Bugout Bag Tools #1 - Knives

[Paladine71]

Bugout bags / emergency packs are based completely on your own needs and plans. A cardinal rule is that you should NEVER let someone else choose what goes in it for you. Packs prepared by stores will almost always contain things that you don't need, not contain things that you do need and most of the gear is of the lowest quality while charging you a premium price. You should always pack your own bag based on your situation, pack quality equipment and know how to use every item of it thoroughly (that is the most overlooked part).

Your first priority should be tools that you can't easily replicate or produce in the wilderness. The most useful of these, and a place that you want the highest quality, is a knife (at least one). Defense is not the primary use for a knife, it will be your most used tool. You want to choose carefully here. Some common uses:

- Cutting material (plants, cordage, etc.)
- Chopping wood (yes, you read that correctly)
- Eating and meal preparation
- Tool making
- Defense / Hunting
- Field Dressing Animals
- Fire starting

Here is my personal choice, the Becker BK-7 (with the BK-13).

This knife has a full tang, is incredibly strong, big enough to chop wood, small enough for dressing game (the smaller BK-13 helps a lot here), etc. It is built to last through the harshest conditions.

http://www.amazon.com/Ka-Bar-Becker-BK7-Combat-Utility/dp/B001IPMG8K/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[3Hummers]

Nice. I carry an Emerson CQC-7.

 

[abearden]

I carry a SOG Twitch II. Can't baton wood with it, but can whittle it if necessary.

 

[Paladine71]

The BK-7 is great for breaking down wood. It is a little difficult to carve with because of it's length, but does okay. The smaller BK-13 is perfect for carving and skinning.

 

[autumn walker]

How would you chop wood with that? I'm very interested.

 

[Paladine71]

Not like an axe. You lay the blade across the branch or block that you want chopped and pound on the back of the blade with another piece of wood. To do it right, some of the blade must extend beyond the wood being chopped. Here is a video:

[video=youtube;w2YC2HplvAY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2YC2HplvAY[/video]

 

[Flash]

Cold Steel Kukri.
http://www.coldsteel.com/sanmaigurkha.html

 

[Paladine71]

Here is a great video from this year's Shot Show where Ethan Becker reviews most of his knives. May help you choose your blade...

[video=youtube;c4Ycl2nX-qE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Ycl2nX-qE&feature=g-vrec[/video]

 

[Ron B]

here is the perfect knife to carry in your hummer:

http://www.entropyknives.com/#!portfolio

made by a really nice guy and comes with the humvee mt tread on the handle

 

[Trekker]

You can never have too many cutting tools, ways to make fire, or ways to produce light. My two favorites in my bag right now are:

M10 Bayonet made by Ontario Knife

Mora Clipper

For $14, you can't get a better knife than the Mora

 

[Trekker]

here is the perfect knife to carry in your hummer:

http://www.entropyknives.com/#!portfolio

made by a really nice guy and comes with the humvee mt tread on the handle

I sent an email to the owner of Entropy Knives and he is really cool. He's a Hummer owner and prepper as well. I'm hoping I can order a knife from his next batch run. They sell out pretty quick.

 

[Paladine71]

Interesting points (pun intended). I'd never use the pommel as a hammer. I'd use the back of my axe head, or a thick stick from the forest, before I'd risk damaging my knife.

[video=youtube;kUb-bkja9gE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUb-bkja9gE[/video]

 

[MaxPF]

I have several knives. I actually carry an old style bayonet in my truck as well, since it is strong, made of good quality carbon steel, and is suitable for many purposes.

One thing many poeple overlook is tools for sharpening the knives, and learning how to properly do so. You need a good quality stone. Stones these days are synthetic, are made from aluminum oxide or silicon carbide in a binder. There are single grit stones, but for general purpose use a double sided stone with a coarse and fine side is nice to have, The coarse side will rapidly sharpen a blade that is excessively dull from cutting wood or other hard use, as well as sharpening axes and hatchets, while the fine side can be used for getting a keen edge. For some purposes, a separate, very fine stone may be useful as well. There are also diamond-based sharpening steels. These are a flat steel plate coated with fine diamond dust in a resin binder. They can work better than a stone if the blade is made of material with a high microhardness, such as high speed steel (which contains a lot of molybdenum or tungsten carbides), or tool steels like D2 that contain a lot of hard vanadium carbides. Diamond sharpening steels can also be used to dress small stones, which can become grooved with use. Like stones, they come in different grits. In general, stones work best for softer steels, such as low alloy carbon steels and most stainless steels, while diamond sharpening tools are best for steels with lots of hard carbides, which includes many stainless steels made specifically for knives/cutlery. It never hurts to have both.

A fine file is also useful for sharpening axes and hatchets, and so should be included in your kit. Extra fine files can be useful for roughing in or coarse dressing knives and bayonets made of softer steels, but are useless on knives made of steels with high contents of metallic carbides.

That's my less-than-expert dissertation on sharpening. I'm certainly no guru, but I can assure you that sooner or later you WILL need to sharpen your blades, so you will need the tools AND SKILLS to do it. I emphasize the last part because it is a skill. You don't need to be an expert, but take time to learn basic sharpening techniques.

 

[MuDnYrI]

I carry the SOG Seal Team Elite


Sharp enough to Split a Hare :giggle:

 

[Paladine71]

Looks nearly impossible to carve wood with. I like the grip.

 

[DJinCO]

Glock knife coupled with the Glock e-tool for me.

 

[Paladine71]

I mentioned a few months ago that I'd purchased a new knife for bushcraft and survival tasks. I apologize for being away so long and not continuing work on these threads, life has been, and continues to be, busy for me. I picked up the Habilis Bush Tool, which is a different kind of knife for many. The two men that make this knife are both woodmen, and are into primitive skills, bushcraft, and survival training. They fashioned the whole knife off of their own experiences and the result is outstanding. This blade has now replaced my Becker BK-7. The BK-7 is a great knife, can fell a tree, but has some drawbacks, its size being the primary problem. It is just a little too long for delicate work. The Bush Tool is amazing. It is nearly indestructable (only roaches and this knife would survive a nuclear blast). Here is a great photo essay on this tool.

http://www.google.com/url?url=http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/862294-Habilis-Bush-Tool&rct=j&sa=U&ei=Pw9nUOWJEaebyQHlg4CwDQ&ved=0CB4QFjAC&sig2=FZJKFCFJ9chytdDOJWeS0A&q=habilis+bush+tool+review&usg=AFQjCNHyZkaOTH7ls264nDA_D-2N00Z1-w

Store link: http://www.google.com/url?url=http://habilisbushtools.com/order/index.php%3Fmain_page%3Dproduct_reviews%26products _id%3D1&rct=j&sa=U&ei=uhFnUJOQMYLWyQGgtICwCw&ved=0CBwQFjAB&sig2=c2BGrS1UhqxBStGdF2VYMQ&q=habilis+bush+tool+review&usg=AFQjCNGmaz1Fh1XzDFePZsGRgHdn_RzDNw

[video]http://www.google.com/url?url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D1S8ZEnvV07k&rct=j&sa=U&ei=uhFnUJOQMYLWyQGgtICwCw&ved=0CCYQtwIwBQ&sig2=2qnAYZV9RBDykEufrffZRg&q=habilis+bush+tool+review&usg=AFQjCNE9PvEu6yv3TmmdJtt1egX2-givvg[/video]