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How to Choose the Right Survival Knife for YOU!

I carry a knife with me almost everywhere I go, and I have a variety of knives that I like. In the military and as an agent I always had a knife with me, sometimes more than one. The Air Force actually issued me the knife shown below.

These are some of the other knives I currently carry:

These are not all. I have many more along with machetes, and various swords. In this article, I want to discuss with you how you can go about picking the right survival knife of knives for you

Factors To Consider

When seeking to buy a survival knife, here are the factors you need to consider to make the best choice.

  • Overall size, because size does matter.
  • The Tang. – Material of the blade.
  • The Handle.
  • Overall weight.
  • Design/Thickness of the blade

Let’s explore each of these a bit further.



1. The Size Of A Survival Knife Is A Very Important Consideration.

You have to decide if you will be carrying your knife on your person when you need it most. Many survival knives are 5 to 12 inches in length. If you choose any length shorter than that it might not be big enough to do the job. However, if you are not going to be fighting lion’s in the jungle like Tarzan or walking around like Crocodile Dundee, you probably don’t want to go past 9 inches.

Anything longer that will become too cumbersome to carry and use. You want an effective tool that can be deployed in a survival situation, not a weird limp from carrying a knife that is way to long for comfortable carry.

Will you use your knife while on camping trips to your fully accommodated cabin or are you expecting to make shelter when “The End OF the World as We Know It” arrives? If this is the case, you can have a smaller blade if your only purpose is to whittle garden gnomes during your downtime while at the cabin but should be on the bigger side if you plan on having a useful tool in any situation you may find yourself in.

2. The Tang



The tang is not that gritty orange powdered drink from the 70’s (LOL I am dating myself, but I loved that stuff.) The tang is the protrusion of the steel of the blade into the handle of a knife.

Cheaper knives will have a separate blade and handle instead of a tang. The best survival knife will have what’s called a full tang, where the blade extends in to the handle of the knife as close to the end of the knife as possible. This is the main reason why you shouldn’t buy a survival knife with a hollow handle to store matches or one that has a compass on the end of the handle.

If the handle is hollow, then the tang isn’t long enough to provide strength to the blade, or worse there is no tang. My advice is to leave the compass, waterproof matches, fishing line and hooks in a separate bag and go with a solid handle and as close to a full tang as possible.

There are 2 main types of material used in the blade of a quality Survival Knife, stainless steel and carbon steel.

Stainless steel is great because it won’t rust when exposed to the elements, is durable enough to take a beating and will generally last you a long time. The downside to stainless steel is that the edge will lose its sharpness faster than carbon steel and you will have to properly sharpen it more often.

Carbon steel tends to hold a sharp edge longer but can require more maintenance in the way of cleaning your blade and coating it to prevent rust. Whichever material you choose, you haven’t made a bad choice.

3. The Knife Handle



The handle can be made of many different types of materials ranging from hard rubber to many other polymers. It should be knurled or grooved to fit your hand. A smooth handle makes the knife too slippery at best and too dangerous to use safely at worst. If you have to use your knife on a person or animal the blood on the smooth handle will cause you to either lose your grip or worse, it could slip causing you to cut open your own hand.

I already talked about not buying a knife with a hollow handle. While this may seem and look cool to you, it doesn’t look cool when your blade breaks off when you are actually using the knife. Just avoid buying hollow handle knives and make sure the handle has some sort of texture for gripping purposes, and you should be OK.

4. The Weight of the Knife

The weight of a knife can vary greatly. How you will carry the knife makes a difference when choosing the weight. Do you plan to have it sheathed on your hip? Will it be in your backpack? If you are going to carry it separately in a pack, then weight doesn’t matter that much. But, if you want it sheathed on your side, then 3 to 6 ounces is probably a good weight range for you. This is my recommendation and others might disagree. I suggest you go to a place that you can hold knives of various weights to see what suits you best.

5. The Design Of The Blade Has A Few Implications.



A knife with a straight edge is easier to sharpen. A serrated edge can cut things like rope better but will most likely require a special sharpener. Some survival knives have a serrated edge on top of the blade and a straight edge on the bottom of the blade. This is a great design if you want both edges in one knife. Having both on the same edge can be tricky to sharpen.

