Survival Knife, What's your pick?

[5KNIVES]

Lets try this scenario.

Some undefined disaster occurs, and you have to bug out right now, to the nearest local "wilderness" like area. and could only carry what you can pack on your back, and you might be there for an indefinite time,

Of the knives you currently own what would you take? Why?

Of the knives you do not own what would you like to take? and why?

I'll give my own answers later.

[Deer Sniper]

Gerber multi tool and My BK7 and RTAK. I would have an effective chopper with the RTAK, good multi purpose/skinning/self defense knife with the BK7 and of course multi task/fine cutting task with the Gerber .

[Optimus Prime]

My Marine Ka-Bar in sheath, Leatherman Super Tool in it's pouch with all it's dodads and my Ontario saw back machete slung vertical at the top of my pack.

All are highly reliable yet practical.

For the ones I don't own.........

How about Luke Skywalker's light saber!!!! :p

Nah, for real though, I have always liked the idea of the Cold Steel Bushman. Highly versatile.

[quigleysharps4570]

My Bowie for camp task, quartering deer and self-defense. Drop point for gutting and skinning deer and other game, also any small task.

[ponder]

My cold steel gurkha light kukri for the big stuff. Leatherman multi tool for the little stuff. I would also like to get a cold steel bushman to round out my survival needs.

[Tyr]

This is my hunting kit as well as a sharpenig stone this is what I would take in youre scenario. Im an arch hunter so a hawk is a must.
http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/26414109_0914.jpg

[StooperZero]

..My BIG Bowie,,,,My cutlass...and assortment of ninja goodies..

[gi_janearng]

I'd take my K-bar, great for chopping and defense, my Leatherman, my Swiss Army knife, and probably my Seal Pup; it has a good, strong blade and is partially serrated for sawing.

[LHS]

My SpecPlus bolo for chopping, my Cold Steel mini Culloden for utility, my Roger Massey custom hunter for hunting/skinning, and my SpecPlus KaBar for everything else.

[hardcorps1775]

man, they screwed up that bolo knife...it shoulda been a lot thicker with a metal guard, not that cheap-ass plastic thing! what were they thinking?:rolleyes:

i like the spec-plus marine raider bowie, 1/4" thick blade with a metal guard. but i guess for a survival knife, i'd go with the spec-plus survival machete. massive chopping power, sawback edge for whatever you might need that for, great choke-up area, can be used as a prybar, shovel, chisel...

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/1394Spec-Plus_Machete.jpg

[LHS]

Originally posted by hardcorps1775
[B]man, they screwed up that bolo knife...it shoulda been a lot thicker with a metal guard, not that cheap-ass plastic thing! what were they thinking?:rolleyes:

I liked mine just fine. It cuts anything I need for it to cut, and the cushy rubbery handguards feel good against my thumb. I'm not parrying sword blades with it, just chopping brush.

[hardcorps1775]

lhs, have you chopped really thick stuff or put it through the ringer? i have one too but haven't really tried it out. i have beat hell outta the survival machete though. man, that was a good buy for me!:)

[LHS]

Originally posted by hardcorps1775
lhs, have you chopped really thick stuff or put it through the ringer? i have one too but haven't really tried it out. i have beat hell outta the survival machete though. man, that was a good buy for me!:)

I've cut down 8"-10" trees with it, and split god-knows-how-many logs of camp firewood. It's cleared more multiflora rose than you can shake a stick at, and I've only resharpened it once. The only nick in the blade came from an old nail hidden in a log, probably from some farmer putting up barbed wire years ago.

[11Binf]

hi LHS its me vince g. martys bud...how are you doing man...well for me i like my british M.O.D survival knife...its big and beefy and gets the job done for me ...i have split wood and hacked small saplings with this knife...and it did not break the bank at $50 plus bucks ..i got it at the p.x. when i was in the army ....the knife holds a decent edge ,sharpens up no problem...the only thing i do'nt like is the crappy sheath....i also carry a mauser/n.a.t.o Bw pocket knife..no frills my friends just good solid items of kit.....vince g. 11b infantry...(former)

[5KNIVES]

you guys and gals are an impressive group. I knew there were some experienced and/or well trained folks here, the answers so far bear that out. Well maybe not the light saber, but come to think of it, it could be mighty handy couldn't it?

