Camping and fishing are popular outdoor activities nowadays. It is a good time to be with nature and to take a break from facing mobile phones to have a more personal rest and face-to-face time with your family, friends or loved ones. It gives you a sense of calmness and relaxation you wouldn’t get from doing any other activities. Camping and fishing also give you time to escape the stress of city life or your stressful work and studies.
Another one of the benefits is learning some basic survival skills, and being knowledgeable on setting up your tent, cutting ropes, making wood fires and preparing food. These are all very rare skills that are not being taught in schools but can be very beneficial in real life. And for all of that, you will need a good camping knife, a solid tool that you can rely on for all of your camping tasks. While there’s a lot of different types of knives, we made a list of recommendations of which knives are best for hunting and fishing.
1. EDC KNIFE
EDC knife or “Everyday Carry” is the most common type of knife. They are usually handy to have on yourself at all times, as they can help you with everyday needs or even in some crucial situations. Their blades are sharp enough for many different uses. In terms of fishing they can be extremely useful — you can open clamshells with it, cut tangled fishing lines, cut and skin fishes, and open everything from beer bottle to a fish in prep for a barbecue. It is a little bit smaller than other camping knives but EDC knives are moderate in price.
2. FILLET KNIFE
One of the biggest problems of the knife production industry today is creating a knife that isn’t too weak to fillet or so stiff it snaps. Fillet knives are usually slim but they are sturdy, as they are best used for smaller catches but they can also handle big-game catches. Fillet knives commonly come with etched finger grips for a better hold when your hands are wet or bloody from the fish. They also have a nylon sheath which is better for tougher environments than leather and won’t be broken from water damage. These knives are mainly used for fish preparation so the only downside is that they’re not an all-in-one tool for camping trips.
3. FIXED BLADE KNIFE
Fixed blade knives are very strong and sturdy and mostly used in harder tasks in camping or fishing. They are great all-purpose fish cutting knives, the sharpness of their blade and non-serrated edge being their best features. A fixed blade knife usually has an easy to hold rubber handle, some of which are made to be shock-resistant so fishers can maintain a steady grip. They have good sizes that allow you to use them with one hand, and an asymmetrical grind that makes it easy for you to rock them on a flat surface or chopping board to cut through fish bones easily while keeping the catch steady with your other hand. This knife is good to bring on any hunting or camping trip but is most handy for a fishing trip.
4. POCKET KNIFE
This type of knife is the best all-in-one camping knife as you can literally put it and carry it anywhere. Pocket knives have blades, scissors, and a wood saw with a serrated edge. They are multi-functional and are sharp enough to cut lines as well as fish. Their built-in screwdriver can also be handy for fixing small reel problems or opening up a reel to untangle some line. The built-in wire stripper on the base of the bottle opener can also be useful when working with a fishing line. They are safe as they have collapsible features and may include a carry case. Another benefit is that you will not lose it because you can fold it after every use and keep it close to you in your pocket.
5. FOLDING CAMPING KNIFE
A folding camping knife usually has a double serrated edge and works well for cutting through just about anything from cardboard to fishing line. If you are looking for a knife that can be kept on hand and readily used to cut through the netting, fishing lines, and other cordage, this is a good option. It is built for quick tasks, but it can be used for fish preparation but may take a little bit more time and effort. Another plus point is that folding knives fit in the pocket and some of them have an index finger hole for extra stability.
6. FISH GUTTING KNIFE
Fish gutting knives are good because of the quality of the blade. Since it’s built for fishing it can resist corrosion and should resist rust spots as well. The blade can be sharpened to a very fine point and it can stay like that for a long time. Fish gutting knife blades are flexible but they work better for cleaning fish than skinning it. This kind of knife is sturdy and easy to maintain. It’s simply the best fish knife if you’re just going to use it only for that. The handle of the knife is made of a polymer that won’t lose its shape or cause discomfort after using it throughout a long day of camping and fishing.
These are just a few types of knives used in camping and fishing. You most likely still haven’t decided on what knife to purchase or use, our best advice is to think of how your camping or fishing trips usually go. What are the activities you do that you need a knife for? Do you need a handy, sturdy or a sharp one? And also you have to research and read about knives and what they are commonly used for.
Making the decision to choose an all-purpose knife may be hard, but there’s always going to be a perfect fit for you and your camping needs. You don’t need to compromise price to quality, you just have to be meticulous and put effort into getting the ones that are best for you. And once you have found the best knife for you, just make sure that you’ll clean it and take care of it properly so that it can last and be used for a long time.
