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Looking for a decent knife and other BOB essentials

J

jtorbin88

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I've narrowed my choices down to a couple, want opinions on them. I'm trying to set up a BOB so far all I have us the bag so any other items you guys think is a must is also helpful.

Now to the knives,

Becker BK 2
Kabar
Cold steel srk.
Knife would be primarily for typical
Camping stuff (cutting branches, building fires, etc).
Skinning larger game.
As last resort self defense.

I've grabbed a berkey water bottle with filter in it good up to 500 gallons.

I've got about 100 feet of paracord

A basic first aid kit ( looking at adding Israel bandages and a quick clot sponge)

I have a 3600 calorie 3 day bar as a last resort but looking at adding maybe MREs.

Plenty of spare ammo/ magazines for my glock/ar15/remington 700

I'm new too this have done a crap ton of reading just want tried and tested advice before purchasing something to find out its overhyped junk.
 
My buddy recently got a bunch of smith and wesson knives for his groomsmen. I believe it's a 4.5" blade, seatbelt cutter, and window breaker as well. Really sturdy feel and solid construction. I forget the model name, though. You may want to check them out.
 
Mr. Brownstone said:
Just a thought, do you have an AR? Smith and Wesson makes a decent Bayonet. I have one for my Mossberg 590.
Click to expand...

I do, maybe down the line id get a bayonet its a great idea. My plan is test test this stuff out for a dry run going camping next weekend there will be 3-4 5 year olds around so I wasn't planning on bringing my AR(I think my sister in laws wouldn't be too happy lol, I can keep my handgun out of sight but its hard to hide an AR from kids).
 
jtorbin88 said:
I do, maybe down the line id get a bayonet its a great idea. My plan is test test this stuff out for a dry run going camping next weekend there will be 3-4 5 year olds around so I wasn't planning on bringing my AR(I think my sister in laws wouldn't be too happy lol, I can keep my handgun out of sight but its hard to hide an AR from kids).
Click to expand...

Just hide it in an unlocked box marked Candy & Toys
 
For your bag though, have you thought of a sleep system, tarp. One of those army ponchos can double as a tarp. I have a biolite camp stove. it is a gasification stove that runs off of twigs, and can charge small usb appliances, cell phones etc.. I have a usb charger that can charge AA batteries as well.
 
Mr. Brownstone said:
For your bag though, have you thought of a sleep system, tarp. One of those army ponchos can double as a tarp. I have a biolite camp stove. it is a gasification stove that runs off of twigs, and can charge small usb appliances, cell phones etc.. I have a usb charger that can charge AA batteries as well.
Click to expand...
Does the stove some how convert heat to electricity that's pretty cool? I have not thought into the poncho/ sleep gear yet. I planed on whatever I get for shelter coating it in that new never wet stuff.
 
I've owned a few Kabars (years ago) and was always impressed with the rugged durability of them.

Now watch some knife expert make me feel stupid by telling me they're crap.
 
F people who try to make you feel stupid. Offer something constructive or go screw. For every product there is someone willing to crap on it. If you liked them, used them, and they were durable and worked for you then by all means recommend them.
 
I've added some military grade 12 hour light sticks, headlamp, I have a sure fire 300 lumen flashlight and 20 replacement battery's, I also just ordered a blast match have an otterbox waterproof container full of lighters waterproof matchs and cotton balls soaked in Vaseline.
 
Mr. Brownstone said:
F people who try to make you feel stupid. Offer something constructive or go screw. For every product there is someone willing to crap on it. If you liked them, used them, and they were durable and worked for you then by all means recommend them.
Click to expand...

I like your thinking, also most people in the survival forums don't shit on people's views. I'd say this forum has a more serious approach then the fun and games if general and off topic. I appreciate all input I'm given thought and, wouldn't shit on some ones opinions.
 
Mr. Brownstone said:
Dryer lint makes good firestarter as well.

