So You're Looking For The Best Survival Knife... What Do You Do?

[NY MtnMan72]

I have two Gerber knives.... for a "survival" knife being that i am going to use it for other jobs than just cuttiing... i want a little larger fixed blade type. I also reccommend that at least one surface be serrated, for tougher cutting, and because it seems to stay sharper longer.

First one I have had for oh about a year or so- Gerber Prodigy... 9.8 inches, i think the blade about 4.5 inches... one side partial serrated.

Just bought- dont even have it yet (off Ebay) the newer Gerber LMF Infantry knife.... like the prodigy- little bigger, more indestructable, has great butt cap, great quality single side partial serrated....

NO i did not buy it because i saw it on man =vs= wild.... blecch i cant stand him anymore!
I bought it after reading an article in Field and Stream which reviewed 4 or 5 of the most popular tactical/survival type knifes and this knife won....

Not saying its "the best" , it has the features that IM looking for- and that's the only reason you should buy any particular knife- not cus someone thinks its cool. I handled this knife at the sales counter at Gander Mtn, then knew that i could do better than retail on ebay and sure enough- i picked one up for $65 rather than the $99 Gander mtn wanted.......

Oh- by the way.... Smith's also makes a great little pocket sharpener, that has a carbide sharpener, a ceramic one right next to it, and a fold out diamond round tapered sharpener for doing serrated edges... its like an inch by two inches or so, and featherlite... a great buy for around $10....

[Scott]

I too own a gerber prodigy and with the exception of the serrations(can't stand serrations) this knife is great. Great balance, great feel, and not to cumbersome. I picked it up for around $50 retail. Shortly after buying it I picked up the LMFII Infantry. This knife feels great for it's weight and size, exceptionally balanced, and looks just dang awesome.
Unfortunately, the handle of the LMF is not as durable as the prodigy. The handle material is very thin at the guard and tends to "peel" away if you arent careful with it. I have heard of guys having to glue their handles back together with super glue and shoe glue, and to be honest, I have little faith in its handles overall durability, it just wont hold up over time. So due to this issue i definatley feel the prodigy is the better of the two.
One good bit of info, I recently talked to my knife dealer and he was told by a gerber rep that a new, overhauled version of the LMF is due out very soon. Supposedly it will feature an improved handle, and have either a straight/serrated edge or just a straight edge if you dont want serrations. Cant wait to see it.

[prrrfukt]

hmmm, very cool knives, I'm wondering, anyone know where to get ones that fit comfortably around your leg/thigh for easy access??

[nell67]

Try your local hunting /sporting goods store,or look them up online,try ebay.

[prrrfukt]

yeah as for local hunting/sporting goods...the only ones i know of are WAY out of my way...I have tried looking it up online, but i don't know what it would be called, if anyone knows that would be helpful

[trax]

try the knife companies on line. They often have custom sheaths, the ones you described are usually for throwing knives like Salma Hayek used in the "desperado" movies.

[prrrfukt]

I dont watch desperado movies...but thats one of the things I want it for

You see I'm pretty new to this whole survival ordeal, when I first met my bf I used to think he was crazy and paranoid, but lately I've been thinking, and I don't know if its his attitude thats rubbed off on me, or my actually coming to my senses but here I find myself looking for a good knife, because this summer my ol' fella and I are going to go on our first "living off the land" expidition...I am going to ACE at knife throwing, I will become the next....uhhh...knife thrower extraordinaire??...

[trax]

If it's a living off the land expedition there may be other things you want to get good at before knife throwing, just a thought.

[prrrfukt]

That's the whole reason for the expedition, the first of many to come, Im really nervous but also excited

[nell67]

Remember,if you kill it,you clean it!

[trax]

See that's the thing. Those of us already here don't know what knowledge base a newcomer might have. The details of the expedition matter as well. Are you doing a lot of hiking or trekking? Then knowing what boots to wear is more important than throwing a knife.

Is the water where you're going clean? Do you know for sure? Water purification plan might be more important than throwing a knife.

How are you at firebuilding? There he goes again You see where I'm going with this, and there are plenty of threads here with good information, but if you have any questions, throw 'em out there.

[prrrfukt]

Remember,if you kill it,you clean it!

Count on that!

Trax: I see where you are going with this, but in the event that something happens and you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere, you might not have the proper shoes, or water purification tablets, but the knife is something I plan on carrying with me at all times.

I do have purification tablets and I'm a smoker so I always have a lighter handy (and I also have a flint, and if that doesn't work I do know how to start one and so does me ol' fella.)

