Originally Posted by
NJTroutbum
The misconception of "survival knife" has been twisted by folks watching Rambo spear a hog too many times. :)
The best survival knife is one that is sharp witha 4" to 6" blade, has a full tang & fits your hand like a glove (this is the one feature that is most often missed). I laugh when I see somebody with average-to-small hands carrying the Rambo special, that for them may as well be a two-handed broadsword. :) If you want a machete....buy a machete.
There are MANY quality full tang knives out there. It needn't be big....you are not spearing hogs, or using it to double as a maachete. It's a tool. There are very few spec ops folks that carry a single "do all" knife....for one reason. There are none. Most carry a knife as I just described above....AND....a multi-tool. Either a Leatherman, Swiss Champ, or like-tool. The tool needs a saw blade, a scissor blade, and a good knife blade at a minimum. A swiss champ saw will cut through a 2" sappling faster than you will hack it down with a fixed blade knife.
Remember....Survival/camp does not mean knife fight. It means a knife that comes naturally to the hand and fits the job.