Airforce Survival knife

by Guybob
(North Idaho)

I looked real hard at the T.B. Tracker II but found the price to be to great. After much research I settled on the new composite handle Airforce Survival Knife.

I wrap 8 feet of parachute cord on the handle and sharpen everything to a keen edge with Lanske diamond tools.

It will do anything and if you break it no big deal for ony $43.00 you have a new one. It will do everything from skinning game, building a shelter or making utensils.

NAVY AVIATOR KNIFE

by Jay and MONK
(Griffith In.U.SA.)

It is one of the best knifes I have ever owned in my 68 years. You can do almost anything with it.

I have cut vegetables with it. I came upon a accident and used it to break the window, pried the door open, and cut the seat belt and by that time the E.M.T.S. were there and they did the rest.

I used it to wood-carved. I used it to dig out everything from potatoes to turnips. I Have drove stakes with it and made stakes with it. In my time I have split a lot of kindling wood with it.

It helped me survive in the wilderness from cleaning deer to making fire with it and other materials i found in the wilderness. I use it to defend myself. You can use for climbing if you know how.

My favorite pastime is throwing it at targets. It is perfect for outdoors men and throwing. The wildest and funniest thing that happened to me I got locked in an out house and had to cut my way through.

The blade length is (5)inches long. The handle length is (5)inches long. Toughest and best knife I have ever owned. And its made of solid steel blade and comfortable leather handle.


Make sure you have the basic wilderness skills to safely enjoy your trip.

Military knife

by Bill
(South Carolina)

My favorite knife is an old military knife, the USAF aircrew survival knife. It has been around for years. I used this knife during my military service, that is more then 20 years ago. I guess it is probably one of the best all-round survival knives.

The knife fits well in the hand. The blade length is about 5”. It is a good basic knife for camping and backpacking. A good compromise between a small knife and a big chopper.

Disadvantage? It can be a bit tricky to sharpen the blade. I guess there are better steel available on modern knives.

Ontario air force survival knife

by James
(Hephzibah GA, USA)

My favorite commercially produced knife is the Ontario brand's air force survival knife. It looks like a mini k-bar with a blackened blade and a saw back that is good for cutting through aircraft bodies. I grind this away leaving a rounded back that is not beaten up and ugly when you use it with a wooden or stone hammer in splitting wood.

It has a leather disk construction handle with full tang and a heavy pommel that can be used to break flint in making arrow heads or pound nails into a stick to make a deadly club. The blade is 1/8 of an inch thick and has a sharpened area on the back that connects to the tip. The knife has two small holes in the back of the crossgaurd that can be used for a lanyard or to lash it onto a stick for spearing purposes.


My favorite knives period are the ones that I make specifically for outdoors purposes. They are a little big but my theory is that I would rather have too much knife than too little a knife for any job given. I make my knives out of d2 tool steel, and I have never had any issues with this material breaking or bending during heavy use.

I usually cord wrap my handles or uses leather and epoxy along with a cord wrap. This gives a sturdy grip, and I can pull the cord off if I ever need to for survival purposes. My designs lean toward a heavy thick blade with the weight during chopping well forward the center of the blade. I use drop point design and some extreme curves in order to achieve maximum chopping power.

My sheaths are made from kydex in order to avoid the expense of leather and the hassle of sewing the things together.

As far as sharpening goes, I have one knife in particular that I used to clear a quarter of an acre of saplings, skin two dear and hack through numerous pieces of firewood, and I still do not have to sharpen this blade. Just remember, whether you think you can or cannot, you are absolutely right.