What is the best survival knife?

Bring up an issue around the fire, as the best gauge for a deer rifle, most beautiful girl, the harder NFL team, the more reliable four-wheel drive pick-up or the best all-around survival knife, and you get the ratings!

But the survival knife argument begs to be explored. guarantee all the tools necessary to their survival in emergency situations or urban desert, a good knife would be ranked first. Then the debate begins!

First, you need to know what you need. Theirsurvival knife should be light, easy to carry, do the work for its intended use and be adaptable to the situation. Perhaps most importantly, it must be hard, durable and easy to sharpen.

Over the years my preference has changed in a survival knife.

On my 1980 Mississippi River Canoe Tour, Buck led a folder on my side from source in Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to Venice, Louisiana. The folder, with two, 3-1/2 inch blade works well for cleaningFish, wiener sharpening sticks, carved in wood for the fire and spreading peanut butter. The knife went backpacking the John Muir Trail through Yellowstone National Park, and on many canoe trips.

But it is the weak point of any knife folding hinge. If it breaks, you end up with two pieces. Just as the dollar had done, it was two decades ago, when I retired to Idaho. I was hunting elk and deer in the mountains, and needed a sturdy hunting knives, inIn addition to a survival tool.

Now, after several decades of on-the-job test, I focused my survival knife to three choices:

Swiss Army Knife Classic: I was given a classic in 1994. Immediately, I wondered what could be the Dinky good small knife, wondering why without it!

Measuring 2 1 / 4 inches long and weighs 1 oz, contains all the classic the classic Swiss Army tools, including a small knife for cutting, a pair of miniScissors, nail file with screwdriver tip, toothpick, tweezers and key ring.

The Classic is a favorite with the crowd light backpack. I came across a hiker through the Pacific Crest Trail last summer near Elk Lake, Oregon, and the knife she had carried out only by Mexico was a classic. He said that was all you need.

The classic goes everywhere with me, including hunting camps, but it is not the only knife I carry. Together with a large knife, the 'two knives have everything under control. The instruments in Classic, you will with the pliers and scissors again. In reality, there is the Classic is a good idea, great for the tweezers!

Fixed Blade Mora: The current rage in schools seems to be survival of the four inch fixed blade knife in Scandinavian style Mora. I love the design. It looks like a kitchen knife with a sheath, and is ideal for peeling potatoes, cut the rope and the other chores of the camp. The style is a Moraexcellent choice for cleaning the fish, upland and small game, and it works in my hunting vest, if they are to birds.

I ordered six different models a few years ago for the steel Firemaking potential tests and their use with the Boy Scouts. My Favorite Mora was a knife Martinn J. produced in Finland. The knife weighs 2.5 grams and wrapped in the mantle, about six feet of clear tape, adds an additional 2.5 ounces. The forged blade holds an edge and is easily sharpened. It is anotherI do not want to do without this knife.

Cold Steel SRK: I bought my CRS in 1991 as an insert for a general all round hunting knife. The blade is 3 / 16 "thick and 6", the Kraton grip is 4-3/4 inches long, total length 10-3/4 inches. My SRK, without sheath, weighs eight ounces and 10.5 sheath wrapped in duct tape.

The SRC has a black blade so the first thing I did was to remove the paint. I wanted to cut the meat and use SRC hunting,then painted plate seemed strange and Rambo-like. Also, I would hunt with different types of ex-military, and they laughed a tactical or survival knife from the field!

For what I need, the CRS is perfect. The knife has been field dressed deer and elk have been used on about 50 different. In one case I field dressed and quartered three deer without the knives are sharpened. In the field of hunting knife is my most borrowed.

The knife is still a lot of hard use, because mostCamping I do these days is with Boy Scout troops. The CRS is hit with a stick of wood for firewood, and that allows us to leave the hatchets and axes at home. It also has countless Weiner carved walking sticks, and was part of many projects incisions around the fire.

I have too many knives, all types, sizes and descriptions, and 20 years, I never need to buy another. So here's my take: The best survival knife is the one that occurs when it is needed. Do not worry about thecurrent fashion, or how beautiful or cool you may see a knife. The knife you have on the survival only knives you have! Make sure it's a good one!