User Review: Fällkniven NL5 (Idun)

Like most guys who saw the movie 'First Blood' I thought an enormous knife is what I needed in a survival scenario. When I started backpacking that went out the window in favor of just a multi-tool or small pocket knife.

However, being part backpacker - part survivalist that I am, I also want to be self-sufficient in the woods in case I get lost indefinitely and so I became a student of bushcraft.

Enter the Falllkniven NL5, also called the Idun.

This is the smallest fixed blade in the Northern Lights series with a blade length of just under 4". This stout convex grind hunting survival blade does not dissappoint. When I first opened the box I was surprised at how small this knife actually was, but this was good thing.

The Idun's beefy little blade makes feather sticks for fire effortlessly and even batons through wood without any issues, and gutting fish and even skinning small (and larger) game is what this knife was made for.

With all of the modern space age technology we use and wear, the ergonomic leather stacked handle is an emblem of a bygone era that many in the outdoor community are reviving. The blade is beautiful and a conversation piece around the campfire.

Traveling outdoors can sometimes bring diverging philosophies together regarding survival. On the one hand light-weight products have become a huge benefit that we use to our advantage letting us go faster and farther. On the other hand, slowing things down to really grow as an outdoorsman/woman means sometimes there is no substitute for tried and proven tools regardless of weight. 

The NL5 is the best of both worlds and this is a tool that I proudly wear on my hip (in its leather sheath) between my gore-tex paclite jacket and nylon convertible hiking pants.