The Best Bushcraft Knives for Survival

The backcountry is seldom a forgiving place — weather changes in an instant, the terrain offers challenges unheard of in our modern lives. That’s why outdoor enthusiasts appreciate the value of reliable gear. A dry sleeping bag on a cold, wet night can mean the difference between waking up refreshed in the morning and… hypothermia.

A quality blade can be just as important. Whether you’re dressing game in the field or cutting wood to build an impromptu shelter, a top-notch bushcraft knife is key to a successful date with Mother Nature, even when her mood turns foul. Here are nine we’d trust with our lives.

— Tanner Bowden and Hayley Helms contributed to this guide.

Best Overall Bushcraft Knife

Cold Steel

Cold Steel SRK (SK-5)

Specs

Blade Length	5 inches
Blade Material	Carbon steel with black Tuff-Ex finish
Blade Type	Plain edge, clip point
Handle Material	Kray-Ex
Weight	5.1 ounces

• $69.99 at coldsteel.com

Cold Steel offers some of the best knives engineered for tactical uses. The SRK series is often used by Navy SEALS and tactical law enforcement personnel, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great first-time knife that anyone can rely on. The nicely priced SK-5’s carbon steel construction is tough and reliable, sacrificing neither quality or usability. The handle is robust, sturdy and easy to work with for beginners learning to handle a knife. Plus, at five ounces, it hardly weighs anything, so you can carry it all day and forget it’s there… till you need it most.

Best Premium Bushcraft Knife

Benchmade

Benchmade Leuku

Specs

Blade Length	5.19 inches
Blade Material	CPM-3V steel
Blade Type	Drop point, flat grind, plain edge
Handle Material	Santoprene
Weight	5.31 ounces

• $180 at Bernal Cutlery

To make a versatile, long-bladed bushcraft knife for a wide range of outdoor-oriented tasks, Benchmade found inspiration in the knives used by indigenous Scandinavians known as the Sámi people. The characteristics the Leuku pulls from those knives include its long, broad blade and a handle that’s super grippy, even when it’s wet. The Leuku’s blade is shorter than Sámi knives at 5.19 inches, and its handle is a synthetic material called Santoprene instead of birch, but it functions all the same and only weighs 5.3 ounces.

Benchmade built the Leuku with a flat-grind, drop-point blade made of a high-end steel type called CPM-3V. One of this steel’s characteristics is its high toughness, which describes a blade’s ability to withstand sudden impacts that might cause it to crack or chip — that makes the Leuku perfect for chopping and hacking. The steel also has high edge retention, so it’ll stay sharp longer, too.

Best Budget Bushcraft Knife

Amazon

Morakniv Companion

Specs

Blade Length	4.1 inches
Blade Material	12C27 stainless steel
Blade Type	Drop point, plain edge
Handle Material	Rubber
Weight	4.1 ounces

• $14.99 at Amazon
  $21.99 (32% off)

Don’t let the simple construction of the Morakniv Companion fool you — this is one capable blade that can prep meat for dinner or cut tinder for the campfire. It’s made of Swedish stainless steel for a sharp, durable tool that’ll resist rust in whatever outdoor environment you tackle. A TPE rubber handle is soft yet creates a lot of friction for a solid grip. It comes with a polymer sheath featuring a clip that can attach to a pack or belt. Best of all, right now you can get one for 15 bucks.

Best Folding Bushcraft Knife

Amazon

CRKT Parascale

Specs

Blade Length	3.19 inches
Blade Material	D2 steel
Blade Type	Plain edge, drop point
Handle Material	Glass-reinforced nylon
Weight	5 ounces

• $129.99 at Amazon

Sometimes, the best blade is a folding one. Expert knife designer TJ Schwarz built a paracord-wrapped folding knife that enhances grip and functions like most folders you’ve come to know. Thanks to CRKT’s Deadbolt locking mechanism (which employs steel bolts to lock the blade in place) and one-button disengagement, the open blade is sturdy enough to take on rigorous bushcraft tasks. Packing roughly four feet of paracord, it’s a unique tool you can rely on miles from anything resembling civilization.

Best Heavy-Duty Bushcraft Knife

Amazon

KA-BAR Becker BK2 Campanion

Specs

Blade Length	5.25 inches
Blade Material	1095 Cro-Van steel
Blade Type	Plain edge, drop point, flat grind
Handle Material	Grivory
Weight	16 ounces

• $113.99 at Amazon
  $123.54 (8% off)

This is the big boy of the group, weighing in at a full pound. The BK2 Companion will hack the crap out of kindling and skin game with ease thanks to its 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel, which is infused with chrome/vanadium carbides for added strength and wear resistance. The black Grivory handle has front and rear guards for safety under hard use, and you can even remove the handle scales and use the full-tang blade as a spear attachment.

Best Wooden Handle Bushcraft Knife

Amazon

JEO-TEC Nº15

Specs

Blade Length	5.51 inches
Blade Material	Böhler N690 Cobalt with HRC 56-58
Blade Type	Plain edge, drop point
Handle Material	Micarta, Cocobolo wood
Weight	14.1 ounces

• $129.95 at Amazon

Jeo-Tec produces knives for anglers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts who need a sharp edge that’ll get the job done. Designers have taken great care to ensure their blades function under rough outdoor conditions, and the No 15 can handle them all. The blade is constructed of razor-sharp Böhler steel for excellent performance and superior corrosion resistance. But this knife isn’t all about work — with an option for a handle wrapped in Cocobolo wood from Central America, it’s pretty enough for a display case, too.

Best Craftsmanship Blade Bushcraft Knife

Amazon

Fallkniven A1

Specs

Blade Length	6.3 ounces
Blade Material	VG-10 steel
Blade Type	Drop point, plain edge
Handle Material	Kraton
Weight	11.3 ounces

• $206.92 at Amazon

Some of the finest knives in the world come from Sweden, and Fallkniven’s A1 is no exception. It surpasses international standards for security capabilities and strength, making it a beast in the backcountry. The full tang, laminated VG-10 steel blade can chop, cut and shave with the best of them. An option for a black coating made from CeraKote, a Teflon and ceramics paint used on military equipment, prevents reflection and corrosion.

Best Tactical Blade Bushcraft Knife

Amazon

ESEE 5

Specs

Blade Length	5.25 inches
Blade Material	1095 carbon steel
Blade Type	Drop point, serrated, plain edge
Handle Material	Micarta
Weight	16 ounces

• $176.23 at Amazon

Military SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) instructors designed the ESEE-5 as a downed pilot’s survival knife, so this tool is born to tackle gnarly situations. The ergonomic grip is made of Micarta so it’s durable and feels good in the hand for stabbing, cutting and slashing. The carbon steel blade is coated to prevent rusting, a must when you’re spending weeks exposed to the elements. In other words, you can rest easy knowing you can rely on this blade in the most desperate of circumstances.

Best Large Blade Bushcraft Knife

Amazon

Buck Knives 119 Special

Specs

Blade Length	6 inches
Blade Material	420 HC steel
Blade Type	Trailing point, plain edge
Handle Material	Phenolic
Weight	7.5 ounces

• $74.99 at Amazon
  $79.99 (6% off)

The 119 Special is one behemoth of a knife that is as solid as it looks. It’s constructed of 420HC (high carbon) steel for a long-lasting edge and, at 10.5 inches in total length, can tackle just about any task you come across. Even so, this knife won’t weigh you down — at only 7.5 ounces, it’s a relatively easy carry, even on your belt. Lastly, if the fact that Buck Knives has been constructing quality blades in the United States for more than 100 years doesn’t earn your trust, this bushcraft knife’s lifetime warranty will.

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