Best 10 Backpacking Knives Of 2024

One of the best things we could bring in any backpacking trip is a good sharp knife. There are just lots of uses for a knife. It can be used for cooking, cutting strings, cutting bandages, cutting small twigs, can be used as a weapon in case of animal attacks and so on. I highly recommend the knives that I have listed below because I know that they are very sharp and very durable. I am certain that you will at least like the way they look, the way they feel or how durable they are.

Best Backpacking Knives – Quick Chart

How To Choose A Backpacking Knife

Types Of Knives That Can Be Used For Backpacking

Cooking Knives

There are a lot of people who would bring their chef’s knives for backpacking. These people love to cook and they need their knives for preparing the ingredients. Cooking knives are great for slicing and dicing food ingredients but most people will not use these knives on branches, paper or cut any material other than food.

Tactical Knives

Tactical knives will often have a sharp edge on the top part and a serrated edge on the bottom part. These knives can be folded, spring loaded or fixed blade. These knives are very small and compact. These can usually fit inside a pocket. Some knives will have a small LED flashlight at one side.

Skinning Knives

This is a hunter’s knife. This knife is often used to skin an animal like deer, elk, or a wild hog. These knives are meant for skinning and they work well. Not much use for backpacking purposes though but these are great for hunters.

Survival Knives

These knives are meant for the outdoors. Some knives will come with a fire starter, compass, paracord and so on. These knives are meant to be used for backpacking, camping and for survival purposes. They are very useful and multipurpose.

Types Of Materials Used For The Blade

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is good material because this is very corrosion resistant. This material also resists rust and this is easy to maintain. This material looks beautiful, easy to sharpen and overall a great material for a knife.

Titanium

Titanium is very strong, tough, heat, and corrosion resistant plus this material is very light in weight. The only drawback is that this material is very expensive. You will end up paying more and sometimes double the cost for a titanium knife.

Carbon Steel

Carbon steel has great edge retention and tensile strength. Expect the blade to retain its sharpness for a long time. This material is very resistant to wear and tear which makes this very durable. The knife will definitely last for a long time.

Different Types Of Handle Material

Wood

Wood is not a good material for an outdoor knife because wood is not that compact. There are not a lot of pocket knives that have a wooden handle. Wood looks good though and it has that classic feel to it. This material looks nice and pretty tough.

Metal

A lot of tactical knives will have some sort of metallic handle. Metallic handle isn’t very comfortable to hold and does not have a lot of traction. However, people can put holes and design the handle in such a way that it will contour to a person’s hand. This will make the item very easy to hold and grip.

Plastic

Plastic is not a very common handle. There are not a lot of knives that have a handle made out of plastic. However, plastic can save or shed weight. Plastic is very light in weight while being durable. Plastic is also very affordable which will lower the cost of the knife.

Backpacking Considerations

Weight

The weight of the knife is something that we should all think about. We cannot carry an infinite amount of weight. Most backpackers carry around 20 to 25 pounds. You have to budget the weight that you will carry. So having a heavy knife is not ideal. Something sharp and lightweight should be good enough. I like the survival knives. They are lightweight, cuts well, sharp and the handle feels nice.

Sharpness

There are very dull knives out there. Some knives are very sharp but then they become very dull. Once they become dull, it becomes very hard to sharpen them. So sharpness is a big factor. We don’t really want to put a lot of effort into cutting items. If you are cutting or preparing foods with your knife, you want a very sharp knife so that you can save time and energy with food preparation.

Compact

The more compact the item, the better. Most knives for the outdoors can be folded. They are designed to be compact. This is great because we can save backpack space or we can put them inside one of the pockets on our pants. There are also survival knives that are very big. I own a couple also. Ever seen Crocodile Dundee, I have a couple of knives that are very big like that. So I highly recommend something compact and smaller for your backpacking trip.

Easy To Use

What I mean by this is that some knives are hard to use. Have you ever used a knife for cooking or preparing foods? Some knives make it very hard to chop or cut vegetables, fruits and so on. They are badly designed. The weight is not balanced and the design is really awful. If you think about it, there are knives for almost everything. There are knives for chopping salad ingredients, knives for steak, knives for slicing through chicken bone and so on. So some backpacking knives look great but in reality, they are not very comfortable to use.

Material

The material of the knife matters. The material will dictate how durable the knife is going to become. The material will also dictate how durable the knife is going to become. Some knives are very low quality, they rust easily, they get broken easily, they are very flimsy and so on. So always pay attention to the material. Research what kind of material you would like for your knife. There are plenty to choose from.

