There is a lot to like about Swiss Army knives, and for decades, I have carried some variation on a daily basis. Here are my favorites. by Leon Pantenburg While I wouldn’t recommend a Swiss Army knife as the only choice for a survival knife, there are sound reasons for including one in your short [...]

“The day may have gone to hell, but if you think there’s a hot meal coming, that may be the high point. It gives you something familiar in a really bad situation.”

  What Christmas gifts do you give your prepper or survival mom or dad? Here are some suggestions for the person who may need everything! by Leon Pantenburg Everybody needs to carry a small, pocket-sized survival kit wherever they go. If an unexpected emergency happens, and by definition they are unexpected or they wouldn’t be [...]

  Disclaimer: I have extensively tested these knives in order to review them. The knives mentioned in this post are also offered for sale as a link at the bottom of the page for your convenience. I don’t recommend any product I haven’t tested or wouldn’t personally use. By Leon Pantenburg People interested in prepping or [...]

An Altoids tin survival kit is by no means all you should carry for survival!!! But you need to have something in your pockets, in the event you are separated from your gear, or are in an area where carrying your complete setup is impractical.

Sometimes a knife just looks right, and that’s what drew my eye to an ad for a “Nessmuk” knife. It looked like a quality workhorse.

by Leon Pantenburg Elk Lake, Oregon is one of the major re-supply places for through hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. Every year, a handful of  long-distance hikers will walk border-to-border on the trail. They generally start in Mexico in April, and start trickling in to the Elk Lake Resort about August, en route to [...]

The topic of hunting knives is best discussed around a campfire after a day outdoors! But since we can’t do that, here is the next best thing – a special SurvivalCommonSense.com email update devoted to the topic of hunting cutlery. What do the experts recommend as the knife to carry for small and big game [...]

Ever wished you could find someone to answer your land navigation questions? Like some of the most basic starter queries, such as How Do I make Sense of a Topographical Map? or  How do you find your way around, when there are no roads? Land navigation is the topic of this special SurvivalCommonSense.com weekly update. [...]

What should you carry in the hollow handle of a survival knife? Specifically, what survival items are so important that they should be included as part of the knife?