It could be months in the bone-chilling winter in the Arctic wilderness among bears, wolverines, caribou, and bison ... Or it could be a day trying to survive the hostilities of an enemy attack. Extreme survival can take many forms and challenges and can come with or without notice. No matter how much you plan ahead, life has a habit of catching you off-guard. And sometimes that calls for extreme survival situations in uncharted territories. It's your body, mind, and spirit fighting for survival.
One of the prime survival tools you'll be expected to carry in any extreme situation is a knife. You cannot survive the wild without a knife. It can be as basic as a sharpened stone flint or a folding knife. However, it's best when you're geared with a knife that's specially forged for extreme conditions.
Knives To Combat Extreme Survival Conditions
If you find yourself in the Alaskan wilderness with one tool only, let that be a razor-sharp fixed blade knife with tank-solid construction. If you're on field duty, you'll need something even more menacing. Different extreme situations come with their own unique needs and over the ages, men have fashioned knives to suit each one.
Best Overall Value - Survival Knife For Extreme Conditions
In the world of survival knives, price is not always the best indicator, not especially when it comes to the TRI0 - a set of 3 extreme fixed blade knives designed to survive the most extreme conditions. The tallest knife is the defender. This is a well-balanced, marine-grade field knife that can hunt a game, build a fire and gather for shelter. This is a one-man-army survival machine with a razor-sharp powder-coated 440C steel blade measuring 3.94". Accompanying are two slightly smaller knives with the exact same design and balance, only smaller in proportion. Together they make a survival toolbox for all extreme conditions.
Historically, many of the best survival knives come with a basic handle design. The TRIO is no different and all 3 knives come with paracord handles that also make them indestructible.
Ka-Bar Becker BK9. Best Big Fixed Blade Knife
If you're thinking of surviving more than a few weeks in the Arctic wilderness, you're going to need a monster knife that can cut, saw, hack, crack, kill and protect. Large fixed blade survival knives come with plenty of added benefits over their smaller siblings. The best of the beast is the Becker BK9. We took it for a 3-week run-in the elk country during the bitter sub-zero cold months.
It's a solid performer made in the USA, built like a submarine, has brilliant handle ergonomics, and comes with a near-perfect balance and blade geometry. We can't praise it enough. However, the plastic 'Grivory' handle can slip off in wet conditions. We used it to chop, slice firewood, and perform every kind of heavy-duty task. It made light of every task thrown at it. Even if you're not a fan of large knives, this fixed blade knife will help save the day in extreme survival conditions.
