A Knife for the Bug Out Bag?

[Cyrano]

I was checking the contents of the bug out bag, and throwing out a few things I thougth I could do without. Then I came upon the sheath knife I had in there, a Buck 102 with 4 1/2 inch blade. I got to wondering if something would serve better; I looked at a Buck 110 folder and a smaller Buck 501 folder. I'm not fixated on Buck, these just happen to come to hand. I thought I'd bettter ask here about knives for an emergency, as we have not a few people on the fourm who know a lot more about knives than I do.

I don't know what conditions I might encounter, but I'm beginning to think a 4 1/2 inch blade is plenty. This knife has cleaned three caribou and two moose in Alaska. You don't get much bigger than moose. One of the moose (mooses, meese?) it also skinned and quartered with the help of a saw. Once I cleaned a caribou with a Swiss Army Knife, after I had loaned the Buck to one in the party who forgot his (!!??).

I don't need a Swiss Army Knife, as I have a Leatherman in there for tools. For defense, it's a distant backup, as I have a Colt M4 carbine and Glock 19 to handle two or four legged critters.

If I'm in a vehicle, I have some pioneer tools in the bed of the truck: an axe, pick/mattock, shovel and man-and-a-half saw. So I'd like to hear some opinions; what's a good knife to have around in an emergency situation?

 

[cougar14]

A little off topic, but what do you have to sharpen your cutting tools with?

 

[JSR III]

Smith & Wesson CKSUR1 survival 10" Fixed Blade Survival Knife w/ Sheath& Stone

Just picked one up on fleabay for under $20. Under $20 and a S&W, how can you go wrong?

 

[Alpo]

Knives that say "Smith and Wesson" usually also say "China".

I'm not real enamored of Chinese cutting implements.

 

[FTG-05]

From low to high:

- Gerber Prodigy, about $40 from LAPolicegear.com
- Becker Campanion, about $65, Amazon etc.
- ESEE-3, about $100, various venders, check ESEE.com for vendor listings

Good luck!

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Knives that say "Smith and Wesson" usually also say "China".

I'm not real enamored of Chinese cutting implements.

Where is Blackie Collins when we need him?

 

[BearBio]

I assume in this fantasy that your life is going to depend on your knife. Forget Walking Dead==most knives will break before they penetrate a human skull. After all, God, Nature, Allah, whoever, designed it to protect our brains!

That being said, if I choose, there is only one brand I would bet my life on== a Randal! Snobbish! yes, but better a live snob than!

If you can't or don't want to pay that much or wait, any good brand. I carry a Gerber in my pocket==carried it in the jungles of Guatemala and Belize, Bucks are hard to put an edge on, once you lose it.

 

[Jessie]

One of the best IMO is the good old KBar.

 

[Smith357]

I keep a Green River knife, and a Two Hawks Longhunter in my bag. A good hawk and green river style knife worked very well for the early Americans for many years. And I always have a SAK in my pocket.

 

[mc5aw]

Ontario (OKC) ASEK knife.

Becker 7.

Gerber LMF (New generation).

All made in USA. All quality blades that are built tough. All reasonably priced. No frills, no gimmicks.

 

[Sebago Son]

For a mass-produced, fixed blade cutting tool, it's tough to beat the Becker BK2.

This is a hefty piece of gear.

Ka-Bar BK2 Becker Campanion 2-0002-1

 

[colorado plainsman]

I have been happy with Mora knives, I carry the clipper. Not made in china, only downfall not a full tang. It holds its edge and is easy to sharpen. Doesnt look like your rambo knife but fits my needs just fine. I dont plan to batton wood, thats why I carrry my camp axe if nnecessary.

 

[Texas Star]

My answer was the Fallkniven S-1. www.fallkniven.com That takes into account the Texas blade length limit of 5.5-inches. The S-1 has about a 5.0-inch blade shaped much like a Randall Model 5 blade.

I'd suggest a diamond hone, maybe ceramic. You can sometimes still find a dealer with a Kydex sheath in stock. New sheaths are a choice of leather (Swedeish-style dangler) or Zytel.

Where one might prefer a larger knife for some chopping (emergency shelter, etc.) or as a weapon, their very similar A-1 has also passed very grueling trials by both the Swedish and US govenments. Additionally, the Technical University of Lulea (Sweden) conducts torture/ breakage tests. A black blade option (CeraKote) is offered.

The Royal Swedish Air Force issues the Fallkniven F-1 as a pilot survival knife. That is signficant, as it must be able to split wood and get a fire going in the frigid Arctic winter.

