camping, hiking and survival knives

see also:

• bushcraft and camping axes
• photography and camping main index page

• a multi-purpose “survival” pocket knife can be very useful when camping and hiking, especially if it has a scissor tool as scissors can be very handy, especially for long multi-day hikers
• a high quality, much larger woodman's knife can replace an axe for chopping kindling by using a batoning technique to split small logs, and it can better perform bushcraft wood working than a pocket knife, and it can still be used for preparing food
• for those into hunting, they may need a special purpose hunting knife
• for those into fishing, then a filleting knife becomes important

• see https://knifeinformer.com/discovering-the-best-knife-steel/
• a massive factor in how a blade performs comes from Heat Treating and this is complicated and each knife manufacturer may treat it differently so may get different characteristics even when using the same steel type.
• all modern steels will perform well enough for most users so consider spending more time on other aspects of the knife such as how the knife handles and other features
• characteristics to consider:
  • hardness
    • the ability to resist deforming when subject to stress and applied forces
    • generally measured using the Rockwell C scale (aka “HRC”)
    • high amount carbon/carbides increases hardness
  • toughness
    • the ability to resist damage like cracks or chips when subject to impact or “sudden loads”
    • in general, the harder the steel the less tough it's likely to be hence there is always a trade off
  • wear resistance
    • ability to withstand damage from both abrasive and adhesive wear
    • generally correlates with the steel's hardness but is also heavily influenced by the specific chemistry of the steel
    • in steels of equal hardness, the steel with larger carbides (ie. larger microscopic, hard, wear resistant particles) will typically resist wear better
  • corrosion resistance
    • the ability to resist corrosion such as rust caused by external elements like humidity, moisture and salt
  • edge retention
    • how long the blade will retain its sharpness when subject to periods of use
    • a combination of wear resistance and an edge that resists deformation
• stainless steel
  • basically carbon steel with added chromium (at least 13%) to resist corrosion and other elements which increase performance levels but usually at the expense of inferior toughness
  • are fairly easy to maintain, relatively resistant to corrosion, sharpen well
  • includes the 400, 154CM, AUS, VG, CTS, MoV, Sandvik and Crucible SxxV series of steels
• carbon steel
  • generally made for rough use where toughness and durability is important eg. survival knives and machetes
  • take a sharp edge and are relatively easy to re-sharpen
  • more prone to corrosion given the low chromium content
  • may need to do a patina by putting blade overnight in vinegar
  • most popular carbon knife steel is 1095
• tool steel
  • primarily hard steel alloys used in cutting tools
  • include D2, O1 and Crucible's CPM series (i.e. CPM 3V) plus more advanced high speed steels like M4
  • very hard to sharpen
  • ultra-premium
    • CPM S110V
      • the ultimate in wear resistance and edge retention in 'mainstream' knife production
      • very expensive
    • CPM S90V
      • almost as good as CPM S110V for edge retention and corrosion resistance and better than anything else at holding an edge and withstanding abrasion
      • has lots of vanadium and is very expensive
    • M390
      • new super steel; uses third generation powder metal technology and developed for knife blades requiring excellent corrosion resistance and very high hardness for excellent wear resistance
      • chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, and tungsten are added to promote sharpness and outstanding edge retention
      • hardens to 60-62 HRC; can be polished to achieve a true mirror; moderately difficult to sharpen (not as difficult as S90V or S110V)
    • ZDP-189
      • new super steel by Hitachi; containing huge quantities of carbon and chromium that result in ridiculous levels of hardness giving 64-66 HRC giving superb edge retention but at the cost of extreme difficulty in sharpening
      • unfortunately, the massive amount of carbon binds much of the 20% chromium so it is actually less resistant to corrosion
    • Elmax
      • a high chromium-vanadium-molybdenum alloyed powdered steel with extremely high wear and corrosion resistance
      • is stainless but acts in many ways like a carbon steel
      • superb edge holding and the easiest of the super-steels to sharpen while maintaining a healthy resistance to rust
      • could be the best all round steel for knives
    • CPM-20CV
      • Crucible's version of Bohler's popular M390 steel
      • impressive wear resistance and edge retention plus the added benefit of being highly corrosion resistant due to high levels of chromium but difficult to sharpen
  • premium
    • CTS-XHP
      • very good edge retention and hardens to about 61 HRC; slightly better edge retention than S30V and but a little more work required in the sharpening process;
      • a more corrosion resistant form of D2 steel with marginally superior edge retention but, like D2 is difficult to sharpen and can be brittle and prone to chipping
    • CPM M4
      • high performance tool steel which excels at toughness and arguably holds and edge better than any other carbon steel
      • can be hardened to around 62-64 HRC but note M4 is a carbon steel is not considered stainless with relatively low levels of chromium
      • difficult to sharpen;
      • one of the best steels around for cutting, it has to be properly cared for and may develop a patina over time
    • CPM S35VN
      • introduced in 2009; by using a much finer grain structure and adding small quantities of niobium (hence the “N”) they were able to make the outstanding S30V easier to machine while improving toughness and ability to sharpen;
      • perhaps the ultimate in 'mainstream' knife steels and you would struggle to find any steel with better edge retention, toughness and stain resistance for the money although in 2019, they made CPM S45VN which has extra chromium for a modest improvement in corrosion resistance.
    • CPM S30V
      • has excellent edge retention and resists rust effortlessly;
      • typically used for the high-end premium pocket knives and expensive kitchen cutlery;
      • generally regarded as one of the finest knife blade steels with the optimal balance of edge retention, hardness and toughness;
  • high end
    • 154CM
      • an upgraded version of 440C through the addition of molybdenum;
      • it has decent toughness good enough for most uses and holds an edge well. Not too difficult to sharpen with the right equipment.
    • ATS34
      • the Japanese equivalent to the US made 154CM
    • D2
      • much harder than other steels in this category such as 154CM or ATS-34 and as a result holds its edge a little better but only “semi-stainless”
      • not as tough as many other steels and exponentially tougher to sharpen - you need to be a master to sharpen it
    • VG10
    • H1
    • N680
  • upper mid-grade
    • these have poorer edge retention than the above but are much easier to sharpen
    • 440C
    • AUS-8
    • CTS-BD1
    • 8Cr13MoV
    • 14C28N
      • Swedish (Allemia, Sandvik) the addition of Nitrogen which promotes corrosion resistance
      • a very impressive mid-range steel that can be made extremely sharp
      • the best budget knife steel
  • lower mid-range
    • 440A
    • 420HC
    • 13C26
    • 1095 carbon steel
      • the most popular 10-series standard carbon steel (about 1% carbon) with low corrosion resistance and average edge retention properties.
      • a tough steel that's resistant to chipping, it's easy to sharpen, takes a crazy sharp edge and is inexpensive to produce
      • great for larger heavy duty fixed blades and survival knives
  • low end
    • 420J
    • AUS-6

