Best Survival Knife for the beginner
- A fixed blade is better for a beginner. Why? Because it is stronger and less likely to break than a folding knife.
- The length of the blade should be 4-5 inches. Why? So that the knife is not too small to be useful, but not too large to be unwieldy.
- A full-length tang ensures that the knife is strong enough to last for a long time.
A thin blade edge is my preference for a survival knife
I prefer the cutting edge of the blade, called the relief, to be thin as reasonable for easier carving and bushcraft techniques. As an example a thinner blade makes it easier to notch a fireboard for the bow drill.
Avoid a thick carving edge meant for chopping, such as you would find with an axe.
Thick edged knives
Most unbreakable survival knives have a thick edge. The thicker edge is to prevent chipping of the edge through repeated use: for example, cutting or chopping hard, dried wood.
Medium thick-edged blade
Pictured below are two examples of medium thick-edged blades I own, the Fallkniven F1 and SOGS Northwest Ranger. Though the F1 carving edge is thicker than the SOGS Northwest Ranger the F1 still meets my requirements for a superior survival knife.
Knife Handles for comfort
The handle should fit comfortably in the hand and balance well. We're not looking for a Machete or a Bowie here, but rather a strong carving knife with a solid grip. The comfort of the knife handle is a key to consider for beginners.
After a brief time of carving, uncomfortable knife handles make your hand sore and blister.
My short list of Survival Knives I recommend
The F1 Fallkniven. There are many excellent survival knives produced in the USA. And there are knife companies I have listed below that you should check out. The F1 Fallkniven cost is on the higher end for a simple bush knife.
A recent alternative to the F1, is the Terrasaur survival knife. Continue to scroll down the page for photos and carving test's I've done using this knife.
Utility and survival knives
For general use and a functional utility survival knife for everyday carry, I like the Järvenpää Classic Puka. I use this knife frequently for a variety of bushcraft applications, including the hand-carved netting needles in the photo.
If all I had was my Puka (Puukka) with me during a full survival exercise, no worries. This handy Puka knife would get me through just fine.
Your skill in the use of a knife. Trumps any knife.
The Fallkniven F1, SOG Ranger, and the Finnish Puukka are all useful knives. For carving, I often use all three. I have other knives of course, but these are the blades I most often use.
Mora carving knives
You do not need to spend a lot of money on a carving knife for practicing survival skills. Down the road, when you have some carving time behind you, you will have a clearer idea of the type of knife that fits you best - as well as the type of work you use it for.
Mora sells affordable knives for day-to-day carving. I recommend these knives especially if you haven't carved for a while. A note on Mora's companion series of knives: many of Mora's knives do not have a full tang. But they are excellent lightweight carvers. These knives are recommended for most of our camps.
If you want to learn more about the knife steel Mora uses for their knives. Read their article "The Steel That Makes the Knife."
Mora's Companion Series
Mora knives, including their Bushcraft series, are lightweight so be careful how you treat your Mora blade. The edge will chip if used on dense, dry wood. Also do not pry with these lightweight knives. These are great knives for carving but not for rough treatment.
We have been issuing these Mora's for our Teen camp since about 2006. The edges of the blades have chipped but with a bit of sharpening the edges come back quickly.
Knives and manufacturers
All major knife manufacturers make knives for survival and bushcraft. So, take a look at the manufacturers I have listed here. I also recommend visiting several knife stores in your area and checking the knives they carry. Listen to what the dealers have to say, but at all costs, stay away from hollow-handled knives.
Many of these long-winded knives have a survival kit stashed in the handle. Some even come with a compass at the end. This is a worthwhile idea but unless the quality is high stay away.
Kill me a Bar
A couple of students showed up with knives that looked like Rambo's at camp. They looked like they were ready to take on a Grizz instead of carving wood. They soon learned about these types of knives.
After one minute of carving with these monsters, their hands were sore. Not far behind, blisters were on the horizon. These knives are weak and cheesy. If that's all you got. More power to you.
Heavy knives
There are times when a heavy knife is appreciated when there is a lot of chopping required like when making your way through thick jungle.
Condor Tool & Knife
This is a new knife company for me. They have some exciting knives. After reading about the Parang knife used by the people of Malaysia, I had to have one. I didn't want a 3ft machete so I chose the Village Parang SS, designed by Joe Flowers.
The Village Parang
The Village Parang, is 12" in length, and is a very serious heavy knife.
