What kind of knife will you need for camping?

Going camping requires a lot of preparation to ensure a safe and comfortable trip. Packing the right camping knife will be useful in many situations.

There’s nothing like getting out into the great outdoors and doing some serious camping. You can recharge your batteries, take time to reflect and get some fresh air. But the key to a great camping trip is the right amount of preparation. One of the cornerstones of a great camping experience is a good camping knife. In fact, there’s virtually no situation in which you won’t want to take a knife camping.

Here are some things to consider before purchasing your camping knife.

If you're not sure why you might need a camping knife, consider some of the situations where it will come in handy:

• The first, most obvious thing you’re going to want to think about is food preparations. Whether you’re cutting up vegetables or spreading butter, you’ll want a knife to do the job. Just about every bit of cooking and eating you’ll do while camping will require a knife.
• If you plan on eating any wild game while you’re out there, you’ll need a knife to skin and gut it.
• Fishing requires a knife for a whole series of things including  cleaning the fish and cutting fishing line.
• Retrieving and cutting up kindling for your fire often requires the use of a knife.

There are so many types of knife out there that you might even need to bring multiple styles with you when you go camping:

• General purpose knife: Bring along a general purpose knife for food and opening packaging. You’ll almost certainly also want a Swiss army-style knife, as the different utilities on it cover an innumerable number of camping needs, from opening cans and bottles to filing your nails.
• Multi-function: Nowadays, you can even get multi-function, utility-style forks and spoons with the extra pieces folded into the handles.
• Hunting knife: If you plan to do some hunting, you’re going to want a hunting knife or a buck knife.
• Fishing knife: If you’re going fishing, don’t forget that fishing knife at home.

When you're getting ready for your next camping trip, take a few minutes to think ahead to what you'll want to do while out there and which camping knife is going to come in handy for you.