Imagine you find yourself in a critical survival situation. What kind of tool would you want to have on your side? Chances are a good knife will make the difference between happily ever after and the last outdoor adventure of your life. You would probably be happy having any knife on your side, but, because you chose to read this article, you probably are a person that likes to plan ahead, and is not content with anything but the best survival knife available.
Knives succumb to personal taste the majority of times when thinking about a product to help you out in camping, hiking and other outdoor activities. But survival situations demand a professional and reliable tool, the best survival knife that money can buy, and so we’re here to guide you to an informed decision that you will not regret.
A good survival knife should be ready to help you build shelter, prepare food, start a fire, hunt, clear paths and so on. Below are aspects you should consider when choosing a survival knife:
- Tang
This is an important aspect as it gives you survival knife the power and durability to resist during extreme use. The tang is the portion of the blade that goes straight into the handle and connects with it. You should choose a knife that has a full tang as it is much more resistant and less likely to break off than a partial tang knife.
- Handle
Handles on survival knives come in a large variety. From rubber to polymer there are endless options. It is probably far easier to remember what features to avoid when choosing a survival knife. Avoid knives with hollow handles because, as we mentioned above, it’s a sign that it’s not a full tang knife. It may seem practical at first glance because they’re designed to store things, but think about it, besides the fact that it’s much more sensitive, if you store things in there and loose the knife, the situation may complicate exponentially. The third thing you should avoid is knives that have built-in bonuses, so to say, in their handles, like compasses. It may seem an interesting feature as well, but it actually makes the grip and usability of the knife much worse.
- Blade
- Metal – Survival knives usually come in two different varieties: stainless steel and carbon. Both have their pros and cons, so it’s really up to you which one you choose. Stainless steel doesn’t rust but may loose their edges faster than carbon. On the other hand carbon blades are much more durable, but rust faster.
- Design – There are two options here as well: serrated or straight edge. A straight edge survival knife can be sharpened very easily even using a stone, whereas serrated knives need a special sharpener.
- Length – A good guideline is to look for knives that have a blade that is between 6 and 12 inches. Any longer and it may be more of a burden than a tool. Any shorter and it may not be quite the tool for the job.
- Thickness – Blade thickness is something that people who are not professionals tend to neglect. But it can literally make or break a knife used to chop wood for example. A good rule o thumb is to stick to thicknesses between 3/16 and 4/16 of an inch which means the knife is technically prepared for any hard job.
These guidelines should make your decision about which survival knife to purchase much more easier. To make it even easier for you, below you can explore our picks for top 3 survival knives: