The survival knife may just be your future best friend. Having the best survival knives at your side can draw the line between surviving, and actually being able to do something of worth in a survival situation. Choosing amongst the different kinds of knives, like fixed blade survival knives or folding blade survival knives, is something that you must decide. This decision is made according to what you think you are going to use and what kinds of situations you are going to use them in. Some survival experts believe that foldable knives could possibly do more bad than good. Due to the folding hinge, the knife could fold while in use and end up cutting you or it could come apart at the hinge in the middle of extreme use. This is the reason why a lot of hunting knives are fixed, because the process of hunting and killing an animal requires a significant force that may be too much for folding blade survival knives.
If you would like to have an easier time searching for the best survival knives, you can always look to survival expert Bear Grylls for inspiration. Bear Grylls, also known as the star of the hit show Man vs. Wild, features specific knives in his show due to their high quality and dependability. One knife that became specifically famous because of Bear Grylls is the Gerber Gator fixed knife with a serrated edge. Bear Grylls used this specific survival knife in one of his seasons, and it has gone through certain uses like the skinning of a zebra and the like. Thanks to the stellar reputation of Bear being able to have a true one-up over nature, the Gerber Gator fixed knife is now definitely considered as one of the best survival knives on the list.
However, one can only go so far when they are basing their survival knife choice on someone else. While the Gerber Gator is right for Bear Grylls, a different knife might be the perfect match for you. This is because a survival knife must feel like an extension of yourself, in that it must fit into the palm of your hand like they were made for each other. This enables you to avoid blisters and the like when doing major work with the knife, which is what will definitely happen should you use a knife that is ill fitting to your hand. Taking a cue from the Bear Grylls Gerber Gator, which has a glass filled nylon handle that has been chemically bonded to the outer surface. The outer surface itself is molded rubber from Santoprene, and it has excellent tactile grip. Quality like this is what will determine whether or not it belongs on a list of the best survival knives.
Aside from the proper grip, the length of the blade itself must also be taken into consideration. While some people think that the longer the blade, the better the knife, survival guides and experts clearly say otherwise. A machete may be useful for hacking at wild greenery when trailblazing, and it could probably kill your dinner for you in fewer strokes, but aside from those large actions, there really isn't much else that a machete is good for. When it comes to all around use, the best survival knives are those that have a blade that is just right. While just right may be subjective to some, it has been found that a blade of 4-8 inches is more than enough to be able to get around without having to switch knives at all.
Serration on the blade of the knife can also be quite useful. Serration is basically used for slicing, seeing as the object that is being sliced is meeting a blade in many different angles. The straight blade is more for the general chopping action. While a lot of people do not consider serration as a must for the best survival knives, a lot of the survival knives being produced today already come with serration. While there isn't really anything for you to lose should you buy a knife with a serration, it is entirely up to you if you wish to buy one that is just a straight blade. The only downside to a serrated blade is that it is hard or next to impossible to sharpen in the wild, unless you have with you a special sharpening tool for serrated blades. This is a pro and a con that you must weigh yourself.
Next, check the weight of the knife. Considering that you are going to be using this knife in the outdoors, you will certainly be doing a lot of physical activities, you are going to want to cut your losses wherever you can, and that includes chucking around a heavy knife. Thanks to the advanced technology of today, you can very easily purchase a knife that is both durable yet lightweight. The Gerber Gator, for example, is only 6.06 ounces, while the SOG specialty knife - the kind of survival knife used by the Navy Seals - is 10.3 ounces. One problem with bigger knives is that they are usually very heavy. The best survival knives are always those that have excellent blades but are not as heavy as rocks.
In the case of survival knives as multi-tools to be used as survival gear, most of the time the use of this is fine. If you are going camping and you have a lot of gear anyway, the multi-tool will certainly come in handy. But if you are going to climb a mountain and are going to have to keep all of your gear on your person, you are going to want to keep the weight to a minimum so as not to bog yourself down and to maximize your strength and endurance.
The kind of survival knife that you buy will really depend on the types of things that you do in the outdoors. Only one thing is true for everyone: no matter what type it is, make sure you have one before you start to hit the great outdoors.
