A basic folding knife will serve you well, whether you are heading into the wilderness or preparing for the next adventure trip to rugged mountain terrain. But if the conditions get worst and tougher, a great survival knife makes all the difference. A high-quality survival knife appears to be a crucial tool to withstand a wide variety of survival tasks, including skinning game, splitting firewood, building a shelter, opening cans, cutting rope, and much more. Before getting the right one for yourself, it is significant to know what to look for. Following are some important factors to consider while looking for the best survival knife:
Consider A Fixed Blade
A good folding knife works to be the perfect solution for EDC, but you need a fixed blade in survival situations, not folding. As the pivot of a folding knife is a weak point when it comes to the rough you’re, your survival knife should be something readily available for chopping, pounding, rigorous cutting, thrusting, and prying. Here a solid fixed blade takes the lead!
Full Tang Is The Way To Go
A full tang refers to the blade that extends along the entire length of the knife. It provides more strength than the half tang or partial tang counterparts. In a survival game, greater strength is essential to cope with challenging endeavors. These knives go well for prying or digging purposes.
A High Carbon Blade Steel
As survival knives are intended for heavy-duty use, a knife made with high carbon steel is better than stainless steel. Carbon steel is tougher than the average stainless steel and can hold up intensive usage. In survival knives, the most popular carbon steel is 1095. It is not only tough but also easy to sharpen.
Blade Length
Although size matters in most things, however bigger is not always better, a thick blade can make it difficult to attain precision in a survival game. Moreover, if your survival knife is not long enough, you cannot employ it effectively for chopping purposes. A blade between 4 and 7 inches with an overall length of around 10 to 11 inches would work great.
Blade Thickness
On a survival mission, you do not want to carry unnecessary weight, so it is better to keep a survival knife with a thin blade. A thicker blade cannot be used for delicate work like carving snare sets and skinning games. Here the sweet spot is to look for a knife with a blade thickness between 0.17 and 0.25 inches.
Synthetic Handle With A Solid Built
Besides a knife’s blade, another important factor to consider is its handle. You have to hold and use a survival knife in inclement weather most of the time, so it is crucial to look for its strength, durability, and grip. Here in the case of survival, you should avoid hollow and cheap metallic or plastic handles. The best handle materials for a survival knife are Kraton, Micarta, G-10, GRN/FRN, and dense rubber. These materials provide greater durability, excellent grip, and work as nearly indestructible.
Wrapping Up
Although most of us employ knives to perform simple things like cutting fruits/veggies or opening packages, a good survival knife works beyond these simpler tasks. It is the most important tool in the wilderness, far away from the amenities of civilization. Before deciding to own one, consider the above factors to grab the perfect tool.