Best Backpacking Knives In 2022

Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife

If you’re looking for an affordable Victorinox Swiss Army knife, then this is your best option. The Victorinox pocket knife is really cheap – depending on the color you want, you can get it for less than $15. And it is still a pretty versatile tool, with several other functions apart from the blade.

This Army knife includes a nail file with a (flathead) screwdriver, scissors, tweezers, a toothpick, and a key ring. Great for grooming on the go.

The classic SD case/handle is only 2.25” long, and it is made from polished ABS plastic. The handle is not really ergonomic, and it is pretty short – people with big hands will struggle to get a good grip on this knife. The blade is also pretty short, so I wouldn’t recommend this knife for cutting through anything too thick.

This is not a rust-proof ultralight backpacking knife, so you will need to take good care of it to avoid corrosion. The manufacturer actually recommends that you maintain the classic SD with knife oil – apply some to the blade (and other tools) whenever you want to clean the knife or get rid of some rust. It should prolong the life of your Swiss Army pocket knife significantly.

CRKT Minimalist Tanto Neck Knife

The knife that is pictured here has a fixed tanto blade, but there are more options available. In fact, there are four other types of blade apart from the tanto – bowie, drop point, keramin, and wharncliff, all of which are made from the same materials. And none of which are completely impervious to rust, so remember to wipe the blade of your knife before you sheath it again.

The handle of this CRKT fixed blade knife is ergonomic, and features three finger grooves, as well as texturing on the spine (where your thumb would naturally lie). They ensure that the handle lies comfortably in your hand, and help you make small cuts with great precision. It is the best backpack knife to get if you want to have complete control of the blade, or if your hands are somewhat weak.

You get a glass-reinforced nylon sheath with a belt loop. Which many say is not easy to hook onto your belt, ironically! But you can also wear it around your neck.

However, there’s a good chance that the nylon sheath will become a bit loose over time. I would definitely recommend you get a better one if you don’t want your knife just slipping out of the sheath and into your lap randomly.

Opinel Stainless Steel Folding Knife

The Opinel folding knife is a classic, and it still has the original design from 1890. It’s a reliable and efficient hiking knife, with a sharp stainless steel blade. You can actually choose the length of the blade you want – the options range from 7cm to 12 cm, and the price varies depending on the length of the blade and the design of the handle.

The most expensive version of the knife has a buffalo horn handle, which will set you back over $100. But the plain oak, beech, and olive handles are pretty affordable.

The No. 8 is a particularly popular version of the knife, if you’re looking for something that’s been tried and tested – it’s actually rumored that this was Hemingway’s favorite knife. It will be sharp out of the box and made from modified stainless steel. And, with the addition of chromium, the knife is corrosion resistant too.

The blade on this folding knife is pretty thin, and I wouldn’t recommend it for heavy-duty use. But I think it’s just fine for the average backpacker. The safety ring is also made from stainless steel, and it can block the blade in both open and closed positions. So, this folding knife is perfectly safe to transport and use.

The handle is not really ergonomic, and the raised end gets you into trouble. Additionally, the length of the handle depends on the length of the blade you get, but generally, it’s about 3.5” – 4”.

Gerber Suspension Multi-Plier

If your backpacking adventures require some serious tools, then forget about folding knives and Swiss army knives – you need a proper multi-tool. And the Gerber Suspension is one of the best choices for a pocket knife (even though it’s not). It’s highly practical, compact to carry around, lightweight considering the number of tools you get (yes, even a bottle opener), and pretty affordable on top of all that.

The Suspension model is only about 4” long when folded. It has 12 different functions, with needle-nose pliers at the center of the tool. It has two knives – one is a straight blade, and one serrated.

The entire tool is made from stainless steel so it is not rust-proof.

You get a nylon pouch with the Gerber Suspension, but it’s not really a great one. It is pretty basic, and the Velcro strap gets worn out pretty quickly. But, at least it really easy to replace it – especially considering that this is a really small tool when folded.

The weak link of the product is the pliers. It appears that they break easily, whether you’re just trying to cut a zip tie or repairing your car. Try not to apply too much force on them, especially if you’re cutting something – use one of the knives instead. Even if you are using them for fishing!

Buck Knives Folding Selkirk with Firestarter

Buck Knives is one of those brands that’s been around for ages. And whenever you’re not sure which pocket knife you should get, one of theirs is always a safe option. The Selkirk is a great folding knife, with excellent corrosion resistance and a 420HC Stainless steel blade.

This survival knife will arrive with a razor-sharp blade. But that’s not the best thing about the blade – it wasn’t enough for it to be a plain knife blade. It also folds in on itself for easy storage while backpacking. After all, space is a premium when you are out hiking.

When folded, it is only about 5” (12.7cm) long. And it comes with a carry sheath, which is great for protecting your knife and even carrying it on your pack or belt – vertically or horizontally.

On top of the knife-related specs, you should also be aware of what they have packed into the handle. It comes with a fire starter (striker) and a rescue whistle, both things you should be carrying out in the mountains anyway.

Condor Swamp Romper

If you want to get a fixed blade knife, the Condor Swamp Romper is a great option. For backpacking, this knife has a really sturdy carbon steel blade, which is about 3mm thick. It’s has a sharp edge out of the box, but it is not rust-proof – you’ll want to take really good care of the blade, to avoid any corrosion. That’s the general downside of carbon steel blades.

The handle is made from walnut, and it is ergonomically shaped. It is long enough that it’s comfortable even for people with large hands.

