"A knifeless man is a lifeless man". This old saying may be especially true in a survival situation but it highlights the value of a knife in any camping or outdoor recreational environment. A knife may be the single most useful tool you could have -- other than your brain and your hands. That being said, the question may arise "what is the best knife?". There are many different sizes and styles of knives and each one has its own special niche. In recent years there have been a proliferation of "Rambo" style survival knives promoted on the Internet and marketed through outdoor stores -- huge knives with mini survival kits stored in the hollow handles. No doubt these have a certain appeal but how well would they work in a real world survival situation? The tiny plastic compass is probably better than nothing, but how well does it work and how long will it last? And what will you really do with a couple feet of fishing line and a few safety pins? If you really want a survival kit, put together one that will actually do the job, including a proper knife. I also worry that the hollow handle compromises the integrity of the knife and reduces its strength.
Like many tools, different knives are designed for different tasks. For example, a sailor should really carry a riggers knife. They typically include hardened steel blades to reliably cut ropes when needed, a marlin spike that is very useful in loosening tight knots, and many include a shackle wrench for tightening and loosening shackles. Regular pocket knives or hunting knives won't have the specialty features essential for a sailor's needs.
Likewise you will need to choose a knife for camping or survival carefully. First of all, evaluate your specific needs and skills. No need to spend extra money on a fancy knife with features you don't know how to use. Choose a knife that fits you needs, your hand, and your budget. Do your really need a survival knife for regular camping? Might not be a bad idea in case something unexpected happens on one of your camping trips and you find yourself in survival mode!
The best consensus I've found for a good survival knife is that is should be a bit more modest than those monster combat blades often found on "Rambo" survival knives. A 3-4" fixed blade is usually recommended as best for survival. The reasoning is that in a camping or survival situation you will do a whole lot more carving than you will hacking. Sure, having a big, heavy knife may be useful for hacking when building a shelter from tree limbs, and it makes an intimidating weapon but how often is that going to happen? And, even when you do need to build such a shelter, you probably will only do it once per event. On the other hand, there will be an ongoing need for carving. Even notching limbs to secure cordage in building a shelter will require more finesse than hacking power. Any kind of medical applications will need a fairly delicate blade. Skinning and butchering animals for food or other uses will be well served by a modest blade. You will also need a modest blade to carve wooden tools and implements and for use in preparing and eating food. A good hunting knife should be adequate. If you choose a folding knife, make sure it has a locking blade. A fixed blade knife is sturdier and more durable, but a locking blade proves some degree of safety over non-locking folding knives and a folding knife fits in your pocket. Having a knife you will actually carry beats having a top-of-line survival knife you don't wear because it is too big, heavy, or bulky on your belt.
Multi-tools, like the famous Leatherman, are often touted for camping and survival use. One cannot deny the versatility of these items or the convenience offered by the multiple functions they are capable of performing. About the only downside to a multi-tool is that it has folding blades, and folding blades are not as safe or as durable as fixed blades. Locking blades will mitigate this problem to some extent, but the ideal blade for camping and survival will remain a fixed, 3-4" knife like a hunting knife. Having both a proper knife and a multi-tool would be a particularly good combination. Having both for camping should not be a problem for most people. They need not be especially expensive and they take up a little room in your pocket or pack or on your belt. More expensive tools will usually be more durable and offer more precision and more features, but you will have to decide how much you are willing or able to spend versus what you will actually use. Unless you lose your knife you will probably never regret investing in a good one. Carrying both a knife and a multi-tool on your person at all times so you have them in a survival situation may not be as convenient as tucking them in your pack so you may have to make a choice. If you're comfortable with a multi-tool with a locking blade it will offer you more versatility but a sturdy hunting knife may be more durable and safer. I have recently seen a specialized knife that includes a built in flint and steel fire starter, a seat belt cutter, an LED flashlight, and a window breaker, which strikes me as a really good starting point for any survival situation, especially if you are in an auto accident!
As mentioned above, sailors need special knives to meet the unique requirements found on sailboats. Called sailor's knives or rigger's knives, these knives typically have a very sharp blade (for cutting lines if the sailor gets entangled), a marlin spike (used for loosening tight knots) and a shackle wrench, used to tighten or open shackle pins. Once again, it needs to be something you will have with you when you need it, on your belt or in your pocket, not somewhere below decks!
Having a knife -- the right knife -- is only the first step. For it to be really useful (and safe to use) it must be sharp. And yes, oddly enough, a sharp knife is actually safer to use than a dull one. It is worth learning how to hone a knife edge to keep it sharp. The most common and traditional way is using a sharpening stone but there are other types of knife sharpeners, like the drag-through manual kitchen knife sharpeners and electric models that use internal grinding wheels. You may be able to improve sharpness using one of these but to get a truly fine edge requires a practiced touch on a sharpening stone. Also, a sharpening stone requires no electricity and takes up little room in your pocket or pack. There are several tricks used by those who know how to do this well. Using a combination of wet and dry sharpening is one. Another is to push the knife toward the stone as if you were shaving it instead of dragging the edge backwards on the stone. To get a good edge you need to hold the knife at the proper angle to the stone. The angle will depend on the thickness of the blade and the basic shape of the taper so you will need practice and/or someone to show you to find the right angle for each blade. It is rather tedious endeavor but well worth the effort. Here is a link to a really good article from Buck Knives on How To Sharpen Your Knife.
Even a sharp knife will be of little help if you don't know how to use it. The best way to learn how to use a knife is to have some with experience show you then practice. Every camping trip should an opportunity to practice your knife skills. Whittling can be a fun thing to do sitting around the campfire and it can be a very handy skill in a survival situation where there is no end to the opportunities for carving and slicing. You don't have to be able to carve life-like sculptures but being able to carve a wooden spoon would be a really handy survival skill. Knowing how to clean a fish or prepare a rabbit for cooking could mean the difference between dinner and going hungry in a survival situation. Knives can be used for self defense, but using a knife as a weapon is not intuitive. It takes training and practice before you will be competent. Until then, attempting to use a knife is likely to make a bad situation worse as you aggravate your attacker or, worse yet, you injure yourself or he takes your knife away from you an uses it on you! Unless you are especially competent, chances are an aggressor is likely to have more experience and his knife skills (to say nothing of his willingness or craziness to hurt you!) will probably exceed yours.
The market is rife with specialty "survival" knives. But just because they call it a survival knife doesn't mean it really is. I've seen a couple of knives I think are worth investigating. One includes a built in flint and steel fire starter, the other includes features to cut seat belts and break windows, which could be badly needed if an accident traps you or someone you know in a car. Both are folding knives, to make them compact and cover the sharp blade for safety, so, from that perspective, they are not the best choice for wilderness survival but would be a good addition to your urban or suburban survival kit where being able to escape a damaged or submerged vehicle may be the key to surviving an accident. Those big "Rambo" survival knives usually have a hollow handle that stores a bit of survival gear. Unfortunately, the hollow handle means it lacks the strength of a full tang on the blade and the survival items are by necessity small and limited. Better to have a sturdy hunting knife and pack your own survival items in a tin like an Altoid box. Then you know what you have and (hopefully) know how to use it and are not limited by the tiny space in a knife handle.
The bottom line: my personal recommendation when camping or hiking is to carry a 3-4" fixed blade knife such as a hunting knife as the basic tool in your camping and survival kit. And then supplement it with a multi-tool and a flint and steel fire starter -- and a sharpening stone. These items take up little space and will repay your efforts again and again when you need them. A specialty knife that can help your escape from being trapped in a damaged car might be a good thing to have under the seat or in the door pocket of your vehicle.
Look sharp!
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