Best Backpacking Knives

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1. Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Outdoor Knife

Technical Specs
Weight: 4.1 Ounces
Material: Stainless Steel Blade
Dimensions: 8.75″ Total, 4.1″ Blade
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: High-quality Swedish steel is razor sharp and exceptionally tough; stainless steel blade stays sharp longer than carbon steel, and is less prone to rust

Short Review: This backpacking knife continues to satisfy a lot of people since this is very useful for backpacking and camping. This is constructed out of thick hardened Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel knife blade stays sharp longer than carbon steel and is less prone to rust. Comes with an ergonomic polymer handle with a soft friction grip and finger guard. Light My Fire is an amazing outdoor company. I love their mess kits. Anyway, there are lots of reasons why this item is really durable but the high quality materials might be the major factor. A very sharp and multipurpose outdoor knife that you can get at a very affordable price. If you love the outdoors, then this is a great item to have.

2. Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops

Technical Specs
Weight: 3.8 oz.
Material: Stainless Steel
Dimensions: Blade length 3.1″ (104 mm); 7.1 inches total
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Durable: blade is made of reliable 7cr17mov black oxide high carbon stainless steel with a black, aluminum handle, quick and easy access with the convenient pocket clip, finger flipper and ambidextrous thumb knobs making it ideal for everyday carry

Short Review: You will certainly love and make use of this knife for the outdoor constantly. This is constructed out of reliable 7Cr17MoV Black Oxide High Carbon Stainless Steel with a black with an aluminum handle. The knife has ambidextrous thumb knobs, jimping, and an index flipper. Regardless of how you look at it, men and women get this item because this is very sharp and very affordable. Ideal item to have for backpacking that works very well. This item is amazing and resilient which is the reason this has a whole lot of positive consumer reviews.

3. Gerber Paraframe Mini Knife

Technical Specs
Weight: 1.4 oz
Material: Stainless Steel
Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.4 x 0.6″
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Frame lock holds blade open and safely closes, sturdy pocket clip, a breeze to open, clip point blade configuration is ideal for cutting in close-quarters

Short Review: Among the finest items that I have ever tried is this outdoor knife. This is constructed out of smooth stainless steel handle and open frame that is minimal and lightweight. This EDC knife is an effortless addition to your pocket or belt clip. This is beautifully simple open frame knife with a fine-edge blade that is lightweight, easy to clean and opens effortlessly. This is a wonderful knife and the price is awesome. The usefulness this brings for outdoor purposes is amazing and this is high quality as well. This is among the finest and well-made items that I know of that has an exceptionally low selling price.

4. Ka-Bar Tactical Spork

Technical Specs
Weight: 0.1 lb
Material: KA-BAR
Dimensions: Overall length: 6.875″
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Sturdy polymer plastic material plastic spork is durable and long lasting making it effective and long lasting, multitool, fairly in expensive, food and detergent safe, perfectly designed to be an advanced compliance tool

Short Review: A good deal of people are often surprised at how incredible this backpacking knife is. This is a spork and knife combo. This comes with a 2.5″ plastic serrated knife in the handle. The knife is accessed by pulling the spork in opposite directions from each extreme end. It is a heavily serrated knife that works well for outdoor adventures. The spork is great for eating also. The weight is very light which allows us to carry a lot more items. If you love the outdoors, then this is a great item to have. The company did a superb job with the design simply because this has a great deal of features while remaining to be very compact.

5. SE KHK6320 Outdoor Tanto Knife with Fire Starter

Technical Specs
Weight: 6.1 oz
Material: Stainless steel blade
Dimensions: 7 x 0.2 x 0.5″
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Thick army green cord wrap handle, magnesium alloy firestarter, cord wrapped handle gives you a superior grip in even the wettest and most slippery of conditions, while also providing easily unwrapped cordage when needed in an emergency

Short Review: This outdoor knife is pretty inexpensive and it has numerous buyers or customers that are very happy with it. This set comes with a ferrocerium rod firestarter that enables you to effortlessly start a fire quickly and efficiently. This features a Tanto blade constructed out of 440 stainless steel with a full length of 7 Inches. A complete with a nylon sheath for easy and safe carrying is included as well. The material is very lightweight which is ideal for backpacking. This brings lots of usefulness whenever you are in the outdoors and this is very sharp as well. This has a nice weight, beautiful and extremely sturdy.

