What type of knives should I have in my preps?

Hello my friend and welcome to today’s post! I recently received a letter from a reader asking “What type of knives should I have in my preps?”  While thinking about this question, it occurred to me that I really haven’t seen a defined list of knives that Preppers should keep. So in today’s post, we are going to discuss what I think a Prepper should have and what I have in my preps.  Grab a cup of coffee and sit back while we discuss it.

Now let me say upfront that many people will both agree and disagree with this list and that’s ok. It is purely a matter of personal choice as to what you decide on.   I am not really going to discuss brands, but rather types of knives and why I think they are important.  Let me also say that I really like knives and collect them like women collect shoes.  I think you can never have too many.

Here is my list of types that I think every Prepper should have:

1. A fillet knife – You will need a good flexible Fillet knife for Filleting fish and deboning meat. Whether you are using it on fish or other meat to make jerky, it will be worth its weight in gold when you need it. For this one, I would go with a good quality knife as you will find yourself using it on a regular basis.
2. A Butcher knife – This is something that you really must have for butchering wild game and other meats. Again, this is something where I would invest a little money and get a good one because when SHTF hits, you will be using it a lot unless you are a Vegetarian and even then you will need to cut up plants for eating.
3. An every-day knife – This is something that you can carry with you all the time for cutting string, wire and wood during the day. This is another one that will get a lot of use, Because of the types of things you will be cutting with it; you will need to sharpen daily so I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on one. I would instead, I would buy several mediocre quality knives because sharpening every day will quickly ware down the blades until they are unusable. Whether you choose to go with a folding knife that you can carry in your pocket or a fixed blade knife is strictly a matter of preference. Personally I have both types because sometimes you need a strong blade and a good handle to cut larger items.
4. A Hunting Knife – To me, this one is kind of no brainer. A good hunting knife is worth everything you pay for it. I would have at least one with a skinning blade on it. This is one that you will not use very often depending on how much hunting and trapping you will be doing and needs to be kept razor-sharp at all times. Whether you are using it to cut the throat of a deer you have just shot or cutting up bait for your snares and traps, it is a must have. This is also the knife you will use for skinning your kills so consider that when choosing the one that you want.
5. A Fighting knife – When SHTF hits you may find yourself in a position where you will need to use a knife to defend yourself. In this situation, you are going to want a knife with a good thick blade and a little extra length to extend your reach. The reason I stress a thick blade is because you don’t want the blade breaking of if you clash blades or if you are trying to penetrate thick clothing. This could quickly result in your death if it does, so think about what you are going to be using it for when buying it. The scarier it looks the better! Remember that hand to hand combat is as much about physiology as it is skill. This is not to under emphasize the need for training of some kind in handling knives and fighting with them and you will definitely want to get some training if possible.

As I said before, much of this is up to individual taste and choice, but this is my recommendations for what a Prepper should have in their preps as far as knives go. This post does not cover machetes, they will be covered in a future post. You will also want to invest in a good knife sharpener setup to keep everything ready to go.  I personally have a couple of different kinds of sharpeners depending on the condition of the blade I am trying to sharpen.  Well I guess that is it for today and I hope you have enjoyed today’s post, so until next time, stay safe, stay strong and stay prepared!

-The Sargent-