The walnut handle is a top-notch finish. For heavy chopping, this heavy knife weighs in at around 2 lbs. I've had some time to take this knife to task harvesting small dead spruce poles: cutting, limbing, and peeling the bark.
This knife does the job but I find it unwieldy due to its size and weight balance. But I will say as with any knife the more you use it the more comfortable with it you become.
Condor's Terrasaur Knife
I recently purchased the Terrasaur with the orange handle from Ragweed Forge online. It was a few bucks cheaper than Condor's Knife and Tools price. I received the Terrasaur just before Christmas 2023 and demonstrated it at the last Fire Craft class I taught in Oregon.
This knife is solid with a" high impact polypropylene handle" with lanyard, the blade is made with “1095 High Carbon Steel”, and a Scandi style grind for ease in sharpening.
The Terrasaur has a full-length tang with the tang protruding from the end of the handle. The metal pommel is common with Air Force-style survival knives for use in breaking glass during emergency exits.
This is a good bush knife that will do what it's designed for and is sturdy and comfortable in overall size and quality but won't break the bank.
Join us for Winter Camp and try out your bush knife!
Terrasaur Performance
I now have over eight hours of carving time with Terrasaur besides using it to start a fire in the wood stove. Testing included carving a quicky camp spatula from Cottonwood shown in photo, and a netting needle and gauge.
Hi Phillip,
Interesting post. Look forward to hear what folks will recommend for you.
This is a help request rather than a comment on the above article, intended towards anyone who has the knowledge/experience to help me find a knife to fit my needs: A survival/utility knife constructed with a full tang design (exposed stock on the pommel side would be a plus for pommeling), made of a single billet of stainless steel (low maintenance… removes the need to carry linseed oil and to worry about it running out).
Full straight blade edge flat ground, without a choil or chord/rope cutter (usually a miniature safety knife feature I consider useless unless purchasing a purpose built emergency safety knife). At all costs, I avoid tanto design blades as they don’t work for me specifically. Preferably a drop point design tip, although I am not too fussy about this. At the same time however I do try to stay clear of “wicked” clip point tips as they tend to snap off much easier than drop points which are sturdier in my experience. Mid, placed serrations on the spine (I do not want a fully serrated spine as I want at least a 1 to 2 inch flat segment behind the tip for battoning – those who have split wood with their knives will understand what I need).
Finger guard (preferred because of the lower weight) or hand guard (if only to provide spear conversion ability by introducing lashing areas). Finger grooves for the handle a plus but not entirely necessary. Handle material of a non-easy-wearing polymer (kraton, xytel, other) with adequate checkering (rubber coated “whatever” will eventually be twisted/worn off). Lanyard and lashing holes/areas a necessity (If I can’t extend it into a spear, I lose an important function). Hollow handle BS – pardon my French – is of-course outruled even if machined from a single billet of steel.
This needs to be a commercially available design as I am extremely reluctant to pay for a custom designed knife. If anyone has any suggestions PLEASE update me. If this request should be posted elsewhere I would appreciate it, if the web-master posted it in the relevant section and informed me of doing so or forwarded me the appropriate link. Thank you all for reading through all this! My best regards…
Dave, Cold Steel makes great knives, thanks.
Hi Jambaar,
The OKC Blackbird SK-5 looks to be a great choice. I absolutely love the Gransfors Bruks axes. Excellent choice. You did good Jambaar. A two edge system that gives you the most options must included a well made camp axe.
Not all hollow handled survival knives should be overlooked- cold steel offers a fine tool in that department. Not for heavy duty application, but pretty formidable if using the two knife system.
What are peoes take on the OKC Blackbird SK-5 as a survival/bushcraft tool. I use it in conjunction with the customized Hedgehog Leatherworks sheath (both by Hedgehog ow Ed Paul Scheiter). I also carry a Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe for heavier chopping and splitting tasks. These two tools make up my blade system for EDC, along with a Gerber Army issue black multi-tool. My philosophy on outdoor equipment in general is get the right thing the first time and I only have to get it once. Did I get the right things?
Hi Tommy Darden,
The Mora’s are great knives. We use the The Companion Heavy Duty F model at camp for our teens. I don’t recommend the Mora Bushcraft series for other than light soft wood carving as the edges are to brittle to handle the type of wood we often encounter at camp. Dry fir. But for knot less softwoods like Cedar, you can’t go wrong with Mora carvers, and the price is excellent. I have a Frost carbon model that I have used for 6 years, love it, plastic handle and all. I like to order from Ragnars Swedish Knife Catalog. He has always been great with all my orders and fast. I highly recommend him for your Mora knives.
