Best Knife for Backpacking, Hiking and Camping

When it comes to knives for backpacking, there’s a dizzyingly field of variety on the market today. A knife that’s perfect for your backpacking adventures should be a general purpose tool, one that’s lightweight and easy to use. So how do you choose?

Tips on Choosing the Best Knife for Backpacking

When purchasing a great backpacking knife, there are a few essentials to consider, such as:

You have to know what you’ll be using the knife for
You need to establish what blade size you need, for small jobs, you’ll need a smaller blade, and if you want to use the knife as a tool, for digging or doing jobs that require leverage, you’d need a bigger blade
Consider what blade shape you’ll need. The Swiss Army knives with draw-points typically work best for outdoor environments. You might also want to consider a knife that has a serrated edge, that will enable you to saw through things, making the knife more versatile
You need to find a knife that feels comfortable in your hand

When you’re done placing out those factors, you might want to consider investing in a blade sharpener which you’ll use to sharpen the edges of your knife before heading out into the great outdoors.

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How much does a good backpacking knife cost?

You should be prepared to spend anywhere between $70 and $100 on the best backpacking knife. Please don’t skim on the price, because quality makes a massive difference.

With that being said, when you’re ready to take the plunge, here’s out pick of the 5 best Backpacking Knives:

The 5 Best Knives for Backpacking, Hiking and Camping

5. The Precision Crafted General Use Knife for Backpacking

Benchmade 585 Mini Barrage Knife for Backpacking

Benchmade Mini-Barrage 585

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We love the legendary blade construction on the Mini-Barrage. It also has assisted opening and its size is compact but yet very usable!

The only drawback we see from this knife is the fact that the blade-closed lock mechanism requires a bit of a learning curve, but once you’ve got the hang of it, its simple to operate. This knife is perfect for all outdoor uses and will suit backpackers perfectly, and we’d happily recommend it as a top contender in the Best Backpacking Knife countdown

***4. The Ultralight Knife for* *Backpacking***

Columbia River Delilah’s Peck Razor

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This little gem measures in at a blade length of just 1.88 inches and weighs in at just 0.9 ounces. It’s probably one of the smallest and lightest backpacking knives out there, so if you really need a knife that adds about zero weigh to your pack, this is it!

What we really appreciate is the fact that this folding knife doubles up as a money clip. There’s really not much else to say about this small little knife except for the fact that it’s made from stainless steel and the perfect addition to your backpack!

3. The Fixed Blade Ultralight Knife for Backpacking

SOG Knives Field Pup Knife

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If you need a fixed length ultralight backpacking knife, the Field Pup is your best bet. You can be assured that this knife was built with durability in mind, manufactured with high quality steel (which you’ll see in the price by the way). Weighing in at only 4 ounces, it’s one of the lightest fixed length backpacking knives out there!

2. The best bag for your buck knife

Kershaw Leek

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The Kershaw Leek is all about packaging a top quality blade into a compact tool, all at half the price that other top names carries. It has an assisted opening function, so you can open it with your thumb and it locks closed.

With some practice, you can also use the tab on the rear of the blade to open the knife using your index finger. We love the narrow handle profile on this knife, which makes it great for carrying around.

1. The Best Backpacking Knife

Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife for backpacking

Victorinox Classis SD Swiss Army Knife

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We picked this one as the winner mostly due to its keychain readiness. We love the classic Swiss Army knife because its compact, unobtrusive and always ready for action. Although you’re not going to use this one for heavy duty tasks, it’s tiny and very handy to have around when you’re in the great outdoors.

It’s probably one of the very best backpacking knives for even the most reluctant knife owners and because it’s so multi-functional, can save your butt in just about any scenario. With a blade length of 1.4 inches and a weight of only 0.75 ounces, the Swiss Army knife is one of the most compact, light-weight and reliable backpacking knives on the market today

Final Thoughts

You backpacking knife is essentially only good when it’s very handy, which is why the Victorinox Classic SD Swiss Army Knife is our Best Knife for Backpacking. It’s portable, functional and very versatile. Old school is not dead, and the Swiss Army knife proves that time and again!

If you’re still not sure about what to pick after having read this article, feel free to check out our review on The Best Ceramic Pocket Knives.