what you want in a survival knife.

[CSG]

I carry a Fallkniven F1 but I mostly use a SAK or Mini-Grip.

 

[NeedItCheaper]

I want to know what you want in a survival knife

I don't like the question to begin with. When people say "Survival Knife" all I think is, "Oh great, another gimmick". It depends on where you are surviving. If I'm in the forest, then I want something that can chop well, also I want something that can clear branches of a stick with hitting my hand, that means around 7 inches automatically. I want it thick. There is more, but really you have to have specifics, and you have to actually have it with you to survive.


When it comes right down to it, you have to have the knife in order to survive with it. My EDC is two knives, and Delica 4, and a SuperLeaf(both from Spyderco). Really that is what my survival would be. When I go camping I have......

1 ScrapYard Sykco 711
1 Ontario BlackBird
1 Rat 3
1 Delica 4
1 SuperLeaf
1 LeatherMan Wave

I really don't have any want to go out there and see if i'll survive with just one knife.

 

[redsquid2]

What I want in a survival knife, is for someone else to be using it, and not me.

I want to have a tent that I can pitch in 4 minutes or less.

I want some iodine tablets.

I want sunscreen and mosquito repellent.

I want food that is easy to cook, on a stove that is easy to operate.

I want a flashlight.

I want some matches in a watertight case.

I want solid land navigation skills and tools related thereto.

I want a sleeping bag.

I want a pad to insulate me from the cold hard ground.

I want rain gear.

I want a change of underwear, and sufficient insulating clothing for the climate I am in.

I want pain relievers, allergy and cold meds, topical antibiotic, sterile gauze, tape, liquid bandage, Ace bandage, and tweezers.

I want a very loud whistle.

I want 30 ft. of nylon cord, and knot tying skills.

I want dry wood, i.e., wood not lying flat on the ground.

I want to stay close to the people whom I walked into the woods with.

I want hand lotion. That's right, because chapped hands are very annoying. I want it to be unscented, because I do not want to be attractive to bears.

A small locking folding knife might be useful too. I might need it to whittle an extra tent peg, make tinder, or slice some sausage or cheese.

Most of this stuff I learned from a scoutmaster who was a West Point grad, and a Ranger. That was in the 1970's. It still serves me well today.

I want someone else to be out there working their ass off, in the cold, driving rain, with their hands going numb, and their whole body shivering uncontrollably, to get shelter, warmth and food, with nothing but a knife, so I can be relaxed, warm, dry, and well-fed, inside my tent.

 

[redsquid2]

I carry a Fallkniven F1 but I mostly use a SAK or Mini-Grip.

Mini Grip. I wish I had one. Excellent outdoor tool, by all accounts.

I have a small Buck Vantage, and it does the job well enough for me, plus it is only 2.6 oz.

 

[upnorth]

What do I want in a survival knife ? A hatchet or small axe.