The first real knife I owned was a BUCK 102 Woodsman that I found in the Icicle River. Oddly enough, that same year I found an SAK Ranger in 8-mile lake. :p
 
Ah yes, the 184 Buckmaster. That is the knife I wanted to get when I bought my 188, but the Buckmaster was more than I wanted/could spend at the time.

So your 184 has been resting in it's box ever since? You still have it? Have you ever thought about unloading it? I look at those on eBay every now and then, and it seems that even the used ones sell for more now than when they were new. If you consider selling yours. do plenty of research so you don't give it away. Unless, of course, you want to give it away. In that case, let me know! :) Nah, I say keep it!
 
My dad's military career included a lot of time in Air Rescue from the 1940's through the 50's. Imagine my pleasure one day circa 1970 when I came across a Colonial brand US Navy folding survival knife among some of my dad's old gear in the closet! My first actual "survival knife". At the time, I coveted the Gerber MK2 (hey, I was just a kid) for my survival kit.
 
Bill Siegle said:
My 1st survival knife was an Air Force Survival knife. Dad got a couple from a Reserve buddy and passed one each to my brother and I. Still have mine :) It was/is a great blade after I learned how to sharpen it. The things I have done with this knife would have killed lesser blades but it shrugged off the abusive kid behind the handle :D The stone was long ago worn away, but the sheath and handle have held up well. The guard seems to have always had that little bit of wiggle to it that these blades are famous for. I never let it bother me too much.
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Those are just great old knives. Looks like yours has seen a lot of time in the field. I have a USMC type, and I know what you mean about learning to sharpen it. It's a hard piece of steel. I'm still trying to get mine right.
 
mine was a wilderness camo explorer, decent knife, paid $40 for it back in '87
 
Back in the late 70's I had my Dad's old U.S.M.C. Ka-Bar. The sheath was shot so I made one out of wood and wrapped it in duck tape. I used to tuck in th my belt when I headed out in the woods. I carried that everywhere. I remember hiking out in the swamp for about 4 or 5 miles to get to a secluded fishing spot with my cousin. I walked out on a log to free my line and knocked my knife out of my belt and into the murky water. I went right in after it. That knife did everything I needed to do.
 
Eyegor said:
I too must admit I bought one of those POS "Survival" knives with the big ball compass as a buttcap and the hollow handle along about 1983 or so. I think might have been from Pakistan though. Well, kids will be kids.
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Ditto. 1983. Started to lose its blacking in 1985. Wire saw broke clean on first use in 1986. Then the blade cracked a year later just forward of the tang. Mine, I think, was from China. I couldn't even guess the manufacturer name, as if that means anything today.
 
I think mine was an old Air Force survival knife...worked great for a lot of "kid" tasks. Here's what I had put together for my son and daughter:

KidsFB1.jpg


KidsFB2.jpg


KidsEDC.jpg


Add to that a SAK Farmer, Explorer or one of the one-handed, locking blade varieties (with saw).

My daughter's mini Griptilian is Purple...both are bright enough to see if they drop it.

I decided on the Mora clipper, first - because it's cheap, second it has a decent grip and lastly, it has high-carbon blade with which to "visibly" teach knife-care in the field. My son had a painful lesson last trip out when he forgot to take care of it after using it around the water.

ROCK6
 
Okay boys, don't trip over yourselves to trade with me for this:

survivalknife.jpg


Bought this back when I was young and stupid...well, I ain't young anymore at least. But I still have the darn thing hanging up in my shop. I have developed better taste in knives since then.

I think my next one was a USAF PSK. Great knife, I ended up throwing it away by accident. :grumpy:

My dad gave me his issue one for safe keeping a few years back. I have 2 new ones as well since, a Camillus and an Ontario.

Besides those, the usual SAKs, some Buck 110's, etc.

Glenn
 
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