How to Choose a Survival Knife
More Articles Related to Blades And KnivesYou need the best survival knife. Choosing the right survival knife is more than an exercise in individuality – your very life may hinge upon its proper selection.
Anyone who has ever spent quality time in the outdoors will vouch for the usefulness of a good knife but to the survival expert his knife is one of his best friends and the most closely guarded of his survival gear. Like a good friend, his survival knife should never let him down.
Every Man Had a Knife
Time was when nearly all men carried knives, if only a small pocket knife while in town. Whenever one went into the wilds his hunting knife, as they were then called, was always close at hand.
The survival knife is the most important item of your survival gear
Today many people have forgotten the necessity of always carrying a knife. Indeed it has become commonplace to meet people who are afraid of knives and question those who carry them. It is a sad fact that the majority of modern day people have no idea about the many uses of a good knife.
Often while out on the trail I will meet people who ask me what the knife hanging from the shoulder strap of my pack is for. “You don’t know what a knife is for?”, is my usual reply. And they think they do. But I know better, for else they would not have asked such a clueless question.
Survival Knives are Required Gear
A good survival knife is the most important item of your survival gear and is one of the 15 essentials that all survivors should have with them. With a good knife you can make or obtain just about anything you need to live and even prosper in the outdoors. With this in mind, your selection of the best survival knife for your needs must be based on solid construction, proper materials, workmanship, and functionality.
Survival Knives to Avoid
To the inexperienced, survival knives often conjure up images of the huge Rambo type knives as glorified in Hollywood movies. Though they look like potent weapons that can take on the world, these oversized knives are a far cry from the best of knives used by survival experts. The big knives suffer from being difficult to control as they are overly heavy and bulky. Many needs of the survivor require finer detail work than can readily be accomplished with this kind of blade.
Double edged knives are used mostly for thrusting. Because their tips are relatively weak they are prone to breaking. In addition, the second edge is an unneeded edge that can lead to injury.
Many survival knives are sold that have hollow handles, the idea being you can store survival essentials like matches and compass inside the water tight handle. One problem hollow handled survival knives have is that they are prone to being weaker than the solid handle variety. There are exceptions, but generally you are better off storing your survival gear elsewhere. One advantage to this is that should you loose your knife you will still have the remainder of your survival gear to rely upon.
The best outdoor survival knives are actually quite unassuming. Inexperienced outdoorsmen and survivalists will often pass them over to select blades that will mark them as survival neophytes to those who are in the know,
Optimum Blade Length of a Survival Knife
The best survival knives neet to be versatile in the number of things they can be called upon to do. At the same time bulk and weight are important considerations as with any survival gear.
It has been my experience that the ideal survival knife blade length is somewhere between four and six inches. This size blade offers good mix of size and control. Any blade larger than that is overkill and merely adds to the weight and bulk of the survival gear I am carrying.
If a larger survival blade is needed then you would probably be better off packing a machete, axe, hatchet, tomahawk, or kuris. In any case, you would still do well to also have on your person a regular sized survival knife.
In addition to a survival knife with about a 5-inch blade, I like to carry a multi-tool that has a smaller folding blade. This blade comes in handy for finer detail work that would be too cumbersome for the large knife.
Knife Tang
The best survival knife is constructed of one piece of metal, to which there may be slabs of material attached to form a comfortable handle. This kind of construction is known in the knife world as “full tang” or “narrow tang”.
- Full tang survival knives are made so that the blade merges into the handle. Often two slabs of material are attached to either side of the metal to make a comfortable handle. In order to economize on weight and bulk some knives eschew the addition of handles and the metal is left bare.
- Narrow tang survival knives reduce the size of the blade material as it enters the handle of the knife. A handle is then attached over the narrower piece of the knife. Often the knife handle is composed of leather disks, the placement of which is a skill in and of itself. Narrow tang knives sometimes have a pommel attached to the handle end of the tang.
Cheap survival knives are often made so that the metal blade is separate from the handle. The weak point on these badly made knives is where the blade and handle are bolted and glued together. You would do well to avoid such a cheap knife in favor of the superior full tang or narrow tang models.
Types of Knife Blades
There are two main types of knife blades that the survivor need concern himself with, namely smooth and serrated. Serrated survival knife blades do well at cutting synthetic materials, clothing, and flesh. For self defense and paramedics, etc, serrated edges are a good choice.
A drawback to serrated cutting edges is that they are difficult to sharpen properly in the field. This is certainly a major drawback in a survival situation where maintaining a keen edge during hard use is vitally important. In addition, serrated knives do not have an efficient blade for carving and chopping.
