Through the dense underbrush, the blood trail was thinning out. I looked up and saw a set of eyes glaring at me. Seconds later, the boar charged!
Those three sentences are fiction, for me, but it could happen. Many of the areas I hunt do not allow me to carry a firearm as a sidearm. What do I do instead? I carry a large hunting knife and the SOG Jungle Warrior fits the bill. Beside using it as a weapon, there are other great uses. Many times I need to hack through brush and branches, and I find a machete doesn’t feel as tough, or work as hard as the Jungle Warrior.
The full tang, fixed blade Jungle Warrior weighs in at a little over a pound (19.4 oz) and with a 9.75″ blade it is so much more than a machete. With a Kraton handle, the knife stays firm in your grasp when hacking into a branch or vines. The blade was already sharp straight out of the box, which has been my experience with most of my SOG blades. They come out wicked sharp and ready to use. That’s the way you want them. Was it as sharp as it could be? No, but this knife is more of a chopping blade. While I don’t plan on skinning any animal with it, I’ll bet I could. As far as chopping goes, the Jungle Warrior worked better than any of the machetes I have ever used. That includes the machetes from SOG. This knife allows you more control than a machete and doesn’t feel flimsy.
This knife appeals to me as a ‘sidearm’ as it has a spearpoint to it and that is great for thrusting. If I have to defend myself against an animal, this knife would be excellent for it, but I truly hope I never have to use it defensively. It is easy to get out of the sheath quickly and feels great in your hand. It does, however, feel a bit unbalanced with most of the weight being draw toward the front of the knife. The weight forward works great for chopping though!
The thumb grip is very aggressive and a bit much for me. I like having some area for my thumb, but it’s a bit uncomfortable and over-the-top for me. I wish SOG had made the thumb grip ‘teeth’ a bit closer together, shorter, and duller. I honestly don’t think I will be using the thumb grip that often, but it could use improvement.
The heel of the handle has a toothed edge made for breaking glass (at least that is what it looks like to me) or a could have a more practical use in a survival situation. Maybe cracking into clams or breaking into bone to get at the marrow. Use your imagination when it comes to survival and the SOG Jungle Warrior.
Retailing for $80.00 and coming with a lifetime warranty, the SOG Jungle Warrior is a great survival knife to utilize in the woods. Now that I think of it, I’ll bet it would make a great butcher knife in the kitchen, but I think my wife might frown on it. It has helped me chop through dense brush, thin vines, and clear out some branches that would have taken a long time with clippers. This knife is the real deal for clearing a path and I can’t wait to use it again.
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