Video survival knife review: The Les Stroud S.K. Arctic

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I bought this knife, received no compensation for doing this review, and am not associated in any form with “Survivorman.”

Here is a review of the Les Stroud Arctic Survival Knife.

by Leon Pantenburg

When it comes to survival shows, it seems like viewers all have a favorite. While I appreciate a good adventure tale as much as the next person, I

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don’t care for Hollywood sensationalization passed off as valid survival techniques. Subsequently, I don’t regularly watch any of the survival productions.

Les Stroud S.K. Arctic survival knife

But I get questions about the gear. People want info before investing in products, particularly those based, in part, on an actor’s celebrity.

Recently, the market has been flooded with survival gear endorsed by Bear Grylls, Les Stroud and Mykel Hawke. The quality ranges from good to junk.

Check out the S.K. Arctic review video below

Les Stroud is “Survivorman,” one of the original survival show stars. He goes into the wilderness alone, apparently without a support team, for a week at a time, and gets by as best he can using odds and ends he salvages. Stroud is the author of several books on wilderness survival. Peter Kummerfeldt, a bone fide survival expert, reviewed one of those books, and was not impressed.

The Les Stroud Signature Series is made by Camillus and are advertised to be “incomparably tough and built to withstand the impossible task of your next challenge.”

I liked the looks of the S.K. Arctic model and decided to check it out. Here are the criteria I use to test a knife, and some of the things I look for.

Start with the specs:

Camillus Les Stroud S.K. Arctic Fixed Sport Knife with Fire Starter and Nylon Sheath:

Knife with fire starter and ballistic nylon sheath
Blade length: 4.5″, overall length: 9.25″
Titanium-bonded 440 stainless steel, non-stick drop point blade
Includes storage compartment and trail map mesh pocket
Knurled steel pommel

It comes with a survival guide that fits nicely in the back of the sheath.

My first impression of the knife was that it is a sturdy, well-designed piece of equipment. I used it for a couple of weeks, for every task I would normally use a knife for. This includes use in the kitchen for food preparation, and in the field as an all-around knife. Uses will range from slicing potatoes and meat to whittling weiner sticks and fuzz-sticks for firemaking. I don’t baton wood as a knife test, or purposely abuse a knife as part of testing.

A particularly challenging set of knife tasks was associated with my spring yardwork. Because it was there on my belt, I used the Arctic for cutting drip irrigation lines, trimming and pruning, and some digging associated with lawn irrigation. (I never dig with a knife because of the risk of damage, but in this case, that was part of the needed tasks.) The edge dulled, as would be expected, but it only took a few swipes with a butcher steel to restore the razor edge. The steel is 440 stainless, and it seems to hold an edge well and is easy to sharpen.

Here’s the good stuff:

The guide is great. It is full of good advice, such as the whole idea of staying put to get found. Rather that including a guide full of myths (like building a solar still) and esoteric misinformation, the guide has sound mindset directions. These can be used to help calm a lost person, and enable them to make positive steps toward their rescue.
The drop-point blade is one of my favorite designs and the length is just about right for my tastes. The drop point is just right for skinning big game animals, and it will easily handle most outdoor tasks. The Arctic is not designed for filleting fish or general camp use, but it’ll do. It works fine in the kitchen for slicing meat and vegetables, but is not a good choice for peeling potatoes.
The sheath is functional and works well to protect the blade and the carrier. The knife is held securely by a locking internal mechanism, which is reenforced by a velcro strap around the handle. The knife is easy to access.
The full-tang blade ends with a hammer-style pommel. I hit a few nails with it, just to say I had. It worked fine. But in the real world, I have yet to need a hammer pommel on a knife, and only the most dire circumstances could force me to use a knife as a hammer. Use a rock or stick.
The handle is good-sized, to reduce hand fatigue over long use, and non-slip. It is designed so there isn’t a potential for your hand sliding from the handle onto the blade.
The handle has a hole for lanyard attachment. I like lanyards on handles, particularly during a messy field dressing job. You don’t want to create a survival situation when your hand slips and gets cut on the blade.
There is no way to make a spear out of the knife. I have never needed to make a spear, and can’t anticipate how this would be valuable in a survival situation. Rambo used his survival knife as part of a spear, but if you believe that, you can believe a lot of other Hollywood survival tips.

I like these aspects less:

The ferrocerium rod is good quality and throws sparks readily. A notch is in the back of the blade for the purpose of using as a scraper. On any ferro rod, make sure the finish is removed from the rod and scraper so the combination will spark when needed.
The location of the ferro rod on the middle of the sheath is not the best. While it’s handy, it is also in the way. A better location would be on one side or the other. The ferro rod was hard to remove from its holder, but it will probably loosen up after some use.
I generally carry my knife inside my pack, and don’t see the need for a fast draw option. However, I put D-ring in the belt loop of any sheath knife I carry. This allows attaching the knife to a belt clip or the outside of a pack.

Impressions:

Overall, I like the Arctic. Despite the marketing hype and promotion, the Arctic is a sound, no-frills knife that is a practical over-all knife choice.

The Arctic retailed for about $40 here in Bend, OR, about a third less than the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival knife, which was priced right at $60. . The Arctic is a good value.

The steel in the Arctic’s blade is standard 440 stainless steel, which places it about in the middle of quality as far as blade steel goes. That means it should hold up well under most conditions. There is nothing superfluous about the knife, and except for a few minor cosmetic tweaks, there is little I could think of to improve the knife.
I was impressed with the survival guide. Generally, if you must take a techniques guide with you, you are unprepared and need more practice. But the reinforcement of the survival mindset and survival psychology skills could be invaluable.

So will I start carrying an Arctic as my go-to field knife?

Nope. My cold Steel SRK and I have bonded over 20 years of hard hunting and outdoors experiences. The knife has processed at least 50 deer and several elk to my complete satisfaction. While the blade is worn from constant sharpening, and the sheath shows some hard use, there is no replacement in sight.

But if I couldn’t take my SRK into the backcountry, I wouldn’t be overly concerned if I ended up with an Arctic as a replacement. And, IMO, that is high praise for any knife.

But Stroud’s survival books and show – still a no-go.

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