You can only have ONE with you

runningboar said:
OK I am axe ignorant but an axe has no point, how could you clean a squirrel or a trout with an axe? A bird I can see I can clean birds and rabbits with nothing but my hands their skin is delicate and rips, a big fish I can see fileting with the axe but a tough old squirrel or a 7" trout I don't see at all. Cutting figure 4 triggers, really wittling any kind of small implement with an axe and keeping my fingers seems tough. I tell you what, yall have convinced me, I am going to buy a wetterlings hunters axe and give this stuff a try, evidently I have been short changing axes. Chris
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The way you would do it would be to choke up on it. Put your palm on the back of the bit and lay your thumb and forefingers across the faces of the bit. An axe is actually quite usable like that. The problem that most people would encounter with this is that not a lot of people keep a good edge on their axes. It should be just as sharp as a knife and taken care of in the same fashion. Meaning keep it razor sharp with a stone and not just rough out a wedge shape with a file.
 
Sheffield made, military issue approved JSK or Martindale Golok (both issued). Jungle Survival Knife (although it is an Anywhere Survival Knife in fact).

The British and Australian (and Commonwealth) militaries have never been able to destroy one of these in their COMSURV knife testing evaluations.

On one test it came in equal to a Chris Reeve model but they opted for the JSK based upon price. It is very good quality, indestructible, simple and VERY effective. BUT is is probably the ugliest military issued knife ever made.

It has seen action with our boys since it's inception (mid 50's or 60's?), although now it does not seem to be issued anymore (when it stopped being issued I don't know) although it can be purchased and CO's don't generally look down upon personal items that have the "Broad Arrow" markings on them, at least not in our military (Australian) anyway.

As a side note, alot of enthusiasts with these knives (and a bit of technical knowledge) like modifying them as there construction takes to modifying quite well, in fact when you buy one it looks partially un-finished! I have heard of people cold-grinding the blade to a flat-ground profile and contouring the handle for ergonomic reasons.

Anyways, apologies for the long winded reply, but it is a tank-killer of a knife and would serve most people (cavemen included) well.
 
Hi all,
17" HI WWII Khukri.

Geez...I'm sitting here at the computer terminal at 1:54 am and I just took my rig off,(it's like...1' away on the floor), made from old web gear suspenders that holds my WW II under my left arm-pit and my fire kit under my right arm. Now the freakin asteroid hits!!?? I wonder if I can convince the wife I need to start sleeping with my rig on?
I still have my 2nd gen cqc7 on my shorts though...
mark
 
A few months back I would have picked a light axe or hatchet. But recently I've bought a couple of Himalayan Imports Ang Khola khukuris.... a 15" (overall length) and a 12". Dang they can cut stuff!! I use the 12-incher most of the time, and I'd probably pick this to be 'the one'.

If I were to carry it conveniently all the time, I'd probably make a flat sheath instead of using the traditional one... and I'd do without the chakmak and karda tools that come with it just to make is sit more snugly against my body.

I am really impressed with what these khukuris can do.

But like others have said, if you are travelling in very cold areas it would be a bit dumb not to have a decent axe.

I would always pick a strong fixed blade over a folder if I had a choice. I carry folders a lot 'around town', but if I'm headed into some serious wilderness I'd always try to have a decent fixed blade.
 
Coote, Can you get to Bali? I hear that is a favorite place of travel for kiwis ;)

You can buy so awesome bolos there!

Chris
 
This is probably cheating but... If I could have only one knife and it was a folder it would be my SAK Champ, if I was choosing a fixed blade it would by Busse Hell Razor...
 
I'd definitely go with a fixed blade, full tang construction, blade 6 inches. That is usually what is on my belt most of the time anyways.
 
Interesting reading, some of the posts being nothing short of amusing. It would have been neat to get an eye witness account of the 'wilderness man' which traversed the US two hundred years ago. Our museums illustrate that their tools were somewhat limited. They had saws, hammers, axes and some basic butcher knives at hand. They had never seen 154cm, vascowear or knives fashioned from talonite.

Some here have pointed out that the harsh conditions took the lives of many a man and woman during that time as a result of the rigors they encountered. Today, few of us can even imagine such horrid conditions. The world was indeed a different place.

In response to your query: I'd have to take a sharp double bit axe for an extended stay in the woods. A good axe is an amazing tool for woodworking that can double as a formidable weapon. The key here is knowing how to wield one with skill.

Most of the time, for most average people, they'd be well served with something like an 15-18 inch machete. A bowie style knife might work if the edge was keen and the owner had plenty of strength to use one. There are so many variables here...some folk might be able to use a multi-tool to save their hides. Others could have the latest and greatest wonder knife and simply perish despite their 'quality' cutlery.
 
Wow, another one of these threads.

