Five things to avoid in a survival knife

What qualities need to be included the best survival/hunting knife is the topic of endless discussion. But maybe the conversation should start with the attributes you don't want. Here are some suggestions.
by Leon Pantenburg
My preferences in survival/hunting knives are based on experience, personal prejudices and use in the field. So when readers ask which style knife I prefer, it's sometimes easier to point out what I don't want.

This Cold Steel SRK is my choice for a survival knife.

But for the sake of definition, I'm going to call a survival/hunting knife the one knife you would take along in your daypack on a hunt. That knife would be able to handle whatever survival tasks came up, as well as process a big game animal in the field.
If you're choosing a survival/hunting knife, here are some things to avoid:
Folding blade: I carry a couple of folding knives on a daily basis, and I love pocket knives of all sizes, shapes and configurations. But the weak point in any folder is the hinge, and that is the place it is most likely to break. The hinge is also an expensive part to make, so in less-expensive folders, that means quality will have to be compromised somewhere else.
Any folder has the potential to fold the blade on a finger. A lock blade won't guarantee safety. Several years ago, a local Boy Scout cut his finger severely when the lock on his blade failed. This won't happen with a rigid blade. Also, when you're using a knife for cooking, you don't want a folder because of the potential for food debris to get in the handle and joints of the hinge.
For years, I carried a Buck folding hunting knife, and still like it very much. But I wouldn't consider any folder a survival knife.
Gut hook: The only value of a gut hook, IMO, is to make a couple of incisions down the belly when gutting a big game animal. Those specialized cuts are not worth having a gut hook for. The hook looks awful, will catch on things, may snag your clothing or possibly cut you. It eliminates the ability to apply pressure on the top of the knife.
A gut hook can be used for some skinning, but it requires a specialized file or tool to sharpen it. It you must have a gut hook, get one designed specifically for gutting and skinning, such as a Wyoming Knife with replaceable blades.
Serrated edge: Another specialized grind that isn't that useful. If you're doing a lot of cutting of weeds, fibers etc, there might be some benefit to a serrated edge. I've heard some law enforcement officers and military folks like a serrated edge for cutting through zip-ties used as handcuffs. But generally, the serrations will dull fairly easily, and require a specialized tool and some expertise to restore sharpness.
Hollow handle: The 1980s Rambo movies, starring a steroid-infused, testosterone-exuding Sylvester Stallone, started the whole hollow-handle Bowie-type survival knife cult. Rambo, according to the “First Blood” scriptwriters, could apparently pack anything he needed for wilderness or urban survival in the hollow handle of his knife/sword. As the Rambo movies progressed, the knives got bigger.
In the real world, I don't see any point in a knife with a hollow handle. The miniscule storage space gained from the hollow is not worth compromising the tang in the handle. (Beside - just what would you put in that space? Here's some thoughts - check out what to put in your hollow handle knife.)
Blade saw edge:You've all seen the survival knives with the saw grind on the back of the blade opposite the edge.

C.T. Fischer four-inch Bushcraft Knife 

Most of those saws are worthless. For a saw to cut and clean itself, the points have to be alternately offset of each other. That means the points protrude past the edge of the steel. This would cause the blade to catch on the sheath. Also, unless the blade is really long, you'd get a tiny, inches-long stroke. Even if the saw blade was sharp, and cut and cleaned itself, it would take a long time to cut through anything.
Blade too long: For decades, I have handled my big game processing chores with a variety of butcher tools with blades ranging in length from three to 10 inches. Each tool has a specialized task, and it performs that job very well. But the knife I carry hunting will have a four-to-six-inch blade. It will be used for gutting the animal in the field, skinning and quartering the carcass.
So what do I use? A Cold Steel Master Hunter is a really good choice as a hunting knife. My Cold Steel SRK is my pick for a survival knife. My C.T. Fischer four-inch Bushcraft knife is probably the most versatile, rugged knife I own. Because of its light weight, small size and comfortable handle, I tend to include it in my pack on most outings.
Those are my choices and my thoughts.

