The Complete Outdoor Enthusiast Knife Guide

Whether you’re a sleep-under-the-stars or a KOA camper, you will want a knife on your packing list for any outdoor adventure. The type of knife you want will depend on the type of outdoor activity you expect to participate in. This guide will help you choose the best knife for each activity.

The Best Knife for Fishing

When you prepare your catch for dinner, you will want to reach for your filet knife. A thin blade with a slim profile will help you maneuver through the fish with precision. For fishing, you will want to find a blade that can withstand moisture when properly cared for.

The Cardiff Fixed Blade Fillet Knife from Toor Knives can handle your catch of the day. Toor designed the thin 8-inch blade to give the handler the utmost control, and it will make fileting any fish a breeze. The blade is also finished with KG Gunkote to allow the knife extended exposure to water without corrosion or rust. The G10 textured handle gives you a strong grip, even through gloves.

The Best Knife for Hunting

If you need a knife that can handle the rigors of skinning or gralloching your kill, you will want to find one with a quality blade. An easily maintained, sharp, non-serrated blade with a strong tip will help you with all your hunting needs.

The GP3 Stroup Knife features a fixed Wharncliffe blade. Stroup made the hand-textured 4.25-inch blade of 1095 high carbon. The GP3 comes in at 8.25 total inches in length and features an expertly crafted G10 handle. The full tang blade gives this knife the strength you need in a general hunting and camping knife.

The Best Knife for Cooking

A meatcrafter knife can handle anything a kitchen can throw at you. Fileting fish, cutting through meat, and slicing vegetables can all be easily accomplished with this lightweight design. The generous handle allows for safe handling, while the thin blade is perfect for easy slicing.

This Benchmade Meatcrafter fixed blade hunting knife features a carbon fiber handle, 6.08 inch S45VN orange trailing point full tang blade, and weighs only 4.52 ounces without the sheath. You can use it for all your outdoor food preparations, but you might find you need one for your kitchen at home, too.

The Best Survival Knife

A survival knife should help you do just that: survive. You can accomplish sheltering, batoning, and fire-building with a survival knife's full, thick tang. They have heavier and thicker blades that can take a beating.

If you’re looking to buy a survival knife, the Egress Carbon Rescue knife from Toor Knives is the perfect tool for survival and rescue. The quarter-inch thick black oxide blade is made of CPM-S35VN and features a SERE hook that increases the functions it can perform. Toor Knives designed the fixed blade to be dependable even during hard use.

The Best Knife for Bushcrafting

If you revel in the challenge of taking nature head-on, a bushcraft knife will be your best companion. Bushcraft knives need strength, but they are more delicate instruments than survival knives. Cutting rope, carving wood, and skinning game are all tasks a bushcraft knife needs to handle. A smaller blade allows for more careful cuts. A bushcraft knife will be a great addition to your backcountry hiking or wilderness survival excursions.

The 162 Sibert Bushcraft fixed blade knife from Benchmade is a modern and stylish take on the traditional bushcraft knife. This knife features a 4.4-inch S30V Satin Drop Point blade. The 7.72-ounce weight makes it the perfect knife for your bushcraft kit.

The Tool That Can Do It All

A tomahawk is one of the most versatile tools for outdoor adventures. You can use it for:

• Wood cutting
• Batoning
• Campsite clearing
• Food prep
• Digging

Many tomahawks are for sale, but every outdoor enthusiast needs the Jenny Wren Spike. It is an all-around tool that will prove useful on nearly every outdoor outing. This USA-made tomahawk packs a lot of punch in its 11.75 inches by 5.625 inches. The blade is an 80CRV2 carbon steel with a Cerakote Tungsten finish. Rest assured that you can hold a good grip with the 3D-machined G10 handle.

Don't let nature catch you unprepared, regardless of your planned outdoor adventures itinerary. Make sure you have the right knife packed to go along with all your other necessities. Lastly, always double-check the knife laws in the state where you live and the state you’ll be traveling to since laws vary.

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For any outdoor adventure, it's essential to have a suitable knife on your packing list. The type of knife you need depends on the activity. Check out this infographic for helpful guides on choosing the best knife for each activity.