Which knife would you choose...

[Shotgun]

For 3 season, Izula 2.
For winter/bad weather, Scrapyard 711.

Why would you choose these knives? What about them makes them your choice?

The Izula 2 is my pick in 3 season because I have little actual need for a knife and I like it the most.
The 711 I pick because even though I don't really need to cut a lot of wood on my trips, I like to hedge my bets in bad weather.

That being said I have a SAK with a saw in my pocket as my edc so I never have just 1 knife on me. And, I would rather have my silky instead of my 711 in bad weather but that was against the rules.

 

[fmajor007]

So, if it's gonna be 1 (one) knife, as usual, I'm bringing my Breeden Custom. It's a 6" drop-point design out of 1/4" O-1 (OAL 11"). It's a hybrid high-sabre grind with Bryan's convex edgework (aka a freakin' razor). Handle is green micarta with pass-though/tube-pins and ending with a nice, squared-off pommel.

In short, it's brute that cuts *very* well. It accompanies me nearly everywhere I go from client meetings to inspections.

Thanks again Bryan!

 

[sicily02]

Your welcome Frank.

Bryan

 

[SideTracked]

This.....

However a runner up would probably be my bk10.

 

[ChapmanPreferred]

Realistically, If I get stranded in a wooded area I'm either trying to get to a hunting spot or on my way to or from work. Either way, It would be a really unlikely situation that I would only have one fuctional knife. I would have to loose all but one of my EDC system, my B.O.B. would have had to have been stolen by a rabid chipmunk, and my car would have to have been beamed up to the mother ship.

If that was the case, I would wish for my Leatherman Surge. If that is cheating, then I would most likely have a Spyderco Military and I would be well equipped for required tasks.

 

[BOSS1]

My Busse NMSFNO rig...yes, with the SAK its actually two knives. But when I go into the woods, the whole rig goes with me...

BOSS

 

[C_Becker]

For the "castaway scenario" I would take an ESEE 5, big and sturdy enough for shelter building, easy to resharpen (important when you're on a remote island !)
but not too big for finer work.

Of the knives that I have, I would take my DPX Hest fixed blade, its the closest I have to a survival knife.

 

[everythingsharp12]

My Brous Reloader because it's my only knife I would want to play with before dying.

 

[hiwa]

I'm actually with the OP. The Benchmade Sibert 162 is an awesome knife to be stuck with only one. The only caveat is that I'd have to have a diamond stone with me as well to keep it sharp. S30V holds a great edge , but I don't want to be there all afternoon sharpening it when the time comes.

The forward swell on the handle fits the hand perfect , Imo. Even when choking-up towards the front. Someone at Benchmade did their homework when designing this knife. It may not be for everybody , but since I've used mine quite a lot it has proven to be an extremely trustworthy knife that doesn't give me sore spots while using it.
Can I bring my BK-9 too ? lol My last bush trip was for a week and those 2 knives did everything flawlessly.

 

[HikingMano]

I would go with a thin 4 inch blade of O1 or S30V steel. Not a Scandi grind, but a full grind. Brian Andrews makes a great one like that, with a killer handle. I have another by Ray Laconico that fits my requirments as well.
Here is Ray's knife. It is so close to perfect that it almost made me quit buying knifes. Almost.

That is one nice knife! Drooling over here...

Pinnah, great post :thumbup:

 

[stewey1]

I'm never really in the middle of "nowhere". I'm usually somewhere and when I'm deep in the woods, that somewhere is owned and managed by somebody and that somebody sets the rules of how the land can be used.

Most of the time I'm deep in the woods far from roads, I'm in USFS lands, often designated Wilderness Areas. Typically I access these places on hiking trails, either by backpacking/climbing or by ski touring. This means two things..
1) I'm carrying a pack that contains my "10 essentials" kit.
2) I'm neither the first person nor the last to visit this remote place.

<rant mode = "on">
I'm over 50 now and am going to harp on this second point just a bit. I've had the fortune to hike in what I consider to be among the most beautiful hiking spots in the US, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, for over 30 years now. That's 3 decades. Enough time to see changes that weren't visible to me when I was young.

Impact from hikers sucks. That's the short version of this. I've seen areas closed for recovery and have watched them sort of recover, sort of not recover. I've seen too many spots denuded of dead fall and have found too many poorly made and abandoned fire rings. IMO, if people want to survive a weekend outing in the remote parts of New England, the priorities are (not in order):
1) Carry a tarp, good clothing and a stove and know how to use them.
2) Know enough 1st aid to stabilize fractures and stop bleeding wounds.
3) Know how to *read* a map and *see* trails well.
4) Respect weather and be smart enough to retreat early.
5) File hiking plans with a trusted loved one and stick to it to initiate rescue if truly needed (and just as importantly, to avoid needless rescues). For me, this means a 24 hour buffer in case I get pinned down for some reason.

If people do this, being "stranded" either means an incapacitating injury needing rescue or an extra night in the woods.
<rant mode = "off">

In this context, a knife is a part of a larger backcountry kit.

I carry an Opinel, usually a #9, sometimes a #8. I also carry a Leatherman PS4 Squirt for bandage prep and minor repairs. Closely related, I carry good splinter tweezers, a heavy needle and a heavy curved upholstery needle (for gear repair).

(I carry a Micra for EDC and the PS4 for hiking)


edc-pair by Pinnah, on Flickr

In the deepest of winter and if I'm going to a place where I know that fires are permitted, possible and non-damaging, I'll carry a Silky folding saw and perhaps, for kicks and grins, my Schrade H-15.

The Schrade is just a lot of fun. But it's extra weight and not needed to survive really.


H 15 drop point 2 by Pinnah, on Flickr

well said

 

[olybears57]

ESEE Junglas. It's heavy as hell, but for long term survival in the woods, I wouldn't mind it. It makes the lightest and most efficient work because it is heavy as hell, and has a massive blade. (Which holds a good working edge for a very long time in my experience) Great for making shelter and fire... terrible for skinning and fine work... but that's what my ESEE izula is for right?

 

[nezpercelands]

My 4" Karesuando with my cherry/leather/antler handle...or a 6" Leuku.

 

[Woods Walker]

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere (heavily forested), and could only have one of your knives (no machetes, swords, kukri's etc) which would you choose and why. It has to be a knife you own, not one you fantasize about etc.

I would choose whatever knife that was actually on my person and be happy to have it. Beyond that I would take either my BKH Bush Pig or Bushcrafter. Or maybe the 511 inside my daypack. Why? Because they all have a firesteel attached to the sheath.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

I think this starts with a false premise.
If I am stranded in the woods, why would I not have a machete or axe or sword, or chaingun, if those are what I bring to the woods with me when I go?
Truly, I would either have my falcata-shaped machete (or is that a sword?), or a tomahawk or axe, or both.

BUT......I do like these thought exercises.

So, it depends on why I am in the woods.

If I'm just doing woodsy stuff, it would be my Busse Bushwacker Mistress.
Otherwise, it would be my OKC-3S bayonet -- it works fine for bushcraft and camping, and turns my rifle into a spear.

 

[sodak]

SAK Huntsman or Farmer. One is always in my pocket.

 

[spencereyring]

Fallkniven or gtfo

 

[Bushido185]

Ontario Marine SP1-95... only because I'm still waiting for my Bushcrafter on back order.

 

[Hawkeye5]

This is impossible , I am not going out with out more than 1 knife. So no can't be done.

 

[philbro]

CS Bushman. As well as being able to handle most things ok, it makes a really handy spear to make me feel a bit safer when Bigfoot is stomping round at night.