If You Are Looking To Buy A Camping Knife, We Have Options For You

A knife is an essential tool for campers. Knives can perform a wide range of knife tasks around the campsite from delicate chores like food prep to tough jobs like batoning firewood and clearing brush. If you need to buy a camping knife, we can help you find the perfect knife to meet your needs.

Knife Varieties

When you’re looking to buy a camping knife, it is a good idea to consider both a fixed blade knife and a folding knife. While many camp chores require a fixed blade knife, there are always the small tasks that can be accomplished faster and easier with a folding knife.

A fixed blade knife is the obvious choice for completing most of your camp chores. This is because they offer the strongest possible construction. If you are planning on practicing bushcraft while you are camping, having a fixed blade camping knife is essential. These knives can handle tough tasks like batoning firewood, smaller chopping tasks, shelter construction, and they are a great option if you need a hunting knife for your camping trip.

Even though a fixed blade can tackle all of the jobs around the campsite, there is always a place for a folding knife. This style of knife is a compact option that clips easily to your belt or rides in your pocket, providing easy access and a secure carry wherever you go. Many models can be opened one handed, making them the perfect option to complete any number of small camp chores that you may encounter. This can include food preparation, cutting cordage, or small leisurely tasks like whittling.

Blade Style

Once you know what you are looking for in terms of the knife style, you need to think about the blade design. There are a wide variety of knife styles to choose from, and there is no perfect “one size fits all” option when it comes to camping knives. Today, we will be looking at three of the most popular styles of blades to consider if you want to buy a camping knife.

One of the most popular knives is the drop point blade. This knife design is designed to to fulfill a wide range of tasks, making it one of the most popular knife styles in the world. The spine of the blade gradually curves downward from the handle to the tip on the blade. The cutting edge of the blade is ideal for slicing and the sharp point is a great choice for performing delicate tasks. Despite these advantages, the point on these knives is typically not as adept at piercing tasks.

Another popular style is the clip point blade. This is a popular knife blade design, with a straight spine that abruptly slopes or curves downward to form a point. These knives are typically large enough to handle robust tasks like batoning. The belly of the blade gradually curves upward to meet the “clip” point. This provides a long cutting edge for slicing jobs and a fine point to perform delicate tasks like dressing game and performing piercing applications. Despite its usefulness in performing fine cutting tasks, the tip on these knives can be more delicate than other blade designs.

If you are looking for a perfect blade for slicing, consider the Nesmuk style knife. A Nesmuk blade has a curve to the spine and the blade, which tends to bow further outward than the spine. This creates a large belly for slicing making it perfect for food preparation, and other common tasks. 

Finally, you should consider a knife with a spear point blade. These blades feature a symmetrical design with a point that lines up with the central axis of the blade. A spear point blade provides a strong and sharp point making it ideal for piercing and drilling tasks. Depending on the blade design, there could be a long or a short slicing area. The biggest advantage of these knives is that they are versatile and controllable, making them an extremely popular option for bushcraft.

Blade Material

A blade is only as good as the material used to make it. Like most aspects of knife construction, there are plenty of opinions on which metal makes the best blade material. Different metals will have different hardness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance. The main categories of knife steel are carbon steel and stainless steel. We offer camping knives constructed from a wide range of steels and you can filter by steel type when you browse our store.

Carbon steels are easy to sharpen, but they are prone to corrosion if not properly maintained. 1095 steel is one of the most popular forms of carbon steel. This steel is easy to produce and holds a fine edge without chipping. This steel is dependable and knives made with 1095 can often handle a lot of abuse between sharpening. Some of these knives are sold with a protective coating to help prevent corrosion.

Once the chromium content of an alloy surpasses 13%, it is considered a stainless steel alloy. One of the popular stainless steel alloys is AEB-L. This stainless steel variety has properties similar to carbon steel including incredible edge retention, toughness, and it sharpens up quickly. These properties, combined with its corrosion resistance, has made AEB-L a great choice for camping knives.

Handle Construction

The blade of the knife is obviously going to affect the function of your camping knife, but the handle of the knife is going to affect how you use it. The handle is going to influence the ergonomics of the knife, which will affect how easy it is to use. Two of the most traditional handle options are wood and leather, with wood being the most popular. Many knives also include handles constructed from modern materials including plastics and laminated materials like micarta or g10.

Natural handle materials have their own advantages. Wooden handles have been used on knives for thousands of years. There are a variety of wood species available today with many of them being naturally quite durable and others being made durable by using a stabilization process. It is hard to deny the fact that wood, particularly exotic wood, can make a gorgeous handle.

Modern handle materials have been designed to solve many of the problems that occur with natural materials. Materials like micarta and G10 are made by laminating layers of synthetic materials like fiberglass or cloth impregnated with epoxy or some form of resin. The end result is a hard and durable material that can be produced in a wide range of colors and textures. These handles are very practical and popular.

Larger/Supplemental Camp Tools

Realistically, a single knife might not always provide for every camp task. There are a lot of different chores that need to be completed around the campsite, and sometimes even a strong fixed blade knife is not practical for all of them. That is why we offer other options for completing different tasks such as vegetation clearing.

Machetes are one of the most common large blades for outdoor use. These knives feature long blades that are typically one to two feet in length. The long blade makes them ideal for clearing brush and weeds and other vegetation. There are different machete styles including long nearly straight blades and blades with a bowed belly that are perfect for various chopping tasks. 

Hatchets are another popular option to supplement knife use for big jobs. These small axes are designed to complete a wide range of tasks, though they are traditionally the go to for chopping firewood or chopping small trees and limbs. If you are planning to engage in some bushcraft during your next camping trip, a hatchet offers the convenience of a larger axe without the cumbersome size and weight.

Another option is a kukri type of knife. These large blades feature a signature curve that gives the kukri several unique properties. Once you are experienced with its use, a kukri can be used as a machete or a hatchet depending on how you are using it. You can even use the narrow section near the handle of the blade to perform fine tasks. The wide head of the blade can also be used as a shovel in survival scenarios. 

Sometimes you need more than just a blade, large or small, which is why we also offer a range of multitools. Multi-tools are the perfect campsite companion, with many including tools like a can opener, screw drivers, and other useful features. When you are away from home and all of your tools, having a multi-tool in your pack is the perfect way to bring along a little extra peace of mind. Whether your camping trip is high or low tech, having extra tools on hand is never a bad idea.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to finding the perfect knife or knives for your style of camping, there is clearly a lot to consider. The most important thing is to make sure that when you want to buy a camping knife, you need to base your choice on how you camp. If you are bringing many of the luxuries from home with you, you might only need a small folding knife or multitool. If you are planning on building your own shelter or hunting while you camp, you might need a few knives to make sure that you are able to complete every job around your campsite.

In addition to our amazing selection of knives, we also offer plenty of knife accessories. Whether you are looking for a new sheath, pouch, firesteel, or any other camping accessories, we have the options you need. You can even find handle scales to add to certain knife models that we offer to give them the look and feel you are looking for. Finally, be sure to check out our knife sharpeners and other maintenance accessories.

If you are looking to buy a camping knife for your next trip, we have hundreds of options for you. We even have a “Camping Knife” category to make it easy to find a wide range of knives that we recommend for camping. You can also find plenty of accessories to go with your new knife or knives. If you have any questions about the knives we carry or camping knives in general, you can reach a member of our team by calling 1-(866) 336-2834 or emailing your questions to support@theknifeconnection.com.