Perimeter alarms are good too. Amazon.com: Personal & Door Window Alarm: Home Improvement

I set these up on trip wires, they work pretty well to let you know someone is coming. I have them on doors and windows in my house.
Click to expand...

I noticed while grabbing some emergency glow sticks they make trip wire things that when tripped crack a glow stick, pretty cool cause it alerts you and makes the intruder visible lol.
 
jtorbin88 said:
I noticed while grabbing some emergency glow sticks they make trip wire things that when tripped crack a glow stick, pretty cool cause it alerts you and makes the intruder visible lol.
Click to expand...

The problem with these is they don't alert you with any sound. If you are asleep these wont help at all.

For a knife I like the 4" Mora knives. They are inexpensive, sturdy and very versatile. I always have a Swiss Army Tinker with me as well.

I would ditch the Surefire and the batteries. Lot of weight for limited gains. Get another flashlight that takes the same batts as your headlamp. All LED. Headlamps are fantastic. Also how many lighters, matches etc do you need? Keep a lighter in your pocket, 1 or 2 in your pack, and a little bit of fire starter and call it good.

Where are you going and how long will it take you to get there? THis is what you need to ask yourself when you are figuring out what to put in your pack.

- - - Updated - - -

jtorbin88 said:
I noticed while grabbing some emergency glow sticks they make trip wire things that when tripped crack a glow stick, pretty cool cause it alerts you and makes the intruder visible lol.
Click to expand...

The problem with these is they don't alert you with any sound. If you are asleep these wont help at all.

For a knife I like the 4" Mora knives. They are inexpensive, sturdy and very versatile. I always have a Swiss Army Tinker with me as well.

I would ditch the Surefire and the batteries. Lot of weight for limited gains. Get another flashlight that takes the same batts as your headlamp. All LED. Headlamps are fantastic. Also how many lighters, matches etc do you need? Keep a lighter in your pocket, 1 or 2 in your pack, and a little bit of fire starter and call it good.

Where are you going and how long will it take you to get there? THis is what you need to ask yourself when you are figuring out what to put in your pack.
 
I have a Becker bk2 and its a beast. I have heard it called a sharpened crowbar and this is fairly accurate. It is good for batoning and heavy duty work. My EEC knife is a spyderco paramilitary II probably the best knife I have ever owned, incredibly sharp. These two in tandem pretty much get any cutting needs done.
 
Mora knives have zero tactical coolness to them. Because they were fine tuned by people who cut out all the crap and built small knives for people who actually really depend on them.

I have an ultra cool super KaBar d2 Steel blah blah. I like it , it was under a hundred bucks. I also have a collection of other big knives , hatchets and a tomahawk. I spend a fair amount of time camping every year and quickly realized that 95% of cutting chores are best done with with a Small sharp knife.

Larger cutting chores are best done with tools that are made for cutting. Saws work better than knives for wood. Folding campers wood saws are worth their weight to me.

Sure fire lights are good , no doubt. But maybe better for the home. C123 eating lights piss through power way too fast. I have found that single LED lights with 3 AAA batteries, in the under 50 dollar range , are best for me. LED technology has come so far that there is little reason to buy big brand names.

I got started on this whole Preparedness thing while watching Hurricane Katrina play out on the tv. And other than wanting a barge with an armored car I realized that water was sort of important. The first things I premeditated to buy that wasn't a fun toy like guns and knives was a pair of quality water filters.

I think the biggest problem I have is trying to make my BOB do too much. It will make you crazy fast.

It should hold you over for a couple of days , not allow you to build a farmhouse in the mountains.
 
I like to have some extra dry socks, thermal underwear, and a watchcap in my bag. I used my foodsaver to bag them and vaccum them down into a tiny little package. They take up very little space and will always be dry.

I also like to have plenty of ways to start a fire. I have some strike-anywhere matches in a little foodsaver bag, a firesteel, a couple of disposable lighters, a little pill bottle full of vaseline-soaked cotton balls, and some fine steel wool.

