Looking for the best survival knife, is a big deal for some guys, and even some gals, as they are very particular as to what kind of knife they carry with them.

It used to be a common sight to see men carrying some sort of knife on them.

Here in the NW part of the states it is STILL very common to see guys with some sort of knife or multi tool strapped onto their belt.

It’s too bad how so many folks are scared of knives these days.

Because of what the movies and media have made knives out to be, it is no wonder, I guess.

Ever since the movie The Hunted the Tom Brown Tracker Knife has been a popular choice as a hunting and survival knife.

If you are preparing a survival kit, camping trip or just want a good all around knife to strap onto your bug out bag, keep in mind that a good survival knife IS one of the most important items in your pack.

Length of the Blade: Four to six inches is a great length for a survival knife blade as when you go too much longer it only adds weight and is actually over kill for most jobs you will need it for.

If you DO need a larger blade knife of some sort, it may be a good idea to add a Blackhawk Knife or machette or a hatchet to your pack.

Knife Tang: This is where the rubber meets the road in choosing the best survival knife.

You want the metal part of your knife to be what is called full tang or narrow tang where the metal blade goes the full length of the knife.

Full tang is where the blade merges into the handle. In many cases the metal or steel is encased on two sides with either wood or leather to be used as a handle.

Some survival knives have the handle left completely off which may make it look bare and unattractive but any survivalist will know it only makes it lighter and more versatile.

When the steel or blade is more narrow , it is often called narrow tang.

So when you are looking at a survival knife, one easy way to tell if it is a good knife, is to look at the spine of the knife and make sure you can see the steel running all the way to the end of the handle.

Smooth or Serrated? I would say smooth because while for some things a serrated blade may cut better, a smooth blade will cut through ANYTHING as long as it is kept sharp.

The smooth blades can be sharpened on a rock if you need to where as the serrated you can’t really do that…

The serrated knives are useful at cutting down small twigs and branches.. but what I like BETTER is the little survival saws that you can get that have various blades and are compact enough to fit into your survival pack and yet powerful enough to cut through quite a thick branch for firewood!

I think having BOTH the best survival knife AND a survival saw in your pack would be best!

Viola Bontrager is the author of TONS of emergency preparedness articles. If you are still looking for the best survival knife, make sure you visit her website at www.Emergency-Survival-Skills.com where you can see a sampling of some of the best survival knives.

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