Another thing to consider is the thickness of the blade. Generally speaking, the blade should be 3/16 to 5/16 inches thick. You don’t want any kind of bend in the blade. Blades that thick can be used for chopping wood or prying things open. A flexible blade is not something you desire in a survival knife.

Well, these are my five recommendations for choosing your survival knife. There are obviously many options for you to choose from. You need to select the one you think will do the job for you. Perhaps you can have several as I do. I hope these guidelines you will give you a better idea of what to look for and help you to avoid some of the common pitfalls when choosing a survival knife to fit your needs.

To me, a knife is an essential survival tool. I own them, carry them, and most importantly, train on how to properly use them. I hope that I can help you avoid the mistakes I have made in the past when purchasing knives. I believe a good survival knife will be worth its weight in gold if you ever need one so purchase wisely.

Click here for more self defense instruction from Derek Smith.

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58 thoughts on “How to Choose the Right Survival Knife for YOU!”

  1. Great article. Let me add my two cents here.

    You also have to look at what you need the knife to do. Cleaning fish with a bowie can be done, but it is a bit messy and you lose some meat. Making tarp pegs and fire shavings with a fillet knife will break the blade. So you need something in between (or carry both).

    Next, you want the handle to fit your hand. If the nails of your fingers are digging into your palm when you hold it then the handle is too small. Because most knives are made in factories, finding a custom handle will be hard to aquire. Try them at the store and see if the handle is too skinny or too fat for your hand. Also you want a handle that all four fingers can grip, too short of a handle will also be harder to use. Remember in a “outdoor” situation you will be holding the knife for long periods of time while you get the work done you need. A comfortable handle is a must.

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  2. Thank for the tips full tang and screw the hollow handled survival knives. Will keep kickin ass and continue to assess approve and restock on my collection of axes and blades. My only pet peeve is when the blade might be alright but the sheath is crap.

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  3. Has anyone ever used a Machete type knife for trail-clearing on northern hardwoods . In my camping days I used to use a hatchet, then graduated to loppers ( long handled clippers) which was easier and more effective. I’ve seen videos of guys using machetes to clear tropical vegetation – does it work as slick on hardwoods ? – in case my grandchildren ask (lol)

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  8. I watched this guy on Alone tv show where he was literally by himself (filmed self with cameras) for maybe 100 days in very rugged British Columbia and had to survive with a small pack he brought in. His knife was an upscale ie. good steel, I think, kukri curved knife in a neat velcro cross chest holder. That knife did everything for him and I’m sure it convinced almost everyone watching that it was a very effective tool to have and one they might want in that situation. I have cheap one my son got me overseas but the sheath is ceremonial and I suspect the steel is not the best.

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  9. hello, you sell very good products to high standards but in the UK most are a band by law and face up to 3 years in jail time. only small camping tools in a toolbox may be permitted and not for self-carry. But anything else like survival box first aid kit water filters lamps and other products you can sell to the UK PS. YOU ARE ONE OF THE BEST ONLINE.

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  10. Ok Bob,
    Haven’t seen any blogs lately, but this was worth the read. Thanks for that and all the great product that comes around from you.

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  12. I thought it was very well written. I also like knives but as how I’m not out in the woods or out for survival, I carry a pocket knife, or a clip knife. Thank you for showing me what to look for in an survival knife.

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  13. There are exceptions to your hollow handle statement. I’ve seen these types of knives that are one piece, which effectively makes it a full tang knife. One advantage to this type of knife is you don’t need to worry about water/moisture. There’s no scales or guards for liquid to seep into and get trapped. Also, it should be noted that anything you can do with a smaller knife you can do with a big knife (tho not always as easily) but thats not true in reverse. Personally, I would hate being limited to one knife in a survival situation.

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  14. Enjoyed the article. Own many knives which have the features you noted including those from SOS shown in the article. Would like to hear your thoughts on machetes. Thanks.

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  15. Cool stuff Derek, I am a USAF Vietnam Veteran and I share your views. I have em big and small, sometimes I carry the one that came on my Vz-58 rifle or the one I got with the Colt AR. I also like my very long 1918 Remington. It’s a nice chunk of steel and a piece of history🐆

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  19. Over a decade ago, stainless vs. carbon steel knife blades were tested; the testers were professional chefs. The conclusion was that stainless blades are just as effective as carbon steel. For outdoor use (as in survival), stainless is better as it resists rust better.

