Field Knife for Bailout Bag

[Jeff White]

I am remaking the bailout bags for the vehicles. I am looking for three reasonably priced field knives. I have used a Rick Hill subhilt fighter with a bowie type blade on my field gear since the late 1980s. It's just the right size and shape for clearing brush, making shelters and the dozens of other tasks I put it to use doing when I was an Infantryman.

hso and a couple of the other members here have seen the knife. I'm not even sure if Rick Hill is still alive and making knives, he was in poor health when he made mine. It cost $275 1988 dollars so I can't imagine what commissioning 3 more would cost in 2012.

Any recommendations for a production knife that's similar?

I will admit I am not a blade person, my knowledge of these things is pretty limited. I know what worked for me in the field though.

 

[hso]

Jeff,

Why not ask Kim and Gary what it would cost to make similar performing pieces?

As an alternative I've been very happy with BKTs and the price point is very palatable.

 

[mdauben]

Not familiar with the "Rick Hill subhilt fighter" but if you are looking for a large general utility knife for survival/camping/bushcraft use there are a number of good choices. My first suggetion would be to look at ESEE Cutlery. They make some excellent hard use knives ranging from small to big. For your use, you might want to look at either the ESEE 6 or the ESEE Junglas. They run around $140 and $180 respectivly. Another idea might be the Fallkniven A1 Survival knife, an excellent knife which I think goes for around $200. If you want something more economical look at some of the Ka-Bar/Becker knives like the Campanion, Magnum Camp or Combat Utility. Big sturdy knives all of which can be found four less than $100 with a bit of shopping.

 

[rcmodel]

The Buck Nighthawk is probably one of the most over-looked fighting survival knives on the market today.

You can equip all of your bailout bags, car, and truck with them for less then what one custom knife will cost.

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Buck-Knife-TOPS-Buck-Nighthawk-Fixed-blade-Survival-Tactical-Knife/6050711/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&adtype=pla&kw={keyword}

rc

 

[TimboKhan]

Consider a camp defender?

 

[50 Shooter]

Check out Anza knives, they make some nice knives that will fill your need and not kill your budget.

 

[hso]

You can get a Becker BK7 for under $65/ea.

BTW, Rick Hill was alive in 2011 and making knives after nearly a decade hiatus. He was living in Maryville, IL at last note.

 

[azgsmith]

Check out the kabar BK knives

Check out the BK 16, 9 and or 7. Cheap. made in the USA and a real value,

 

[meangreen786]

Another vote for Becker. Great knives for a very reasonable price.

Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Pilot]

I like the Bark River Bravo-1 for general field work. Available with and without the ramp. The Aurora is nice too.

 

[Cody Banks]

Mora Clipper Military

great durable, sharp as a scalpel. at $10 on sale, you could buy ten and supply all your needs.
Sheath is a little less than what I would strap on, but you could use anyone's leather.

​

 

[hso]

The BK7 can be had for under $70.

The Ontario that Nem has is even less.

 

[Gordon]

In my service truck bailout bag I have a Black Jack AWAC knife I believe to be ideal for the purpose. The knife is very stout and easily takes a razor edge . It was a well made one and is certainly NOT 440 A steel.
http://blackjack.0catch.com/pages/awac.htm
also the bag has a Shrade USA Multi tool from same mid 90s era , a Petzl Head lamp and a Tanfolgio Compact .40 Witness in a Lou Alessi made shoulder holster with 2 extra mags and the Black Jack knife on the off (mag) side . I would just as soon have a Mad Dog Bear Cat or Atac knife instead of the Black Jack but want to keep the loss value down.

 

[USAF_Vet]

I have a Navy Mk II knife in my BOB.

 

[JimStC]

Another vote for the Ka Bar Beckers.
In descending blade size:
BK 7 ($68--Amazon)
BK 2 ($65--Amazon)
BK 17 ($65-$75)

Also consider the Ka Bar D2 Fighting knife if you want a partially serrated blade. Sells for $100

I have batoned with the 7 and the 2. They are very sturdy

 

[The Hound]

Bark River
ESEE
KaBar Becker

Those would be my choices for fixed blade knives.

