Best hiking knives for your outdoor adventures
For many backpackers, hiking knives are mainly utilized for cutting cheese and slicing onion. However, just like the rest of your outdoor equipment, from a sleeping bag to a tent repair kit, when you require a knife, you actually require it. Not an expert? Don’t worry. This listing includes a variety of kinds, purposes, and cost ranges, so you can select the ideal knife for your backpacking fashion.
What to Look For in a Backpacking Knife?
Fixed or Folding?
Fixed blades and folders both have important places in today’s market. For everyday carrying, hiking, and many others where weight is a premium, folders are an excellent choice. Folders can easily clip into pockets, usually clipping to the outside for security. They are quick to deploy, and with modern locks they provide a secure, safe tools for most purposes.
Folding knife blades tend to be weaker than their counterparts made from steel. Therefore, they’re not ideal for “hard uses” such as bushcraft, hunting, and fishing. However, they’re perfect for everyday tasks such as cooking, eating, and cleaning.
Blade shape
Among backpacker blades, the most common type is a convex curve following a flat spine. Its versatility makes it better suited to backpacking than a tanto, and its lack of sharp edges makes it safer than a clip point.
Unless you’re climbing or rappelling, which may require cutting rope in an unstable position, a paracord knife is probably the best choice for you.
Accessibility
Some folding knives may come with an assist opening mechanism so they’re easier to open. These knives can be more expensive and potentially dangerous if you don’t use them properly. However, some folding knives also feature a locking mechanism to keep the blade from accidentally closing.
In order to stay safe in the wild you should be wearing a good pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots that will help you run easily from any kind of danger.
Best hiking knives
Kershaw Leek
the Leek was so sharp out of the box that it could slice through a piece of paper like no one else’s. And it exceled at cooking.
It has an assisted opening mechanism that feels sharp and snappy, but the tip lock that keeps the blade shut is a nice added security measure.
We liked the Leek so much that we’d recommend buying one if you’re looking for something heavy but not too big. It’s a good choice for someone who wants a large blade without having to carry an entire extra pound of gear.
The slippery handle didn’t provide the most secure grasp when performing tough tasks requiring precision and stability.
Overall, this is a great knife with an extremely sharp edge. While the MSRP may be on the high end, it’ll often be available at a lower price point.
We’ve designed the Leek so that it’s easier to use for every day carry than for backcountry trips. It’s not necessarily the best choice for backcountry trips though.
Buy here the Kershaw Leek
ESEE Knives Izula II
Only the ESEE Izula II had a fixed-bladed knife in our review.
It’ll be useful for wilderness and outdoor activities, and was created by Randall’ s Adventure and Training, which began as a jungle training school in the Peruvian rainforest.
It had a dull edge when we first got it, but it became sharper and thicker after some use.
If you get the izula knife with the handle and sheathe, it’ll be too big for backpacking.
One of the benefits of this knife is how easy it is to customize. It has an extremely thin blade which makes it perfect for travel and everyday use. The sheaths add another 0.8 ounces.
With just the grip of the hand, the Izula was easy to hold. A simple rope wrapped around the wrist gave it an extra bit of comfort.
Buy here the ESEE Knives Izula II
Spyderco Honeybee
The Spyderco honeybee knife has a lot of power packed into a small package.
It performed well in our paper tests.
It was one of our slowest blades in our knife testing, but that was mainly due to its small size. The blade still cut easily through two feet of paper.
The Honeybee was able to whittle wood, but it was awkward and dangerous because there wasn’t a locking device. However, it could still get the task done if you needed it to.
It could be used to start a fire, but it wasn’t easy to use and had noticeable damage to the back of its knife.
We used this little knife for far more purposes than it was designed for. It showed signs of wear and weakness but proved itself to be more capable than we had anticipated.
It’s not easy to hold. The handle feels slippery, and combined with its small size, it takes a precise grasp.
If you’re looking for a lightweight backup knife, the HoneyBee is a good choice. It’s small enough to fit into any pocket, but big enough to handle most situations.
Buy here the Spyderco Honeybee
Deejo Wood 37g
It was not the sharpest knife in the test, but it more then compensated for it with its long handle.
It was good at cutting through paper, cardboard, vegetable, rope, and everything else.
We were pleasantly surprised by how sturdy the Deejo Wood 37G is. It has a minimalist design but feels surprisingly robust.
We didn’t notice any issues with the stability of the knife when using it for tasks like cutting wood or drilling. However, there were some minor concerns regarding the quality of the handle.
It didn’t play well with a ferro metal, taking ten strikes even on the blade before lighting our tinder. These are minor drawbacks for a lightweight, compact, functional and beautifully designed tool.
Buy here the Deejo Wood 37g
Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife
When we first saw the real thing, we were absolutely blown away by its quality.
The Classic SD’s small size makes it easy to carry around. It cut through two feet of paper in our tests.
It was pretty good for basic cutting but not so much when it came to anything else.
We managed to start a fire by striking the edge of the blade against the handle. However, we melted the plastic.
We were able to get sparks from striking the knife against our hand, but we stopped pretty soon because we didn’t want to cause any damage to the thin knife.
The Classic SD was good for camping but not so good for cooking, camping chores, or anything else requiring precision.
A classic Swiss Army knife could also be called a multipurpose tool. It includes a blade, scissors, tweezers (for picking things up), a toothpick, and nail file.
We’ve tested them extensively, but we haven’t ever come across any instances where we need the scissors or file and can’t just as easily cut with a knife.
We liked this knife overall but found that its small size wasn’t ideal for backpacking. A bigger, better knife was our preference.
Buy here the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife
Gerber Strongarm
With a name like “StrongArm,” you’d think this knife would be…strong! Designers chose durable 420 high carbon steel for the blades’ frame; this means they’re ideal for cutting through dense vegetation when you need to get out of there quick.
Another advantage of the Gerber Strongarm is that it offers both a half-serrated and a fine point blade designs. It is easy to customize so you can choose between a half-serrated blade or a fine point blade.
Buy here the Gerber Strongarm
FAQ about hiking knives
How Do I Clean and Care For My Knife?
You should clean your knives regularly. To do this, wipe them down with a damp rag dipped into a bowl of warm, sudsy water. Then let them soak in a solution of one part dish soap to three parts water for about five minutes. Rinse thoroughly under running water and pat them completely dried. Don’t forget to store your knives properly. Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources.
After having bought the best knife for back packing, let’s now look for a tent and sleeping bag.
How to Maintain a Backpacking Knife?
Keep it clean. Let grit accumulate in your knife’s hinges and it can negatively affect the blades or even cause them to close. To blow out the grit, run a small amount of compressed air through the knife, then wipe off the inside surfaces with a rag dampened with rubbing alchohol. Clean out the blades and the folding mechanism with a cloth dampened with rubbing alcahol, then lubricate the parts with vegetable oil or another neutral lubricant to keep them moving smoothly. Periodically, you may need to disassemble the knife to give it a thorough cleaning.
Does Blade Material Matter?
Yes, the material used for a blade is an extremely important factor to take into consideration when buying a kitchen tool. It also has a big impact on the price of a kitchen tool, as different materials vary significantly in price due to manufacturing difficulties.
There are several important factors when choosing a good quality stainless steel for knives. These include: blade hardness, durability, rust prevention, and ease of sharpness. Most new premium knives are made from stainless steel blades which perform well in most respects but may be expensive.
