How to Pick a Good Survival Knife

While the knives I discussed above all have good as well as bad traits, any one of them may keep you alive if you have to use it, as long as your experience is not a long ordeal. But, what knife would I personally suggest and want in the field? Selecting a knife for emergency use is not like picking a knife for hunting trips or a pocket knife for small camp chores. A survival knife should be designed with one purpose in mind, keeping you alive until you are rescued. To me that means a strong carbon steel blade (strong and takes a good edge quickly), good solid construction (tough for the field), a comfortable feel and a nice balance to the whole knife (these are all good points for extended use survival or field knives). I would suggest you stay away from knives with thin and very pointed tips (designed for stabbing and may break under rougher survival conditions) and go with a more blunt point. Just about any well designed and high quality knife made of good carbon steel can serve as a survival field knife.

My favorite field and survival knife has a small four inch blade and I keep the blade to around the four or five inch length, because they are easier for me to handle and use in the bush for a wide variety of chores (I have field dressed everything from rabbits to moose with my knife and then used it to make a shelter). Additionally, look for a strong hand guard that will resist bending or breaking under rough usage, and a handle with a butt that is built tough and is attached solidly. Be sure the knife feels comfortable and balanced in your hand. You can expect to pay around fifty dollars (some can cost hundreds of dollars) for a good general purpose sheath knife that will perform well in the field as a survival knife. But, once again I have to strongly suggest you stay away from cheap imports that may use poor quality materials and even poorer construction standards. After all, how much is your life worth?

Military surplus knives have a long history and are often copied by cheap knife makers in third world countries, because the U.S. military combat designs are proven money makers. However, consider the simple fact that military knives may be years behind in design and may lack the technological advances currently used by better knife manufacturers in construction of new products (but, then again, if it’s not broke don’t fix it comes to mind and I think it all boils down to individual choice after some serious consideration).

The military does purchase excellent quality knives for extended and continuous use, but usually only for specialized career fields (riggers, pararescue, combat controllers, etc.) or for special missions.

However, the military uses their basic issue survival knives because they are inexpensive (made by the lowest bidder) and only have to perform for a limited time (usually less than 48 hours). I know from experience, all survival components once used or even those carried during an actual survival situation by U.S. Air Force members are condemned and discarded after the survivor returns to the base. To me that clearly indicates the components were designed with one time usage in mind, or that the gear may have defects from survival usage that are difficult to see and the components may no longer be dependable.

Survival knives, there are thousands on the market and many are good quality products and are sold in military surplus stores. Just remember, once in the field the knife you carry with you will be the only survival knife you have on hand. Pick a survival knife that you can rely on, is well made, is strong enough for rough field use, and is the best you can afford. After all, your life may depend on it.

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