Best 10 Backpacking Knife Sharpeners Of 2024

Having a sharp knife, hatchet or piece of equipment while in backpacking trip is ideal. This is also very important if you are going hunting. Having a sharp arrow can help you kill your prey easily. Unfortunately, we cannot bring our expensive sharpening equipment in the wilderness because some require electricity while others are too heavy. So I recommend these backpacking knife sharpeners below because they are lightweight and easy to carry. Some of the reasons why I like to recommend these sharpeners are that they are rather easy to use and very durable. You can expect to be happy with one of the blade sharpeners below and I know that simply because the items below have a great deal of capabilities and functionalities.

Best Backpacking Knife Sharpeners – Quick Chart

How To Choose A Backpacking Knife Sharpener

Types Of Knife Sharpeners

Ceramic Rods

Ceramic rods are two rods set in a base. Most of the time, they are in a 30 degree angle. The rods can be triangular, square or round. This is a quick and easy way to sharpen a knife’s edge. This type of sharpening rod can sharpen most knives that have a normal angle. Most uncommon knives seen in movies, books, costumes and so on will have special angles and ceramic rods are not good for these uncommon angles.

Sharpening Stones / Whetstones

Whetstones are often rectangular shape stones used to sharpen a knife. Whetstones will have a grit rating or number. The lower the number, the coarser the whetstone will be. Whetstones are a great way to sharpen knives. They work well and easy to use.

Oil Stones

Oil stones are used a lot in the Western world. silicon carbide stones are very popular in a sense that they are a great way to sharpen knives in a very fast way. These stones will not produce a very fine edge but they will produce a good edge. Good enough for most tasks.

Electric Sharpeners

Electric sharpeners do not require any effort at all. Most of the time, the machine or gadget will do the work for you. However, you do not have any sockets to plug these in when backpacking in the wilderness. There are some that can use batteries but be warned, these sharpeners can add a lot of weight to your backpack.

When To Sharpen Your Knives

Most chefs sharpen their knives every four to six months but we are not chefs and we are not using chef knives. However, this is a good indication on when to sharpen your knife. You should sharpen it four to six months. If you want a really sharp knife, you may have to sharpen your knife daily.

Step By Step Guide To Sharpen A Knife

Select The Correct Coarseness Of The Sharpening Stone

The coarser stones are meant for very dull knives. They are not good for knives that are not dull. You will not sharpen your knife this way. Finer stones are great for knives that are pretty sharp already. They will make the knives sharper. So selecting the stone to use is very important first step.

Selecting The Right Angle

Most backpacking sharpeners only have one angle you can use. But if you are using a large stone, you will have to use the correct angle. Most manufacturers will tell you the correct angle. The most common one is around 20 degrees.

Apply Water Or Oil To The Stone

The liquid will allow the swarf to float away or be removed easily. The swarf is the debris or metal fillings created during the sharpening process. If you are using a water stone, you will add water. If you are using an oil stone, you will add oil.

Sharpening Your Knife

Starting with the coarsest stone then move to the finer stones. Dull knives will require very coarse stones while some knives that aren’t dull will require finer stones. The type of motion and angle is determined by the company who created the knife sharpener so be sure to check out the manual.

BE CAREFUL!

The last step is to be careful. I have seen people cut their fingers and skin by sharpening their knives. Before making the motion, just do it lightly first. You don’t even have to sharpen the knife in the first couple of motions. Just check to see that the knife’s edge will not hit your skin or any part of your body. This will make sure that you are not going to cut yourself in the process.

Backpacking Features That You Should Think About

Weight

The weight of the sharpener matters. I usually have mine in my backpack. The ones I use are often lightweight and very effective. I put them in my backpack and they just stay there with my headlamp and first aid kit. A lightweight sharpener is what you want so that you can just put it in your backpack, and because of this, you will never forget it.

Compact

A backpacking knife sharpener should be compact also. If it is too big, it will take up too much space on the backpack. We only have a limited amount of space. We want to use that space with other necessities like food, sleeping bags, cookware, and so on. A very small or a very compact knife sharpener is something that we should think about getting. The item can be foldable or it can just be very small. You don’t need something big.