    Also, various knife companies use various alloys for their blades. This should be evaluated too; you don’t have to be a metallurgist to understand the material. Swedish steel has a great reputation; I’ve never read anything negative about the Mora Knife from Sweden (which has the advantages of high quality and low price); they also offer blades with various thicknesses.

    Some cheap knives have the tang welded to the blade. Don’t choose it! The weld could break with stress on the blade. Demand a knife with the blade and tang being one single piece of steel. Don’t be satisfied with the tang half-way into the handle. It should extend from one end of the knife to the other.

    Heath’s comment on handle size is extremely important!

    A couple of questions:

    Most survival knives have one sharp edge; I see in your photos a double-edged knife. How much of a criterion is that, when choosing a survival knife?

    One commonly available brand of knife that never gets a mention is the Buck Knife. Please comment on these tools. Do they have a vulnerability not easily apparent?

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  20. Good article full of important points! I have to agree wholeheartedly recommending against a hollow handle – a knife isn’t a knife once the handle breaks off… I’m gonna split hairs a bit on the serration section: the photo shows a survival knife with a sawback. Those are technically not serrations but saw teeth – great for sawing branches off when fashioning a shelter or whatnot. I personally don’t like a serrated blade – too difficult to keep sharp without ruining it & I’m usually not slicing bread out in the bush :). You gotta love knives – if you have nothing else, they are the tool that lets you make other tools and they never run out of ammo!

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  22. For myself while in the navy special forces I got use to carrying the Ka-Bar mark 2 7 inch blade blood groove and all. Even got use to throwing the knife in a constant manner to 40 feet and burying the blade a good 4 inches into flesh.
    Got out of the navy after Nam and kinda retired and I saw THE MINUTEMAN. I ordered it and it arrived in no time and I strapped it upon my hip and it took me right back to Nam and I would bet my life upon this knife from the tip of the blade to the very end a good 3/16 inches thick all the way thru the handle which is made of a composite material and it’s textured to make sure you never get a slippery grip the back is notched and I sharpened it to a bevel that easily cuts thru wood and bone, the blade is strong enough to even cut down a 8 inch tree if needed for making a shelter.
    i can’t say enough about the minuteman for a survival knife, if you want something small get a pocket knife.

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  23. Thanks for bringing me that refresher course. It’s good to re-enter the things that are important. Much obliged, I appreciate your time and efforts.

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  24. Your knives are fine, and I have many of the same probably different company makes, what I am looking for is a switch blade that extracts from the handle with force.

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  25. Truly an informative blog ! Hopefully some of the novices will take heed , and begin to make better choices. I’ve seen far too many “hollow handle ” ,so called Survival Knives.

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  26. Your info is very helpful, thank you. I Also have A fine collection of knives.How ever I am not very impressed with Expensive Damascus Steel, Please give me your take on these High $ Knives besides there Beauty.

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  27. Thanks for the tips, most of these I already knew, but I’m old school, and a hunter. Like you, I also always carry a knife, mostly pocket knives, but I also have a K-bar that I got from my grandfather.

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  28. I’m a knifemaker and knives are a lot like fishing lures no. 1 is environment.where and what will it be used on 2.steel choice.lots of good steel I’ve been in lots of environments I use two knives swiss army and one of my fixed blades with survival pack in handle.i made knife Joe brandel used on naked and afraid. Just saying

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  29. Very good points, you mention method of carry, and two knives… correct, jus last week had a bit of a problem in the Mojave desert….
    Stuck vehicle, 4 wd malfunction, plus historic rain fall

    Found myself in a prone position, unable to get vertical , with belt and pocket knife I was able to do so and navigate across two more ravines….

    Tip of the day: the time will come when the only thing you have for survival is on your belt or in your pockets!!!!!

