Survival knife

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Survival knives are intended for survival purposes when lost in a wilderness environment. Military units issue some type of survival knife to pilots in the event they may be shot down. Hunters, hikers, other outdoor sport enthusiasts, and adolescent boys also purchase and use great numbers of commercial survival knives. Some survival knives are heavy-bladed and thick; others are more lightweight or fold in order to save weight and bulk as part of a larger survival kit. Their functions often include serving as a hunting knife.

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[edit] Origins of the survival knife

Previous to the late 19th century, outdoorsmen and military personnel did not use knives that were notably different from the knives used by butchers. Bladestock was relatively thin and the handles were often no more than two wooden slabs riveted to the tang. Around the turn of the century, Webster Marbles introduced the modern concept of the "hunting knife." These knives incorporated heavier blades, crossguards, and pommels. They very much resembled miniaturized Bowie knives. Case, Cattaraugus, and other cutlery manufacturers soon introduced similar knives of their own and it is from these that the modern concept of the survival knife is descended. These knives, along with machetes and bolos constituted survival knives as used by military, explorers, and outdoorsmen up through at least the 1930s.

Survival knife with sawteeth machined into the back side of the blade.
Survival knife with sawteeth machined into the back side of the blade.

During WWII, survival knives were issued to aircraft crew, as it was a real possibility that these personnel might be shot down over wilderness or behind enemy lines. Lifeboats aboard naval vessels also frequently contained survival kits including knives. These knives varied in design from one branch of the service to another and from one nation to another. The majority of them were simply commercial knives purchased in bulk by the military. From the Vietnam-era and to present, purpose-built survival knives evolved. The serrations often seen on more recent survival knives are intended to allow aircrewmen to cut their way free through the relatively thin metal skin of a crashed helicopter or airplane. They do not function well as woodsaws nor are they intended as such. Those knives that do include functional saw-teeth still suffer from lack of blade length limiting the thickness of what can be cut when used as a saw. Other features, such as hollow handles that could be used as storage space for matches or similar small items, began gaining popularity in the 1980s. With knives like these, there is a trade-off, as they are usually very fragile and prone to breaking.[citation needed] Custom or semi-custom makers such as Jimmy Lile and Bo Randall are often credited with inventing those features, but all of them can be found individually in earlier commercial knives. The movie First Blood may legitimately be credited with having created the market demand for large, serrated, hollow-handled survival knives.[citation needed] Knives of that description are even sometimes referred to as Rambo knives.

Some militaries, including the US, have redesigned the bayonet used with their issued rifle to include survival knife features. Historically, bayonets had functioned poorly as field knives, due to being designed primarily to turn a rifle into a thrusting weapon and only secondarily (if at all) to work as a field knife. The newer models function more acceptably for mundane tasks while retaining the capability to be attached to the muzzle of the rifle.

[edit] Examples of Survival Knives

[edit] Fixed blades

The Fällkniven F1
The Fällkniven F1
  • Fällkniven mod - WM1, F1, S1, H1, A1 or A2. The F1 and S1 (only black versions) are approved as aircrew survival knives by the US Navy and US Marine Corps, and the F1 is Swedish air force pilot issue.
  • Becker Knife and Tool - mod. BK-7, BK-10
  • Cold Steel - SRK, Master Hunter, the SRK is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy
  • Ontario Knives - RTAK, TAK-1, RAT-3, RAT-5, 499 Airforce survival knife
  • Swamp Rat Knives - CampTramp, Howling Rat, Ratweiler
  • Bark River Knife & Tool - Northstar, Fox River, Highland Special, Bravo-1
  • Randall Made Knives - Model 15 Airman, Model 18 Attack-Survival
  • Relentless Knives - Model M1 Aviator, Model M1 MAP Model M4X
  • Ka-Bar - 1221 Next Generation Fighter/Utility, 1218/5018 USMC Fighting/Utility knife
  • Eikhorn Solingen ASEK (Aircrew Survival/Egression Knife) and KM2000
  • SOG - SEAL 2000 is approved for use by the U.S. Navy SEALs as an assault knife
  • Gerber - LMF 2 is approved by the airforce as an ASEK knife
  • Tracker - TOPS Knives, Designed by Tom Brown Jr.

[edit] Fixed blades with embedded survival kits or hollow handles for storing such

  • Chris Reeve hollow handled knives
  • Randall Model 1

[edit] Folding blades

Some may consider a folding blade not durable enough however, it is more compact and easily carried. It is vitally important that the blade lock securely (to prevent injury) and be easily opened with one hand (in case one arm is incapacitated).

[edit] Multi purpose knives

[edit] Multi-tools and pocket survival tools (PST)

These are knives that have many tools that may be useful in survival situations, however the blades are usually small and these tools should be accompanied by a larger knife.[2] Sometimes, the blades are bigger, making them more usable as a primary knife, then extra functions are kept to a bare minimum. However, pocket knives almost never feature a good blade lock, limiting their usefulness as a primary blade. In urban emergency situations tools other than a knife such as screwdriver, pliers etc may allow escape from dangerous situations.

  • SOG Power Plier
  • Leatherman Wave
  • Leatherman Charge TTi [3]
  • Gerber Multi-Plier 600 [4]
  • Victorinox SwissTool RS

[edit] Machetes with cutting characteristics

Besides regular knives, some people also switch to special Machete-variations as the Golok and Parang to use as their primary (survival) knife

  • Gurkha Kukri Also, sometimes Kukhris are used in areas where it does not need to serve to clear vegetation. Popular brands are:
  • Valiant Trading Company Parang Bandol
  • Valiant Trading Company Survival Golok
  • Valiant Trading Company Kelapa
  • Cold Steel LTC
  • Himalayan Imports Sirupati (12-15inch)
  • Gurkha House 8" the Savior
  • Gurkha House 12" Survival (Alive)
  • Marble no°6 Safety Axe

[edit] Neck knives

Although mostly used as a back-up, certain neck knives may be used for survival use. They are encased in hard-scale protection or are foldable.

  • Spyderco SPOT
  • Emerson Knives LaGriffe
  • KA-BAR TDI LDK
  • Rob Simonich Bitterroot
  • CRKT CR-2370
  • Cold Steel 20BTJ
  • Relentless Knives M2 Talon
  • Smith and Wesson HRT2
  • Bud Nealy [5]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Blade Tech Professional hunter approved by USRSOG as survival knife
  2. ^ Taylor, Rich (February 1997). Survival Tools. Retrieved on 02/05/2008.
  3. ^ Blades aka Steel. Retrieved on 02/06/2008.
  4. ^ Gerber Multitool. Retrieved on 02/06/2008.
  5. ^ Gardner, James (August, 2004), “Sticking your neck out: the most useful knife may be the one hanging by a string.”, Guns Magazine 26 (8): 145-151, <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-118686522.html> 

[edit] External links

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