Effective

The sharpener has to be very effective. You are going to end up using a lot of time and effort sharpening your knives or hatchets if the sharpener isn’t very effective. The sharpener should be able to sharpen the blade in a few minutes like 5 minutes or maybe 10 at most. We don’t really want to spend more time and effort than that.

Easy To Use

The backpacking sharpener should be easy to use and without any complicated instructions. It has to be intuitive and innovative at the same time. We may end up hurting ourselves with the sharpener. We are not professionals. Something good for beginners should be something that we should look for. Complicated items may end up injuring us. We are handling very sharp objects. The risk of injuring ourselves if the item is not intuitive is very high.

Best Backpacking Knife Sharpeners

A few very good knife sharpeners that are very lightweight, compact and easy to use. All product links are affiliate links.

1. Smith’s PP1 Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener

Technical Specs
Weight: 1 oz
Material: Carbide Blades, Ceramic Stones
Dimensions: 3.5 x 1 x 0in.
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Made to be durable and meant for the outdoors, coarse carbide slot, reversible and replaceable carbide and ceramic

Short Review: One of the best things I have ever tried is this backpacking knife sharpener. The compact design is great for people who are carrying a lot of items. This comes with a fold out, tapered round diamond coated rod that is great for sharpening serrated knives. Can be used for standard knives as well. Equipped with carbide blades that sharpens dull blades rather quickly and easily while the ceramic stones provide a smooth, polished edge for the knife. A very good sharpener to have that can sharpen different types of knives very easily and quickly.

2. Lansky PS-MED01 BladeMedic

Technical Specs
Weight: 4 oz
Material: Diamon Tapered Rod, Tungsten Carbide, Ceramic Sharpening Rod
Dimensions: 8.3 x 3.2 x 0.3 in.
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Works well and very effective, repairs on all types of knife blades, works with regular or serrated blades, gut hooks, hunting, fishing, and more

Short Review: There are a great deal of things that I like regarding this outdoor knife sharpener. The design is really good and this works very well. Comes with a tungsten carbide that sharpens a knife in 3-4 strokes. For a polish edge, people can use the ceramic sharpening rod. If you serrated blades then don’t worry, this sharpens these types of blades also. Although serrated blades hardly ever lose their sharpness. A good item that is very easy to use as we only need around 4 strokes to see a difference.

3. Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener

Technical Specs
Weight: 7 oz
Material: Diamond plates, ceramic rods, leather strop
Dimensions: 1 x 1.5 x 6.8in.
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Ingenious design from an amazing company, fast, easy & consistent sharpening solution, compact field sharpener, coarse & fine diamond sharpening plates

Short Review: One of the best things I have ever tried is this knife sharpener. This is very lightweight and very easy to use. This is a very multipurpose item that can be used for camping, backpacking, hunting, at home, and other outdoor activities. This item comes with coarse and fine diamond plates, coarse and fine ceramic rod, leather strop and more which allows it to sharpen camping tools, fishing hooks, regular knives, serrated and more. A truly multipurpose design that works well with a lot of items.

4. AccuSharp 001C Knife Sharpener

Technical Specs
Weight: 1.6 oz
Material: diamond honed tungsten carbide
Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 2.2in.
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Saving space for more items, material made this very durable, capable and worthwhile company

Short Review: There is no doubt that this knife sharpener is incredibly wonderful. I am really lucky I found this sharpener mainly because I find this to be incredibly good. Although I have to be honest, I use this item mostly at home. The sharpener has a handle and a blue strap. The blue strap is actually a protector. When you slide the knife, there is a possibility that you may hit your fingers so the blue strap offers protection in case of accidents. Has a diamond-honed tungsten carbide that sharpens blades easily. Pretty simple item that works really well.

