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A knife is arguably one of the most important tools for camping, survival, and bushcraft. Without a knife, you will struggle to thrive in the wild therefor a knife is an essential item for your backpack. A good bushcraft knife is ultimately something that will serve multiple purposes. A durable bushcraft knife will cut meat and veg neatly for cooking but also have enough weight to chop through wood for splitting and creating feather sticks for fire building.

What Makes a Good Bushcraft Knife?

A good bushcraft knife has to be made from high-quality steel that can withstand the elements without rusting or breaking. You will usually find this type of outdoor knife made from high-quality stainless steel that can hold a super-sharp edge for a long time without becoming dull. A knife that holds a good edge is essential for fire preparation, food prep, and preparing fish or game for cooking (skinning, scaling, and gutting).

There is no one knife that will work for every situation however a bushcraft knife should be durable enough to use for most camping and survival purposes. Having a well-designed bushcraft knife will eliminate the need for carrying multiple utensils and tools when you hit the trails hiking, head off the trails to practice survival, or trek into the field for a hunting or fishing trip.

A bushcraft knife will have an ergonomic grip that gives you a good hold and great stability when skinning animals, scaling fish, carving wood, and splitting timber. It should be highly functional and hold up to the wear and tear of outdoor life which means the blade should be quite thick and heavy and slim down sharply at the cutting edge.

In this article, we have five of the very best bushcraft knives for all of your outdoor needs. There is something for everyone on this list, from high-quality Swedish budget blades, beautifully crafted fixed blades, and versatile folding blades. These knives are all crafted by reputable brands and are highly regarded for their brilliant build-quality and excellent designs. Enjoy!

What Are the Best Bushcraft Knives for the Money?

Best Bushcraft Knife on a Budget

The Morakniv Bushcraft Knife is a 4.3-inch knife suitable for use in the wild when practicing survival and bushcraft. This is a great all-round knife that is an excellent choice for bushcraft, don’t let its low price point make you think it is a poor-quality article, this knife is one of the best! Mora knives are a world-renowned Swedish knife brand that have been producing knives in the town of Mora since 1891. They make excellent outdoor bushcraft, survival, and carving knives and they are famous for how well their blades hold an edge.

Morakniv uses stainless Sandvik steel that is highly resistant against dirt, salt, and moisture, making them perfect for use in marine, fishing, outdoor, and hunting applications. This particular bushcraft knife has an ergonomically-designed handle, features a pre-sharpened 4.3-inch blade, and a durable plastic sheath with belt slip. Like all of Morakniv’s products, this knife comes with a lifetime manufacturer warranty – an amazing bonus when you consider how cheap this bushcraft knife is!

Most Durable Bushcraft Knife for the Money

The JEO-Tec No31 Bushcraft Survival Knife is a high-quality tool that can be enjoyed by hunters, fishermen, survivalists, and wild-campers. This knife is a must-have for the hunter, fisherman, or outdoor enthusiast that finds themselves in the wilderness more than they are indoors. It comes in two designs, one with an ergonomic polished Mikarta handle, and the other with a cocobolo natural wood handle. Both are absolutely stunning, but the polished Mikarta version is more comfortable in the hand and can be abused in the wilderness a little more without tarnishing the finish of the knife.

Both variants of this knife come with a leather sheath with an incorporated, easily accessible firesteel included. All of JEO-TEC’s outdoor knives are extensively tested for durability and they guarantee superior build-quality and outstanding design. The No31 has a 4.5-inch blade that is constructed from Molybdenum-Vanadium 58 which is a stainless steel that holds its edge extremely well and is resistant to the daily wear and tear of outdoor life. This is the knife for you if you are serious about bushcraft and life in the outdoor world.

Best Wooden Handled Bushcraft Knife

The JEO-Tec No39 Bushcraft Survival Knife is a durable bushcraft knife that comes with a beautiful leather sheath complete with a sharpening stone and firesteel. It comes in two different variants, the No39 with cocobolo exotic wood handle with leather sheath and the No39 with black Kydex handle and Kydex sheath. The exotic wood handle with the leather sheath is especially beautiful and is the variant I personally prefer.

Similar to the No31, this knife is made from high-quality materials and is beautifully crafted using Molybdenum-Vanadium 58 stainless steel. If differs from the previous blade in design and blade style. The No39 features a blade length of 5.7 inches and a handy finger groove just before the plunge line on the leading edge. This finger groove gives you more control when carving wood or processing animals for cooking (skinning and gutting rabbits for example).

Best Damascus Steel Bushcraft Knife

The Hobby Hut HH-402 Damascus Bushcraft Knife is a low-cost knife that is massively underpriced. At under $50 this knife almost made it into the budget knife section, however, its high-quality true Damascus blade gave it the right to be placed here. There are plenty of other knives on the market that claim to be Damascus that are four or five times the price of this one, but this one wins in build-quality and durability.

This knife features a genuine full tang design which gives the user ultimate strength and durability for all of your bushcraft needs. This knife may just be too beautiful to use for splitting wood and making feather sticks for fires, but it will give you a super-sharp edge for prepping food and processing game meat. The blade is 100% hand forged and sharpened so you will get an insanely sharp edge straight out of the box. This knife is a bushcraft knife however it is definitely more suited to the hunter or kept for skinning, scaling, gutting, and food prep rather than an all-round outdoors knife.

Best Folding Bushcraft Knife

The Buck Folding Selkirk Survival Knife is a folding knife that is suitable for all your bushcraft needs. Buck makes excellent knives with brilliant build-quality and this knife is no different. I have used Buck for years, they hold their edge well, are always reliable, and hold up well after years of strenuous use. This folding knife has a 4-inch blade that has a simple and strong design that is effective and reliable. It is made from 420HC stainless steel and it holds up well with outdoor use and is highly corrosion-resistant.

If you are looking for a locking, folding blade to keep safely in your pocket during hiking, camping, or bushcraft then this may well be the knife you need. It comes complete with a nylon sheath that can be attached to a belt and the sheath also carries a 2 ¼ inch firesteel for easy access. This is a great compact kit for the lightweight backpacking hiker or the bushcrafter that needs a discrete foldable knife that is suitable for all manner of uses.