7 Best Survival Knives of 2024

Another year, another camping season.

It’s time to take your outdoor gear from the closet, air out your tent and check up on what needs repairing and what needs replacing, including your trusty outdoor survival knife!

Just in case your old knife is no longer up to the task or if, like us, you just can’t get enough of adding more to your collection, here are 9 of the best outdoor survival knives you must check out and add to your load-out ahead of the 2024 camping season, from old old classics to new and improved models!

Let’s jump right in.

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Morakniv Garberg

© The Gadgeteer

Steel: Stainless Sandvik 14C28N | Carbon 1095

Grind: Scandi

Tang: Full tang

Blade Length: 4.25"| 10.9 cm

Blade Thickness: 0.13” | 3.2 mm

Weight: 5.98 oz | 169 g

Made in: Sweden

Morakniv knives are made for pure efficiency first and aesthetics second. 

No other model in their lineup summarises this better than the Garberg, without a doubt one of the best budget-friendly survival knives available on the market today!

Whether you need a knife for bushcraft or for heavier tasks around camp, the Garberg can take care of it; the scandi grind and mid-sized blade make it a great option for carving and feathering, while the full tang and chunky width make it suitable for light batoning and chopping. The blade also features a 90° angle on the spine, allowing it to be used to throw sparks with a fire-steel. 

The Garberg is made from Sandvik 14C28N, a Swedish recycled stainless steel that offers amazing corrosion resistance while still being easy to sharpen and maintain. A carbon version made from 1095 steel is also available, coated in black finish to protect it from rust. No version is necessarily superior to the other, but we find that the corrosion resistance of the stainless option to be more useful that the slightly easier to sharpen carbon alternative. 

When it comes to ergonomics, the Morakniv Garberg is extremely comfortable to hold, even with gloves, and the textured plastic handle offers a solid grip even when in wet and humid conditions. 

Finally, the Garberg comes with a basic polymer sheath that does a perfect job at keeping the knife secure without any play or rattle. The sheath comes with a simple belt loop or a multi-mount attachment, which is useful to carry your knife in different positions or strapped on your backpack.

If it wasn’t clear enough already, we absolutely love the Garberg. It’s the knife in our collection that gets the most outdoor time, and the size and weight make it the perfect tool for the kind of camp and bushcraft work that most people will realistically be doing.

ESEE-4

© ESEE

Steel: Carbon 1095 | Stainless S35VN

Grind: Flat grind

Tang: Full tang

Blade Length: 4.25"| 11.6 cm

Blade Thickness: 0.188″ | 4.6mm

Weight: 5.98 oz | 210 g

Made in: USA

If you’re looking for a reliable knife that will survive literally (and we mean literally) anything you can throw at it and then just continue performing like it was nothing, then the ESEE 4 might be the ideal choice for you.

First of all, the knife is extremely ergonomic and well balanced, even if a little on the heavy side; the large micarta handle provides plenty of space even for larger hands, and offers a secure grip even when wet or muddy. It’s also a full tang with a thickness of 1.25”, making it ideal for chopping and batoning. 

Where the ESEE 4 performs well but doesn’t necessarily shine, however, is with bushcraft; The knife’s flat grind and large belly make it an absolutely terrifying slicer, but the weight can make fine precision work a little challenging.

As we mentioned, the ESEE 4 is made of 1095, a basic but reliable carbon steel that is extremely easy to maintain and keep razor-sharp, and is coated in a black finish to protect it from rusting. 

Alternatively, you can now also get yourself an ESEE 4 made of S35VN stainless steel, a higher quality compared to 1095 but more difficult to sharpen. The stainless steel version is also considerably more expensive, so think carefully about which one would best suit your needs.

The knife comes with a modular kydex sheath that can be carried both vertically and horizontally, depending on your preference. It works as well as expected and does a great job at keeping the knife locked in place when sheathed. 

The ESEE 4 is an absolute American classic. Whether you’re searching for your first outdoor survival knife or just want to add it to your collection, you can’t go wrong with this one. 

TOPS B.O.B.

