{"id":3529,"date":"2018-04-26T20:47:34","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T20:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/?p=3529"},"modified":"2018-04-26T20:49:03","modified_gmt":"2018-04-26T20:49:03","slug":"how-to-choose-a-survival-knife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/how-to-choose-a-survival-knife\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose a Survival Knife"},"content":{"rendered":"

If I could only have one piece of equipment in a survival situation it would have to be a knife.\u00a0 With a good knife you can make just about anything you need.\u00a0 You’ll be able to find shelter, make tools and get food with primitive traps.\u00a0 With a little bit of practice you’ll turn into a many your forefathers would be proud of.\u00a0 While they seem similar you’re going to want a different survival knife as opposed to hunting knife. Most survival knives are larger and heavier than your typical hunting knife.\u00a0 But what makes a knife suitable for a life or death situation?\u00a0 I’ve already shown you my favorite survival knives<\/a> but how do you choose one?<\/p>\n

How to Choose a Survival Knife?<\/h2>\n

Different Knife Designs\"\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

There are a ton of different knife styles as seen in the photo below, but which one makes up the best survival knife<\/a>.\u00a0 The knife needs to have a full length tang that runs all the way through the knife.\u00a0 The Backbone like tang can serve as a hammer in a survival situation.\u00a0 There are a number of folding knives that can work well, but you can never go wrong with a fixed blade. Personally I would always bring a fixed blade knife on any wilderness retreat. \u00a0 That being said the perfect knife is the one you’re willing to carry.\u00a0 It might make sense to carry a full sized USMC Kabar<\/a> on a camping trip, but you’d look silly with one at the office.\u00a0 If all you’re comfortable carrying is a pocket knife that’s better than nothing.\u00a0 What good is a knife that never leaves your bedside table.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The blade needs to have a sharp point and good slicing ability.\u00a0 Try and find a good balance between the serated and flat edged side.\u00a0 That’s why so many people love the Ka-Bar fixed blade knife to the right.\u00a0 It has the perfect amount of serration to be effective without reducing its slicing capability.\u00a0 You’ll still be able to quickly skin animals, filet fish whereas the serration will help you cut through limbs and harder objects.<\/p>\n

The back of the blade needs to have a thick hardened spine that can be used as a hammer.\u00a0 You don’t want your knife bending or getting damaged when you’re lost in the woods.\u00a0 It will really help you when doing random chores like splitting firewood and or cutting through tree branches.<\/p>\n

Keep Your Knife Sharp\"\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

Make sure your knife is sharpened often and stays sharp.\u00a0 A dull knife will make tasks much more difficult and dangerous.\u00a0 Dull blades increase your chances of slipping and cutting yourself.\u00a0 It’s your responsibility to keep your knife sharp with a sharpening stone<\/a> or knife sharpener<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Safety Tip:\u00a0 <\/strong>A properly sharpened knife can easily slice your finger which could be serious in a survival situation.\u00a0 Cheap knives are often more dangerous than they’re worth.\u00a0 You need to respect your blade and always follow safe handling procedures.<\/p>\n

Different Knife Metals<\/h3>\n

The blade of a survival knife needs to be made out of a tough edge holding steel.\u00a0 It needs to resist rust and corrosion to keep a sharp edge.\u00a0 Knife metallurgy is constantly evolving producing thicker and stronger steel.\u00a0 There are so many different types of metal that it can be difficult to choose the right one.\u00a0 Midway’s knife steel and handle material chart<\/a> should set you in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Choose The Right Grip<\/h3>\n

It’s difficult to foresee what you’ll need in a given survival situation.\u00a0 I always plan for the worst and expect a lot of mud and moisture.\u00a0 You’re going to need to find a knife that isn’t slippery when wet.\u00a0 Manufacturers use a lot of tricks to make their blades easier to handle.\u00a0 They use aggressive checkering patterns and finger contours to increase your grip.\u00a0 You also need to make sure the grip is durable enough to take a pounding when you need it.\u00a0 You’ll need to try a few knives to get a feel for them.\u00a0 I really like the durability and comfort of wooden grips, but rubber might offer more comfort.<\/p>\n

\"\"Don’t Be tempted With Oversized Knives<\/h3>\n

Maybe you’re Crocodile Dundee’s younger brother, but I’m certainly not.\u00a0 While Dundee’s oversized knife may work for him it’s ridiculous for most people.\u00a0 The only time bigger knives are beneficial is when used as a hatchet.\u00a0 The added weight makes it much easier to cut.\u00a0 You can use it for digging and as a pry bar also, but that will quickly wear out a blade.\u00a0 If you need to do a lot of digging use the knife to create a crude wooden shovel.<\/p>\n

There’s a reason the Marine Corps chose the Ka-Bar knife<\/a> as their go to blade.\u00a0 Through extensive testing they found that it offered the perfect size to strength ration.\u00a0 Use the Ka-Bar as a guide and find a knife that fits your specific needs.\u00a0 A little bigger or smaller can work better in some situations.\u00a0 A large bowie knife is going to be difficult to wield, but you’ll lose a lot of leverage on a smaller blade.<\/p>\n

Always Use a Sheath<\/h3>\n

The right sheath is almost as important as the blade itself.\u00a0 You’ll need some form of protective sheath to both protect yourself and the blade.\u00a0 Years ago on one of my first hiking trips I brought along a 20$ blade I found at tractor supply.\u00a0 The blade was impressive and fit all my needs, but it came with a cheap nylon sheath.\u00a0 Of course three days into the hike it went through the sheath and cut my leg pretty badly.\u00a0 I ended up wrapping it in a few dirty shirts and storing it in my hiking backpack<\/a>.\u00a0 After the trip I had my Amish Farrier design a heavy duty leather holster that includes a sharpening stone.\u00a0 It cost me less the $20 and has lasted close to 15 years.<\/p>\n

Get Your Practice In<\/h2>\n

Just because you spent a ton of time picking out the perfect knife doesn’t mean your an outdoorsman.\u00a0 You can’t assume that you’re an expert just because you have the equipment.\u00a0 Make sure you always use proper knife safety and practice in a controlled setting. Always cut away from yourself and make sure its functional before you get out in the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If I could only have one piece of equipment in a survival situation it would have to be a knife.\u00a0 With a good knife you can make just about anything you need.\u00a0 You’ll be able to find shelter, make tools and get food with primitive traps.\u00a0 With a little bit of practice you’ll turn into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[7,8,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Choose a Survival Knife - RangetoReel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/how-to-choose-a-survival-knife\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Choose a Survival Knife - RangetoReel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If I could only have one piece of equipment in a survival situation it would have to be a knife.\u00a0 With a good knife you can make just about anything you need.\u00a0 You’ll be able to find shelter, make tools and get food with primitive traps.\u00a0 With a little bit of practice you’ll turn into […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/how-to-choose-a-survival-knife\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RangetoReel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-26T20:47:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-04-26T20:49:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Ka-bar-survival-knife-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"599\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"331\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"RangetoReel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/\",\"name\":\"RangetoReel\",\"description\":\"Fishing, Hiking, Camping and Hunting\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/how-to-choose-a-survival-knife\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Ka-bar-survival-knife-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Ka-bar-survival-knife-1.jpg\",\"width\":599,\"height\":331},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/how-to-choose-a-survival-knife\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rangetoreel.com\/how-to-choose-a-survival-knife\/\",\"name\":\"How to Choose a Survival Knife - 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