I'll shut up for another day or so, until the thread starts to die, then I'll shoot off my mouth about my selections, and why I asked the question.

Then you can all gang up on me and ridicule me at your leisure.

Untill then, why don't some of you silent viewers jump in? This is a friendly and amicable group!

_____________________________________
Pay no attention to that other thread in which "some" members seem to imply otherwise.!

[ugly Finn]

I'd take my small ax and this one:
http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//500/12774sissipuukko_muovituppi-med.jpg

Plus shit load of other stuff ;)

Pete

[hardcorps1775]

Originally posted by LHS
I've cut down 8"-10" trees with it, and split god-knows-how-many logs of camp firewood. It's cleared more multiflora rose than you can shake a stick at, and I've only resharpened it once. The only nick in the blade came from an old nail hidden in a log, probably from some farmer putting up barbed wire years ago.
hahahaha funny!:D :D :D

that's pretty damn good, i wouldn't have thought it would take that abuse!

[11Binf]

hi ugly finn : i like your field knifes..are these what you use in the bush ???...they look like valmet assault rifle bayonets??...the quality looks good... are they made by fiskars??...so many qestions i know.... thanks for the pic's .....vince g.11b inf..

[LHS]

Hey Vince!

Looks like an updated, modernized form of the traditional Puuka (Pukka?) knife. Looks like it would work great for hunting/skinning.

[ponder]

5KNIVES we would never gang up and ridicule you.... too much:D

[5KNIVES]

Thanks ponder, I really appreciate that....I think!

Please define "too much",wait, stop, stop. I don't Think I want to know. Besides, I screw up enough , I'll find out...won't I?

Low profile, low profile, I've got to remember that!

[HDR]

http://www.gunsnet.net/album/data//3072/2320sissi1-med.jpg

I have one, its a damn nice knife. Holds an edge, sharpens easily handle provides a good gripping surface.. A lot of knife handles get slippery..

LHS, pukko. ;)

[LHS]

Originally posted by HDR
LHS, pukko. ;)

Thanks!

[ugly Finn]

Originally posted by 11Binf
hi ugly finn : i like your field knifes..are these what you use in the bush ???...they look like valmet assault rifle bayonets??...the quality looks good... are they made by fiskars??...so many qestions i know.... thanks for the pic's .....vince g.11b inf..

Yup, itsa issued one. It's not a bayo but cos it's made by Fiskars (desing JP Peltonen) it looks a bit similar. We call it as a sissi puukko, sissi = Recon/LRRP-trooper and puukko = knife.

Pete

[clearblue]

I'd choose my Ganga Ram Special from here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?forumid=739

Check out the "Blems" they're about half price

For commercial made: I'd go with the Kabar #1249 Kukri.

[KWB52]

Estwing hatchet (or BK9) and Leatherman Wave.

[mike3acr]

I'd throw my Gerber game cleaning kit containing a saw with wood, and bone saw blade, razor gut hook, and Gator lock blade, I'd also throw my Fiskars hatchet in. Of course my Spyderco Endura would be in my pocket anyway. If I had time to throw this in a pack, I'd put on my LBE and it has my Gerber Tach II on it, and my wife's pistol belt has a my new Glock field knife with saw back on it.

[11Binf]

thanks ugly finn and HDR for the info.....those pukkos look really sturdy and apper to have a strong sheath..hey ugly finn , i saw a story awhile back about the finnish army rangers/lurps ....a wild bunch of soldiers trained to jump and fight in the arctic cold......to cool.:D ........by the way i also like my real russian army e-tool ...its a good dependable item of kit ...i sharpen the blade with a #10 mill file and can cut and hack most anyhting...i carry it in my rucksack....vince g. 11b inf...