A plain smooth edged blade is the blade of choice for most survival situations. Such a blade is useful for carving, chopping, and cutting. Though it may not slice through nylon webbing, clothing, or flesh as efficiently as a serrated blade, the straight bladed knives will still make short work of these materials.
The added advantage of the regular blade is that you can sharpen your survival knife on a rock or piece of concrete should you not have a regular sharpening stone handy whereas the serrated blade generally needs a special sharpening device and technique.
On the back of many survival knives are a saw meant for sawing through metal or wood. In too many cases, as in the Rambo type knives, these saws only do a poor job at best. If you require a small saw in your survival gear you would do well to add a tool specifically designed for this rather than use your knife for this purpose.
Knife Blade Thickness
The best survival knife will generally have a blade thickness of between 5/32 and 8/32 of an inch. Any thinner and the blade becomes too flexible and thicker blades lack the finesse for the finer work that knives for survival are often called upon to do.
It is important that the tip of the knife maintains its strength, as this is a likely area the knife is likely to fail.
Knife Blade Materials
There are two main types of steel used in making high quality survival knives:
- Stainless Steel knife blades are rust resistant and work especially well in wet environments. They require less care than the carbon steel knives. Drawbacks to using stainless steel in knives is that they tend to be more expensive, are more difficult to sharpen, and may not hold an edge as well.
- Carbon Steel knife blades will rust if not used regularly or coated. Many feel carbon bladed knives hold an edge better than their stainless steel counterparts.
Some of the Best Survival Knives
In future Survival Topics I will explore a few of the proven survival knives that would serve you well. I welcome any input from Survival Topics readers about knives and their personal choices for the best survival knife.
Some of the best survival knives that come highly recommended include Becker Knives, Fallkniven, and SOGs:
- Fallkniven H1
- Fallkniven A1
- Fallkniven F1
- Fallkniven S-1
- SOG Seal 2000
- SOG Seal Pup
- Becker Knives
- Becker BK10
- Becker BK9
- Becker BK7
- Bear Grylls Knife - interesting read, an expensive knife for collectors.
- Survivormans Knife
- Rambo 4 knife - certainly not a choice in survival knives but an expensive knife for collectors.
When choosing the best survival knife for your needs you make certain you do not skimp. Get the best survival knife for your needs and it will serve you well for years to come. And, it may just save your life!
NH
Brian, some of the better survival knife makes include the Sog knives, Becker, and Fallkniven line. There are many more to choose from, with these knives you are on the right track.
From what I understand Becker Knives discontinued production. Such an excellent survival blade, made to cut anything. The BK10 and BK10 are two of my favorites.
What to look for in a survival knife depends upon how you plan to use it. What is the survival environment you are likely to find yourself in? Also you need to select a survival knife that conforms to your local knife laws.
Some good survival knife choices include the Fallkniven knives. Additional selections could be chosen from the Gerber knives and Tom Browns Tracker.
Kentucky
Brian, Check out rangerknives.com Justin makes some awsome blades that are the answer to the BK models, & the price on his knives are GREAT !
central Mich.
I consider a large knife is best, but should be used with 1 or 2 smaller knives for the delicate jobs. I prefer the becker bk 7,a swiss army farmer, and a camillis heat combination.
michigan
Except for getting lost in the woods a few times, I have never been in a true survival situation (thank God). But the knife that has worked best for me is the old style Gerber River Runner knife. It is an all steel skeleton knife with a half serrated blade. I have used it as a camping knife, dive knife, and around the house. The serrated edge cuts through nylon line and plastic with ease. Its only drawback is the clip sheath.
Washington St.
I am aware of the serrated vs plain smooth edged blade, but the Gerber LMF II has both. In short I am torn betwenn the LMF II or the Gerber Gator model 1, Which would you purchase?
Survival Topics - Hi Nick, thank you for reading Survival Topics. Both Gerber knives are excellent and either would be a good addition to your survival gear. Serrated edges have their place, especially if you may be cutting man-made materials.
Personally I prefer fixed blade survival knives like the Gerber LMF II since they have no working parts that can fail and do not require unfolding for quick use. However many others prefer folding knives which are just as useful.
As with most things, your choice of survival knives will depend upon many factors and the knife that is best suited for you may be different than the one chosen by someone else.
Va.USA
I seeing a trend toward smaller blade length choices. I am a fan of Becker knives; especially the Brute,which i have used for many years. Also I use the ColdSteel Trailmaster bowie, the Coldsteel Ghurka Khukri and the Coldsteel LTC Khukri.
Your knife is your main survival tool and I prefer enough blade to do the job because a big blade can do everything a small blade can do but not vise versa. This is coming from over 25 years experience in real survival situations. Try making a shelter in inclement weather with a 6 inch blade with dark closing in. Compare the time with a 9.5 inch to 12 inch survival blade.
