Life is a beautiful ride. However, to stay alive in the wilderness, the world’s foremost authority holds in the high-end tools where the survival lies in the quality of the survival knives.
To ensure your adventurous outing bears only happy and exciting memories; survival essentials are crucial. Of all the tools that we use today, the knife remains the most prolific and useful tool. Humans have been relying on knives for tens of thousands of years for various tasks, both mundane and deadly. Therefore, when camping, backpacking, or caught in a survival situation, the right survival knife is one of the most valuable items to have in your possession.
Why carry a survival knife?
The survival knife isn’t just applicable in survival situations. It’s a multi-purpose blade that anyone who operates in the outdoors can use. Whether you are fighting a worst-case scenario, want to cut back brush, start a fire, slice rope and want self-defense from a wild animal or another person.
Purpose of Survival Knife
Although most of us purchase knives for relatively simple things like cutting food or opening packages, a quality survival knife is among the essential tools you need to have if you ever find yourself in the wilderness far away from the amenities of civilization.
A quality survival knife serves a variety of purposes, including:
- Dressing game/cleaning fish.
- Building a shelter.
- Opening cans.
- Hunting weapon.
- Creating a fire-making tool.
- Cutting firewood.
- Self-defense.
- First aid (cutting splints and bandages).
- Hammering (using handle’s pommel end).
- Being lased onto a pole and used as a spear.
Features of survival knife
- Fixed blade
While a folding knife is easier to the carrier on a day-to-day basis, a fixed-knife serves you better in a survival situation as a versatile, reliable tool. It has the upper-hand when it comes to meeting the demands a survival situation might present.
Reduce the risk of damaging or losing your crucial survival resource by choosing a knife better suited for pounding, prying, thrusting, chopping, and rigorous cutting.
- Size
Choose a knife that’s the right size for you and your situation. For instance, a heavy and oversized knife will cumbersome to carry and slow you down.
However, a knife that is too small won’t be good for more demanding tasks like batoning wood and chopping. A survival Bowie knife with 10.6 inches and blades around 5.5 inches will serve well in various situations.
- Material
Survival knives are usually made of either stainless steel or carbon steel. Stainless steel is resistant but less severe than carbon steel and difficult to sharpen.
However, carbon steel is generally stronger, making it more suitable for chopping and cutting wood. Carbon steel survival knives are ideal as it contains high-end strength and is easier to sharpen.
- Sharp point
The best point of your blade is going to be a sharp, pointed tip. Avoid curvy tips as they hinder the stabbing abilities of the knife. If you need a knife for self-defense against an animal, purchasing a quality survival bowie knife is your best decision.
Anything other than a sharp spear point tip compromises your ability to thrust or stab your knife as a weapon effectively.
- Full tang
The tang shows how far the blade extends into the handle of your knife. A partial tang blade may extend into only a half, quarter, or even less of your handle. It can inherently weaker than a full tang as the handles may become loose and wiggle.
However, a full tang will make your knife more balanced as the metal’s weight extends through the handle of the knife.
- Solid pommel
The pommel is the bottom of the knife’s handle. It is used for light-duty pounding and hammering and perfect for driving in shelter stakes.
Some knives are designed with a hooked or rounded pommel that isn’t ideal for hammering. Always look for a survival knife that has a handle with a hilt and a pommel that is wider than the handle.
- Flat-round spine
Some blade shapes are more suited for combat, while others will be much more useful if you are stuck in the wilderness.
The spine is the back edge/non-sharp edge of the blade. A flat-ground spine is better than a round or beveled spine as it is better for starting a fire with a Ferro-rod and batoning, etc.
Different survival situations bring different demands. There is no single knife that will per perfect for all situations. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a survival knife that will be versatile and perform various tasks in a demanding environment.