In a more modest price range, I'd get a Buck Pathfinder, Model 105. Current Buck knives sharpen more easily than they once did. Those wanting a longer knife can get the Model 119 Special or the Model 120 General, familiar to horror movie fans as the knife in the, "Scream" movies.

The hefty SOG SEAL 2000 in original form passed tough USN tests before being accepted for issue to SEAL teams.

All three are stainless. I think that's important. Check legal blade lengths where you live!

If you want a Randall, I'd get the Model 5 with optional stainless blade and Micarta handle, drilled for a thong. But I'd want to inspect it before purchase. Sometimes, blade finish suffers and the logo stamp is whanged into the steel so forcefully that it leaves an oval depression in the blade. This does not mean that Randall isn't a good knife. Just means that they aren't always perfect.

The Russell Belt Knife from Canada is good. They also have a similar Boat Knife and a larger Survival model that's been issued in some RCAF survival kits. If it especially interests you, I can get mine out and measure the blade. This is the knife shown in the safari feature in, "Playboy"'s April,1965 issue. The article was written by Robert C. Ruark, BTW.

Your old Buck has a badly sharpened-down blade. I'd retire it and get a new one. And I'd carry a Swiss Army knife or two. One is always in my pocket, anyway.

Some snide members here will ridicule you for having "fantasies" if you want a good knife. I have posted too many examples of when a knife saved a life to pay attention to them. Some think you can't hit a man at 100 yards with a handgun, too. They are mistaken.

BTW, what's the name of that fellow Aaron Something who didn't take a good knife (or a friend) and had to amputate his own arm with a blade on a cheap Chinese multi-tool when it got trapped under a boulder? He did survive and made the rounds of talk shows about 10 years ago. I think he also wrote a book. He sure proved how NOT to visit the wilderness.

P.S. Cyrano-

Your knife is a Model 102 Woodsman. The 120 is the big General model. You transposed a digit.

 

[wuluf]

I try not to e a Benchmade fanboy..too late. I own 7 Benchmade folders and one fixed blade and that's in my bag. It's called the Rant and it's 4", rubber handled and strong. Made in the US and (when I bought it)) under $50. They also make it in D2 steel for a bunch more. Good knife.

 

[shouldazagged]

Something by Bark River Knife & Tool. The Highland Special has a fairly thick four-inch blade, cryo-treated A2 steel, convex ground, fiendishly sharp and easy to strop back up (but won't need it often). With Micarta scales it's pretty much bomb-proof.

They make lots of models, but to me the Highland Special (or the slightly larger Forager, which they no longer offer) is just about ideal as a field/survival knife.

I always have a Swiss Army knife, either the Pioneer Farmer or, today, the Super Tinker, for the tools, plus another knife just for cutting, on my person. Always. But I do have a multi-tool in my BOB.

 

[franzas]

I'd never give up my Ka-Bar. Best knife I've ever owned

 

[Grayfox]

I never got into fancy knives. To me they're just tools and often abused tools at that. I put a good old fashioned G.I. KaBar in my gear. Ain't nothing fancy, but they get the job done.

 

[Texas Star]

You know, where legal, a machete makes sense. In the tropics, it's just about required.

Good brands include Corneta, Martindale, and Tramontina. The US-made Ontario is also good.

Unless you know why you need something longer, stay with an 18" blade. Sometimes, shorter. I have a Corneta with a 12" blade. It's very handy for many tasks.

 

[steelslaver]

Why a SteelSlaver knife of course. LOL

 

[Mule Packer]

Whenever I hear the term "bug-out bag," I think of urban commandos and "night of the Walking Dead"...but that's just me.

I don't have a "bug-out bag," per se, but I do carry what I call a "72-hour pack" in my truck just in case I get stuck up the canyon and have to spend the night. Hmmmm...come to think of it, maybe that is a bug-out bag.

First off, I always have on my belt either a Randall knife...

or a Buck 110.

A 3½-inch or 4-inch blade will take care of pretty much everything you normally do around camp, from cleaning fish, slicing bacon, or gutting a deer, so either one of those knives will take care of most of your needs.

However, I'm certainly not going to leave a Randall knife in my truck in case some miscreant is tempted to "borrow" things that aren't his to borrow.

That being said, I keep my trusty ol' Ka-bar in the truck along with a Wetterlings camp axe. The axe is good for everything from chopping kindling to splitting zombie skulls.

So, I have the Ka-Bar and camp axe for heavier duty types of chores, and the Randall or Buck for the usual stuff.

Oh!!!...I almost forgot!!! I always carry a Case trapper in the front pocket of my Wranglers, too...so I guess I have the knife situation pretty well covered no matter what.