What knife is best for outdoor survival? Many people have a big misunderstanding about this matter. The reason is that in reality, most people have never been trapped in the mountains, jungles, deserts, deserted islands, or the sea.
If you are preparing for a self-challenging adventure, or you feel that there is a risk of being trapped in a dangerous environment in the next trip. There is no doubt that you need to prepare a knife. A good survival knife is the most important survival tool in your survival equipment and is one of the 15 most basic tools that all survivors should have. With a good survival knife, you can make or obtain anything you need to survive, and even live a rich life outdoors.
First of all, the knife cannot be too heavy.
Many people are obsessed with machetes, because when they think of outdoor adventures, dense forests and bushes blocking the way immediately come to mind. You hold a machete in your hand, cut through the thorns and create a path that belongs to you. Future generations will follow your footsteps and eventually… find your body. Remember, the purpose of outdoor survival is to survive, not to fight with jungle bushes, not to harvest in the mountains, and not to cut wood to sell at the market. So you generally don’t need to take the initiative to chop trees to open a path. When you are in a dangerous environment and lack supplies, conserving your energy is the first priority.
Outdoor survival, the important thing is survival.
The most important things are physical strength, safety and diet. Only by ensuring these three points can you survive. The so-called outdoor survival that some people fantasize about should actually be called “outdoor survival show”. They just want to experience that kind of environment, build a cabin surrounded by water in the forest, hunt, barbecue, swim, and show their charm in front of girls. But real outdoor survival, even if it is a well-prepared survival challenge, will face various unexpected risks. Survival comes first. If necessary, you must not hesitate to reduce the quality of life to increase the chance of survival.
Some people also say that carrying a large knife can be used for self-defense when encountering large animals. In most cases, if you encounter a large animal that threatens your life while surviving outdoors, the first choice is to run. Even if you have to fight, stabbing is the main way to deal with large animals. Carrying a dagger is much more useful than carrying a large knife.
The answer is clear. For real outdoor survival, what you need is a straight knife with a thick and sturdy blade, a moderate edge, and the ability to withstand very strong operations without being easily damaged.
Why do we emphasize sturdiness? Because knives are necessary in outdoor expeditions. Once the blade is rolled or broken, it may ruin the entire journey and even cause harm to the user. Fruit knives that we use at home are difficult to cope with high-intensity work in outdoor operations.
Why should the blade be sharpened moderately? We know that the thinner the blade and the smaller the angle of the blade, the sharper the knife. Razors and wallpaper knives are extremely sharp. But the thinner the blade, the lower the strength and the lower the retention. When the temperature drops sharply at night and you urgently need to chop wood to make a fire to keep warm, the razor next to you may not even be able to cut a few pieces of wood chips.
On the contrary, the larger the blade angle, the higher the strength, but also the duller. When you have been hungry for several days, and you have worked hard to make a trap, and finally caught a hare, you will probably just go crazy with the “big axe” next to you.
For outdoor survival, it is best to bring a professional-grade outdoor hunting knife with super high hardness, thick back, moderate blade, scientific design, reasonable weight, and comfortable handle.