Thank you for your input Tommy.
I wanted to add something to my comment. For those of you who watch survival shows, consider Cody Lundin of Dual Survival. While his partner, Joe Teti uses a rather large combat/survival knife, Cody uses a Mora knife, and keeps it around his neck with a simple piece of cord.
I have been using a variety of knives throughout my life for various things, and after many years, I have found that I have chosen my final three. I used to carry a SOG Seal Pup in my line of duty, but now, for my BOB(bug out bag), I have three cutting/survival tools. For heavy chopping and clearing, I use the smaller Gerber Gator Jr machete with the saw back. It is awesome for clearing brush, and its narrow hollow ground edge is easily sharpened. It can be used for some small work as well. For tasks requiring extra tools, I have a Gerber Suspension multi-tool. It is very handy, and comfortable in the palm. Now, for my overall survival knife choice, I must say that Mora of Sweden is an amazing choice. It came out of the box razor honed, and the blade shape is perfect for almost every survival need. You can get these knives in a multitude of handle options and either carbon or stainless steel. I chose the plastic handle because it had a finger guard and I liked the blue color. Nice to have, in case you drop it. It didn’t have a lanyard hole, but a small eye screw alleviated that without compromising the handle strength. This knife is a workhorse for being so small. The grind on the blade lends to rapid sharpening, and having a precision edge, which we all know is important for knife work. I have put this knife to the test, and it passed with flying colors. The price of this little guy ranges from 8-30$ depending on a few factors. For those of you who shy away from plastic sheaths, consider that Mora has a drain hole already drilled, and you won’t cut through it or have to worry about wearing out and poking yourself. This knife is superb, and there are so many people who swear by it. Give one a try, and you’ll agree. With a price that is less than one tenth of many knives, what do you have to lose? I promise, you’ll be amazed at this blade.
Bob, i have a extensive knife collection and have always been fond of SOG, and TOPS, i have the SOG full size SEAL , the pup, and a multi tool of there’s, all are very reliable tools, I have 2 tops knives as well the smoke-jumper, and a neck knife that looks like a harpoon the smoke-jumper knife was one i seen in a video from Hoods Woods, when Ron was still alive 6 years ago, that knife is heavy ,a 6.5 inch blade and 22 oz , but bullet proof, great for chopping and battoning , you can tie it off as a spear point as well, i have no plans on spear hunting with it anytime soon, LOL!, ther tracker knife looks very nice, ill see you at august survival camp!!
John Atkins
Thank you for sharing the information, Bob. We will have to check it out. SOG also has a nice compact knife with a steel, flashlight, and whistle that I attach to my field vest “Tool Logic.” Great tool. As a general rule we prefer a longer fixed blade, but are always on the lookout for well made, practical, and useful products.
I do enjoy a nice ka-bar or SOG, but I have found a lightweight, durable, sharp, and inexpensive alternative a couple of years ago that I have been carrying with me ever since. It’s the Dajo Survivor and has been able to accomplish all the same jobs as my ka-bar but at a fraction of the weight.
Ka-bar – handles the big stuff and great for defense and fighting off critters.
Mora knife – handles everything else
Here’s a bit of history on the Tracker Knife. The first Tracker Knives were made by Ed Lombi. I had number 008, I believe. It had a “bone scorer” instead of a crosscut saw on the spine. Size and shape were similar to the TOPS Knives version except the gut hook transition area from the hatchet edge to the draw knife edge was not as pronounced. Dave Beck took over the making of the Tracker Knife after Ed quit making them. Eventually Dave slowed down and then quit making them. I have one of Dave’s knives, too. While I was the webmaster for the Tracker School. I thought it a shame that this great knife was not more widely available. I contacted Mike Fuller at TOPS Knives to see if they’d be interested in manufacturing the knife. I sent my own knife made by Dave Beck up to Mike and he used its dimensions to create their version of the Tracker Knife. Mike suggested the crosscut saw and the sheath. I, too, prefer a leather sheath but otherwise TOPS Knives does a great job on producing a quality version of this knife.
