My Favorite Camping Pocket Knife

Published January 31, 2014 | By Vince

When the hunting and camping season comes, just after excess cold wears out and some sunshine hits the woods, I get ready for camping. One thing that never leaves the camping itinerary is my favorite camp knife. It has so many good qualities that make the whole experience worthwhile and memorable, in fact, even holding the pocket knife before going camping brings back the urge to go out again and have just a bit of that experience. A good pocket knife speaks volumes about its ability to do it’s intended job, and this involves anything from cutting, unscrewing things, pulling things apart, fastening screws and sometimes even acting as a peg to hold ropes temporarily. Check out this excellent article on Knife about the best pocket knives to find a knife that is right for you.

The knife comes with a pressure treated wooden handle that is water repellant. This handle sandwiches the metallic part and has rivets to hold the wood it place. There is also an option of having a leather cover on the wood to improve the aesthetics and also to make it grip better. Wood does not become rusty and ugly, instead it feels softer and looks more rustic and beautiful as the knife ages. Other handles can still do the job, and an aluminum one is very light, but wood seems to feel good to the hands, and is therefore a good pick for a backpacker or mountain climber as well as just a general camper.

Next comes the blade that has a stainless steel finish to keep it from rusting and to avoid any contamination when used for butchering meat or cutting other edibles. The best one has a hook design on the upper side that makes it a good can opener. It is quite wide and can scoop things, but only when no alternatives are available. Being made of an iron allow makes it easy to sharpen and the steel factor boosts its strength.

For size, going with a handle that fits on the fist comes naturally. Since most knife have a proportional blade to handle sizes, using the handle to choose the overall size of the camping knife just works. Big knifes naturally cost more than small knifes because they require a larger quantity of raw. Designer knifes also have a high price tags because they normally incorporate ornamental parts such as diamond studs on leather and use of expensive metal finishes. The best thing about camping knifes is that, once you get the blade and handle choices right, you cannot really go wrong with the product you get. That is how I found my favorite camp knife.

Sharpening

Once you have chosen a knife, it is also important to make sure to have a sharpener. All knives will dull when used and you want to keep it sharp at all times. There is nothing worse (and more embarrassing) than handing someone a knife that will not cut paper.

Sharpening your knife regularly will keep it ready to go. There are many types of knife sharpeners on the market. Personal preference is key, we only suggest buying quality. My choice for the best pocket knife sharpener is the Wicked Edge ceramic to use at home, and smaller ceramic rods for on the go. I keep one in my car, the tackle box, hunting bag, etc. But again, it’s all personal preference.