What Kind of Knife to Take Camping
When it comes to camping trips, having the right tools in place can make the experience a lot more enjoyable. Camping knives are an essential piece of kit which can really help you out on the campsite when it involves building a fire, shelter building, digging, skinning and gutting meat and food, opening things and even for protection purposes.
When camping, you will mostly need a knife that is handy for keeping around the campsite and ready for those moments of need. When it comes to purchasing a camping knife, however, it can be a bit confusing at first with so many varieties on the market. Therefore, we thought it would be useful to create a mini guide which tells you what kind of knife to take camping, by showing you which styles are best and why.
In turn, we hope this will give you a better idea of what knife to purchase based on what you will be using it for.
Survival Knife
The first type of knife we believe would be useful on any camping trip is the survival knife. This is traditionally a fixed-blade knife which was initially made for survival in the wild, useful for cutting firewood and building a shelter.
These types of knives feature hollow handles and can even include several survival items tucked inside. Top-quality designs will feature a full-tang blade which extends through the handle.
Survival knives are also well-known to be very durable and likely to stand the test of time. They can also be great for protection and being used as a self-defence weapon. If you need a knife to perform a variety of things, such as cutting, building, skinning and slicing this is the knife to go for.
Pocket Knife
Pocket knives, such as the popular Swiss Army styles, can make for a great camping knife. Although they are small in size, don’t let this fool you as they can be great for almost anything.
Their blade is said to be pretty impressive despite its smaller dimensions and can be perfect for everyday use at a campsite. The blades are usually made of stainless steel and are pretty sharp. These knives also often come with added extras such as a corkscrew, bottle opener, pliers, can opener, key ring and even nail file. When we said it was multi-purpose, we weren’t joking!
Pocket knives are also affordable and offer a considerable amount of use for their price. They are portable and can last for a good amount of time.
Bowie Knife
The Bowie knife was famous in 19th century America and was most widely used as a hunting knife. This knife features a large sheath design with a cross-guard and clip point. It also features a sharpened edge at the top of the blade, making it an excellent hunting knife.
If you won’t, however, be doing any hunting on your campsite, it is also handy as its large (usually 12 inches), wide blade, can be used as a machete or small hatchet when required. This makes it great when cooking and preparing food. It can, therefore, be used as a chef’s knife as well as for chopping any other item such as wood when keeping the fire burning.
It is also an excellent knife for clearing bush and cutting branches thanks to its sharp edge, making it a great all-around camping knife.
Spring Assisted Knife
Assisted-opening knives tend to carry a bit of a bad reputation with them, with one of the biggest complaints being that they are too dangerous as they can spring open by themselves. However, if you buy a good-quality assisted-opening knife from a trustworthy brand, and use it in the correct way, it can prove to be a perfect camping knife.
The benefits of assisted-opening knives are they are less likely to have parts break than the more traditional automatic knives would. They are also legal to use in more areas than automatic knives, meaning you can safely carry them in more areas.
These knives are great for normal day-to-day functions on the campsite and can be great for many different activities.
Clip Folder
The final type of knife we believe could be useful on the campsite is the clip folder. This is a folding knife with a mounting clip on the handle which allows users to attach it to their pocket or belt for more convenient access. These are easy knives to carry around at the campsite, whether you are looking for firewood, or hunting for a kill, this knife will always be by your side and ready when you need them. This style of knife is known as being a must-have for outdoor lovers.
Good Example
Benchmade 162 Bushcrafter
To finish our camping knife guide, we thought we would mention a good example of a knife that would be great for your next camping trip!
Benchmade are real experts in crafting superior knives for the outdoors. Their 162 Bushcrafter is a modern bushcraft knife which has been designed for living off the land. It features a sturdy, fixed-blade design made of S30V stainless steel, and is perfect for handling primary camp duties with ease, with the option to break into survival mode when necessary.
If you are looking for a knife that can handle many activities, and one which offers an excellent amount of durability, then the 162 Bushcrafter is a great option to go for.
Final Comments
Camping knives need to be strong, rigid, and able to handle day-to-day activities. They should be able to cut through a wide range of tasks, so if you find one that is able to cover all of this, you will be good to go.