© TOPS

Steel: Carbon 1095

Grind: Scandi

Tang: Full tang

Blade Length: 4.75"| 11,7 cm

Blade Thickness: 0.190" | 5 mm

Weight: 9.6 oz | 281 g

Made in: USA

Sometimes you buy an outdoor survival knife because it outperforms everything else, sometimes you buy because it is just so cool.

That is the case with the TOPS B.O.B, a knife that is heavier and thicker than an ESEE 4, and about twice as expensive. But man do we love it!

Apart from the fact that it looks incredible, what makes this knife so much fun to use is how well it can be used for chopping and batoning; the scandi grind bites through wood as if it was nothing, while the thickness of the blade and the heavy weight easily split small logs and branches. This is the definition of a beater knife, a tool that is made to take all the abuse you can throw at it and simply shrug it off. 

However, it’s not perfect; the heavy weight for its size can make it a little uncomfortable to carry on your belt for long periods of time, which is why the B.O.B. comes with a modular kydex sheath that can also be carried horizontally, scout-style, to better balance the weight. Its size will also affects how long you’ll be able to use it for bushcraft before it starts to tire you out. 

It’s also really expensive, costing $300. In that price range there are definitely other alternatives you could find that perform just as well, have better steel than the B.O.B.’s 1095 and weigh less. 

Still, we struggle to think of a knife that is so much fun to use around camp. Even when considering its drawbacks, the TOPS B.O.B. is an extremely efficient survival knife that is just too awesome to skip!

Cold Steel SRK

Steel: Carbon SK-5w

Grind: Sabre

Tang: Full tang

Blade Length: 6”| 15.4 cm

Blade Thickness: 0.190" | 5 mm

Weight: 8.2 oz | 215 g

Made in: Taiwan

For beginners looking for their first serious outdoor survival knife, the Cold Steel SRK is an amazing choice.

This classic American knife is a favourite of outdoor professionals, and is pretty much unbeatable in its price range!

The SRK’s impressive 6” blade is made of SK-5w, a high quality carbon steel that holds a razor sharp edge and is easy to touch up in the field. Like most carbon steel survival knives, the blade is coated with a black finish that protects it from corrosion. 

The size of the SRK makes it a bit unwieldy when doing bushcraft and other precision work, even though the blade will have no problem slicing through wood and making feather sticks for a fire. Batoning and chopping with this knife is definitely possible given the size and weight of the blade, but be aware that the tang is not very wide (even though it is full) so it could bend or get damaged by very heavy blows. 

The handle is made of textured rubber, which provides and ideal grip in all weather conditions and is very comfortable to hold for long periods of time. It wraps entirely around the tang, without any steel protruding from the bottom. 

As for the sheath, it’s average and made of simple plastic and nylon. It’s what we would expect given the price point, and it does a decent enough job. If you want, however, replacing it with kydex or leather probably won’t cost you that much. 

All in all, while experienced hikers and campers might find more use investing in a lighter or better performing alternative, we find that the Cold Steel SRK is definitely one of the best options available for beginners looking to get their hands on their first proper survival outdoor knife for their camping outings!

Fallkniven A1x

© Fallkniven

Steel: Stainless CoS

Grind: Convex

Tang: Full tang

Blade Length: 6.2”| 16 cm

Blade Thickness: 0.190" | 7 mm

Weight: 14 oz | 400 g

Made in: Japan

While the old Fallkniven A1 was already considered one of the best outdoor survival knives in the world, the A1x comes with some significant improvements over the previous model that make it an incredibly useful tool for expert campers and hikers.

For the blade Fallkniven has opted to move away from VG10 in favour of CoS stainless steel, perhaps because of certain claims over the years that the VG10 would chip under heavy stress. In any case, CoS is a high-end steel and performs better than VG10, even though we’ve never had any issues with our old A1. 

In terms of performance, the A1x works very much like an axe; this is due to the huge 7 mm spine, combined with a powerful convex edge and a ridiculous weight. You’ll have no problem using this knife for heavy batoning, chopping and splitting wood, and we’d argue that it can outperform pretty much any other knife when it comes to those tasks. 

However, it does struggle quite a bit with bushcraft; while it holds an incredibly sharp edge, the weight and length of the blade make it difficult to do precision work, and it will quickly tire out your arm. The weight also comes into play when carrying the knife over long distances, as you’ll quickly start to feel it pull on your belt. Instead, we recommend you carry this knife in your backpack. 