I can’t help it; I’m a knife nut! I’ve owned maaaaaaaannnnnnyyyyy blades over the years from very cheap to very expensive. My favorite outdoors knives are the Fallkniven F1, the ESEE 5 and my custom Martin Knives (father and son operartion here in Texas) Bushcraft Tactical BT, Bushfighter and SERE. Yes, they cost a bit more, but the quality is amazing, they are warrantied for life as is the ESEE and both are made in the good ole USA! When it comes to outdoor survival and general enjoyment there are a few things I won’t scrimp on and my knives are one of them! 🙂
A note on the SOG Seal Pup Elite straight edge and its application with steel strikers for fire making.
One of the problems we have with some of the knives we use at camp, are the weak sparks produced by the back of the blade when striking fire steels.
Some of our students will also try blade of their knife to strike the steel rod in the attempt to create a better spark. However I discourage this technique. Its very hard on the edge of the knife and with some blades it may cause a nick on the edge. The high heat also may have an effect on the edge making it brittle and more prone to breakage. Not sure, maybe someone could help us out on that.
The Seal Pup straight edge has a spine rasp as the back of the blade for notching, filing, and thumb placement. We have discovered that the rasp works excellent for creating large easily made sparks with much less effort by using the Seal Pups rasp.
The rasp does gouge the strikers some, but worth it for the great sparks the rasp produces.
I am really impressed with this technique and this just adds another positive application for this knife in the field.
SOG Seal Pup Straight Edge Elite
SOG also has a great information page on their blog – Knife Buyer’s Guide. Great info on blade steel and a glossary on knife terms.
Great Travis!
After lurking for about a month i finally purchased the SOG seal pup elite combo edge. i can’t wait for it to get here
The one hollow handle knife that may be an exception to your rule is the Cold Steel Bushman. Also, if society fell apart (i.e., no resupply) I think that might be the best knife to have as the handle will (almost) never break.
oh yeah, by the way, I forgot to mention the best part of the Gerber/Ka-Bar/Swiss Army plan. With a bit internet shopping and E-baying you can pick up all three of these knives for less than the price of one TOPS knife. Granted, the TOPS is one bad-a$$ knife, but for those of us whose $400 has to cover MUCH more than just our cutting/chopping needs (i.e. packs, sleeping bags, stoves, etc.), these knives do the job just fine….for about five or six lifetimes….for a fraction of the cost.
Happy chopping!
Lappy
1) Gerber Trident for the day-to-day wilderness work knife: good steel, four different blade surfaces; full tang, good handle, head-knocker (for when you’d rather not stab them); carves, drills, pokes, etc; very nice sheath with pocket big enough for diamond stone AND multi-tool!
2) KA-BAR Cutlass Machete: chop chop chop chop chop. Too big and heavy for an everyday knife, but if you’ve got a lot of wood or bamboo cutting (or digging) to do, it’ll get it done in a fraction of the time it’ll take with even the best of 6″ blade knives. And the recurve blade, once you learn the physics of it, adds an exponential to your chopping power. Really.
3) A good Swiss Army or multi-tool, with lots of little oddball pokers and screwdrivers and pliers and scissors. Some things—like drilling tiny holes (quickly) just can’t be done with a “survival” knife…..and it fits easily into the Gerber’s sheath pouch. Way cool.
I’ve got a Randall Adventure knife, too, for BIG chopping chores, which, alas, I almost never carry, unless I KNOW for sure that I’ll be chopping enough wood to build, say, a wilderness cabin or if I have to cut down, say, a giant redwood. Seriously, though, I keep it in the jeep, usually, but if I’m planning on building a lean-to out of heavy timber, or some such laborious chore, I’ll take it along—hidden inside my pack….it looks pretty damn silly and/or threatening, depending on how much of a momma’s boy the slackjawed guy eyeballing it is.
A word about handles: don’t expect ANY knife to fit YOUR hand…unless you just happen to be the guy whose hand metrics were used to design the knife in the first place. That said, a bit of judicious whittling will, with patience and sticktoitiveness, net you a knife that is literally made for your hand. First, though, use the knife for a few weeks, doing all the various chores it’ll be called upon to perform. You’ll begin to feel where it’s too fat, where your ring finger would like to wrap a bit further, where your thumb might like a bit of swell, etc. Then go at it VERY slowly, methodically removing one film-thin layer at a time, then using the knife until you’re sure of the next mod. My handles are all a continually evolving, just like my hands.