The only thing that I would need help in is what plant life is safe to eat but for that I need to know which location I will be in and at the moment that is undecided, as soon as we figure it out though we will do some research on that area.

Sorry for getting off topic but I appreciate your concern and will ask more questions when Im ready to go all out.

[nell67]

Count on that!

Trax: I see where you are going with this, but in the event that something happens and you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere, you might not have the proper shoes, or water purification tablets, but the knife is something I plan on carrying with me at all times.

I do have purification tablets and I'm a smoker so I always have a lighter handy (and I also have a flint, and if that doesn't work I do know how to start one and so does me ol' fella.)

The only thing that I would need help in is what plant life is safe to eat but for that I need to know which location I will be in and at the moment that is undecided, as soon as we figure it out though we will do some research on that area.

Sorry for getting off topic but I appreciate your concern and will ask more questions when Im ready to go all out.

purrrfukt,the time should be now to go all out and learn everything you can about the plants,you really need to find out NOW where you are going,plant identification doesn't come to you over night,it is a long,long process! One that could prove fatal with one mistaken plant,and there are lots of look alike plants out there.

Forget the knife for now,and concentrate on the plants.

[trax]

naaah, comes down to the where and when of the expedition. Without that there isn't any valid advice to offer because it's impossible to answer specifics.

[crashdive123]

Prrr, it's been said in many other threads, but I think deserves repeating here. The advice that you are getting (and will continue to get) is very sound. Not knowing your skill levels causes questions. There have been quite a few that have come to this forum looking for advice because they were going out on their first "wilderness adventure" with absolutely no idea what to expect. That can be disastorous. Sounds like you do have some skills. Practice the ones you have to perfect them and try to practice one new one every time you go out. You can go on a well prepared camping trip and practice a new skill. You will still have all of your gear in case you need it. This will help build your confidence in your abilities without putting yourself in a true survival situation.

[Rick]

Hey, if the weather is shabby and you don't want to hit the snowfields do a week-end campout at home. Crash in your sleeping bag on a hard floor, cook over your stove, try out the food you plan to take. You'd be surprised how many things you might want to fix before you even get out there.

[Sarge47]

I'm either getting good, or psychic; how'd I know that the 1st thing Prr was going to talk about was a knife? What's the 1st thing someone does when getting into the idea of Survival? Head for the Armory!

On a more serious note, Prr, you got a whole lotta learnin' to do yet. Read my post: "This Just In" about Cody Lundin's remark. The more you learn the more of an idea you'll have of just what kind of knife you want. Also check out the Blog site for more info.

[trax]

Yeah, just don't call the knife 'baby' that's been, you know...done to death...

[Tony uk]

Shhh if we think to much Sarge might find us, Hes Psychic In fancey writeing

[Lost Lebowski]

As a "NEWBIE" I must apologize to Beowolf who earlier took umbrage to some of my comments regarding bladecraft. I'm impressed by some of your comments. I would suggest everyone buy the best blade they can afford. Buck makes great knives that are relatively inexpensive. Benchmade in my opinion is a better knife but you also pay more. A strong locking folder is as functional in many cases and plenty strong for bushcraft. I personally like fixed blades in the woods. In a truly unexpected survival situatiion I would fall to my knees and thank god if I have ANY knife at all...or I'd just flint knapp a crude blade i CAN GET AWAY WITH. My favorite knife (and I have a whole drawer filled with all kinds some crap some custom works of art) is the Fallkniven f1.

Beo...I like the picture I have a beautiful custom bowie forged from an old nicholsen file ( D2?) with a whitetail handle and a 10" blade you would absolutely fall in love with. The back of the blade has a tooled spine in a pheasant feather pattern and the handle has a nise curve to it that falls into your palm perfectly. I recently moved so once I set up my computer I'll post a picture for you. Its a little too big for my purposes. I backpack a lot. It's actually a little lighter than my fallkniven but too bulky to fit under my pack's hip belt and it has a full hilt though it does not protrude anteriorly any more than the half hilt in your photo. ( the hilt has dovetailed inlays of copper and brass and is stainless. If you are interested I'd consider selling it fairly cheap, though it was an expensive custom (think I paid $375)

Also in general hollow handle knives are poor quality but Chris reeve makes some from one solid piece of steel he machines they are boku expensive though like 3-400 bucks! My 2 cents is you cannot pack a good survival kit into the handle of a knife so make a nice little one in a stuff sack and carry a good strong knife you are skilled with.