One of the essential tool for every outdoor trip is a quality and realiable knife. But there many kind of knife to choose such as pocket knife, multi tool knife, huting knife, fighting knife, etc. So which one is best suited to you?
After refer many forum about outdoor activity and from my experience, I highly recommend you choose survival knife. It is best suited to your outdoor activity and survival situations. The survival knife has some features that the other knife is not. By following this post, you will find out features of a quality survival knife, which need to consider before get a purchasing order.
And I gathered information of some best survival knife for you to choose. These knifes have appriciated by most of outdoor experts as well as the masses of buyers in forums.
What is the best survival knife for outdoor use?
A best survival knife, of course it is made by high quality materials from well-know brands because building the famous brand in custommers’ mind is very hard so they do not get risks by producing low quality products.
Oh, getting back to the point, with me, the best survival knife is not just material and brand. The BEST mean BEST SUITED and TRUSTWORTHY to my own use for normal , emergency or survival situations. In my outdoor camping trips, I often use my knife for some assignments as chop branches, split wood or even dig small fire pit. In general, survival knife will do those assignments better the other knife because the Blade Geometry is designed for these jobs.
Finding a best survival knife is not complicate as some of other people think. It has characteristic features which will be listed out below. Those features are factors that you need to consider for get the best one.
1. Let choose fixed blade:
So the question is in here: which type is best, fixed or folding blade? I alway choose fixed blade because folding is only best for EDC or pocket knife. The survival knife has to be fixed blade, why? The answer is simple, as the it own name: the survival knife! It is designed for survival case, that why durable, strong, versatile and comfortable are prioritized.
2. Fixed blade has to come with Full Tang blade:
There are many type of tang such as Partial Tang, Skeletonized Tang, Stick Tang, ect. However Full Tang is BEST for survival knife. A full tang is most powerful, and it is hard to break during use.
3. About material of knife blade:
Two major type of material blade of survival knife are carbon steel and stainless steel. The carbon steel is very sharp, tough and easy to sharpen but they are rusted if you don’t dried and stored correctly after use.
What about stainless steel, if you choose them you will never worry for rust. However, the stainless steel is not as sharp and tough as carbon steel.
Some popular steel used for survival knife:
- Carbon Steel: 1095, 52100, SAE 1070, AUS-8
- Stainless Steel: 440C, 154CM, S30V, 8Cr13MoV
Note: The harder steel, the better sharp but the easer breaking. If you want find out more about blade steel please visit at http://www.spyderco.com/edge-u-cation/index.php?item=3
4. The Blade Length & Thickness:
These are quite important for a good survival knife. It will impact to versatility when you use. In my own experience, the blade lengs has around 6.5 inch blade length and 5/32 inch thickneess will be best for doing many hard-outdoor- mission such as wood chopping, splitting firewood, constructing makeshift shelters and so on.
5. Straight vs. Serrated Blade:
A serrated blade look great, you can use it for cutting rope or small branches… but it is very hard to sharpen especially when you are in wilderness. Remember that the straight blade can do all jobs of serated blade can do but the reverse isn’t true.
In the market, ther are many survival knife is built with a partially-serrated blade, choose it if you want and Gerber LMF II is good choice for you. To me, I like a fully straight-edge blade survival kinfe because it is easy to sharpen – keep it simple!
6. Which Blade Geometry is best for survival knife?
The knife’s blade shape is different and they are suitable for different to use. Some is best for hunting while the other is good for tactical or self-defence and fighting. For survival knife, the Drop Point Shape is best.
Drop Point Blade: is a blade shape used on many knives and very common on survival knife. This is most versatile and useful in a wilderness survival situation such as chop and split branches, cut and gig, etc.
7. The Handle:
There are many type of material for handle: woods, polymer, rubber, plastic, bone, stone and so on. No matter with what type of material is used, the most important is how you feel when using it.
Safe, comfortable, handy and stable are features need to having for a quality handle kinfe. So how to know? Here are features:
- It has to solid handle, just say no with hollow handle!
- Having a lanyard hole at the end of knife’s handle. The hole can tie your kinfe to a pole and use it as a spear.
- Having Butt/Pommel which helps the knife can’t slipped from your hand.
- Having the quillon/guard (between the handle and the blade) which protect your hand from slipping up onto the knife’s blade.
8. About the Sheath:
It keep your knife is safe and easy to take it with you. The material for shaeath is made by plastic or leather. Some survival kinfe come with sheath when buying and some other is not.
If your knife is without, you need to buy them separately or DIY. Investing in a quality sheath is necessary for you best survival kinfe!
9. The Price & Budget:
There are many price range for your choice. But remembet that you get what you pay for. In this case, to get a good quality survival knife, you should anticipate paying between about $50 and $100.
Conclusion
A best survival knife will be reliable tool which do not miss for your every outdoor trip. It is practical knife and bought for use, not for ornament. So, do not think twice about buying a good quality survival knife, it is worth with your investment. Again, with your budget range $50 to $100 you will get the good survival knife easily.