Recommend to me a good survival knife

[cesium]

Hi Everyone!
I'm looking for a good camp knife. A few specifics- I'd like a fixed blade- preferably with a full tang. Fairly large too- something that could split medium sized branches for lighter firewood if push came to shove-starting at around 6 inches for the blade would be good. Durability and ability to sharpen easily would finish the list. I'm not a "survivalist" or anything, but I find lately that I'm camping/fishing/kayaking quite a bit more and would like to be a little better prepared in case the worst happened. I've invested in a decent gps and took an orienteering course- this is just to upgrade my gear. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Matt P]

Check out Randall Made Knives. They have been the fighting man's knife since WWII. Not cheap but worth it.

http://www.randallknives.com/

 

[WhosYerBob]

I've got both of the following:
- Gerber LMF II ASEK
- M-9 Bayonet

The Gerber is a little easier to deal with, but the M-9 may be able to take more punishment.

 

[TimmyBoston]

Tom Krein makes outstanding knives, some models would fit that bill, but they are expensive, something that size will likely be over $300.

 

[cesium]

I've got both of the following:
- Gerber LMF II ASEK
- M-9 Bayonet

The Gerber is a little easier to deal with, but the M-9 may be able to take more punishment.

Those are perfect! The M-9 seems to fit the bill better- but the gerber may be easier to find/buy. Thanks for the help!

 

[danrobles]

Try the Cold Steel SRK found it for about $65 bucks great knife

 

[azmark]

Gerber LMF is awesome! Even designed to be used as a spear for those "Bear Gryll" moments you may be in.

 

[deeppurple]

I'd suggest that you check Fallkniven as well. An A1, or the smaller F1...

 

[Sullybob]

If you're into the "sharpened crowbar" as a survival knife Busse or Strider both make great knives. I have several Busse's and my only regret is that I don't have more Busse's

 

[scriptfx]

I have spent 6 months backpacking/camping across Europe I must have bought about 15/20 knives trying to find the right one for multiple tasks especially the most important one sandwich making.
The 2 best I came accross was:

Victorinox Swiss Army Soldier Knife Standard Issue

Opinel No.6 Stainless Steel Blade

The Swiss one has a locking blade.
You can still get your tins of bake beans open with the Opinel with practice and is lighter so I settled with the Opinel and sent the rest home and did not miss extra features.

Dan

 

[citizensoldierny]

I'm a big fan of Rat Cutlery great knives. Pretty utalitarian in design, great sheath system, come super sharp out of the box and in a number of sizes one is pretty sure to fit your needs. I personally like the RC-3 in green enough to own one and will definitely travel with me on my next deployment.


http://www.ratcutlery.com/rc-3.htm

 

[Dryden]

I have a Ka-Bar USMC for camping. It's a little large at 8", but I find it quite useful for just about anything. A friend has the Ka-bar Camp Knife which was pretty good too. Honestly though, one of the most useful knives I've had on a camping trip for backcountry was a Kukri. Not much finesse to them, but it is amazing at choping firewood. Anything from small stuff up to a good 6" thick deadwood.

 

[seadug]

On my camping and canoeing trips I always carry a small Gransfors Bruks hatchet a Wyoming saw and a pocket knife. If weight is a big concern I would leave out the saw. When I was younger I always carried a Buck Frontiersman but now I like having the right tool for the job.

 

[BEAR DEN]

I've had so many knives over the years that it's scary! To answer your question I would have to absolutely recommend Busse. You would probably want to invest in one of the Battle Mistress models...not cheap but can be found on the secondary market. IMO actually worth the high price...especially if your going to use it.

 

[Legion]

My advice is ka-bar or an air crew survival knife which I think are still made by Ontario. I have carried both in the bush for years and have never had them fail. They are simple, tough and reliable, which is what you want from a survival item.

They are also reasonably cheap. Brands like Randall and Chris Reeves are fantastic but so expensive you will always be scared to use them for tough tasks. I am, anyway.

 

[HCSchluge]

RAT Cutlery is about as good as it gets and it won't break the bank. They have several sizes and some nice sheaths but if I could only carry one it would be the 4" and attach it to the shoulder straps on my backpack.

 

[Blades67]

Take a look at the Spyderco Hossom fixed blades. 4 sizes, and they start around $90.00.

Jason

 

[Dryden]

I've also always wanted an Emerson CQC-7 but I would be far too afraid of taking it into the bush when it costs over $100!

 

[cybrok]

Rat Cutlery knives are great.

 

[6Jetwrangler]

The tried and true. USMC KA_BAR. Its big and thick and cheap on ebay. I picked up a used one for $17.99 with some wear on the sheath. My grandfather still has his G.I. one from WWII. If you want light and cheap get a Benchmade Pika II, its a folder, another ebay buy for $24.