 

[Dirty Bob]

I'm still evaluating a Condor Barong (14" blade). So far, I'm very impressed, and their prices are very affordable, with a wide variety of knives to choose from.

All my best,
Dirty Bob

 

[rbernie]

I have used a Rick Hill subhilt fighter with a bowie type blade on my field gear since the late 1980s. It's just the right size and shape for clearing brush, making shelters and the dozens of other tasks I put it to use doing when I was an Infantryman.

For general camp uses, I've replaced my Becker BK2 Campanion with Sam's 'Camp Defender II' and been well pleased with that choice. Neither are really belt-wearable; they are 'strapped onto the LBE/ruck' kind of blades.

I prefer a weight-forward blade for camp chopping, and most of the 'survival' knives that I see are really bowie/fighter types that have lots of reach but don't really work well for how I use a camp-type knife. Bear in mind that I'm not a knife fighter kinda guy - I just want a blade useful for use in camp that I could also use for social purposes if needed. Given my skill level, it's likely that a chopper is more useful for social uses than something designed for stabbity-type stuff.

I hear rumor that Sam *may* be coming out with a scaled version of the CD that sacrifices some chopping utility for portability, and it may be worth a look.

My current 'field' blades are the CDII (on the ruck) and a Benchmade 15005-1 in D2.

 

[JShirley]

Becker and Ontario, as mentioned, offer good inexpensive choices.

I'm very proud of the Camp Defender, and Sam has admirably captured my intent. I personally have no problem carrying it horizontally on my belt while hiking, but it is a big knife. Something like the Ontario SP48 would give you probably 85% of a CDv2's functionality, at less than half the price- and you wouldn't have to wait 7 months before it was available.

John

 

[rbernie]

I'm very proud of the Camp Defender, and Sam has admirably captured my intent.

Y'all done good.

I personally have no problem carrying it horizontally on my belt while hiking, but it is a big knife.

Well, in fairness you can still *find* your waist. Belt loads get increasing problematic for those of us who've lost ours.

Something like the Ontario SP48 would give you probably 85% of a CDv2's functionality

How well will Kraton handle material hold up over time?

 

[JShirley]

Unless you repeatedly rub it against something like a rock, it will probably outlast you. I do prefer canvas micarta, but Kraton should be good for at least 30 years.

I would say a dedicated custom knife like the Camp Defender is the way to go if you will use it frequently. If it's "just in case", get a cheaper production knife.

John

 

[RatDrall]

BK7

This is the first thing that came to mind when I read "clearing brush".

I don't like them because they are too big and clunky for me to consider a "knife", but to each their own. I'd rather use a $15 machete to clear brush, because it's less exhausting, and carry a nice knife for cutting chores, like the next option mentioned:

Bravo 1

I absolutely love my Bravo 1s, I own 3 of them just in case something happens to the one that I bring on every hiking, camping, or hunting trip. Here it is (ignore the cheap 'hawk, I only used it to hammer in tent stakes) after I used it to baton through the wet wood in the background to get a fire going after a good, soaking rain:



For a "do everything" knife, the Bravo 1 is hard to beat. However, it's an expensive knife, Grand Prairie Knives is great to deal with, and they have them for $165 shipped. Not a bad deal for a hand made, hair popping convexed 0.20" tool steel knife with a lifetime warranty. I didn't like the leather sheath that came with mine, so I made one to suit my tastes:

 

[Pilot]

Another good choice is the Fallkniven F1. But, like the excellent Bravo-1, its not cheap. It is in stainless steel though if that matters.

 

[knife guy]

as of july 2011 Rick Hill was still alive, still making blades according to somewhat credible internet searches.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I have an Ontario SP48 and if you want a big knife at a reasonable price, it's a good choice IMO. Good steel and a decent sheath.

One thing that will improve it is to take some fine steel wool and smooth out the black epoxy finish on the blade. As it comes from the factory it's bumpy and I found that it caused drag when trying to chop through wood.

One further mod I'll make to mine one of these days will be to remove the top part of the guard. It's superfluous for my needs, and I like to be able to put my thumb on the back edge of the blade sometimes.