How to choose a good knife for small game hunting

You can skin and field dress squirrels, rabbits, upland game and smaller animals with many different styles of knives. Here's how to pick one that can do the job well for you, while not breaking the budget.
by Leon Pantenburg

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cardboard sheath 40-some years ago. The blade is quite usable and the sheath still does its job very well! Nostalgia aside, it never worked all that well for small game cleaning. (Pantenburg photos)[/caption]
Generally speaking, when it comes to processing small game, smaller is better. A large Bowie-style knife is worthless for this task, and it only takes one session with your large survival knife to prove that. Likewise, the wide, stubby blades of a big game skinning knife won't work all that well either.
During my formative years of small game hunting in central Iowa, I was enamored with the concept of a large hunting knife with a sheath. I couldn't find one I could afford, so that lead, at age 13, to my first foray into knife-making.
After a lot of grinding and work, I made a clip point hunting knife with a six-inch blade. I didn't have any leather, so a temporary sheath was made out of cardboard and tape. Today, 40-some years later, that combo resides in my gun cabinet.
Though the blade held an edge well, it didn't take me long to realize it was too big for much besides stabbing bears and hand-to-hand combat. It was also bulky and heavy, and was hard to carry. I habitually carried a pocket knife, as all farmboys did, and ended up using it for all my small game work. A standard middle-sized Stockman with a clip, a sheep's foot and a spey blade was all I ever needed until I took up big game hunting.
Before buying anything, here are some attributes to look for in a small game knife:
Ease of sharpening: In Iowa, the daily bag limit for rabbits was 10, and many times, my hunting buddies and I would limit out. The same thing could happen with pheasants or quail. A successful hunt could mean a long processing session. A three-bladed pocket knife was a good tool choice, because when one blade got dull, I could switch to another. But no matter what knife you choose, it needs to be easy to sharpen and must hold an edge well.
[caption id="attachment_13137" align="alignright" width="300"] (From top) the Opinel, Imperial fish knife and Puma Bird Hunter could all serve as small game knives.[/caption]
Easy to carry: When small game hunting, I like to field dress the animal as soon as it is killed. That means the knife must be at hand, and easy to get to and use. In small game animals, there isn't all that much skinning involved. You pull the hide off rabbits and squirrels and most other animals under about 10 pounds, so a skinning-style blade is not necessary. I also prefer to stop sometime about mid-day and skin and completely takes care of the carcass. Then it is placed in a cloth or culinary plastic bag, such as rice comes in, and cooled.
Comfortable handle: Many smaller pocket or rigid-blade knives don't have very ergonomic handles. Especially in a pocket knife, the handles tend to be thin and slim for easy carry in a pocket. I like a bigger handle for a work knife, and many of the pretty, good looking handles on smaller knives won't be comfortable to use for extended periods of time.
Here are some of my favorite small game knives:
Pocket knife: I've already stated my affection for pocketknives, but don't, on principle, like a folding blade for hunting purposes because of the potential for folding the
[caption id="attachment_13133" align="alignleft" width="180"] My Puma Bird Hunter, (top) resembles my Dad's Sullivan pocket knife. Dad carried that Sullivan for years as his everyday, do-everything knife.[/caption]
blade onto a finger. I also don't like how blood, guts, fur and feathers can gunk up the hinge, or get in the space where the folded blade resides. If your knife is intended to be an all-purpose tool, it could end up being very unsanitary for cooking.
That said, I frequently carry my three-blade Puma Bird Hunter small game hunting, because it is so handy and the steel holds an edge so well. Sometimes, I'll take a lockblade Buck Lite, because it is really lightweight and holds an edge well.
Opinel: Made in France, the Opinel is an inexpensive, wooden-handled folder with a twist-lock blade. That makes it, IMO, the safest lockblade on the market. It comes in several sizes, but my favorite, and the one I use the most, is the three-inch blade model. The drop blade point and belly on the blade makes it a useful tool.

Mora: My go-to "survival" knife is a Mora-style knife with a three-to-four-inch blade. I like one with a soft, smushy handle, though that isn't a deal breaker. Since I usually wear vinyl gloves when handling butchering tasks, I don't tend to get slippery hands.
A Mora-style knife is inexpensive. Since there is no hinge to pay for, the manufacturing investment is in the blade. I have several Mora-styles I

The C.T. Fischer Bushcraft is my pet custom knife, but the J. Marttiini utility knife below it is equally useful on small game.

regularly use, but the Finnish Janne Marttiini utility knife is a favorite. With a 3.75-inch blade and a large orange handle, the Marttiini cuts well, and will be easy to find if dropped.
C.T. Fischer Full-Tang Bushcraft knife: Everybody who likes knives should have a couple nice ones. I treated myself last year to a four-inch, full tang Bushcraft, and have no regrets. I love the knife and in addition to being a wonderful small game hunting knife, it also is my all-around tool that goes in my daypack. The steel is superb and the handle is incredibly well-fitting for my large (glove size) hands.
When it comes to processing small game, there is a wide assortment of choices. When you get right down to it, an Exacto knife with interchangeable blades could serve you very well. Or you could use a Stanley utility knife from Walmart.
But what fun would that be, and how would you be able to justify shopping for and buying another knife?
Make your knife choices based on the kinds of game you anticipate harvesting, the conditions you will hunt under and what you like. Then you can't go wrong.