I’d like to reiterate Mark’s comment about serrated blades. They’re fine for the kitchen and good for certain tasks such as EMT Fire/Rescue but they are absolutely NOT suited for the outdoors.
Serrated blades are also VERY difficult to sharpen, and a skilled hand and special tools are required (a rounded steel/file or a triangular ceramic). A normal edged knife can be sharpened by a simple whetstone, ceramic sticks, or even a river rock or the leather of your belt.
Also beware of the 50/50 blades that are half straight edged and half serrated. These still have ALL of the problems of a fully serrated blade, and leave you with only half the blade usable for field chores. The only time a 50/50 blade is fully usable is when it is used for stabbing, such as when the knife is lashed to a pole for use as a spear.
I’d rather spend $30 on an average decent straight edge blade than hundreds on the latest Hollywood or XYZ magazine newly released “tactical” serrated wonder chopper.
Regarding Serrated knives and partial serrated knives.
I copied this comment from our Man vs Wild thread. Its written by DaveS. Thanks DaveS.
Regarding Knives:
I do not use a serated edge blade ever ouside of my home.
While they are useful, the serations are designed to protect the cutting edge (the part above the seration). This concept was developed for use in kitchens where using ceramic and other hard surface cutting boards dulled the tradional straight edge knife quickly. Great for the kitchen but not for outdoor expeditions or survival.
I tend to go with what is tried and true.
I have only two knives I use on any outing.
1) U.S.M.C KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Knife
I don’t think you could ever go wrong with this knife by your side.
Blades are Hi-carbon USSI 1095 steel hardened and tempered to resist breaking under severe pressure and to accept and retain a super sharp edge, but also an edge that can be restored with reasonable ease even in the field.
This knife is still a favorite personal knife among many marines today.
2) USN Mk3 Mod 0 Combat knife:
One of the standard flight knives of US Navy SEALs, combat divers and other special forces.
It has a straight edge w/ a serrated saw on the back edge of blade.
Also has a hole at base for attaching a lanyard.
It is a bit on the heavy side, but I happily sacrifice its weight for its balance and dependency. (it is a solid knife)
And both of these knives I picked up for under $50 each at Army/Navy/Military Surplus stores in pretty good condition (aside from needing some sharpening).
I have a couple that I keep for display and nostalgic reasons, but the others I use, as it is what they were made for.
Hope this info is helpful to some.
The main reason I posted DaveS comment above here on this thread is to help you folks who are seriously looking for a good survival knife and are considering one with a serrated edge.
I’m not necessarily promoting K-bar knives, but like he says, serrated edged knives should be left at home in the kitchen not brought out into the field. I have students who bring serrated knives to camp and it does not take long for the complaints to begin. Serrated knives to not carve! Simple as that!
What serrated knives are good for besides in the kitchen, would be if you are in the medical, public services, and military professions. Serrated knives can be handy for cutting seat belts, or thick heavy nylon material. Handy for cutting people out of crashed vehicles or downed aircraft.
Serrated knives may look tough for the outdoors, but they just don’t cut it from where I stand.
Here is a review of SOG’s Seal Pup Elite from George who took our Edge camp this last May.
Thanks George!
SOG SEAL Pup Elite Review
SEAL Pup Elite has a very cool-looking 4.85″-long full tang blade with a spine rasp and an injection-molded glass handle with deep comfortable finger grooves that make the handle sit very comfortably in your hand. This knife is available with both partially serrated and straight blades – I personally prefer the straight edge. Its weight and blade thickness feel just right and overall the knife feels very solid.
Initially I bought the knife with the Kydex sheath because it is quite compact, lightweight and has a neat little feature – a grove that reveals a section of the blade which allows you to cut rope without taking the knife out of its sheath. But after trying different ways to carry the knife (including designing and sewing my own custom thigh attachment system) I realized that the nylon sheath was just better suited for my situation. First of all, it has an additional compartment which I ended up using to store my Leatherman Charge multitool. But more importantly, it has a MOLLE attachment on the back, which opens up carrying possibilities galore. Also, I was able to attach a small loop of webbing to the side of the sheath for the firesteel.
I used the knife quite extensively at a week-long survival camp and I must say I am very happy with its performance. The blade is equally good for chopping down small trees, making a throwing stick, carving a pair of chopsticks or a replica of the knife itself. About the only issue that I had with this knife was the spine rasp – I would prefer if the knife did not have it as it hurts a little when I press against it with my thumbs while carving. But it’s a personal preference and I wouldn’t hold it against this knife.