I'll take any of my 4 choices along with my multi-tool anyday. To me it's just more practical to carry a knife that can handle all chores. Maybe it's not for everybody but it's my personal preference.
Va,USA
For those of you choosing a small fixed blade as your primary survival knife and considering carrying a machete,the new Gerber gator machete is a very effective machete,it's actually the first truly functional sawback machete I've tested,
The spine of the blade has a very aggressive sawback and from testing performs flawlessy on hardwood when chopping is not feasible. They're made from high carbon steel and have a very forgiving grip that is large enough to apply 2 handed swings if needed.
The ColdSteel models include the Latin machete and khukri models. The standard and the magnum are very effective and made of 1050 to 1055 carbonsteel. These blades take a extremely good edge and maintain it. I also like the ontario mil-spec machete which is a great performer Just a thought for those of you choosing 4 to 6 inch survival blades.
Colorado
I have a knife that I have been using for 25 years and it is a Parker Imai copy of a Buck Master survival knife (Hollow Handled Rambo type) and it has a 9 1/2 blade. This knife has served me in the jungles of Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Columbia as well a Bosnia and now Afghanistan. This Parker Imai knife has saved my life and has been through hell and back and still holds an edge like no other being a surgical stainless steel blade. It's cut- banding strap, vines, tree's, cans, meat, and the blade is a quarter inch thick serrated clip tip, saw back, I carry this kinfe where ever I go and trust it 100% with my life. I just wish Parker Imai was still in buisness cause it cost me $19.00 brand new at a flea market in Florida.
NH
Some practical blades to look at in Gossman knives, Ontario Knives RAT, or RAT cutlery RC series.
Atlanta, GA
What do you think of the Ka-bar D2 Impact knife as a survival knife? This page helps choose a survival knife, thank you very much!
North central Ohio
Please remember, the size of your knife should be reflective of your environment. In the Northwest and Southeast U.S.A. you may be better served with both, A large and small blade. If you are in a jungle environment a machete is very important. In a desert a small knife(4-6 inch blade) will serve you better than a machete.
So look at the environment you are in and choose what is best for you. After all a man can never have too many knives, flashlights, fishing poles or survival tools.
Wichita, Kansas
What do you think of military survival knives like the Gerber LMF series or the Ontario ASEK? Would they be as good for wilderness survival or are they geared more towards combat situations?
Survival Topics - Matt, both these blades are excellent and will serve you well as survival knives. Often military knives are a little on the large size for general all around survival blades, but these two are well within the realm of good dependable survival knives.
Oh
Has anyone had any experience with glock's knives? apparently they are used by Austrian Special Forces.
tulsa, OK
I see my earlier knife comments are no longer here. Do they drop off after others add theirs due to space?
Survival Topics - Wayne, you have knife comments in the articles "Best Survival Tool" and "Survivormans Knife'. Are these the blade comments you are seeking?
Maine
I'm in the market for a new survival knife. What's you take on the Gerber LMF II and Prodigy, the RAT4. the Ka-Bar Impact and the Benchmade Rant? Which of those would you select and why?
Survival Topics - these are all excellent knives and you would do well to use any of them. Without knowing your specific needs it is impossible to say which are right for you. Any Survival Topics readers have preferences? Go ahead and post them here!
Portland, ME
It's a good information about survival knives. Between the author' ideas and the reader comments, I learned a great deal of selecting a knife.
My question is what your rate on a double smooth edged blade Exporer knife with full metal tang and two slaps. It was a little shock for me that my knife is not one of the top. Please anyone can rate the Exporer knife?
Atlanta
What is a good survival folding knife?
washington
You seem to dis like "big knives" but a larger "rambo knife" caried with a smaller knife is very helpful for survival.
Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
A great knife is the CRKT first strike knife. It has a 5.5" blade, tanto style plain blade 1/4" thick all around and is wrapped in rayskin and hardened cloth on the handle. This knife is the best knife I have ever needed to use in my survival arsenal, and relatively cheap (70-90$). I would highly recommend it for survival use. the CRKT sheath is kydex moulded, with many loop holes on the sides to accompany 550 paracord, another great friend for the survival enthusiast!
North Ga.
