Survival Knife Guide For Prepping and Survival
Choosing a Survival Knife for Preparedness is very important to ensuring your survival, and no more so than having a knife that suits you and a knife that you feel comfortable with.
Everyone has their own preference for a survival knife, but when the SHTF your going to need a quality knife that will cope with all survival situations.
It's a very personal choice. To be honest, just about any knife is a good knife in a survival situation – but some a far better than others –
As always, it’s better to be fully prepared and have a good knife that you’re familiar with handling and feels just right for you.
Without doubt choosing the best survival knife will come down to how much you really want to spend on one.
Some knife manufacturers charge upwards of £300 for a hand built knife that is guaranteed to last and be able to withstand all survival situations, but there’s precious few preppers who would spend that kind of money when their £300 could go on several other pieces of essential equipment.
I think you have to be a serious Bushcrafter to consider spending that amount of money on one knife, however you are getting something a bit special and quite unique. They are, after all, a work of art, even the sheaths are superb..!
But, if you are really interested in bushcraft, and all the skills that are associated with it then a hand made, unique knife is often what you would choose - these beautiful knives above are made by master knife-smith, Ben Orford and range from around £250 and upwards past £450
However, from a prepping and survival point of view - any knife is a good knife in a survival situation, but what's the secret of a good survival knife?
As any prepper will tell you - the survival knife is one of the most the essential tools in their survival kit, and as such, must be much more than just a ‘knife to cut things with’.
- A survival knife must be good enough, strong enough and sharp enough to manage all the basic survival tasks that include hunting, combat, cutting, chopping, bush-craft and much, much more.
- A good quality survival knife can easily be a life saver that enables you to accomplish all the basic requirements of survival outdoors.
- Your knife must be capable of enabling you to create a comfortable shelter and to start a fire, to hunt for and prepare your food, it must also be capable of clearing pathways and for digging, as well as giving personal protection if required.
- Choosing your knife will depend on several factors, some of these are more important than others, so I suggest a quick look at my guide to choosing a survival knife for more information and tips.
There are many choices of survival knives, that offer various qualities.
Currently, with the popularity of the Ray Mears bushcraft series on the TV it’s possible to see how a knife can be used effectively – Ray uses a Mora knife for most bushcraft work
Mora knives are high quality and very competitively priced - here's a full list of their range, via Amazon
Mora Knives and Cutting Tools
The Basic Essentials Of A Good Survival Knife
Modern manufacturing methods and technology means that you can have a good quality knife that will do a lot of survival jobs for a relatively low price – but there’s a few things to consider when buying one –
- A folding knife is far more liable to break due to the folding action - so avoid them.
- The knife must fit you size of hand – if the handle is to thick or too thin you will loose grip
- A fixed blade knife is better for levering and chopping and most other survival skills.
- Always choose a ‘3/4′ or ‘full tang’ knife’, where the blade runs through into the handle
- Any knife needs to be 'looked after' and will lose its edge eventually, so be prepared to sharpen or even reset the cutting edge at some point.
Resist the temptation to buy a really large bushcraft / survival / hunting knife.
You may think you look a real cool dude, but, c'mon, is it really necessary?
If you want a big blade then buy an axe or a machete, that will do the job better than some huge Rambo styled knife..
And, never try an 'beef up' you knife.It is what it is - if you want a different knife, then buy another one that suits your needs.
As a rule, you choose your knife depending on the job you want it to do. For intricate carving and fine work, go with a smaller blade that's easy to manipulate and is light and easy in the hand.
If your intention is to be making survival shelters or more heavier woodwork, then a larger, more solid blade is required with a thicker blade section that will take battoning and a bit of abuse.
Let the job dictate the knife and don't make things difficult for yourself by using the wrong knife for the job.
For more information, I have a previous article that shows all the things you need to know and what to watch out for - 'How To Choose A Survival Knife',
Choosing your blade shape is also an important factor when selecting the best survival knife.
Source: The Smoking Barrel USA – Knives
Below are two typical bushcraft/survival knives, both are full tang and more than capable of doing most tasks.
These are the type of knife, that if used and treated with respect, will last a lifetime.
I would recommend buying these type over a bigger knife as you will find they offer more flexibility and range of tasks that can be performed.
Camillus Western Black River Fixed Blade Knife
Check price & availability here:
Camillus Western Black River Fixed Blade Knife
Mora Outdoors Knife
Check price & availability here:
Mora Outdoors Knife
Gerber Gator Premium Fixed Blade Knife
Check price & availability here:
Gerber Gator Premium Fixed Blade Knife
- Fine edge, full tang cpm-s30v blade steel is durable and sharp
- Rubberised gator grip, works in the wet or dry
- Premium leather sheath - USA
- Polished cast steel bolster
- Made in the USA
Survival And Bushcraft Knife Collections
The knives that I have listed above are very good quality and will do the job well, so it just boils down to a matter of personal preference really.
But no prepper relies on just one survival knife…. – I can’t make this point enough, always carry at least two survival knives that suit you and work best for you.
Remember, Two Is One - One is None!
As well as your main survival knife, it's advisable to carry a multi tool as well - they will get you out of a multitude of situations: See: Best Swiss Army Knife Guide
I hope this guide has given you a general idea of what to look out for when buying a new bushcraft or survival knife.
Happy prepping Folks,
Steve