This backpacking knife comes with a decent leather sheath that has a loop you attach to your belt. In fact, it’s so nice that it’s probably half the price of the knife – meaning that the actual price point of the knife alone would be about $20-25. Also, the sheath features a loop designed to hold a Ferro rod – very convenient if you use those.

If you get a brand-new knife, you’ll probably find that the sheath is a bit too tight. That’s completely normal – it will loosen up over time, once you “break it in” a little. Just like your new leather shoes would. 

Condor coats the blade to ensure the folding knife doesn’t rust on its way to you since it does have to travel overseas. You can remove the sticky substance with some alcohol or solvent, and it will not damage the blade. Actually, it is recommended that you remove the coating before using this fixed blade knife, especially if you’re going to use it on food!

Spyderco Delica 4

The Spyderco Delica 4 is a backpacking knife with a folding blade – one of the best-selling knives that Spyderco ever made. The blade locks in both closed and open positions, so you can safely carry it in your pocket. Which you might just have to since you don’t get any kind of sheath or pouch with this backpacking knife.

The Spyderco Delica 4 handle is made from fiber-reinforced nylon, with stainless steel liners inside. It is textured with spine jimping for good grip, and it’s very sturdy. The shape is not completely ergonomic but still comfortable.

There’s a clip on the handle of the Spyderco Delica 4 that allows you to attach this to your pocket or belt, and it is not fixed. It’s held in place with three screws (t6 torx), and there are four places on the handle where you can attach it to.

The flat-ground blade of this backpacking knife is made from VG-10 – stainless steel produced in Japan, with high carbon content. Because of the high carbon content, it is a little more prone to rust than some other Spyderco knives (like the 100% rust-proof one that I will tell you about next).

But, that’s not something you should be too concerned about, as long as you properly care for your folding knife – meaning you’re going to wipe it down after every use, and you are not going to expose it to elements for too long.

Spyderco ARK

This is actually a survival knife – initially designed for soldiers so that they could defend themselves in case of a personal attack at all times, even while in the shower. And there are some features that are included specifically for that purpose, most notably the textured handle that offers amazing grip even in really wet conditions.

The Always Ready Knife (ARK) also features a 100% rust-proof blade. If you want to make sure of that yourself, go ahead and put it in salty water overnight. That is a really useful feature for all of you whose backpacking adventures often include rain, snow, or just large bodies of water.

It has a really sharp edge, but it has a pretty thin blade. Because of that, you will need to sharpen it sooner rather than later. Especially because the simple act of unsheathing the knife dulls the blade a little – so don’t take it out just to brag to your friends. In addition to that, the blade is pretty thin and the H1 steel is somewhat softer than other types of steel.

The Spyderco knife comes with a polymer neck sheath and a breakaway ball chain. There is a release button on the sheath, and it takes some getting used to. Maybe practice at home first, in case you actually need to defend yourself with this knife. The chain feels pretty comfortable, and it doesn’t bounce on your chest even when you are running.

Victorinox Swiss Army Swiss Champ XLT

I’d say that this is a great pocket knife for pros – it has everything you could possibly need when you’re out on the trails. The knife has 33 different functions, and I’m not going to list all of them – head over to Amazon if you want to see the full list.

But I will tell you that those functions include two knife blades, a nail file, a corkscrew, a screwdriver (Philips and Torx), a bottle opener, and a toothpick – and they’re all made from stainless steel. Talk about functionality.

With this pocket knife, you can be a hero whenever a friend of yours goes – oh I broke a nail, does anybody have a nail file? But you can also remove pretty much any obstacle that you find in your way, and easily open everything except maybe the Pandora box. And that’s only because you shouldn’t do that – but with this knife, you probably could.

Now, since the pocket knife is like a mini toolbox in your pocket, you can’t really expect it to be lightweight or small. It’s not ridiculously heavy – in fact, it weighs about as much as an average smartphone. And you carry that with you wherever you go every day.

Plus, this knife features a loop, so you can attach this to your carabiner or that keychain clip most modern backpacks have and have it handy at all times.

It is 3.5 inches (91 mm) long, so it is long enough to fit comfortably in your hand. The handle (case of the knife) is plastic and not rubber, so it doesn’t offer an amazing grip. But the length will make it easy to have a firm grip on any one of the 30+ different tools you want to use.

Benchmade - Adamas 275 Knife

This is a folding knife by Benchmade – a USA company that makes premium tools. They stand by their products with a limited lifetime warranty, which pretty much means that they can fix or sharpen your Adamas knife whenever you want. And that’s exactly what you want, for the price you are paying for this folding knife.

The drop point blade of this pocket knife is made from D2 steel – air-hardening tool steel with high abrasion and wear resistance. It is not 100% rust-proof, but you would have to use it in wet or humid conditions for several months in a row just to begin to experience issues with rust.

The folding knife features a pocket clip on the handle. You can actually remove the pocket clip and place it on either side of the handle, which is pretty convenient. And you also get a Cordura sheath with a belt loop, so there are several carrying options. The handle is somewhat ergonomic, features slight jimping on the thumb grip area, and it will fit comfortably in your hand.

The drop point blade is very sharp, and it should stay that way for a long time even with heavy use. After some time, you should notice microchipping on the blade – this is actually a common occurrence with D2 steel. If you prefer a smooth blade or like to sharpen your backpacking knife frequently, then I’m afraid this isn’t the right choice for you.