Our Guide to the Best Camping Knives on the Market after 2015

When you’re reading a best camping knife review series, like this one, you need to know exactly what features to look for when buying a knife. With camping knives, you’re likely to see more folding models than fixed blades because they are easy to carry around.

BlizeTec Survival Knife: Best 5-in-1 Tactical Pocket Folding Knife with LED Light	Our favorite for 2017
Sportsman Folding Knife with 5 Year Guarantee! This Premium Titanium Spring Assisted Opening Pocket Knife is Best for Camping – Survival Gear – Fishing – Backpacking or Hunting. A High Quality Tool for any Outdoor Enthusiast. Makes a Perfect Gift!	A great value option
Survival Knife	A great survival knife, ideal for camping

Don’t get me wrong, these knives aren’t ideal for chopping, but they are extremely versatile.

When you’re looking for one of these knives, you should be comparing the following:

• Features: Does the knife have all the features that you need? Will you need serrated blades? How about a flashlight, firestarter or a glass breaker? These are features that are great for survival situations, and if you don’t have accessories that can produce the same results, I recommend one of the knives that do offer these features.
• Protection or Survival: It’s important to be honest with yourself as to whether you’ll need a knife for protection or survival situations. If you don’t go camping often or you will be camping in a campground, you’re not likely to need a full-blown survival blade. You may just suffice with a cheaper protection blade that doesn’t come with all of the accessories, but can still protect you against a wild animal or a criminal.
• Durability: You need a knife that is durable, and since folding knives do not come with a full tang, you really need to read reviews and look at the metal type. The vast majority of metals will be stainless steel, and most manufacturers offer a warranty. The best knives to buy have a lifetime warranty included.

The only other thing I be worried about with a camping knife is deployment – you need to be able to react quickly. I prefer a knife that I can open up with one hand if needed, and many of these have thumb studs that offer this functionality.

Reviews

BlizeTec Survival Knife: Best 5-in-1 – If you want a good camping knife, this is your best option. This is a 5-in-1 pocket knife that is forged with stainless steel and comes with a drop point blade that features a serrated saw. This knife from Blizetec also includes: fire starter, window breaker, seatbelt cutter, pocket clip and an LED flashlight.

Lightweight and pocket-size, you’ll be up to keep this survival knife in your pocket at all times, and the blade is a sufficient 3.5 inches in length.

Offering 12 hours of battery life, the LED light is perfect for darker nights when camping and a lifetime warranty is offered. If you’re an outdoor traveler or camping enthusiasts, this is a great all-around survival knife.

Sportsman Folding Knife – An exceptional folding knife, this blade features a 3.7-inch length and a drop-point. Coated in non-glare titanium, this blade is rust-resistant. Perfect for hiking, fishing and camping, the titanium handle offers a thumb stud for easy opening and a liner lock-bar stabilizer.

When fully opened, this blade spans 8.85” in length.

Deploying the blade is easy thanks to the thumb stud, and the quality of this knife is unmatched in the industry. Plus, the manufacturer offers a 5-year warranty so that if the blade breaks, you can get it replaced for free. And a belt clip is included, so you can keep this knife in a ready-to-deploy position.

Outdoor Nation Survival Knife – A 3-in-1 tactical knife by Outdoor Nation, this pocket-sized knife is made of stainless steel and is a good all-purpose camping knife. When opened, the knife spans 8-inches, and the length of the blade is 3.5” in length. When closed, the unit is mere 5-inches in length.

Fitting perfectly in the palm of your hand, this knife weighs just 4.6-ounces and comes with a pocket clip, LED light and a fire starter.

When opened, the LED light will shine directly on the blade for easy visibility. The fire starter is placed in the bottom of the knife, and Flint is available for creating fires with ease. The battery life on the LED flashlight is 12 hours long, and is the perfect choice for an easy-to-carry knife when you’re out camping. Simply put it in your pocket or attach it to your belt clip for easy deployment.

Solo Survival Knife – An affordable survival knife for those on a budget. The manufacturer of this model states that this is the most versatile survival knife, and this may be true for a folding knife. This knife can be opened with one hand – definitely a good choice for survival situations – and it includes a fire starter, seatbelt cutter, window glass breaker and an LED light for illumination.

Made from 420 stainless steel, this knife is non-corrosive, and is the perfect choice for outdoor survivalists that may get their knife wet.

The knife is 5 inches when closed, 8.5 inches when opened, and the blade itself is 3.5 inches long. A sheath with a belt loop and a belt pocket clip are included. The blade is straight edged (there are no serrated blades), so keep this in mind when purchasing. I do want to state that the blade has very little play to it, and is extremely sturdy compared to other models on the market.

Gerber Freeman Guide Folding Knife – The Gerber Freeman comes in last on our list of camping knives, but this is still a great camping knife for the casual user. The drop point blade with thumb stud allows for easy deployment, and the grip on this knife is one of the best on the list.

When opened, the entire knife spans 8.12 inches in length, while the blade itself is just 3.62 inches in length. When folded up in your pocket for with the nylon sheath, this knife has a length of 4.5 inches.

You’ll want this knife if you’re looking for a sturdy blade, and you don’t need all of the extras, like a flashlight or fire starter. And this model is extremely affordable, so it’s a good choice for the budget-conscious shopper.

Buyer’s Guide-How to Choose the Best Knife for Camping

We have a lot of knives to choose from, and really try to find the best camping knife review possible. Some of the criteria that we take into consideration when reviewing these knives, include:

• Price: We know that people are on a tight budget, and you may not have a large amount to spend on a knife. It is important to find a knife that fits into your price range, and you want the best model possible in your price range – this is what we tried to offer with the knives listed above. You can find a good knife at a budget priceand a great knife at a mid-range price point, but you need to know what to look for.
• Accessories or Not: Does the knife offer any accessories? The most important accessories include: fire starter, LED flashlights and the glass breaker. Sometimes, you don’t need these accessories, so you may need to choose a knife that is cheaper, and a knife that has more attention focused on the blade itself.
• Length: The length of the blade is very important. The shorter the blade is, the closer you have to be to your target if you need to protect yourself. If a cougar is coming after you, the last thing you want is to try and sink in a 2-inch blade while being up-close-and-personal with such a dangerous wild animal.
• Blade Type: You’ll find serrated and non-serrated blades. Serrated blades are ideal for sawing, and if you need to slice anything, a non-serrated blade is the best choice.

Ultimately, we recommend buying a knife with accessories if you do not have them readily available, and finding a knife that fits perfectly in your budget.