The Best Survival Knife is…

Posted by Jamie Canterbury on February 20, 2019   •   survival gear, survival knife

The best survival knife is a knife that is durable, comfortable, and has been built to withstand the punishment of a wilderness emergency situation. While a good survival knife should meet certain criteria, eventually it all comes down to quality and preference. How a knife handles for you and what affect it has on your hand completing tasks is very important. No matter what knife you settle on, the best piece of advice we can give you is to get out and use it. The more you use that knife the better a companion it will be in a situation where you HAVE to rely on it.

A Well-Constructed Survival Knife

A survival knife that is heavy-duty and durable is going to be your best bet. You need a knife that can handle anything; such as splitting wood, skinning animals, and a host of other tasks. The knife has to be able to take a beating and stay useful. This means a fixed blade knife with a full metal tang would be best.

There is a ton of information out there on the internet but there are also some hard and fast rules for buying a knife that can serve you in all the ways you expect a survival knife to.

• 90 Degree Spine

The best survival knives are going to have a 90 degree spine so they can be used to break down tinder, scrape bark and strike ferro without using the blade.

• 5-6 inch blade

If you are going to depend on your knife to split wood and carve, you need a blade that has the length to do these things. A longer blade gives you the ability to process larger pieces of wood.

• Stainless Steel

High quality steel is a must and you want a one piece or full tang knive as mentioned above. This is how a durable blade is made.

Survival Knife Edge

There are a number of effective edges when it comes to knife design. While some knives have radical Tonto blades and things like that. The very best survival knives are going to keep a sharp edge. That’s most important.

Beyond that is having an edge that can be easily sharpened. You don’t want an edge that has 4 different angles to sharpen. These knives look great but can be tough to get sharp again.

Keep it simple and sharp on your survival knife.

Size and Features

While there is a bit of personal preference when it comes to this, you really want to adhere to our guidelines above, in terms of size. What you will find is that the 5-6 inch range is going to make that knife the most effective for the variety of tasks you will call on that survival knife to achieve.

In terms of features, be careful about a knife that claims to do it all. You want the focus to be on the design and quality of that blade. However, having a knife with a fire striker, or ferro rod, built into the handle is a great little feature.

Look for the simple features and avoid those that turn the survival knife into 30 different gadgets.

Another great feature to buy, invest in or create is a high quality sheath. Look for a sheath that you can attach to your belt and your knife will always be by your side.

Conclusion

The best survival knife is one that has been designed with your life in mind. You have to put in the time to get to know your tools. Your knife is no different. If you are going to depend on that knife in the wild you should get to know it pretty well so put in the dirt time.