    During amphibious assaults, my K-bar was on my trouser belt… NOT in my ruck… which is jettisoned if you go overboard
    Semper Fi
    Rangoon

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  30. Great article,
    I’m a huge knife fan and collector. I have quite a few, and I want to set up a small forge, and try my hand at designing and making my own. I would also point out that it’s important to be open to having multiple knives for different scenarios. Survival knives are extremely important, but many times the everyday carry is the knife mostly used. I have both foldable EDC knives, and straight blade knives, both for EDC, and for survival. Each day I carry 2-3 knives on me at once… a small easily concealed straight blade, and two different spring assisted blade knives. The intended use determines the blade that I use. Usually tip and blade shape are the biggest factors that I use in determining which blade is best for the project at hand. Tip selection, blade shape and profile are extremely important when choosing knives. This is key for both the blade, and the handle as well. A blades profile and shape can tell you a lot about its strong points, and weak points as well. The profile and blade shape will determine what the blade is ideal for such as chopping, slashing, etc. It can also give you an idea of the type of maintenance and care that is needed. For example, I love the tango tip blade. It’s a great blade for stabbing, thrusting, slashing, and even chopping when the blade is big enough. But also when the blade is beefy enough, it also makes a great prying tool. But what I really love about the tango is the straight edges and profile of the blade. This is a blade this extremely easy to sharpen, and can be sharpened very quickly as well. Recieved blades are beautiful and tend to make amazing chopping and slashing blades, but they can be a little more difficult to sharpen, especially for people like me who aren’t really good at sharpening blades. The clip point Bowie is my all time favorite. I love this style of blade, and by all means is very likely the best all rounded blade there is for survival, self defense, and daily work. But as good as any blade can be, I believe it’s always a great idea to keep a couple of different blades on your person at all times. At least that’s what works for me.

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  31. Make sure the handle fits your hand. I have stubby fingers and a small palm. I need a smaller handle than a pro basketball player. That dictates I get a smaller knife in order to keep the balance and control.

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  32. I agree with the comments on hollow handled knives, and serrations on cutting edge make knife harder to sharpen. when talking about carbon steel blades many have a protective coating to prevent against rust. also rockwell hardness is important depending on use of knife.

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  34. I love the Fang. So easy to use. I gave some as gifts to friends and they were happy to get them. I also love the TRS Kukri. The only thing I don’t like is the sheath. It is hard to get the kukri out of it! As I was trying to get it out once, it suddenly flipped out and cut my wrist! Fortunately, it wasn’t in a crucial spot!! I have a couple of other kinds of kukris, but the TRS is my favorite. It is just the right size for a woman’s hand, not to day guys wouldn’t like it! I used to have a real Gurka kukri. It was 1/4″ thick. Great for chopping kindling. Unfortunately, it was stolen.

    There is nothing like having good knives whether they are kitchen knives, skinning knives, military knives like KBARs, kukris, carving knives, filet knives, or machetes. Having the right knife for the job makes all the difference.

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  36. I like the way you like your blades. I carry multiple E.D.C. and swap up according to environment and occasion. I believe in a full tang strait edge with custom file work saw above and sweeping clip point on the blade. Balance is a must and a lantern hole also. The thicker the blade the better. A beefy knife if you would as the center of my edge weapon/tool platform. But stiletto blades for quick deployment in self defence situation. In a pair. Plus placement of blades on the body for the tactical advantage. And if you really learn to sharpen a blade you can work with just about anything. Even improvised blades in a pinch or shiv for the multiple puncture.perforation. sever. Tactics
    TRS has some of my favorites.

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  39. Just like Derek , what I learned about taking someone out I keep to myself . It is serious moves from military training and for sure can kill in one or two moves no matter how big they come ..

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  44. I also was Air Force during the Nam period, job was loadmaster on C130’s and carried different types of survival knives. I enjoy the Thang. Have one myself. Enjoy your articles.

    Tsgt Thomas L Schwieterman

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  45. Great article. I would like to add the handle should be well rounded as it will ware your palm out under hard work.

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  46. I myself have one hell of a knife collection. Love the freebies though. Bob, keep up the good work. It’s funny though, I have a 1969 air force survival knife and a 1981, both of which are mad by Camillus…

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  47. Enjoy your the information and products. I am having issues with getting results in sharpening my knives. Do you have any videos show the correct way.? I have an electric kitchen elect. sharpening unit. Not getting results for sharp blades.

    Thanks ;

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  49. I’ve chopped single use trails in Asia, Alaska, Baja California, and the cross timber forest of Oklahoma. And let me assure you it is not as easy as it looks in the movies. Jungle is the easiest, the Mexican cholla wasn’t too bad, but be prepared to have many holes poked in you!
    Alaska was miserable but possible. In the cross timber forest, with all the black jack( which will draw sparks from a machete) black oak and red oak and hickory- just find a way around tight brush.

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