I picked up about a dozen of those little folding tablet stoves for about $2 each, so I have one of those along with a stainless steel cup for boiling water.

I usually dump all of my bags out a couple of times a year and repack them. My everyday/motorcycle backpack stays pretty current, but I keep one under the floor of the minivan that I haven't looked at in a while. It's probably time to review that one.
 
+1 to Mora knives. They are cheap to buy but not cheap knives. They come incredibly sharp.

Best fire starter vasoline and cotton. Works all the time, every time.
 
Ka-bar and Glock knives are both good, sturdy, inexpensive knives.

If you can save up a little more, look at a Bark River, the Aurora, Canadian, or Bravo. They are more expensive, but I find them much more comfortable for extended use than those mentioned so far.

If you can sharpen a knife, any halfway good steel will get you through most things. What I have started paying more attention to over the years is what shape my hand is in after really using a knife for a while. I look for a handle that, while easy to hang on to, has no hot spots that might raise a blister if I need to use it for a long, repetitious task.
 
Gerber LMF II. won't break the bank and takes a hell of a beating. saw a vid on youtube of a guy in russia baton a van door in half with it
 
I like the cotton ball vaseline thing , too. I use an altoid tin , and among the cotton is a magnesium block w/ spark bar. They cost little and burn in wet & nasty weather.

I tried to cover a few bases with BoB :

be dry
quenched
bandaged
warm
fed
not lost
able to cut and or break a thing or two

Paracord is very useful. I like a lanyard with a keychain micro-light. Bug spray. More bug spray.

I bring the pack with me to my cabin , which is extremely sparse and low tech , a base camp sort of thing a few steps up from having a tent. It serves as a great test zone for my latest acquisition - most tun out to be silly.

And an obvious truth rears its ugly head All The Time : Mini tools/ Ultra light gear & the like are no match for the real deal. a tomahawk can not do what an axe will do. The saw blade on your leatherman will not cut a 4 inch stick like a bow saw will. An E-tool sucks compared to a 5 foot shovel.

Makes "pre-positioning" & Bug Out Location prep make a lot more sense.
 
For a quick way to get some good quality basics, I like the Pocket Survival Kit from Adventure Medical Kits.
 
fubar said:
Mora knives have zero tactical coolness to them. Because they were fine tuned by people who cut out all the crap and built small knives for people who actually really depend on them.

I have an ultra cool super KaBar d2 Steel blah blah. I like it , it was under a hundred bucks. I also have a collection of other big knives , hatchets and a tomahawk. I spend a fair amount of time camping every year and quickly realized that 95% of cutting chores are best done with with a Small sharp knife.

Larger cutting chores are best done with tools that are made for cutting. Saws work better than knives for wood. Folding campers wood saws are worth their weight to me.

Sure fire lights are good , no doubt. But maybe better for the home. C123 eating lights piss through power way too fast. I have found that single LED lights with 3 AAA batteries, in the under 50 dollar range , are best for me. LED technology has come so far that there is little reason to buy big brand names.

I got started on this whole Preparedness thing while watching Hurricane Katrina play out on the tv. And other than wanting a barge with an armored car I realized that water was sort of important. The first things I premeditated to buy that wasn't a fun toy like guns and knives was a pair of quality water filters.

I think the biggest problem I have is trying to make my BOB do too much. It will make you crazy fast.

It should hold you over for a couple of days , not allow you to build a farmhouse in the mountains.
Click to expand...

Did you choose a particular water filter?
 
I've got a Kabar Bowie that I use extensively for yardwork. A lot of cutting branches, hacking down brush, and chopping tree roots. It holds up real well. My only complaint would be that the handle can get a little messed up near the jimping if you're not careful while batonning wood. For a $50-60 dollar knife, I would definitely recommend it as a BOB knife.

One consideration though would be the coating on your BOB knife. I hear it is tough using the spine to create sparks for a fire due to the coating. I haven't used my Bowie in this capacity yet so I have no experience in this matter. I keep a Light My Fire around for this task.
 

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