Looking for the best survival knife, is a big deal for some guys, and even some gals, as they are very particular as to what kind of knife they carry with them.
In by-gone days ALL men carried knives with them at all times.
Here in the NW part of the states it is STILL very common to see guys with some sort of knife or multi tool strapped onto their belt.
It’s too bad how so many folks are scared of knives these days.
Because of what the movies and media have made knives out to be, it is no wonder, I guess.
Since the Movie “The Hunted” came out in ’03 , the Tom Brown Tracker Knife has been a popular choice as a survival knife.
When preparing a survival pack, camping trip or anything like that , choosing a survival knife is a very important part of your preparation.
Blade Length: A good length is about 4 – 6 inches for the blade. A longer blade is over kill for most things that you will be doing with a survival knife.
Add a larger bladed to your pack or a hatchet if you think you will be needed more blade length for certain tasks.
The TANG is where the rubber meets the road on choosing the best survival knife.
You will want the blade to run the full length of the knife. This is called Full Tang.
Full Tang is where the blade merges into the handle and in many cases the blade is encased on both sides by either a wood or leather handle.
On some survival knives the handle is left off to make it lighter and more versatile. To the inexperienced, these knives may look bare and unattractive, but the true outdoorsman or survivalist knows better!
Narrow tang is where the steel is narrower and is covered by more handle so to speak.
So when looking for the best survival knife, one thing to look for is that the blade is running all the way through the handle and you can usually tell by looking at the spins of the knife.
Smooth or Serrated Blade?: I would suggest to go with a smooth blade as the serrated blades are harder to sharpen when you are out in the woods, and although the serrated can cut through things like material and skin better than a smooth one at times, your smooth blade will make short work of those things as well, if it is kept sharp.
The smooth blades are much easier to keep sharp as you can use a rock if nothing else is available whereas the serrated are very hard to sharpen.
One thing the serrated blades are great for is to cut small twigs or branches. My favorite tool for that is the little survival saws that are compact enough to stick into your survival pack yet powerful enough to make short work of a pile of branches thick enough to use for firewood.
I think having BOTH the best survival knife AND a survival saw in your pack would be best!
Viola Bontrager has written TONS of emergency survival articles. If you are still looking for the best survival knife, go visit her website at www.Emergency-Survival-Skills.com where you can see a variety of highly recommended survival knives.