5. Smith’s CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener

Technical Specs
Weight: 1.6 oz
Material: Crossed Carbide Blades, Ceramic Rods
Dimensions: 5 x 5 x 5in.
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Save space, powerful and effective crossed carbide blades, designed to be very compact, non-slip rubber feet for added safety

Short Review: This outstanding knife sharpening device will amaze you. A large amount of people really like this item considering that the design is really good and this can sharpen dull knives. This is very easy to use and sharpens in just a few strokes. Equipped with crossed carbide blades that sharpens blades very quickly and effortlessly. The item is very small which makes it great for backpacking, fishing and other outdoor activities. The item is very simple but it is very effective as well.

6. Tri-Angle Sharpmaker

Technical Specs
Weight: 1 lbs
Material: Alumina ceramic stones
Dimensions: 7 x 0.5 x 1in.
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Solidly built item made for the outdoors, sharpen any type of edged or pointed tool, made to last for years to come, comes with detailed instruction book and DVD

Short Review: This backpacking knife sharpener is one of the finest that you can buy. This extraordinary item has a lot of positive consumer feedback mainly because plenty of people are happy with this. A very good item to have if you love to go backpacking or hunting because this makes sharpening knives a lot easier. This is very easy to use as all you need to do is to simply snap all the components into the self-contained ABS durable plastic base and lid. After that you are ready to sharpen any type of knife in just a few strokes. Comes with a dvd that instructs people on how to use this item. Very compact, lightweight and works well. Good for backpacking purposes.

7. DMT FWFC Double Sided Diafold Sharpener Fine / Coarse

Technical Specs
Weight: 4 oz
Material: 2 sided with coarse diamond
Dimensions: 0.87 x 4.33 x 0.39 in
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Two-stage sharpening and a compact design, good for dull blades or chisels to a razor-sharp edge, compact, lightweight diamond stone sharpener

Short Review: This is a pretty good lightweight diamond stone sharpener. This has a micronized monocrystalline diamond surface which can sharpen dull blades rather effortlessly. This can be used with water or no water at all. It all depends on your preference. This is rather small so it does not consume a lot of space. It can be stored easily in your pocket or backpack which makes this a great item for the outdoors. One of the best items that I know of that is very portable and durable as well.

8. Lansky QuadSharp Carbide/Ceramic Multi Angle Knife Sharpener

Technical Specs
Weight: 4 oz
Material: Ceramic benchstone
Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.5 x 2.2in.
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Well-made item that is very durable, sharpen in 3-4 strokes, ceramic stones for easy polishing, portable and easy to use, rugged metal construction

Short Review: I am happy to recommend this knife sharpening device given that this is fantastic. This is simple and yet it is impressive. The medium (800) grit ceramic element sharpens knives and serrated edges rather easily. Only need around 3-4 strokes to see a difference. You should already get a sharp edge after the fourth stroke. This has four effective sharpening angles which are 17, 20, 25, and 30 degrees. There is not much to point out concerning a simple item. It is small and works well.

9. Corona Sharpening Tool

Technical Specs
Weight: 3.2 oz
Material: 5in. carbide file
Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1in.
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Very durable and well made, non slip grip so it is easy to hold, very portable as it fits in a pocket or tool bag,

Short Review: This knife sharpener is very multipurpose and it works well also. The 5″ carbide file is very easy to use and works well. This is made for regular or standard blades. Usually takes around 4 strokes to sharpen a dull blade into a sharp one. You should see a difference by that 4th or 5th stroke. The item is very easy to use and has a good grip that helps prevent accidents. Good item that works really well.

10. Outdoor Edge TC-100 Tungsten Carbide Sharpener

Technical Specs
Weight: 4 oz
Material: 7.5 x 4.6 x 1in.
Dimensions: Tungsten Carbide
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Effective and powerful, tungsten carbide v-shaped, universal 22 degree angle, ergonomic rubberized TPR handle

Short Review: This is a very easy and straight forward knife sharpener. This is equipped with a v-shape tungsten carbide that works well. Comes with a rubberized TPR handle that is very easy to hold, the handle also has a protective strap that shields the fingers in case of accidents. A very straight forward and effortless to use item that sharpens a blade in a few strokes. The price is also very affordable and can be used for backpacking, at home, gardening or other types of outdoor activity.