Survival knife: This is the ideal knife for a survival kit or bushcraft skills from Peak Survival on Vimeo.

An easy introduction to knife selection

Do I really need one?

Having a survival knife or some form of blade is an important tool to

have in a survival kit. It it an excellent tool for shelter building, hunting, skinning game and fish.  There are so many knives out on the market it may seem overwhelming in selecting the right one for you but begin by narrwing your search based on what you are planning on using it for. Whichever knife you end up selecting, make sure it is of good quality because like a great friend, your survival knife should never let you down! Look at the workmanship make sure if is based on solid constrcution, proper materials and great functionality.

Basic things to consider when chosing a knife:

- What are you using it for?

- Is it versatile in the number of things it can do?

- Weight is often a concern, go for something less heavy.

But I like the look of Rambo's knife?

Yes, machete and massive jagged edged knives may look impressive but

these oversized beasts are far from what you need to survive. They are

excellent for jungle survival situations but overall these heavy and

bulky knives are unessary and difficult to control.

When selecting your survival knife, look at something with finer

detail and that you will easily carry with you.

A note on double edged knives and hollow handles!

These knives are used mostly for thrusting. Their tips are relatively

weak making them more prone to breaking. The second edge is somewhat

uneccesray that can lead to injury.

Many survival knives are sold with hollow handles so you can store

survival essentials like matches and compass inside the water tight

handle. My two concerns are that they are more succestible to

breaking. There are exceptions of course but generally you are better

off storing your survival gear in something else because if you happen

to loose your knife, you still have the remainder of your survival

gear with you!

Avoid cheap knives!

You may want to save some money but do not settle for somehintg poorly

made.The weak point on badly made knives is where the blade and handle

are bolted and glued together. Take a good look and do not be afaird

to ask the sales person questions.The best survival knife is

constructed of one piece of metal, to which there may be slabs of

material attached to form a comfortable handle known as “full tang” or

“narrow tang” knives. ade so that the metal blade is separate from the

handle.

Full tang survival knives

The blade merges into the handle and often two slabs of material are

attached to either side of the metal to make a comfortable handle.      •

Narrow tang

Reduce the size of the blade as it enters the handle of the knife.

A handle is attached over the narrower piece of the knife.

Narrow tang knives sometimes have a pommel attached to the handle end.

What about the blade itself?

 An appropraite blade length is anywhere between 4-6 inches.A good

knife will generally have a blade thickness of between 5/32 and 8/32

of an inch.

There are two main types of knife blades, serated and smooth.

Serrated survival knife blades:

(+) Great for cutting synthetic materials, clothing, and flesh, self

defense and paramedics, etc.

(-)Difficult to sharpen properly in the field.

Plain smooth edged blade

(+) Prefered choice most survival situations.

(+) Useful for carving, chopping, and cutting.

(+) You can sharpen your survival knife on a rock or piece of concrete

if you not have a regular sharpening stone.

(-) May not slice through nylon webbing, clothing, or flesh as

efficiently as a serrated blade.

Stainless Steel blades

(+) Rust resistant and work especially well in wet environments.

(+) Require less care than the carbon steel knives.

(-) More expensive, are more difficult to sharpen, and may not hold an

edge as well.

Carbon Steel knife blades

(+) Many feel carbon bladed knives hold an edge better than stainless steel.

(-) Will rust if not used regularly or coated.

Some of the best survival knives that come highly recommended include

Mora, Becker Knives, Fallkniven, and SOGs

If you think you will need more than a small knife first consider

-A multi tool

-Hatchet

-Tomahawk

Then move onto:

- Axe

-Machete

-Kuris