• Swiss Army Knives
  • usually have at least:
    • 55mm long large and small pocket knives
      • great for processing wood when you don't have a larger wood knife or axe - can feather wood for tinder, shape a 2“ branch into a wood wedge, shape a log into a wood mallet, etc
      • can even be used with great care with knife blade at right angles with a wood baton to process the ends of larger logs
      • rear of the blade can be used to clean tree roots to make cordage which can be used to create a candle if you can find some pine resin and birch bark
      • can make a charcoal pencil by sharpening the end of a small branch of wood then burning it without any air by placing it inside a covered can (can fill it with sand) in a fire for 30-40min - the bark will slide off and tip can be used as a charcoal pencil
      • can be used to carve out a spoon but will take a long time
    • small scissors
    • small wood saw
      • can cut up to 2” diameter timber to make wood wedges or wooden gear hangers
      • can cut larger diameter timber with help of the wedges to make a wood mallet
      • the rear of the saw can be used with a ferro tool (you need to bring one of these) to create sparks to light a fire (don't do this with your knife blade as it will become blunt)
    • bottle opener
    • small and large screwdriver
    • nail cleaner and file
    • can opener
    • corkscrew
      • can be used to screw the pocket knife into the end of a branch of wood supplemented with some twine binding, and then you can have the saw opened to be used on an extended pole for higher branches
    • reamer
      • this is designed to create a hole in wood by rotating it - fastest way is to alternate rotation every 180deg turn of your wrist
    • keyring
    • some also have tweezers, tooth picks, etc
  • lacks pliers, so you may wish to bring separate small pliers or multigrip
  • see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuJWv3-XmRw
• Leatherman knives
  • usually larger than Swiss army knives, these often also have very handy pliers as well
• Gerber Dual Force
  • adds a wrench type pliers but may have a few tools you will miss

