Reddit reviews Smith & Wesson SWFRS 8in High Carbon S.S. Folding Knife with 3.3in Drop Point Serrated Blade and S.S. with G-10 Inlay Handle for Outdoor, Tactical, Survival and EDC

https://smile.amazon.com/Smith-Wesson-SWFRS-Stainless-Serrated/dp/B0015A5C70/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=smith+and+wesson+first+responder+knife&qid=1558908554&s=gateway&sprefix=smith+and+wesson+fir&sr=8-2


This is the one I have. It's a really sturdy knife.

Sorry this is gonna be a long one...

Get yourself a Mora knife for a fixed blade. Half the price of that crap UST one and one and a half million times better. If you want a spear for some odd reason sharpen a stick and harden by roasting it above a fire, don’t tie your knife to it.

Mora Robust will take on anything you need to cut.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SROLRDK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521148378&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mora+robust+pro&dpPl=1&dpID=41QqvvpY74L&ref=plSrch

Virtually indestructible, here’s some funny Dutch guys testing it:

https://youtu.be/fKlcBpKbAvM

Don’t buy any tool with a paracord handle, they are impossible to actually use effectively. If you want paracord, buy paracord.

Here is a my car knife. Just as good and a bit cheaper:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0015A5C70/ref=pd_aw_sim_200_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2JVMWSVRNQBD004C5N13&dpPl=1&dpID=41vzCMqYdGL

Also, don’t bother with the edible plants books. You should not be eating anything in the wild that you cannot 100% positively identify ON YOUR OWN. Learn about edible plants in your area and practice identifying them on your hikes. Take some home and try them in a safe environment if you want to confirm your abilities. Getting sick in an emergency scenario is the last thing you need. Foraging for food is usually going to be a waste of calories you already have anyway and what you find is likely not going to make them up.

I would also include a steel container of some kind for boiling water. Filters break or get lost, water tabs can get ruined. Filtering with a bandana (or grass, gravel/sand and charcoal, *look this up) followed by boiling never fails.

Most importantly, knowledge is the most valuable thing you can have. Consider specific scenarios you might encounter and research skills that will help you handle those types of situations. Knowledge will get you further that gear ever can.

Here’s to hoping you never have to use it!

Came to suggest a knife as well. He will appreciate it. Collapsible for sure. Amazon has many, something like this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0015A5C70/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1463497724&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=rescue+knife+smith+and+wesson&dpPl=1&dpID=21UVDTU6iEL&ref=plSrch

Carry one of these. The little knob at the bottom of the handle is designed to break tempered glass.

I generally only ever have my keys, phone, and this.

I'm in school so I just store my wallet in my backpack since I only need it maybe once or twice a day.

Those vary in size quite a lot, but I'll just assume you mean a couple inches in blade length at most. Again, I think if you're genuinely curious I think you should ask the people over in /r/edc. I think you'd be surprised by the diversity of responses you'd get, from the more obvious "personal defense" to simply needing it for work. I don't need it for either of those reasons, but I do carry a knife with a 3~ inch blade.

I can only speak for myself, but I carry a folding rescue knife. For reference, here's a similar, though not identical, type of knife to the one I carry: http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Wesson-SWFRS-Response-Serrated/dp/B0015A5C70/ref=pd_sim_hi_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1RCJ7AX41F4EPN1ZDZNH

Like I said, that isn't the exact knife I carry but it has a similar form and the same functions (curved, semi-serrated blade, with a seatbelt cutter in the handle and a glass breaker on the end). In the future I'm looking to replace the knife with two separate tools: a more traditional pocket knife (something hand-made and pretty, like this: http://www.couteau-laguiole.com/en/laguiole-pocket-knife-with-black-horn-handle-and-brass-bolsters-corkscrew-0-298-15-2-2-0-0.html), and a seatbelt cutter/glassbreaker/prybar/bottle-opener thingamajig on my keyring (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Schrade-SCTPT-Key-Chain-Tool/dp/B009XMWY5K/ref=pd_sim_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1YNPWYEF2TRQ12VFQWKQ). I'm starting to realize the advantages of having the two functions be separate (including the seatbelt cutter on the keyring means it is always with me in the car, without exception), but that's a different story.

Anyway, my current knife: the blade itself is multi-purpose, but the handle includes a seatbelt cutter and a glass breaking pin. It weighs next to nothing, doesn't take up any pocket space that I'd otherwise be using, and it comes in handy as an everyday tool for everything from opening boxes to cutting tags off clothing to various outdoorsy applications. But mostly I carry it for the same reason I buckle my seatbelt, because it might save my life or the life of someone else if I get into a car accident. It's a handy tool and a potential life saver. There are similar non-knife seatbelt cutters and/or glass breakers people can get, like the one I linked above, and I think anyone with a car ought to have one, but just the knife itself is invaluable, especially as someone who enjoys the occasional spontaneous trek into the wilderness.

And despite what people are saying here, and despite what a lot of everyday carriers think, I don't really see a knife as a valid self-defense weapon, myself. I'd sooner use a long stick or even my iPhone as a crude club, to be honest. Even having the knife on me, I have a difficult time envisioning a scenario where I would use it to defend myself, except maybe if I was attacked by a wild animal. Knives are sloppy self-defense weapons, even in skilled hands, and unless you're facing certain death, drawing a knife represents a huge escalation that would likely result in you, the knife-wielder, being in greater risk of serious injury or death, not less.

Going through the usual self-defense scenarios: if someone drew a gun on me, I would do as they say (never bring a knife to a gunfight, etc. etc.); if someone drew a knife on me, I would do as they say (better to lose my wallet than get into a knife fight, which would probably involve both people bleeding out and dying); and if someone was just threatening me with their fists, well, I'd probably fight them, but I wouldn't draw a knife, because if someone's that determined to hurt me to begin with it probably wouldn't stop them from attacking, but it might result in a loss of life. If you draw a knife on someone who is just looking to punch you, it might threaten them enough to feel the urge to draw their own knife, gun, or some other potentially lethal weapon. It's just a bad idea all around.

Anyway, there's my two cents on why I carry a knife, but like I said, you should ask the people over at /r/edc for their points of view, because people's perspectives are pretty diverse, and depends largely on the person's lifestyle, career, and of course where they live.