All in all, I am very happy with my SOG and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a dependable fixed-blade knife. Would I recommend it as a survival knife? Well, it’s a highly debated question. Some say the blade should be around 4 inches long. Others rightfully note that there’s nothing a small blade can do that a big blade cannot. Yet others seek knives with hollow handles to put a small stash of goodies inside (my opinion of those knives is not very favorable). But in the end, it all comes down to personal preference – choose the blade you’ll be comfortable carrying with you at all times. For me, this is SOG SEAL Pup Elite!
Sincerely,
George
has anybody tried the gerber lmf. it looks to be a good knife but i would like to here from someone who has used it.
Mr. Majors,
thanks for the great post! We appreciate all the information you have included. Will definitely check out the 5.125 Fallkniven.
Very cool to know that old farts like you and I have SOG Bowie’s stashed away, just in case.
Dear Mr. Wienert and Posters,
Thanks for the excellent information. From the description of Mr. Wienert’s SOG, this is exactly the knife that I have been using for 10 or so years. I agree on all counts: it’s great for chopping and poor for fine work. If chopping (shelter building etc) is the main task, I could not recommend anything else. However, if this were my main knife, I would want a smaller knife or multitool for the fine stuff.
More recently, while looking for a daily carry to do my “dirty work” (everything from camping to stripping old trim off a house), I bought a Fallkniven F1, which has a laminated blade, approximately 3.8 inches long. I must say that I am very impressed with this knife. While it will never chop like the big SOG, it does EVERYTHING else well. This may very well be the perfect choice for beginners (such as First Circle Camp students) and folks who are not building complicated shelters. It is a simple knife with a VERY strong blade and no gimmicks. Having been so impressed with this knife, and looking for the “best compromise knife” for myself and my two boys who are scouts, I just purchased the blade only of the Fallkniven S1. Fallkiven sells blades for 4 or 5 of their knives. The S1 blade is 5.125 inches (for a total length of about 10 inches), and is also a quite strong design. We will experiment with making handles and probably end up with micarta, but I have just wrapped a very usable paracord handle. This brings me to another point. You can overpay for knives with paracord handles. If you desire a paracord handle, consider a Fallkniven blade. They are not dirt cheap, but they are far less expensive than some of the knives that come with paracord handles. The handle regions have the same profile as the knives on which they are based,(larger than some full tangs) giving the possibilty for the knifemaker to wrap or construct a good-sized handle, which I prefer. Having been “around the block” a few times, I am betting that the 5.125 Fallkniven will end up being my favorite – long enough to chop with reasonable efficiency, short enough to skin small critters, and not too much weight for this old fart to carry.
In addition to not wanting to carry too much weight, old farts don’t like to spend too much time sharpening. As long as you don’t have big knicks in the blade, there is a small portable Lansky sharpener with two sets of “V-rods” that works like a champ. It looks a little flimsy, so we’ll see how long it lasts, but it puts on a decent edge pretty quick. You use the tungsten carbide rods first, and the ceramic rods to finish….not bad at all.
Thanks again for all the useful info.
Good luck.
Call me old-fashioned, but I have a very strong preference for Ka-Bar. I’m currently using a full size black with the serrated edge and it has taken more than one knife’s share of punishment. It can skin and fillet if it has to, but I reccomend it for it’s hacking/digging ability and as an all purpose camp tool, and it’s the easiest knife to sharpen that I’ve come across.
It is quite light for it’s size, but I count it as an advantage when having to do strenuous work for extended periods of time. I have tried the SOG Bowie and no doubt it’s a great knife, but I still think the Ka-Bar has the edge, pun intended.
We haven’t discussed the Swedish made “Frost Mora Knives” as yet. We offer these knives at camp for our students and they lend themselves very well to the carving we do.
Mors Kochanski who teaches survival in the north woods of Canada talks about these knives in his book, “Bushcraft”. I highly recommend his book along with the knives.
Kochanski uses a two knife system which makes sound sense; actually this system consists of a small camp knife and a hand ax, or camp ax. Which is really the best system to have with you in the bush.
My experience with these blades have been very positive. The only problem I have had is with the carbon blade rusting here on the Oregon coast, my fault for not checking the blade to make sure it was oiled for our wet environment we live in.
