How Camping Knives Can Be An Essential Travel Gear?

No one likes to be cooped up in the house during summer. Apart from the sweltering heat, summer brings with it a zeal for exploring the outdoors and camping has always been one of the popular outdoor activities.

But while gearing up for camp, most people tend to dismiss the importance of camping knives. After all, they believe that any knife will do. If you belong to this school of thought, sorry to say, but you are wrong.

Camping knives are one of the most essential travel gears you can take along with you.  This review of the best 5 camping knives will prove it.

What Are Camping Knives?

Camping knives are handy gears that perform different functions such as cutting rope, scaling fish, cutting wood, and even for preparing food. It is impossible to truly enjoy your camping without one of these little instruments.

Importance Of Camping Knives

Still doubting the importance of camping knives? Then this section should convince you of how essential these gears are.

To Make Fire And Split Firewood

During camping, temperatures tend to get really cold in the night.  Since staying warm is essential for survival, you obviously need to have a fire burning.

But this fire cannot be started without fire, and this is where camping knives come in. Just use it to split firewood and stay warm while you enjoy nature.

For Food Preparation

If you are going camping, hunting or fishing, you will also need to care for your stomach. Camping knives are useful in peeling vegetables, chopping meats and slicing fruits.

Remember to clean the blade after use to prevent unwanted rusting or corrosion.

For Protection And Self-Defence

Knowing that you have camping knives can give you assurance or peace of mind that you are safe no matter your location. A long enough camping knife has an effective stopping power to defend you during an attack.

In addition, they can be used as a defensive weapon when being attacked by wild animals. But to be on the safe side, choose a camping site that is free of wild or aggressive animals.

For First Aid

There are chances that you might sustain injuries when camping or hunting. Even though we don’t hope for this, it is good to be prepared anyway.

Camping knives can be used to cut fabric to tie around a bleeding arm or leg. It can also be used to cut wood to support a broken limb and to cut bandage as well. In spite of this, don’t neglect to include the first aid kit in your camping tools.

Things To Consider When Choosing A Camping Knife

You have now realised how important camping knives are. But what should you look out for when buying a camping knife? Here the most important things to consider when you go shopping.

Know The Material

Most camping knives blades are usually made out of carbon steel, titanium, or stainless steel. And all of these materials are light-weight and of high strength.

Titanium and stainless steel are the most common materials because they are corrosion resistant. However, stainless steel camping knives are a more affordable option.

In addition, titanium camping knives are often reserved or used in the ocean use or for ultra-light camping. When selecting camping knives, a high-strength stainless steel knife is always the best option.

Feel The Handle

Camping knives’ handles matters a lot. Gone are the days when the handles of camping knives were solely made of wood. Today, handles are now made of composite materials like durable plastic, rubber and even Kevlar. Yea, like the bulletproof vest.

Before buying, feel the knife.  Consider the shape and size of your camping knives to know how well they suit your palm. If you are someone with sweaty palms, or you will be using the camping knives in a wet condition, then go for textured or knurled handles.

Check The Grind

The grind of camping knives is the shape of the knife’s edge. The grind affects how well a knife can be used for cutting, its durability and ability to retain its sharpness.

To get the best grind, look for Scandinavian grind. Camping knives with this grind are a popular choice of campers because of its strength and how easy it is to sharpen.

Apart from Scandinavian grind, there are also convex grind and hollow grind. Convex grind is great for cutting or whittling wood while a hollow grind is ideal for skinning animals. However, if you are going for general camping, stick with Scandinavian grind.

5 Best Camping Knives To Opt For

This section looks at some of the top 5 camping knives that you can purchase when going camping. And they are discussed below:

Photo by Amazon

The Gerber Bear Grylls camping knife is a fixed knife with an ultimate fine grind. It is made of high carbon, stainless steel blade and texturized rubber handles. It comes with a general-purpose drop point.

The texturized rubber which is equally tough ensures easy holding and also prevents slip when held with a sweaty or wet palm.