[5KNIVES]

Ugly Finn,

Is your small axe a gransfors or a rosselli?those are the only 2 nordic axes I've used and they are awesome. My favorite is the rosselli , but then so is my favorite deer knife, incredible quality. the Gransford small axes are very popular with a lot of very knowledgable people.

BTW, for the rest of the group, don't doubt for a moment that Ugly Finn would get along just fine with "his puukko knife and his small axe", just about the perfect tools for his part of the world, and his ancestors spent centuries refining them.
Oh yeah, "and a ton of other shit too"

Great answer, and a key point. The knife or knives would be critical, but you will want/need a lot of other stuff.

BTW, I have a proven inability to spell english words, please cut me some slack on the Finnish ones. Feel free to correct me as required.

[ugly Finn]

Terve 5KNIVES,
None of those, I have one fiskars made and one not-commericial small axes. That 'not-commercial' would be my first choice ;)

I ones had a Roselli hunting knife, it's a superb, but lost it somewhere 'eastern-Finland'.

Yup, that other sheite is the key point.
And don't forget that you will always need a rope :D

Pete

P.S. mah inglesh is so poor thet u can speak poor Finnish freely

[5KNIVES]

Well, this thread's loosing steam I think. I find the answers very interesting.

This question gets asked a lot on the knife and blade forums. With at least 30% or more of the answers involving some $300 plus Uberdragonslashermittencangeopener version of a sharp prybar being touted as the only thing to have. Not a one of those answers here, give yourselves a hearty "well done" and a pat on the back.

If I just had to grab something and go it would be my old slightly modified Ka-Bar. Well used for the last 45 years. modifications are basically the top guard filed completely off, and a thong hole drilled through the pommel, oh yeah the bottom guard is cut to about half it's normal length, just enough left to keep my hand from slipping onto the edge.

I always have a Victorinix swisschamp and a Leatherman super tool with me, so they'd go also.

If I had time to consider, it would be the Leatherman Wave instead of the Supertool (that diamond file could prove useful), That almost takes care of the small blades. But in a survival situation I'll be filleting more minows than salmon, and cleaning more sparrows and chipmunks than geese and moose. so I'll take a Helle fjeldman (laminated S.S blade, thin and tough, takes and holds a great edge) very usefull blade shape. Then for light chopping, digging grubs out of logs, batoning through logs to make kindling and slaying the occasional were dragon, a becker BK-7, it's about the same length as my ka_bar but definitely beefier.

Last but not least either a cheap folding sierra saw, or if I could find it, my gerber folding saw. Either one, combined with the great saw blade on the SAK, will do an incredible job, sawing is quieter usually faster and far quieter than chopping, and always safer. If there was any room in the pack I'd add a Sven Saw and a spare blade. in case I needed to build a fort or something.

It all sounds like a lot, but doesn't involve much weight or bulk. Leaving room for as much of that other stuff as I could pack.

The area I'd be going to is a mixture of wetlands, small rivers and creeks, open fields and hardwood forested hills in a Northern temperate zone.

[LHS]

I have one of those hand-held chain saws. I've never gotten to use it, though. Darn central Arizona's lack of trees!

[5KNIVES]

LHS

I just got one of those pocket chainsaws also, it LOOKS like a good idea! And it seems quite well made, sturdy and all that. But I've wasted a ton of money on "good ideas" over the years. I'll be trying mine out on some 3 to 6 inch trees in a week or two, and I'll post the results here! I'm in Wisconsin, we got trees!

[Optimus Prime]

Originally posted by 5KNIVES
This question gets asked a lot on the knife and blade forums. With at least 30% or more of the answers involving some $300 plus Uberdragonslashermittencangeopener version of a sharp prybar being touted as the only thing to have. Not a one of those answers here, give yourselves a hearty "well done" and a pat on the back.

