Choosing knives for survival - an overview and video of the best options

If you can’t imagine your life without outings in nature, are fond of hunting or fishing, go rafting or go on long hikes from time to time, then the topic of survival should be interesting for you. After all, any, even seemingly harmless exit into the forest, is inextricably linked with extreme conditions.

You need to be ready for anything, so you should take your equipment more than seriously. In your camping arsenal, you definitely will not interfere with a survival knife. Of course, on a hike you can get by with an ordinary hunting knife , but it’s also worth considering it as an option.

The topic of survival knives is already so well-traveled that it is quite difficult to add something new. But we'll still try. There are both supporters and opponents of this type of knife. Opponents give a bunch of arguments about the actual uselessness of a knife for survival - they say, why do we need all these stray things like a saw on the butt, which you can’t really saw off anything, a compass showing it’s not clear what, a disposable file, NAZ in a hollow handle and much more.

Maybe in some ways they are right, but it should be remembered that this is, first of all, a survival knife. And the maximum benefit of this knife is manifested in the most extreme conditions. When you don’t have an ax or a saw at hand, then this seemingly useless saw will greatly facilitate your survival process.

Let's list their advantages:

Well, there are disadvantages, where without them:

survival knife design

In most cases, a survival knife has a hollow handle that serves as a pencil case for NAZ. Although many people think that the strength of a knife with a hollow handle is worse than that of a knife with a shank that passes through the entire handle, we do not agree with this. If the product is made with high quality, then it will be quite durable and reliable.

The knife blade can be smooth or serrated. In our opinion, it is better to use a standard smooth blade, in which case it is easiest to sharpen it. There are almost always teeth (sawing) on ​​the butt of the knife, with which you can make a small cut in wood, bone or even metal (depending on the pitch and setting of the teeth).

A survival knife can have a very different shape, this is influenced by many factors - the geography and climate of use, the independent choice of the owner and the specifics of survival.

What is usually included in the NAZ survival knife kit:

Compass. It can be placed on the handle or on the scabbard.

Fire starter. Usually this is a fire starter, a lighter, a few matches soaked in wax and dry fuel.

Threads. From kapron and ordinary.

Minimum fishing set (5 meters of fishing line, weights and hooks)

Needle set (surgical and ordinary for sewing clothes), a few pins, tweezers.

Water disinfectant - tablets or manganese.

medical kit and adhesive tape.

This is an approximate set of NAZ, everyone completes it at their own discretion. Additional elements can be a whistle, a magnifying glass, a grinding stone, a heliograph mirror, a blade, a small knife.

Let's look at the most popular models of survival knives.

Aitor Jungle King II

King of the Jungle 2 is one of the most popular survival knives. Manufactured by the Spanish company Aitor.

Knife Features:

Basically a good survival knife. Very versatile, high quality and reliable. A compass is built into the cork of the handle, which will help you navigate in the forest. Sometimes he shows nonsense, but mostly working. A skinner knife can not only open beer bottles - strapped to a stick, it easily turns into a spear. On the scabbard there are folding horns for a slingshot (you can shoot small game).

There is a saw on the butt of the Jungle King II, it cuts pretty well, especially dry wood. There are no comments on the cutting part of the knife either - it cuts pretty well. The only thing is that the guard sometimes interferes with cutting meat, but this is a trifle. The weight of the knife is 460g, this is the weight of the whole set, in principle, it is quite light (this is due to the fact that the handle is hollow).

Some consider the dimensions of the knife to be a drawback, the length of the entire knife is almost 30 cm (27.5), and if you also take into account the sheath, you get a rather impressive unit (inconvenient when worn on a belt). The fastening of the blade in the handle is reliable, the method of fastening is that the blade is recessed into the handle by 35 mm and fixed in it with a transverse sleeve.

Survival knife HB-1-01

This blade came from the army knife "Basurmanin". In terms of characteristics and appearance, it looks like the Jungle King described above.

Knife Features:

Well, now the debriefing. In principle, the HB-1-01 knife is quite suitable for hiking trips and small outings into nature, but for extreme conditions you need to look for something more serious. Based on personal experience and feedback from the owners of this knife, the following conclusions can be drawn - the steel is not of very good quality, it sharpens poorly, is susceptible to corrosion, burnishing quickly peels off.

It is advisable to completely change the NAZ to your own, because the quality of the standard kit is also not very good. The handle is inconveniently round. The blade is fixed in the handle quite securely, but the passport says that the load on the break is only 30 kg., Which also makes you think.

But the scabbard is made really well, a very simple and functional suspension system is thought out here. Another plus is the presence of a compass not on a knife, but on a sheath. In general, it’s up to you to decide whether you should buy such a knife, there are craftsmen who refine and eliminate some shortcomings themselves during operation, but think for yourself whether you need such hemorrhoids.

FALLKNIVEN S1

FALLKNIVEN S1 is an excellent Swedish survival knife. It was originally designed for US Air Force flight crews.

Knife Features:

The FALLKNIVEN S1 is a survival knife without any extra bells and whistles. It cuts perfectly, almost does not dull, it is easy to sharpen, it is not subject to corrosion, it is not scratched. The small handle gives more freedom to manipulate the knife. Comes with a leather sheath.

This knife + some good multi-tool is the best option for a real survivalist. Such a knife is good both in everyday life and in extreme conditions.

Wildsteer WX

Wildsteer WX is a survival knife from a well-known French company. The manufacturers themselves call their brainchild a folding tactical survival knife.

Knife Features:

The main feature of the Wildsteer WX is the unique patented blade lock - WX lock. This latch is so reliable that when opened, this unit can be safely called a knife with a fixed blade.

SOG D25

Another very interesting option is the SOG D25 survival knife. This knife is more like a dagger, it has a two-sided sharpening and a spear shape. At the base, the blade has a serrated blade on both sides.

Knife Features:

Perhaps this knife should be considered not as a survival knife, but as a combat knife. Although why not, a good survivalist will find a use for him. But, you see, this instance looks quite exotic.

Mora 2000

And this handsome man from the Morakniv family is Mora 2000. This Swedish-made knife can be used both in extreme tourism and for domestic needs. The main feature of this blade is that from the middle of the blade the thickness of the knife decreases. Mora 2000 is a great option for survivalists, hikers, hunters and fishermen.

Knife Features:

This knife has proven itself among survivalists, it can easily cut meat, chop firewood, it easily opens cans and nothing is done to the blade after that, there is not the slightest scratch. Again, this option + multitool and you won't get lost anywhere.

Survivalist X D2 Gray Titanium

Consider another survival knife. Another option with a hollow handle for NAZ. It comes with a very interesting sheath with the MOLLE system.

Knife Features:

An excellent survival knife in its class. Good steel, comfortable sheath, on the butt of the blade there is a special bevel designed for cutting bones. Also, the knife easily turns into a spear, you just need to unscrew the cork of the handle and insert a stick of the appropriate diameter into it. In general, the knife is quite nice, although opponents of hollow handles and similar ramboids will find flaws in this knife. But here, to each his own.

Here, in principle, this is where we will end our review of survival knives. Very soon we will prepare full-fledged tests for specific models of the best survival knives. We have also compiled a good selection of videos on this topic for you. You will see video reviews of specific HB models, blade owners will share their experience with you, talk about the advantages and disadvantages of certain survival knives.