Any good quality knife can be a "survival knife" when it is what you have when duty calls. It seems that many guys are wanting someone to tell them what knife to carry when there is an obvious lack of experience in using a knife in the first place. Learning to use a knife is more important than a brand name or even design. I have talked to guys who refuse to take instruction, assuming that a knife is a simple tool and it's use requires no skill or practice. But much effort is wasted by the inexperienced (just look around at a Boy Scout camp). Stay away from gimmicks and novelties. One of the reasons good knives cost more than bad knives is the attention given to how the blade is heat treated. This, more than the type of steel, is most important. If you ever expect there is a chance your life will depend on the retail choices you make, spend the money to get the quality. If you are stranded and starving to death on a mountain face with razor sharp $300 knife on your hip, at least thats not the knife's fault. It's a lot smarter than thinking how stupid your knife purchase was while freezing to death trying to build a shelter with the pieces of a broken $30 knife. You will never emerge out of danger wishing you had the cheaper equipment. If your life is worth anything to you, the other survival gear in your pack or pocket deserves just as much consideration.
ky
Double edged knives can be good for survival if the blade is thick enough and my prefered brand of knife is microtech they are very expensive military grade knives.
I think the best survival knife is JK Ericsons carbon steel mora from Sweden
dc
I seeing a trend toward smaller blade length choices. I am a fan of Becker knives; especially the Brute,which I have used for many years. Also I use the ColdSteel Trailmaster bowie, the Coldsteel Ghurka Khukri and the Coldsteel LTC Khukri.
Your knife is your main survival tool and I prefer enough blade to do the job because a big blade can do everything a small blade can do but not vise versa. This is coming from over 25 years experience in real survival situations. Try making a shelter in inclement weather with a 6 inch blade with dark closing in. Compare the time with a 10 to 12-inch survival blade.
ohio
I must say that I only half agree with the survival knifes to avoid section while it is true that some of the needs in a true life or death survivla situation are too delicate for large knives. However there are generaly ways to get around that and, about them being hard to control that is not true. Size and weight are a matter of preferance. With proper time spent getting used to a blade you can preform jobs as finite as temporary surgery that would generaly be done with a scaple or razor pen knife.
ohio
I would like to disagree with your optimum blade length of a survival knife, because for hundreds of years true survivor's used large axes and knives which were the knife of choice ranging from ten inches to a foot in length. On top of this they actually survived unlike your surviving which is more like a form of camping. True survival is using what you have to survive at the time of an accident or emergency, not planning ahead for a camping trip.
Survival Topics - everybody has their own opinions about ideal knives, and I gave mine based upon real wilderness survival experience. There is are differences between the smaller "wilderness survival" blades and large "battle" blades. While a hefty Bowie knife, for example, would be ideal at the Alamo in 1836 it may not be as useful for gutting out a small brook trout or crafting a wooden spoon. In addition, carrying all one's gear on foot means weight and bulk of equipment are an issue; with this in mind compromises are typcially made. A 4 to 6-inch blade can be used for a wide variety of purposes, is relatively small and light, and would still be useful at the Alamo in 1836
The bottom line remains, as always, carry what you feel best meets your individual needs.
Greenacres, Fl.
I am currently looking for a fixed survival knife and I thank you for this site. I have read many of the other comments and have decided to go with my first choice of a Gerber LMF II, I have the folding Gerber Gator and also the Gerber multi tool. I have been very happy with both for the last 10+ years of carring them. Thanks again for this site.
Maine
From large knives like Rambo or crocodile dundee to something smaller its said to be better off, it actually depends on the country or region your in.The right tool for the job.
Japan
I think you've made some excellent points here, especially talking about the conservative blade length, and the advantage of carrying a few specialized tools. I've had to rely on my survival bundle quite a few times in a variety of environments (desert, high-altitude, rainforest), and in most situations, the majority of my blade work was best done with a smaller blade.
In most cases, I usually carry the Cold Steel Kukri for any major chopping and trail clearance, and a SOG Powerlock multitool for a few specific tasks, and I've tried carrying a SaberCut saw though I never found it to be necessary. My primary knife is a SOG SEAL Pup. Very light, strong, and durable beyond my most extreme expectations, and possibly the most comfortable knife to use over an extended period of time. Sure comfort isn't the most important thing, but you appreciate the differences in ergonomics when you can hack away all afternoon and still be able to hold your rations the next morning...
Central Florida
I've seen a lot of people asking about the Gerber LMF II. I have a friend who bought one from my recommendation and has been forever grateful. A bit to remember about this knife if your considering buying it is that it was designed to be an Air Force survival knife. Most of the time Air Force survival knife is meant to be sitting in a cockpit (or a car) and not carried. In other words for its size this is a heavy knife. If you are looking for a knife to have in your car in case of breaking down in the middle of nowhere then this is the knife you want. The Gerber LMF II can break windows cut through seat belts with ease and is just all around useful.
You are welcome to share this Survival Topic with others. I only request that you use a short blurb (not the entire survival content) and this code to
link to the origional:
Mass.
Can you recommend a particular knife model or manufacturer that I should look into? Your suggestions are great, I just don't know where to find such a knife.