• these are generally folding pocket knives with relatively short blades

• compact knives designed for use around the camp as well as in food preparation
• examples:
  • Opinel classic folding knives

• full-tang fixed-blade knives with a flat or Scandi grind
• see also https://knifeinformer.com/best-bushcraft-knives/
• if you are going to buy a knife to process wood for kindling, then ensure you get a high quality one designed for this purpose and learn how to use it correctly
• if you are doing fine wood crafting then look for a knife that you can put pressure on the rear of the tip easily - one that is not too tapered at the tip (ie. no “swedge”)
  • scandi grind originated in Scandinavia and is renowned for its ability to glide through wood, as well as its relative ease of sharpening in the field
  • scandi grind is sometimes referred to as a zero grind due to the lack of a secondary sharpening bevel along the edge
  • It is characterized by a steep angled primary bevel that extends all the way to the edge giving you greater control in the cut while whittling or carving
• choose a flat grind if the knife is used for tasks other than bushcraft such as for ripping cardboard, trimming fishing line, or cutting rope or paracord.
• if you are going to use it to baton kindling, it needs to be strong enough and long enough
• for creating sparks with a ferro rod, it needs to have a 90deg spine
• examples:
  • Brisa Trooper 115:
    • 3.5mm thick x 26mm x 115mm carbon steel blade, total length 230mm; leather sheath (although knife will fall out if inverted). ~$AU239
  • Cold Steel 20NPKZ Finn Hawk 4“ Fixed Blade Knife
    • traditional Nordic styled “Scandi Ground” German 4116 steel blade is sub-zero cryo-quenched for superior edge holding potential, with a steep 7.5mm blade bevel and a functional curving belly for skinning and slicing strokes;
    • hard to pull out from its sheath ~$AU70
  • Cold Steel 20NPFZ Finn Wolf Lockback folding Knife
    • not a great option for batoning kindling as the thumb stud on the blade reduces usable length but good for fine wood crafting
    • Japanese AUS8A steel with an easy to sharpen zero grind edge; ~$AU85
  • Cold Steel Survival & Rescue Knife (SRK knife):
    • ~$AU108
  • Rokka Korpisoturi
    • $US213 great knife but maybe there are issues with the handle and not available in Australia
  • TOPS Knives Dragon Fly 4.5 Canadian Bushcraft Knife
    • fine tip for detail work; comes with fire steel but the only edge that is 90deg is the tip; nice sheath;
    • $US160
  • Joker Ember
    • Spanish; nice knives; 10.5cm blades; ~$AU110-230 depending on options
  • HELLE Knives - Gaupe - Outdoor Adventure Camping Knife
    • great Norwegian Viking-like knife but NOT strong enough for batoning kindling
  • Reiff F4 Scandi bushcraft knife
    • 5/32” thick CPM 3V blade steel and features a 12.5° per side (25° inclusive), true scandi grind with canvas micarta handle scales
    • 3V steel is fairly rust resistant and great quality
    • has one of the best ergonomic handles you can find
    • https://www.reiffknives.com/collections/f4-scandi-bushcraft-knife ~$US335!