Field/Survival/Bush/Whatever Knife

[docsherm]

My main tools are:
- Leatherman Super Tool that I have had for about 12 years.
- Buck-Strider folder w/ serrations
- A Strider DB-L NSN that I have on my kit (one of the best knives that I have ever owned)

I also have a Busse ASH-1that I have strapped to my go bag. It is a monster for chopping. It cost more then I wanted to spend but it is a great knife and will take a beating.

[mdauben]

I'd probably go with something like the ESEE 4. Its a quality, well made knife, I find the drop point a great general purpose design and I find 4-5 inches to be about the perfect size for a do-everything outdoors knife.

[LHS]

Grayman Defender hands down. I think most, if not all of his knives would be worth it.

http://graymanknives.com/defender.html

I have one of the earlier versions of this knife, when he still called it a Darfur Defender. Good knife, but rough. I had to bark off the rough edges on the spine and grip panels with a coarse file. That said, it's bloody tough. This is a no-BS working knife.

[Ouroborous]

Frost mora's are cheap durable survival knives I use frequently but the RAT-3 is my personal favorite.

[shua713]

Ka Bar fighting knife

[JohnnyC]

I've always been of the mindset that for the "one knife and one knife only" situation you're better suited to something like a cut-down machete, etc., along those lines. I like to be able to bang a rock down the spine to chop kindling if I have to, even cut down small limbs to fashion a lean-to, etc.

While I appreciate the handiness of a smaller knife for doing more precise work, when I'm up in the mountains there's really not a lot of precision cutting I have to do. Hell, you can even skin out a deer with a larger knife if you have to. It won't be pretty, but you can cut down some wood to cook said deer if you're using a larger knife with some heft and length to it. There's no way I could use my ZT350 in the same way as I can use a 6 dollar machete that's been worked over with an angle grinder and a belt sander. Of course the cut-down machete isn't very sexy.

[just a scout]

I use a Randall RAT3 for my sheath knife, a Benchmade CQC-7 Tanto blade for pocket carry and a Leatherman Wave.

The RAT3 is nice, leave it mounted on my gear with the kydex sheath. A little short handle, but tough as nails, good utility size and fills my hand nicely. The Emerson and Wave? Nothing else needs to be said. Those are my EDC.

[sadmin]

Like K.L. mentioned; the Blind Horse Knives shop turns out some really nice blades. I have a BushBaby, but im seriosly eyeballing the Woodsman Pro . My Marbles Bolo has taken such a larger role as of lately; Ive really come to appreciate a sharp machete in camp.

[birdkiller]

For a general bushcraft, living off the land kind of knife, I love my mora classic 2. The scandi grind is just amazing. They are so easy to sharpen, strong, as long as you don't do anything stupid, and pretty comfortable. It is one of the cheapest knives I have, at less than $20 dollars shipped but I like it more than almost every other knife I have. I have been using a Blind Horse knives Frontier Valley with a bead blasted micarta handle and scandi grind at the last survival class I took and just general stuff. I find that here in the desert, there aren't many giant things that need to be baton, or chopped. So the small knife really shines. I think If I could only have one knife for the apocalypse/zombie/PHTF(poop hits the fan) situation you couldn't beat a Woodsman Pro by BHK. I was completely ready to jump on the band wagon for that knife, but I had decided not to buy and more knives for a year, and they didn't make it in scandi.
If they make the Woodsman Pro in scandi someday I will snatch one up.
From my experience, people tend to get to large of a knife for the job. Going out and hauling your gear, you tend to notice that your smaller knife, and more minimalist equipment (with a good skill set) can do most everything that the kitchen sink kinda person can do. Not to say that having tons of stuff ins't nice, but it sure does add weight, which my arthritic knees don't enjoy caring

Thanks,
Cole

[Fairweather8588]

It would probably have to be my Blackbird SK-5 knife, 154CM steel with a 5 inch blade, full tang with micarta grips. Fits my hand perfectly and plenty durable