Good Advice (About knives) when Hiking and Camping


Let's start with that popular subject, a 
 Camping Knife

From top to bottom examples of a small, medium and a large knife.

Above I've added another "small knife" (Second from left)

Any knife that serves a useful purpose* during camping could be called a camping knife. For all practical reasons, huge choppers that can be far heavier than, or the same weight as a machete, or parang, are seriously only for specialist activities, not general hiking and camping. 

* Feeding yourself, whether that means cutting up (preparing) the food you have taken with you or the food acquired (hunting and fishing wild food gathering) during your trip away.

What is camping?
Camping can be considered to be any activity which leads one away from the comforts of civilization, and sleeping in a tent, under the stars or rock overhang,  cave or tarpaulin or even a naturally constructed shelter. (Camping is not bivouacing on a cliff face on a porta ledge LOL!).

Realistic plan A

Let's say you can walk a good 20km a day in rough terrain but basically on tracks. You are carrying about 20-24kg of pack weight of which includes a tent. You will need to take food for at least 3 possibly 4 days (depending on your expected/known energy requirements under heavy loads/stress/physical activity- if things don't go according to plan for whatever reason. There are two of you to distribute the weight of the tent and food. A lot of dehydrated high carbohydrate/high energy yielding food can be carried for the weight of one large knife (greater than 300 grams or 10.6 Oz.!), so you must take this into consideration. Now that's two big knives (if your companion is also carrying a big knife), that's 600grams or more of food you could carry! You must resist the urge to take big chopper knives on long trips if it really isn't necessary. Longer knives also can get caught up when scrambling and or low level climbing during the more serious hiking trips (like hiking in the Budawangs in NSW Australia) to give you an idea about what I mean by "serious".   

If you have shelter, there is no need to build a shelter. If you are taking a fuel stove, as fires are banned or not practical as there would be little dead wood available or raining the whole duration of the trip; then taking a large knife or hatchet will be totally unnecessary, as there will be no need to hack anything down. Even if you sleep under a rock overhang or in a cave entrance (we have done this countless times and then there will be no need to bring a tent**)

** Dependent on one's physical fitness and ability to rough it.

The more unnecessary physical exertion (swinging big knives) conducted, the more food required, the less distance you can safely go (don't forget it's usually a RETURN TRIP), FACT (all other things being equal).

When I was a kid, and used to go into the Australian bush (we were driven to the trail head and picked up again several days later) many times, with nothing but Swiss army knives, ie folders.

A large traditional lockback folder, also a viable option for several days out. Yes you can not hack down trees with it but there's plenty I can do with it to support myself out in the wilds.

We carried solid fuel stoves (Original Esbits!), some fishing gear (if near where there were fish to be found/caught), one 2 man/person tent between 2, a torch/flashlight, waterproof clothing; clothing suitable for the season and environment; sturdy footwear; no axes; no big knives; no saws; metal water containers and some plastic water containers; a tarpaulin; loads of dry noodles; some vegetables and often dried meats; matches and cigarette lighters (no we weren't smoking behind our parents backs LOL) and one fire steel. We fashioned crab spears with our pocket knives, skewers for BBQing fish and in those days a tin of peaches was carried for a real treat and opened with the pocket knife's can opener!

Folder's with the fewest parts are best as the probability for field maintenance is lower than folders with many specialist Torx screws, washers, bearings to clog up (after folder dropped in the mud/sand etc).

Of course if ones object is simply to go bush to hack trees down to feel like a bit of a primitive man/survivalist (and I say man on purpose here, as I know of no woman hardcore or not that does similar or is the slightest bit interested in hacking down trees with big knives) thing, then ok, this article will be of no use to you. That's fine, I certainly understand this urge, although been there done that and with ever decreasing vegetation as in forests on the planet, hacking down living trees for this camper is no longer on the list. 
AND the object of going bush is NOT to get lost and become a liability but to explore and enjoy.
99% of people will be treading existing paths, whether little used and difficult to follow or well trodden ones. The remaining few will blaze a trail for a specific purpose of surveying and or exploration of new areas (This is slow progress). The latter would be a case for carrying larger tools-possibly.
I digress...........

SO to talk about what I consider is an appropriate knife to take camping:

Camp knives: any knife with a 7inch and under blade length is going to be fine. Preferably, about 5 to 6 inches, in length is even better. It should have some sort of a good defined tip (exception being knives for children). 

Don't take knives which are too thick*** (6mm or 1/4" is the upper limit), yes thick knives will be stronger, but for what? levering open those potatoes, or maybe onions or garlic or bashing the daylights out of that goat carcass you shot?? I don't think so. Besides that no serious hunter camper/hiker takes a 6mm plus blade to skin and butcher with. 

On the grind, well don't get too hung up about this.
(all the above knives just happen to be flat grinds). 
Take the knife for the chores that will be encountered. 
Make sure the carry system will not fail. Swimming/crossing rivers, put your knife inside your pack, that way you won't get snagged and cause lots of alarm for others including yourself!

Thick knives generally do not slice and dice food well (Know how to get the most from your knife for camp cooking BEFORE GOING BUSH) and can make food preparation a real PITA- plus you look like a complete wally pulling out some ginormous Bowie on a camp trail- and scare off (maybe you want to) other hikers- Yes I've done this when I was much younger and stupid. The key is being LOW KEY not parading around like some parrot trying to attract a mate. Make sure your chosen knife is deadly sharp before you go and take something small to maintain the edge if you totally ruin it (but you shouldn't if careful). 
Do not carry knives with sharp exaggerated butt ends. WHY? Because at some point you will have to place that knife inside a pack, either for safe porterage or convenience and a sharp butt end is going to poke a hole in your pack. So forget about "skull crushers" etc. They are for damaging people's heads, not camping and present few if at all limited uses in the outdoors.

Car camping (Camping next to your vehicle)

The sky's the limit on what you bring but don't get carried away-remember the fuel costs to get there and back depends a lot on the weight in the vehicle!

(I don't consider car camping roughing it- but yes, that's what hooked me when I was young from a baby to a small child, when my parents took us car camping (actually it was a very remote location) along 80km of dirt roads to a beautiful unpolluted river full of fish and aquatic life with no sounds other than those of nature.

*** 6mm/1/4" and plus, thick blades can be good if you really do have an opportunity to go really wild (chop wood from existing fallen timber, prise timber for grubs for fishing, luring birds to catch etc) BUT you must remember the lighter you travel the further you can go. Maybe there is little small timber in the area you plan to visit and taking a hatchet would be a better choice, pairing this up with a small knife.