It's Time to Think About a New Camping Knife

Spring is finally here and for many outdoor enthusiasts, this means that camping trips are already in the works. Nothing beats the peace and relaxation of relaxing around a campsite, soaking in nature, and getting away from the grind of everyday life. While camping is often a great time to relax, there are still plenty of tasks to complete around any campsite and having a good camping knife by your side will help you accomplish those jobs quickly and easily.

So what exactly makes a great camping knife? Well that all depends on you. Different knives will offer different advantages and disadvantages and ultimately the way you camp and what you need your knife to do are going to have the biggest influence on the knife you choose.

One of the most common questions we hear with regard to camping knives is whether a folding knife can be a good camp knife. Ultimately, there are a lot of great folding knives that are built to handle tough jobs. While a fixed blade will always be a stronger option, the convenience of a folding knife is hard to beat. If you want to find a great folder to have around a campsite, here are a few that we love.

Condor Tool and Knife - Krakatoa Folding Knife: The Krakatoa folder is a knife designed to work hard. It has a 3.5 inch 1095 carbon steel drop point blade with a Scandi grind. One of the most interesting features on this knife is the frame locking system. The Condorlock helps to distribute the force of a frame lock more efficiently than a basic liner lock system. For the Krakatoa, this change increased the load that the knife could handle by nearly 100 pounds. At only 4.5 inches closed, this knife is still easy to slip into a pocket.

Ontario RAT Model 1: The RAT Model 1 was designed by Survival expert Jeff Randall of Randall's Adventure and Training. These knives are real workhorse folders with a 3.625" blade and a 5.937" closed length. The Blade is made from D2 tool steel and has a drop point, flat ground design. These knives are comfortable to hold and extremely durable, making them a great choice for performing a wide variety of campsite chores.

TOPS Mini Scandi Folder: The Mini Scandi is an extremely popular fixed blade option from TOPS Knives and the Mini Scandi Folder is a sturdy flip style folding knife based off of the original Mini Scandi design. The 3.25" drop point, Scandi ground blade is constructed from N690Co steel, a semi stainless steel that holds a good edge and is pretty easy to resharpen. At only 4.25 inches closed, these powerful little knives are also a compact option for anyone looking for a EDC or small camp knife.

If you need a knife that can handle tougher tasks like chopping or batoning wood, then a fixed blade knife will always be the best option. Simply put, a full tang, fixed blade can handle extreme forces better because of their solid design. If you are interested in finding a great fixed blade camping knife, here are a few options to start your search.

ESEE Series 4HM-K: The ESEE 4HM-K is a version of the ESEE 4 is a modified handle that is longer and more rounded than the original ESEE 4. This makes it a very comfortable knife to hold and use all day. The 4.1 inch 1095 steel blade has a drop point, flat ground design that is powder coated to help protect the blade. Like all ESEE Knives, these knives are covered by ESEE's no questions asked warranty so they can be put through the wringer without worry.

ESEE Knives Camp-Lore JG5: So far all of the knives we have looked at have featured drop point blades. While this is an extremely versatile design, we also wanted to highlight another style of outdoor blade. The ESEE Camp-Lore features a 4.975 inch 1095 steel Nessmuk style blade and comfortable textured micarta handles. Made famous by the outdoorsman George Washington Sears, the Nessmuk blade has a wide belly for slicing and is tough enough to handle a wide range of outdoor tasks around a campsite.

Architect Field Buddy 5.5: Finally we want to highlight the Architect Field Buddy, a knife that you can only find here at The Knife Connection. This knife is the result of our founder Dale's dream of creating the perfect general outdoor knife. The Field Buddy 5.5 has a 5.5 inch drop point 1095 steel blade with a high saber grind. We also offer a 6.5 inch model. Thumb jimping and a comfortable handle design make these knives easy to grip and work with, while a skeletonized tang helps to keep the weight down and balance the knife. You can custom build your own Field Buddy using our exclusive Knife Builder tool.

You can find all of these knives and more right here in our shop. You can even check out our camping knives section to find a curated selection of great knives to have about the campsite. If you have any questions or you need any help finding the best camping knife for your needs, feel free to reach out to a member of our team!