Camping Knives

A knife is a very handy thing to have with you when you head out for some camping, but camping knives are not necessarily the same as other knives, and if you are going camping, and want a camping knife, there are a few features you should look for.

Camping Knives

Here are a few things that you should look for from camping knives.

• Lightweight - If your not car camping, and you're actually carrying a backpack for some length of time, then there is no reason to haul around a big heavy knife when you can make do with a lightweight camping knife.
• Folding or Fixed - There are benefits and drawbacks to both folding and fixed blade knives. Folding knives are generally smaller and lighter, but are also weaker, whereas fixed blade knives are much stronger, but typically also heavier.
• Serrated - One feature that is nice to have on a camping knife is a bit of a serrated edge. That way, you have more options for doing your cutting.

Best Camping Knives

A few of the very best camping knives.

• Gerber Big Rock - Gerber makes a lot of great knives, and the Big Rock is the perfect example. It is a fixed length knife with a 4.5 inch blade, and has a serrated edge to give you cutting options. It weighs 6.3 ounces, or 178 grams, which is not especially light for a camping knife, but it is a thick, solid knife that you wont ever have to worry about breaking.
• Gerber E-Z Out Skeleton - The E-Z Out occupies the opposite end the spectrum from the Big Rock. It is a folding knife with a 3.5 inch blade. It also has a serrated edge, which is a great feature to have for camping. And the weight is only 2.5 ounces, or 70 grams, which is far lighter than the Big Rock.
• Columbia River Peck in The Dark - If you just want something that's lightweight, the Peck in the Dark is an ideal choice. It weighs just .9 ounces, or 25 grams, which is light enough that you wont even know it's there until you need it. It's a folding knife, and the blade is only 1.88 inches, but for that small an amount of weight you cant expect to get a lot of knife.

Alternatives to Camping Knives

If you like the idea of a camping knife, but need more functionality, a multi-tool may be what you are looking for. Just about every multi-tool comes with a blade of some sort, plus a whole host of other handy tools that may come in handy while camping. And for those who think even the Peck in the Dark is too much knife to have to carry around, an option sometimes employed by lightweight backpackers is to just carry a razor blade around with you. If you need to cut something, the razor blade will suffice, and it weighs next to nothing.