The staff at IndustryOutsider believes that everyone should have access to quality outdoor gear at reasonable prices. That’s one of the many reasons we try to cover gear suitable for all skill levels and budgets. Coincidentally, that’s also the driving principle behind DAJO Adventure Gear. Their mission: Offer great products, provide great service, and have great prices. To that end, we’re pleased to review the DAJO Adventure Gear Survivor knife, in conjunction with National Preparedness Month.
At 7.5″ long, the Survivor is exactly one half handle, and one half blade. The full tang (handle and blade are a single piece) lends extra strength to this light weight, yet extremely hard (57 Rockwell) stainless knife. Those cutouts in the blade and handle reduce weight (to 3.4 ounces) without sacrificing durability. The cutouts serve another purpose as well – using the five feet of included cord, it’s possible to fashion a spear by lashing it to a suitable stick or branch. While most of us won’t, it’s nice to know we could if we needed to. Much more likely though, we’ll take full advantage of the Swedish FireSteel® to start a fire, using the notch in the back of the Survivor’s blade. And keeping the fire steel company in the attached pouch is a very loud signal whistle, which is always handy in an emergency. All three items, together with the sheath that can be mounted vertically or horizontally, weigh a mere 6.7 ounces.
A quality knife is indispensable when traveling outdoors. With its very modest price, (under $40) and included accessories, the Survivor represents an excellent value for anyone looking to pack light. While we are more than impressed by the quality of the knife, whistle, and fire steel, we’d recommend replacing the cord with some genuine paracord. Other than that, this is a pretty solid piece of gear for your backpack or 72-hour kit.
To see more great items from Dajo, head over to their website.
– Brian