What if you had to pick just one knife for your camping adventure ahead? Of Course, in reality, we have the luxury of having several knives for different tasks that would come up during camping or bushcrafting. Let’s just say a special occasion came up like a challenge. One of the game challenge rules is that you can carry only one knife for camping. Which knife would that be? What kind of knife would help you go through the harshness of the wilderness and let you survive through it all? Let’s take a look at those that could be that lifesaver of a camping knife.
The goal here is to provide some information that would help you decide what works for you and your needs keeping in mind that there is no such thing as a perfect all-rounder knife for camping. They all have their advantages and shortcomings. So which one could be the best choice with maximum functionality and durability?
What to not choose?
Leatherman – Everyday carry on the belt. Too small for almost every camp task you probably will want to do.
Pocket Knife – Good for cutting the cord and things like that. But with the one knife rule, you would not want to cut carrots or do any kind of food prep with a pocket knife. It will be dangerous and too small to dig into any of the meteor tasks you might encounter during food prep.
Big One – Can’t do fine work. Dangerous to do so. Plus, it’s illegal in the UK to even carry around.
What we’ve come down to.
There are two kinds of camping knives that we could say are of the absolutely perfect length and profile for a one knife situation, that would fit in your camp box/bag easily, that are hiking friendly ( not too heavy ), and that could come under the legal pocket knife group in the UK.
We have a roughly four-inch blade that could be folded, and the other is a fixed blade. This medium-sized blade, in our opinion, is of great balance and really easy to manipulate and carry around. A good quality medium-sized blade could do delicate tasks like cutting a cord or slicing, kindling and whittling well. On the other hand, it is also big enough to bear down and cut potatoes with carrots.
Conclusion
Now, do we choose the fixed blade or the folding pocket knife for the task?
A fixed blade could turn out to be cumbersome if you’re looking to carry it in your pocket or put it barely in your bag or hook it onto a belt. It could kind of get in the way by hooking onto something, tearing up your camping bag or probably even cutting yourself. Also, it might appear as a little aggressive, probably will radiate the wrong message if you happen to be in a family campground with it hanging off your belt while walking around. Now you do not want to be that lad. Do you?
That’s why we think the nice sharp medium size folding pocket knife is going to be our best bet. You could throw this in your pocket and have it on you at all times or throw it in your backpack without any worries. It has safety features that keep it locked in place so that it doesn’t stick out unexpectedly while allowing you to do almost everything you could need to at your campsite.
Lauren Williamson is a ferocious reader with a desire to travel the world. He has been a part of many industries, and loves to shed light on the hard truths of the business world. Through his writings, he shares his experience with the readers to help them with their shortcomings.