Choosing a Camping Knife: What to Look For Before You Buy
Start with your trips, not the knife.
The right camping knife depends on what you'll ask it to do. Start with your trips, not the knife: a weekend at a car campground needs different gear than a week in the backcountry.
7 things to check
- Fixed blade or folding. Fixed blades are stronger and easier to clean. Folders are smaller and lighter. For digging, prying or pounding, choose a fixed blade.
- Blade length. 3–4" suits food prep and small tasks. 5–8" handles heavier camp chores and digging.
- Blade shape. Drop-point blades are all-rounders. Concave or trowel-shaped blades dig. Serrations saw through rope and roots.
- Steel. Stainless steels resist rust and are easier to care for. Carbon steels take a keener edge but need oiling to prevent rust. Premium steels hold an edge longer and cost more.
- Tang. In a full-tang knife, the steel runs the whole length of the handle. It's the stronger choice for any knife you'll pry or pound with.
- Handle. It should stay grippy when wet or muddy. Composite and Pakkawood handles hold up better than bare wood.
- Sheath and weight. A sturdy sheath keeps the blade safe in a pack. Weigh every ounce if you backpack; worry less if you car camp.
Which knife fits your trip
| If you mainly... | Look for |
|---|---|
| Car camp or basecamp | A sturdy fixed blade that digs and cuts. Weight matters less. |
| Backpack | A light folder plus a trowel, or one multipurpose blade to replace both |
| Do bushcraft | A thick, sharp carbon-steel knife built for batoning and carving |
| Fish and forage | A corrosion-resistant blade with serrations, and ideally a digging tip |
Where our knife fits
We design a hori hori: a 7.5", full-tang, stainless digging knife with serrated and fine edges. It's built for car campers, basecampers and anyone who wants their knife and trowel in one tool. If you need a bushcraft carving knife, it isn't the right choice, and we'd rather tell you that up front.