I live by the K.I.S. rule.............;)

[ponder]

I live by the K.M.A. rule. I had not thought about a saw. how well do they work in the field? I guess i will have to include a saw in my next shtf scenario.

[5KNIVES]

ponder

Get the Sierra saw, it's not expensive, and if you don't like it youre not out much. I find them quieter, handier , lighter and far safer than an axe or hatchet, I like tomahawks and the small nordic axes are fantastic, and I have used axes since forever. In a backpacking SHTF scenario I'd have a small saw, not an axe! You can basically cut down anything you can drag away. Once you try one, let us know what you think!!

Have Fun, but be careful!!


______________________________________
Edited to add this Safety Warning:

My foregoing statements are made in the belief that any one actually practicing this already knows how to fall a tree. If you havent had personal demonstration and instruction DONT DO IT!!!

LOGGING is the most DANGEROUS OCCUPATION IN THE UNITED STATES!!

Even a small tree can kill you, and the bigger they get, the more dangerous they are. BE SAFE!!!
Even limbing a down tree can kill you, easily. Get Training!

[ugly Finn]

I have always found an axe more useful than saw in the woods.
And cos we can't just carry everything therefore compromises must be made. Thus small chain-saw don't weight much. But when in constanst move how much you can carry? No need to answer but think about it.

Pete

[5KNIVES]

ugly Finn
____________________________________
Pete,
If any of us lived in your part of the world, and had the quality tools you have availible, I'm sure we'd agree with you.

I have a Roselli large axe on order (the 18 inch handle), they cost $100 here, that is I think the one I got to play with a couple of years ago. Its back ordered, so I could change to the smaller one.
Which would you suggest as the more all-around usefull tool?

Roselli and the Gransfor Swedish axes are expensive and hard to find here. But I see the usefulness of the design. The few people I know that have them won't part with them.

Most people have never seen either and dont understand the difference in blade and edge profile, very superior to to anything else in the U.S. I use and recommend the saws because they're much cheaper and safer for someone without much experience. Although you need a heavy knive also so you can "baton" it. for splitting kindling. I expect that once I get the Roselli. and learn how to use it , that my answer might be the same as yours.

BTW, my 3 adult step children are half Finn, and last year I gave them each a Jarvinpaa Hevosanspaa for Christmas. They were all totally delighted. Many of the people who immigrated from Finland settled in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Good people! But some of my freinds up there insist on trying to get me to spell and pronounce Finnish words properly, I think they just enjoy laughing at me when I screw up.

Oh yeah, the pocket chainsaw we were talking about is just a length of chainsaw chain with a handle on each end. They are new on the market here. Like those wire saw SAS things that break so fast. Heven't had a chance to try mine out yet. I need to get up to the trailer where I have my own trees to try it out.

Regarde,
Gary

[ugly Finn]

Terve Gary,

Roselli is an excellent choice or Fiskars (http://www.fiskars.com/en_US/garden/category.do?cat=1&fam=8) .

When in woods I carry an old axe made by one blacksmith from Lapland, it's small, light and quite handy from small jobs.

There should be strong Finn-communities in Minnesota, Florida and in Oregon too ;) .

Yup, I was speaking about those pocket chainsaws too.

Petri

ps. check your private messages

[ponder]

Where can i find the sierra saw?

[5KNIVES]

Ponder,
I think the Coughlans company sells them under there brand now. The company that has all the small camping stuff, mirrors, matches, tent pegs, and only god knows what all else. Probably any camping shop, Gander Mountain for sure, probably most "Army/Navy " stores. If no luck there, try your local gerden supply place for something they'l call a folding pruning saw, you want a blade less than a foot, probably 8 or 9 inches. If you find the Fiskars brand they're
suppose to be excellent, but I dont know, never seen one here. On the net, Campmor might have them.

Have Fun! hope this helps.

[ponder]

I thank you for the info 5KNIVES.