6. TAC Force TF-723 Series Assisted Opening Tactical Folding Knife

Technical Specs
Weight: 6.1 oz
Material: Black half-serrated stainless steel blade
Dimensions: 4-12-” closed length, 3-1/4-” blade length with 3mm thickness
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Spring assist folding knife offers rapid one-handed deployment, locks securely into place with liner lock, black half-serrated stainless steel blade, aluminum handle with ems medallion, seat belt cutter, and glass breaker on the end

Short Review: You will be very satisfied with this backpacking knife. TAC Force is an amazing company that creates lots of sharp and small knives. This provides consistent razor-sharp cutting performance and high durability. This is constructed out of 3CR13 partially serrated black stainless steel blade provides an excellent balance of hardness and corrosion resistance. It is easy to see that this item has plenty of positive consumer feedback which should be a superb indication on how excellent this knife is. I love that this is very compact which means we have more room in our backpacks or pockets for other items.

7. KA1214-BRK USA Fighting Knife

Technical Specs
Weight: 0.7 lbs
Material: 1095 Cro-Van steel
Dimensions: Overall length 11.875-”
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Used by all branches of military and service members, black utility knife with partially serrated edge, man made kraton g handle fits comfortably in the hand; easy-to-sharpen blade made of 1095 cro-van steel

Short Review: If you’re looking for an extraordinary camping knife then you need to think about this. This is constructed with 1095 Cro-Van steel and have an overall length of 11.875-inch while weighing only 0.7 pounds. This features a partially serrated edge that makes cutting looped and synthetic materials a breeze. This has a low price and it is well made. I love that the company made this item very light to make this more outdoor friendly. A great item to have if you love outdoor trips and this works well. I am impressed that this knife is very sharp and easy to use, solidly built and has a fantastic selling price.

8. Smith & Wesson SWHRT9B 9in High Carbon S.S. Fixed Blade Knife

Technical Specs
Weight: 7.7 ounces
Material: High Carbon Stainless Steel
Dimensions: 9 inches total, 4.7 inches blade
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Blade is made of reliable 7cr17mov high carbon stainless steel with a black rubber wrapped handle, quick and easy access with the convenient belt or boot sheath making it ideal for everyday carry

Short Review: This knife for the outdoor may be one of the very best things that you have ever bought. This is constructed out of  reliable 7Cr17MoV high carbon stainless steel with a black rubber wrapped handle and very similar to the Tanto knife that I recommended. This has a quick and easy access with the convenient belt or boot sheath making it ideal for everyday carry. This is definitely one of the best outdoor knives that you can get. This is small and compact which saves a lot of space which means we can carry more items in our backpacks. A great knife to bring for backpacking or hunting.

9. Outdoor Edge RazorLite EDC Folding Knives

Technical Specs
Weight: 4.8 oz
Material: Japanese 420J2 stainless razor-blades
Dimensions: 9.9 x 0.8 x 4.4 inches
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Black-oxide coated blade holder – rigid 420j2 stainless steel blade holder supports the razor blade for the strength of a traditional knife and the sharpness of a surgeon’s scalpel, incredibly strong, lightweight grivory fiberglass/nylon polymer frame with rubberized gray tpr molded into the grip

Short Review: This hiking knife is magnificent and plenty of people believe so too. This is constructed out of Japanese 420J2 stainless razor-blades are heat treated and hand finished to a shaving-sharp edge. This features a black-oxide coated blade holder that provides the support of a standard knife. Comes with a molded Grivory handle features rubberized TPR inserts for a non-slip grip, even when wet. The weight is very light and very easy to carry. It is easier and a lot more fun to have this for backpacking because this is very useful. I certainly recommend this item to anyone. I recommend this high quality item and I know that you will like using it too.

10. Pro Iron Assisted Opening Serrated Edge

Technical Specs
Weight: 3.6 oz
Material: 3 1/4” stainless steel drop point blade
Dimensions: Blade length: 3.25″
Compact: Yes
Feature Summary: Durable utility lock-back folder features a 3 1/4” stainless steel drop point blade. 4.75″ designed for corrosion resistance and good edge retention, black half serrated stainless steel blade

Short Review: If you do your research, you can certainly see that many people really like this outdoor knife. This features a 3 1/4” stainless steel drop point blade. 4.75″ designed for corrosion resistance and good edge retention. This comes with a rope cutter, glass breaker, can opener and belt clip. Comes with spring assisted opening with thumb stud so you can easily make use of the item. You’re going to be blown away at how amazing this knife is. This is foldable, compact and very lightweight. A great knife that you can bring to your backpacking trip. The handle is pretty good and I feel comfortable holding this knife. Nothing fancy but a good knife to have.