BLADE Magazine

What are the characteristics of a camp knife?

• Design suitable to clearing vegetation, preparing meals and handling general camp chores
• Fixed blade
• Blade length: 6 to 10 inches
• Full tang
• Guard
• Jimping
• Pommel

Camp knife: the name conjures images of unlimited locations and scenarios. Most would agree that a camp knife would be some type of fixed blade suitable for odd jobs while camping and meal preparation. Here are some specifics to round out that general definition.

Blade Length

Camp knives can start at a 5-inch blade but usually range between 6 to 10 inches. How much blade length you need often will depend on your campsite. If in an established hunting or fishing camp, a 6-to-8- inch blade probably will be all you need.

Longer blades would be necessary if you were making a campsite that was a short-term proposition. Areas may need to be cleared of thin vegetation for sleep areas or your tent. You may need to widen the trail or even break trail to get to your preferred hunting or fishing location.

Tang Size

The tang’s size often is used to off set the blade’s size, giving the knife better balance. Construction should feature a full tang—that is, the tang goes all the way to the end of the handle. Tangs can be hidden or exposed.

Guards

While there are many camp knives without guards, I prefer one with a guard, and I like it to be of stainless steel. Whether it’s a single or double guard depends on the knife and its intended purpose. Most camp knives should have at least a single guard.

Jimping

Thumb serrations (jimping) on top and in front of the guard should be considered as they give you better knife control.

Pommel

Some prefer some type of pommel on the end of the handle for hammering. While in the Army I found using an “infantry hammer”—a rock—allows you to hit harder and what you aim at. It also accomplishes the task quicker and eliminates the potential for knife damage.

Handles

Handles are often overlooked on knives. If you have ever used a knife for an extended period of time and the handle was too thin or too wet environment, I recommend a material to allow your hand to mesh with the handle.

Natural materials are often used for handles. With its hills and valleys, stag is an excellent choice. The problem with natural materials is they can shrink and/or crack over time, giving your knife an uneven grip, limiting its utility.

Synthetic materials such as rubber, G-10 or Micarta® can be excellent choices. Rubber will deteriorate over time unless properly maintained. This is especially true in a saltwater environment. When choosing a synthetic handle material, it is best to pick one with some kind of grip to it. Rag Micarta can be an excellent choice.

Incorporating some kind of stippling of the Micarta or G-10 enhances grip. One last thing: Give some thought to using orange G-10. If you drop your knife in the woods, the color gives you a fighting chance to actually find it.

The short answer: bird and trout knives.

Small game can be even more challenging to dress out than large game. Consequently, makers build what are called bird and trout knives, which generally feature thin, slender blades 3 to 3.5 inches long. You can find such knives with both drop-point and skinner-style blades.

The blade is primarily designed for the tasks of dressing out birds and fish, hence the name. Birds are generally dressed out to harvest the breast meat. Fish are dressed to get the fillets. (Most hunters and fishermen discard the remainder of the bird and fish.)

While a fillet knife may be the better choice for dressing out fish, you then must carry two knives.

The other choice is a folder with a 2.5-to-3-inch blade. Some feature a blade and a gut hook. As this implies, the idea is to insert the hook into the bird or other small game to pull out the intestines and the rest of the intestinal tract.

Generally, the ideal bird-and-trout folder has either a 2.75-inch drop-point blade or is a multi-blade with 2.25- or 2.75-inch blades featuring a combination of a skinner and a drop point.

While most don’t think of a folding knife when it comes to dressing out game, there is a place for such a knife in your hunting gear.

What Are The Best Swiss Army Knife Tools?

• Scissors
• Nail Clippers
• Screwdriver
• Corkscrew
• Flat Head/Prybar/Wire Stripper
• Toothpick/Tweezers
• Pliers
• Stainless Pin
• Pen

Some Swiss Army knife tools are handy, while some are pocket weights. Here are 10 that are actually worth the purchase (other than the blade itself). How many do you have?

Scissors

I carried a Swiss Army Classic SD on my keys for the better part of three of my teenage years, and that’s when I realized how handy scissors can be. Small things like cutting string, stray hairs, and other items that need a precise cut are much easier done with scissors.

Nail Clippers

Gimmicky? Maybe, but hear me out. You’re out in the wilderness exploring when the sun starts to set into that gorgeous golden hour. You pull out your pocket knife and decide to snap some photos when you realize you’ve neglected your overgrown, dirt-encrusted fingernails. Nobody wants to see a knife-in-hand shot like that.

If the terrifying story above doesn’t ring true, maybe you can think of a time you wish you had nail clippers with you. For a compact tool with a blade, tweezers, toothpick, file, etc., you could do much worse than to have some nail clippers tagging along.

Screwdriver

The handiness of a good screwdriver can’t be overstated. My favorite screwdriver I have is one where the bits flip around and can be swapped between Phillips and flathead.

Victorinox has created a new take on this with models like the Tinker (pictured). It features the Phillips on one side and the flathead on the other.

Corkscrew

The Swiss Army knife corkscrew is a hot button topic these days. Many collectors say it’s useless, and that they’d rather have a Phillips screwdriver in its place. Others have found good use for the corkscrew with things like untying knots.

Some models come with a mini flathead that attaches to the corkscrew, giving a slight sense of the best of both worlds. If you’re a glasses wearer, this can be a great option.

Flat Head/Prybar/Wire Stripper

A big no-no in the knife world is using the tip of a knife as a pry bar. Many a blade has been broken doing this exact thing.

The prybars on these tools are stainless, strong, and come in clutch when you need them most. The small wire stripper cutout is also a nice feature that you’ll love to have around eventually.

Toothpick/Tweezers

These two things are pretty self-explanatory and come in handy in the most random of times. The toothpick is invaluable for post-lunch debriefing. For that annoying sliver, tweezers can be a lifesaver.

They both fit nicely in the handle slots and don’t take up any extra room. Replacement toothpicks can also be had for only a couple of bucks.

Pliers

No matter your occupation or background, you’ll be able to find uses for pliers at some point. Pliers are available on many of the larger Swiss Army models.

Stainless Pin

Not many SAKs come with this pin, but with those that do, it’s a welcome addition. This Compact stashes the pin in a hole of the cutout for the corkscrew.

Whether you’re pushing tiny reset buttons or getting slivers out of your hand, this sharp pin will definitely come in handy. The slot on this knife makes it almost unnoticeable as well.

Pen

Pens are a hot EDC item these days, but I haven’t bought into the hype. I just don’t find myself needing one that often and don’t want to give up my valuable pocket real estate to carry one. That is, until I saw Victorinox has them in some Swiss Army knives.

The pen looks like another gray tweezer slot but comes out as a thin pen that is easily concealed. I wouldn’t plan on using the pen consistently, but it is great for a pinch when you need to jot some things down.