I use the Chris Reeve Sabenza and it’s a great knife to take in the wilderness to cut down small trees and trim branches. It’s a great knife to have in the wilderness.
From the SOG website –
“Originally designed as back-up for law enforcement and military personnel, the Pentagon series is now popular with outdoor knife enthusiasts as well.
The Pentagon offers the instant choice between a serrated or beveled edge for cutting options.
Twin thumb notches enable accurate blade orientation and downward control.
The aggressively checkered, flared handles provide confident gripping as well as sensational feel and balance.”
Todd, the Pentagon definitely a specialized knife that was designed for police or military applications. Probably a fine knife, but not the kind of knife I would choose myself for wilderness survival applications, such as carving. Its a sleek and beautiful dagger.
If anyone has used the Pentagon would enjoy hearing your feelings.
Would the SOG Pentagon be a good knife to use in Extreme situations?
Thanks Bob for your in depth look at the Tracker knife.
(All I heard from Bob the whole week at camp was how much he loved this knife. And several other comments regarding – when are we going to eat some real meat instead of these frigging grasshoppers!.)
Jeez, whatya exspect at survival camp!!!
I think we would all be interested in how to go about sharpening a Tracker knife. It does look a bit daunting to the uninitiated as you have a least three diferent type blade angles to contemplate.
Thanks again Bob, much appreciated.
I had the opportunity for a week to use the Tracker (deisgned by Tom Brown Jr. and made by Topps Kinves). The knive is rather big, heavy but very well made. It can be used for a number of different uses in the wild, general camping and for self defense. I’ve field tested, carried and used over seventy different knives over the past 25 years. For the past 15 years I have taught military and “special” civilian contractors combat knive fighting. As a hunter I have also used a number of knives for different types of field use. As a fighting knife the Tracker would not be my first choice but it could be a very deadly fighting knife if you know how to use it. If I had to carry only one knife with me that would be used for almost everything such as shelter making, game skinning, tool making and self defense, the Tracker would be the one. Even though it worked for me during the week, I don’t like “plastic” knife sheaths and I don’t like nylon. The Tracker’s “plactic” sheath does not hold the knife very secure for extreme conditions such as rapid movement or tactical moving and deployment. “Plastic” and nylon make to much noise. I’m old shcool when it comes to knive sheaths. I perfer leather. They do wear out and require a lot of care but they have alwasy worked for me in a number of different environments. I just had a special leather sheath make for me by a local leather smith. It’s made of heavy leather, double stitched and has two securing straps and three different tie down positions. Having and keeping a good knife is like keeping a good handgun. Why spend a lot of money to put your expensive tool into a cheap holder? The Tracker is a little on the hight end as far as price but I feel it it worth every dollar. After all what is your life worth? The Tracker takes a little work and skill to sharpen but it does take a good edge. Don’t try and sharpen this knife if you don’t know to do it correctly. In the wild or in combat a man is only as good as his skills and his equipment/tools. Other than the “plastic” sheath I woulld rate the Tracker a 9 out of 10 and I have never rated a knife at a 10 so far. Bob M.
my mistake. I read some of your other threads (bear grylls) and realized you were using a SOG bowie.
Dear Admin,
I was reading this post and realized that you did not mention the specific knife that you used. After about 5 minutes of research (I already had the SOG web page pulled up from the Bear Grylls page) I came to conclude that you were talking about the SOG Gov-Tac, or something similar. Thanks a bundle for the information!
When I go into the wilderness I use a Benchmade Nimravus Cub.
It’s not too big, but big enough to take care of small branch cutting, stick sharpening, and animal slicing. It came with a sheath… which Benchmade replaced for me when the original broke (and they sent me the update too!) and Benchmade has a life-time sharpening warranty. $5.00 for their shipping cost and Robert’s your father’s brother…. a new blade!
Thanks for your comment Crash.
The Tracker knife is a great knife. The design has been modified somewhat from Becks original, but still holds true I think to Brown’s overall idea. Crash, tell us more about the Tracker knife, a little more specific on your experience with it would be helpful…what you use it for, the weight, how it works for cutting fire board notches, how does it sharpen, all that great stuff.
We appreciate it.
the knife invented by Tom Brown Jr. Its called the tracker and it is manufactured by TOPs knives, go to Tops Knives or google keyword search “tracker knife”. This thing is a machine, it can do everything you need to do. Mr. Brown is an amazing person as well please check out his website at trackerschool.com