To be honest I find myself asking myself this all the time.

First and formost if I was carring what I had with me all the time, it would be a Manix and a Leatherman all the way.

Now if I could ONLY prechoose one, I would have to be in the stout fixed blade camp....

My choice goes to my Camp tramp or Fusion Steel Heart both extensively reprofiled.

But in reality, I would be lucky to have anything at all and would definately make do with anything or nothing.
 
XMP said:
I know this is a variation on a theme in this forum, but some of the recent discussion of toys and tools has me thinking. So here is my scenario/question: you are in a long term survival/bush-living situation. Imagine Robinson Crusoe or Paulsen's Hatchet story in a North American woodland setting. You aren't going to be rescued in 48 hours; in fact, it may be months or never. You'll need to construct shelter, prepare firewood, start fires, trap, fish, and do whatever else it takes to thrive in this situation. In other words it is a longterm, but unplanned wilderness living situation.

Given this scenario what is the ONE blade you'd want to have with you. LM and SAKs count as knives, as do axes and hatchets. This one blade will have to do everything from batoning to skinning to preparing kindling.

What would you choose? I'm interested to hear both general parameters (length, style, fixed, folding, etc.) to specfic brands and models.
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I see that a lot of people here EDC very large blades, double bit axes, machetes, goloks and a variety of fixed blades. All I gotta say is, I really need to move outta California.:D
 
I would use a SOG Seal because it's good enough for the seals to use, so it's good enough for me.
 
Quote:

"I would use a SOG Seal because it's good enough for the seals to use, so it's good enough for me."

The SOG Seal did go through all of the Navy Trials but you also have to understand that there were a few financial requirements from the DoD that play into the picture too. A lot of older Navy Seals carry Randalls because they have the paygrade to afford to be able to buy the Randall knife.

OMT
 
Well, Chrisaloia, I guess I could get to Bali if I were willing to fork out the money to the airline. Dunno if I'd do it just to buy a decent bolo though.

I reckon if I ever travel overseas again, my destination is more likely to be something a bit less 'popular' from a kiwi tourist point of view. Might go to America, although Africa holds quite an appeal....
 
I just like my sog's and emersons. On my person I carry around (all the time) my sog powerlock, my magnesium/flint fire starter, my lumi nox watch, and either my sog vulcan or my emerson commander (I like to rotate these as to even out the wear on the blades). So, if I were to be thrown in the survival scenerio provided, I think I would be pretty well off. I am an eagle scout and just having all of this extra stuff would be awsome. I'd probably start my own city with all of the crap in my pockets (just kidding). I know several people put fixed blades as the main thing to choose or an axe, but I'd be happy just having my EDC on me (emerson commander or the vulcan). Both of these are fairly thick blades for a folder, and are made of good steel. The emerson I like because I could tighten or loosen the pivot in case it gets loose with just my thumb nail, this going by the lost and never being found scenerio, and my vulcan because it is very thick for a folder, .16" stock and 3.5" blade. I know the length of these is alot less than the 2 to 3 foot machetes and other stuff, but they work for me and I carry these all the time. As stated above by a few people, who actually runs around with an axe or a 2 foot blade? I'm not trying to start anything, just stating the obvious.

Now in the 'never being found' scenerio where I HAVE to stay put, I would use my knife and flint, not including my powerlock 'cause that is not in the scenerio, and start burning the base of the logs to act as my axe, the indians did it so I can too. Plus, I'm sure we've all seen survivorman and bear grylls in man vs. wild, those are actually very useful things to watch on discovery channel. If I have all the time in the world, after getting my initial fire going and finding a good water supply, I would start my shelter for the night. With my freshly burned logs, and all of my energy still intact (the burning of the logs prevented me from losing precious energy and time), I would set up for the night and worry about food the next day. That ends that scenerio, just keep up the same thing until my city is built!!!

Now, If this is the moving around scenerio, I would probably do the man vs. wild thing and either follow a fresh water stream or head in a good direction to find civilization. Most likely in the dropped in the middle of nowhere scenerio, hopefully you've been watching where your plane has been going, or at least know what and where you are flying over. This would help in chosing a direction. If you are a person who knows nothing about finding a bearing, just do what you can to keep busy, stay put, and wait for sun down or sun up to find west and east. Okay, I'll shut up now, hopefully through all of this my commander will hold out (#1 hard use knifes in the world Emerson Commander Inc.).
 
I just re-read my post above and realized that I ranted on about survival tactics instead of my knife of choice, It would be the Emerson Commander 'cause I trust it and it has never let me down. Plus I carry it on me everywhere so it would already be there for me.
 
Ah yes Batosai, but it is actually the tactics that are the most important.

To paraphrase something that our wise Pict once wrote, it is not the blade that matters so much as the man that holds it.
 
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