The sheath is military-grade and contains a built-in whistle for emergency summoning. In addition, it has mildew-resistant nylon and contains a diamond-coated blade for the sharpener.

Besides, it has a ferrocerium rod which when struck against the notch, built into the back of the knife blade, starts a fire.

Gebe Bear Grylls Ultimate knife is integrated with survival pocket guide and it is covered by a lifetime warranty.

Buy Gerber Bear Grylls Camping Knives from Amazon.

Dimensions: 13 x 5.5 x 2 inches

Weight: 11.2 ounces

Price: $40.55

Retailer: Amazon

Overall score: 4.5/5

When going on camping, folding pocket camping knives are convenient for light packing. And a choice you should definitely consider is the Kershaw Blur pocket knife.

This camping knife is made from diamond-like carbon-coated stainless steel. It has an attracting matte appearance that makes it durable & corrosion resistant. Fast opening at the touch of a thumbstud, this nifty piece contains a liner lock that secures the blade in place.

It’s slightly recurved, drop point blade makes this knife great for piercing and slicing. This camping knife handle is made from aircraft-grade anodized aluminium with Trac Tec grip tape inserts for an easy and solid grip.

Buy Kershaw Blur Pocket Knife from Amazon.

Dimensions: 3.4 x 4.5 x 7.9 inches

Weight: 3.9 ounces

Price: $119.99

Retailer: Kershaw

Overall score: 4.0/5

Photo by parrishmiller

This is one of the best knives to purchase when going to camp. Why? First, it is great for cutting tinder and preparing food. Thanks to its Swedish stainless steel blade which is hard, corrosion-resistant, and can be used to sharpen razor and edge retention.

Its handle is ergonomic and shock resistant, with a textured grip for easy holding. The sheath is made of plastic, with nine shades to choose from including desert tan, magenta, and military green. There is also a drain hole on the sheath which prevents it from collecting moisture and a belt clip that secures the knife.

Buy Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Outdoor Survival Knife from Amazon.

Dimensions: 2 x 1.5 x 10 inches

Weight: 4.1 ounces

Price: $11.95

Retailer: Amazon

Overall score: 4.6/5

Photo by ytimg

In most cases, fine edge blades are best for camping, hunting, and fishing. However, serrated edge knives have their uses too. They are used for sawing through branches, webbing, and cutting ropes. Which is why the Gerber Prodigy survival knife makes it to our list of five best camping knives.

In addition to being high-strength, the blade of this camping knife is corrosion-resistant and coated with ceramic. Its knife handle is made from glass-filled nylon and over-moulded with soft rubber for secure and easy gripping in all weather conditions.

For the safety of its user, the Molle-compatible sheath has a friction-release thumb lock.

Buy Gerber Prodigy Survival Knife from  Amazon.

Dimensions: 9.75 x 4.75 x 2.9

Weight: 16.8 ounces

Price: $49.99

Retailer: Amazon

Overall score: 4.4/5

Photo by bigcommerce

Statgear survival knife is specifically designed to keep one alive in the wilderness. That’s right!

This knife is made of high carbon, stainless steel blade with a full tang for additional strength and a drop point for maximum usefulness. What’s more, its handle is made from textured non-slip rubber with a stainless steel pommel that doubles as a hammer for easy grip.

The sheath, which is incorporated with a magnesium fire starter rod and a cord cutter, can be worn on a belt. It also contains a sharpener stone built into the back of the sheath to keep the blade sharpened every time.

Buy Statgear Survival Knife from Amazon.

Dimensions: 5 x 5 x 5 inches

Weight: 7 ounces

Price: $39.02

Retailer: Amazon

Overall score: 4.8/5

Can you now see the reason you will never go wrong with camping knives? Nature is beautiful and awe-inspiring, but nature can also be unpredictable and deadly. So why not do the best thing? Go along with one of these sturdy camping knives the next time you go camping and show nature you have come prepared.