Dark Aether,

I think you raise a good point. As for me, I never go into the woods with only one type of knife. In fact, I never go into the woods with less than three knives. I usually have my CS trailmaster (9.5 inch blade), my bark river scout (3.75 inch blade)and my CRKT folder (3" blade) which is clipped to the inside of my pants pocket. If I'm backpacking, I usually carry a camp axe and my leatherman as well.

You're probably asking yourself, why I carry so many knives? Well, my grandfather, who was a farmer, always taught me that you need the right tool for the right job. First of all, the crkt folder and the bark river are not that much extra weight. Secondly, you know that monster knife with the 10" blade that can chop down a tree? Well, you're not gonna skin a squirrel or dress a a trout with that thing. In fact, aside from chopping trees and clearing brush for a shelter, that big ole knife isn't much good for anything else.

I hate to break the news to all those Rambo types out there, but the ideal survival knife does not have a 10" blade. In fact, you'll find that a true survival knife is usually in the 4" - 6" range. In fact, if I had to only take one knife into the woods with me, it would be my Bark River with the 4" blade. It is ten times more useful than any knife twice it's size. I can notch with it, strip bark, dress game, etc. Oh yeah, and I wouldn't try to baton it through a frozen log in the dead of winter -- that's what I'd use my AXE for.

Do you know what the Recon Training Unit of the US Marines prefer for a survival knife -- it's a small knife with a 3.75" blade made by Bark River knife and tool.

Let me ask you something. How many times have you been in a survival situation where you only had one knife to depend on? For the majority of outdoor enthusiasts, the answer is probably never. But I encourage everyone to try it. Walk out into the woods with only the clothes on your back and your Rambo blade. When (or IF) you come back out of the bush, You'll have a totally different perspective on what works and doesn't work for a survival knife.

If you can chop through a frozen log with your monster Rambo knife, my hats off to you. But if that's the only knife you're bringing into the woods with you, good luck.

Maverick

I have to agree that the trailmaster and recon scout do represent "a good solid knife at a good value."
and I would rely on them, but if I had to carry ONE knife in the field, it would be a scrapyard.

but as others said, it's very rare to find you're self in that situation.
and it also seems you go well prepared.
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I do disagree that the only thing a 10 inch knife can do is chop.
in fact I just happen to think the exact opposite.
with a good 10" fixed blade with a razor sharp edge and the right way of holding/using the knife you can do everything you can with a smaller blade (not as easily though) AND MORE!
you can also chop and pry and clear.

the way I see it, you are WAYYYYYYYY more limited with a small blade than a big one, seeing how you can only do things like cleaning game, notching, and stripping bark.
I'm not saying those things aren't important, but if you only had ONE knife, amd were pretty desperate, I think those would be a little less important than chopping wood and splitting it for dry firewood, and chopping branches for shelters.
and you can also do they fine whittling and whatnot.
so, I personally see that a larger knife CAN be ALOT more usefull, when its all you've got.
but you normally seem prepared so idk why that situation would occur.

BTW, I'm not arguing here, I was just throwing out my different opinion you know?
it's great to have you here and I look forward to more of your posts, great input, and ideas and thoughts.

once again, welcome to the yard.
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I wasn't ever talking about carrying only 1 knife. I was comparing a good solid knife like busse kin to a cheaper weaker knife and backup of the same blade. I always have 2 folders(different of course) so it wouldn't hurt me any with a 7"-10" blade. If I did have to go out with only 1 knife I'd want something like a BATAC or SJTAC.

I guess there is a point where you reach "good enough" though. I have at least a dozen folders I think are good enough to carry, when I could have easily gotten a few customs for the combined price. So I guess I halfway agree in that regard. And I definitely agree with a few extra blades of different sizes.

This forum would be boring if everyone thought the same things. I look at the forum as a meeting place of ideas. I come here for education as much as I do entertainment so no worries if you have a different opinion than me!

I grew up in the boondocks of Upstate NY so Survival knives and bushcraft are hobbies of mine. They are also a hot button of mine because there are so many false perceptions of what wilderness survival is all about. These false notions are perpetuated by Hollywood and knife distributors alike. Combine this with the fact that the majority of people never go into the bush, nor do they know what to do with a knife if they got into a survival situation!



I used to think exactly like you! When I was an adolescent, I went camping with only a Gerber Bowie with a 9" blade. My Dad on the other hand only carried a little Buck fixed blade (5" blade)-- similar to the Buck Model 119. I used to kid him that his knife was really girlie-looking compared to mine. But you know what? Even though I went camping all the time, I never really was in a survival situation where I had to depend on my knife. I always brought my tent so I had shelter and I always brought food along with me so I never had to hunt/gather it. I think this is the case for the vast majority of outdoor enthusiasts.
As I got older and my dad started teaching me about wilderness survival, I began to realize why my way of thinking was wrong.

In a real survival situation, you will need your knife for more finer cutting tasks like stripping bark (to make lashings with which you can construct a shelter), skinning animals (most likely fish and small game since you are unlikely to catch a deer with your bare hands), notching wood (this is especially important when making a bow drill platform to make a fire), and making trigger mechanisms for deadfall traps (to catch your next meal). You can use a larger knife to do these things, but stand a much higher chance of injury (since I'm sure most of you keep your blades razor sharp). In a survival situation, there are two things that you can't afford to do. One is sustain an injury and the other is lose or break your cutting tool. It's good to know that your knife can take abuse, but in a survival situation, you should never chance it.

Survival experts, almost universally, agree that a smaller 5-6" blade is a better cutting tool for a survival situation than a monster bowie (7"+ blade)

I found several good websites which offer good insight on what to look for in a survival knife:

How to Choose a survival Knife
Best Size Survival Knife
Marines' Choice for Survival Knife



From everything I've read and heard, the Scrapyard knives are top shelf and I can't wait to own one!

Thanks for responding to my post!

Maverick

You make a good point. Chris Reeve makes great knives, but at $1200 can we really say that it is that much better than a scrapyard knife at a fraction of the price? I don't think so.

Maverick

yeah maverick, honestly, I don't do much camping, I've found a big knife more usefull (so far) more than a little one, but I've just been in the woods near my friends house you know?
so I guess as you camp stuff more, you realize what is really ideal for your needs.
hopefully I can figure that out soon.
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