Wilderness survival knife help!?

T

The Greer

Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
14
Hello all,

I'm taking some hiking trips to west coast trail, amazon, etc. and want to buy an awesome survival knife...as lots of camping, wilderness, etc in my future.

I don't know very much about knives...but do know i want a (straigh-blade)?? I'm currently thinking about something from RAT cutlery (rc-4) or perhaps the fallkniver S1?

Would much appreciate any opinion as to which knife is better...or another brand/knife that you think is the best!!!

Thanks so much,

Greer
 
I would pose this question in "wilderness and survival skills". It is a subforum under "tactics and training". You will have a lot of reading and help for this topic there.

have fun
 
Greer,

You'll find as many suggestions as there are people on this forum with the criteria you've listed. It might help some if you narrow it down a bit.

Do you want stainless or non?
What is the max price range?
Are you talking about long hikes where weight is more of a factor, or shorter excursions?
Etc. etc.

You'll probably also find that there is no single 'best" solution...every knife is a set of compromises.
 
well, of those three questions:

-probably stainless steel. As will be outdoors in rain, possible salt water, etc
-price range is pretty wide...around $100-$600
-long hikes..but i'm pretty big guy (6'2'', 205)...so I really don't think the weight makes a huge difference

Also, would like to throw busse combat knives in the mix as well.

Once again, I really do appreciate any advice....

Greer
 
The Greer said:
well, of those three questions:

-probably stainless steel. As will be outdoors in rain, possible salt water, etc
-price range is pretty wide...around $100-$600
-long hikes..but i'm pretty big guy (6'2'', 205)...so I really don't think the weight makes a huge difference

Also, would like to throw busse combat knives in the mix as well.

Once again, I really do appreciate any advice....

Greer
Click to expand...

Are you going to use it for splitting wood etc and have a small secondary knife (SAK--swiss army knife) for fine cutting? If so, Id suggest the current busse bushwacker battle mistress that is for sale on their site now

If you got some time and want a smaller blade. Id suggest a custom from one of the makers in the maker section of the forums. Fiddleback forge makes some great designs. This knife will have a lot of character--something i think would be great for extensive travel.

Rat cutlery make great knives at affordable prices. Great no BS warranty as well.

Remember, take care of your knife and it will take care of you. Make sure you know how to sharpen it etc:). Best of luck
 
Well, you picked two winners.

I own a Rat RC4 and love it. A perfect size knife for camping imo. A great bunch of folks to deal with (they have their own forum here) and one of the best warranties in the business. Granted the Rat is carbon but good knife maintenance will make it last a long time.

I have no experience with the Fallkniven or Busse blades, but they have a fantastic reputation too. Busse are out of my price range. Some of the scrapyard knives available on the website look interesting. Several around $100. The Busse forum could tell you more about SR77 steel.
 
probably no splitting wood....the smaller blade knife (4-7 perhaps) sounds more in line with what i'm looking for. Would have to do a little more research before i would be comfortable having one custom made...even though it isn't out of the question.

Seems like the rat cutlery knives are really great deals...just wondered if i had a little more to spend if there were "better" knives out there. But do not want to pay a premium for anything that ventures into "collector" status...or where looks begin to overwhelm function.

My apologies for any lack of specifics...just learning more about knives and still not sure exactly how to express my wants...

Greer
 
The Rat cutlery RC4 will meet all your criteria without any problems whatsoever.

The carbon steel/rust problem is not really an issue if you are using and maintain the blade. If your prone to letting it sit long periods of time in water or saltwater then stainless would be a better option.

The Busses are great knives but are considerably higher priced than the RC4 or other Rat's and wont neccessarily return that much more performance.

Another option that has the price in between the Rat cutlery knives and the Busse option is to have one of the makers here on the forum maker you a knife.

Check us out on the Wilderness and Survival Skills sub-forum. Lots of helpful folks there.

Check out the RAT cutlery subforum on the manufacturers forum as well. Another group of trtemendously helpful folks.

Welcome to the forums.

RAT PACK #103
 
+1 on the RC4. You'll have to keep it a little more maintained to avoid corrosion in wet environments, but its a stellar knife with a stellar company behind it.
 
I can't speak for the quality of all of RAT cutlery knives, however, the izula I have is a great little knife.

That said, I think Busse Combat makes the most brutally tough knives in the business, and can't recommend them enough. Check out their current offering the bushwacker mistress.
 
Honestly, from what you are saying you need -look into a Mora knife. AKA "Frosts Mora." For 20 dollars (and less) they will perform just as well as any other knife -even as well as knives in the 600 range. They aren't splitters, but you said that was not a big deal. Edge retention is decent so long as you know how to sharpen. Of course other knives will have characteristics that surpass a Mora, but they may not be paramount.

If anything, just add one to your list and give it a shot. If you dont like the sheath it comes with, a company called JRE makes really nice leather sheaths for them.

The other companies you mentioned are great and are also well worth the money. They make user knives -not collectors (for generic models that is). Bark River knives may be another company you should look at.
 
I'm with The Government, and I'm here to help you. (Always wanted an excuse to say that.)

No sense in getting a high dollar knife until you know what you want and why. Get a Mora. It'll handle anything you need it to. Spend some time outdoors with it. When you have 30 days outdoors with it, if you still have the itch for a more expensive knife, you'll have a much better idea what will meet your needs. The $10 or so a Mora costs is a small price for tuition, and even if you later get something else, it'll be well worth the money just to have to tuck somewhere you just might need a knife.
 
The Greer said:
probably no splitting wood....the smaller blade knife (4-7 perhaps) sounds more in line with what i'm looking for. Would have to do a little more research before i would be comfortable having one custom made...even though it isn't out of the question.

Seems like the rat cutlery knives are really great deals...just wondered if i had a little more to spend if there were "better" knives out there. But do not want to pay a premium for anything that ventures into "collector" status...or where looks begin to overwhelm function.

My apologies for any lack of specifics...just learning more about knives and still not sure exactly how to express my wants...

Greer
Click to expand...

It appears Ray Mears gets around the world with a 4 inch blade Scandinavian knife, Golok machete and 15 inch handle Swiss axe.
 
With the kind of price range u mentioned, you can go custom and get yourself the steel and shape and size you want. Otherwise I would recommend that RC6 for hacking, chopping etc and a smaller SAK with 3-4 inches of blade for delicate tasks.
 
100 to 600 you say? thast lokos liek enough room to squeeze in a busse, take your pick they're all good. go for busse definetly, id pick up a few county comm penaut lighters some 550 paracord, some generic kit that includes a multitude of things, first aid, definetly a small camping axe, and if you ca afford it the kaydyn water purifyer
 
At your upper end price limit, why limit yourself to just one knife? For not much more than 1/2 your limit you could probably buy 3 very serviceable knives, 2 fixed blades and a folder...larger fixed (i.e. RC--4 or RC-6 or Bark River Bravo/Guny, smaller fixed (i.e. RAT Izula or Bark River Bravo Necker, and a SAK Farmer. And don't neglect to check out some of the fine custom knives made by some of the makers on BF. Give yourself some options!
 
A.P.F. said:
One word - Nessmuk.
Click to expand...


+1. A 3" or 4" fixed blade, and a Hatchet/axe works for me. Plus my Swiss Army Knife, of course.

100_1389.jpg







Or if traveling through heavy vegetation is a concern replace the hatchet/axe with a machete.
 
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