Of all the survival knives in the world, which one would you choose to be the perfect tool to keep you alive during a zombie apocalypse? I must admit that I have several choices in mind. Of course, if there really were a zombie apocalypse, I'd have all of my choice knives with me along with a couple of guns and grenades. After all, there's no such thing as being over-prepared when you're facing the walking dead.

BUT if I were forced to choose, there is one knife that I prefer over all the others. Now, before I tell you which one it is, I just want to say that everyone has his or her own preferences and opinions on what makes a survival knife the best. My choice is simply an expression of what I believe are necessary features for a knife to be considered "apocalypse-worthy."

So, as I was saying, I have several survival knives, and I've tested them all. But the one that I believe would be my ultimate choice should zombies start walking the earth is my Outdoorsman by Cold Steel. Why is that? I have several reasons which I'll explain one by one in a little bit.

If you aren't familiar with the Outdoorsman, then let me enlighten you. This bad boy is a full tang, fixed blade made of VG-1 San Mai III® Steel with an overall length of 11 inches. The blade itself is 6 inches long and 3/16 inches thick. It has a "bone breaker" edge, a checkered Kraton handle, and a black leather sheath. If I were a girl, these specs would make me squee in delight. But I'm not.

Anyway, now that you have an idea of what my survival knife looks like, let's get down to the nitty gritty. First, any decent survivalist would choose a blade that is around this length, thickness, and weight (9.9 ounces) because they're all "just right." Not too heavy, not too light. Not too long, not to short. You get what I mean. These dimensions enable you to adequately perform both heavy duty and light duty tasks.

You can skin game, carve wood, baton wood, chop branches off, etc. And because the material is nearly unbreakable (having been tested by me and several others), you don't have to worry about breaking the blade off while you abuse the heck out of it. It also doesn't hurt that the Outdoorsman has a "bone breaker" on the blade's spine. Like what the name implies, this part of the knife can be used to break bones - those of animals or enemies.

Aside from being "just right" and incredibly tough, I like how razor sharp the blade is out of the box and how good it retains its edge despite my constant abuse. In a zombie apocalypse, I wouldn't know when I would have the time to sharpen my blade or if I would have the necessary tools to sharpen it.

I mentioned earlier that the Outdoorsman is made out of stainless steel. Now, I know many prefer carbon steel. I do too. But in a zombie apocalypse when you wouldn't know what type of environment you'd end up in, the rust-resistant blade would be your best choice. 

The best things about this knife, to me, are its extremely tough tip and the steel butt cap. This is because we're talking about an apocalypse here where combat will definitely be an everyday thing. So a tough tip will ensure that I can stab people (not the good ones, only the bad ones and the dead ones) with ease without worrying that my blade will break. And a steel butt cap can knock people unconscious if I need them alive. You know what I mean.

Other people would probably choose a different survival knife if asked this question. I'm sure there are some survival knives that perform some of the tasks I mentioned way better than the Outdoorsman. But from what I've seen (on TV, of course), in a zombie apocalypse, a knife that is able to adequately perform all tasks is WAY better than one that can only be amazing at some tasks. What do you think?

The most important tool you'll ever need in the great outdoors is a survival knife because it will enable you to do exactly what its name implies - "survive." Now, since we're talking about life or death here, you obviously want the best survival knife in the market. And there are probably several that fit the description. But I'm not going to name them because choosing a knife is a very personal decision. Instead, I'll be discussing several features that your survival knife should have in order to give you the best possible chance of survival if you find yourself in a life-or-death situation. It'll be up to you to see if the knife you fancy made the cut (pun intended).

Photo by Bill Bradford. Used under Creative Commons.

No one knows when disaster will strike. And no one wants to be caught unprepared. Now is certainly the best time for everyone to start thinking about what to do if you're ever caught in the aftermath of a natural disaster. And the most important tool that can help you get through any survival situation is a survival knife. Now, there are quite a lot of knives for sale and, if you're the average Joe or Jane, you might be a bit confused as to what a bushcraft knife is or what it means to have a drop point blade. Fortunately, when it comes to survival, there's only one brand that you need to consider - Cold Steel knives.

Cold Steel Survival Knives Present All of the Best Features of a Survival Knife

A Seriously Tough Knife

Cold Steel knives have a reputation for being razor sharp, versatile, and made from high quality steel - features that would raise the odds of you getting out alive from whatever God-awful situation you've found yourself in. Made from top quality steel, these knives are incredibly tough and can withstand loads of abuse. Cold Steel's battle-ready knives such as the Leatherneck series are constructed from thick stainless steel while the bushcraft knives such as the Bushman series are made of SK-5 high carbon steel.

A Deadly Sharp Knife

Aside from being extremely durable, Cold Steel knives are very sharp and hold their edge for a long time. You can slice, cut, slash, hack, and chop almost anything quite easily. Their excellent edge holding capability ensures that you will rarely find yourself with a dull knife as you try to rescue yourself from the situation you are currently in.

A Versatile Knife

Versatility is also a feature that Cold Steel survival knives are well-known for. These knives are specifically designed to easily perform various tasks in the wild - from simply skinning game and creating small snares to batoning and hacking your way back to civilization. And their knives aren’t the only thing that’s versatile.

Something for Everyone

Cold Steel has a large variety of knives that ensure every kind of customer can find the one that's just perfect for him and her. They offer knives that have varying shapes and sizes - from little ones that can slip easily into your pocket to big badass Rambo knives that are downright scary. Fixed blades, folding knives, tanto blades, clip point ones, and drop point blades - you name it, they have it. The best part is that Cold Steel knives have varying price ranges so you can be sure that you'll find one that fits your budget just right. Whichever Cold Steel knife you do end up choosing, there’s no question that it will be razor sharp, extremely tough, and amazingly versatile – everything an all-around survival knife should be.

Here it is in the Bible, a verse admonishing us to prepare. The prudent person here “foresees the danger and takes precautions.” So first he takes the time to look around at his own situation and to analyze the state of the world and people around him, then he starts preparing.

In the world of knives, this means learning how to use your tool, yes, a tool. A survival knife is more than something to slice away at a hunk of meat that you bought from your grocery store (that’s what we have kitchen knives for)! A survival knife cuts and batons and hammers and chops. It slices and dices and stabs. It’s a multipurpose tool expertly crafted out of solid steel ready and waiting to show you how much potential it has.

And while you may be tempted to get the most badass knife only to keep it on your dresser to admire, that mean piece of metal is begging you to use it, to let it become a natural part of your body.

Let your survival knife be your door into the world of preparedness. Let it show you your potential as a trapper, skinner, wood-cutter, and all around survival expert.

Imagine this: you're on a pleasant hiking trip, when you wander off the trail and soon realize that you're lost. You head back in the direction you came from... at least you think it's that way... and before you know it you've been walking for hours and still haven't found your way back to the trail. The sun is going down, and air is cooling, and you're all alone. What are you going to do?

If you're the type of person who likes to be prepared, then chances are you packed a survival knife in your backpack before heading down the trail. And boy are you glad you did!

With just a few hours before dusk, you use your best survival knife to hack down a few saplings to build a shelter and use the knife's built-in fire starter to get a blaze going. On a chilly night like this one, you'll be grateful for a shelter and a warm fire.

By morning, you're refreshed and you start hiking east in the direction of a well-known highway. Before long you've made it back to civilization and are enjoying a nice, hot shower. You think back to the night before and imagine what the night would have been like without your survival knife. You know that you'll never leave home without it again.