Speaking of carrying the knife, we’re not big fans of the sheath. It’s pretty ugly, right-handed only and it rattles, so much so that we ended up making our own leather replacement. It’s a shame that at this price point the knife is equipped with such a subpar sheath, but luckily there is a big aftermarket with both leather and kydex options. 

Another essential point to take into consideration is the convex grind; while it holds an amazing edge, it is particularly difficult to sharpen without a good level of technique. 

All in all, the Fallkniven A1x is an incredible outdoor survival knife, but not one for beginners. It’s large, heavy, and requires an adequate level of skill to use and maintain. However, if you’re an expert looking for a single tool to carry during your outdoor expedition and to perform all of your camp tasks we can’t think of a better choice than the Fallkniven A1x! 

Becker BK2 Campanion

© Becker

Steel: Carbon 1095 Cro-Van

Grind: Flat

Tang: Full tang

Blade Length: 5.25”| 13.2 cm

Blade Thickness: 0.250" | 6.6 mm

Weight: 930 oz | 422 g

Made in: USA

While the Fallkniven is elegant, refined and is made high-end steel, all of which reflects in its price tag, the Becker BK2 is simple, big and mean-looking. This is essentially little more than a sharpened pry-bar, and it's an incredibly fun tool to use for heavy-duty camp tasks!

The BK2 excels at heavy chopping and batoning. It cleaves through wood extremely easily, mainly due to the enormous weight and the thick spine. In that regard, it’s actually even heavier than the A1x, even thought the spine is not as thick and the blade is slightly shorter.

And just like the A1x, you can forget doing any sort of bushcraft with this knife for more than a few minutes, the time it takes for your arm to feel like it’s about to fall off. 

Another thing the Becker BK2 is an amazing slicer. The simple flat grind and the wide belly allow it to effortlessly cut rope and other tough materials, and the 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel is a breeze to keep razor sharp. Like pretty much all carbon steel outdoor survival knives, the BK2 is coated with a black finish to protect it from corrosion. 

In terms of ergonomics, the BK2’s zytel plastic handle is relatively comfortable. It might be a little on the large side for small hands, but it’s grippy and secure even in mud and water. The scales are also easily replaceable, and there is a huge aftermarket of parts to customise the BK2 to your liking. 

The sheath the BK2 is delivered with is simple plastic, but it’s good enough to hold the knife in place with little to no play. As we mentioned, it is easy enough to replace if you wish. 

If there is any drawback to this knife is that it is just so huge. You’re not going to able to carry it for long before you start noticing the weight, and it’s a tool meant more to be used around camp rather than to brought on day hikes. With that said, the affordable price and impressively durable build also make it the perfect choice for beginners to learn how to use a large survival knife!

Gerber Strongarm

Steel: Stainless 420HC

Grind: Sabre

Tang: Full tang

Blade Length: 9.8”| 12.7cm

Blade Thickness: 0.187" | 4.75 mm

Weight: 7.2 oz | 205 g

Made in: USA

If you’ve read any other of our knife-related articles, you might know that we have a bit of love-hate relationship with Gerber.

One one hand, they are design pioneers that have made incredible contributions to the knife market, on the other they have made some questionable choices in terms of quality control and production that have seriously tarnished their reputation. 

The Gerber Strongarm is what happens when Gerber gets it right. It’s an incredibly well designed, made in the USA survival knife, with an immediately recognisable style. The textured rubber handle offers a secure and comfortable grip in all weather scenarios, while the 420HC stainless steel, full tang blade provides a good edge that is simple to touch up and re-sharpen. 

This knife performs extremely well for all types of camp tasks, even batoning and chopping. For maximum performance, we recommend you get yourself the plain edge model instead of the serrated version, as it will be easier to use and sharpen. 

The plastic sheath the Strongarm is sold with is basic but functional. As a plus point, it is also modular, allowing you to secure it to your backpack or on a molle system. 

Considering the price point, this is a very affordable survival knife for both beginners and experts. It’s one of Gerber’s best selling models, and proof that they still have what it takes to produce high-quality knives for the outdoors!

And there you have it!

These are 7 incredible knives to add to your collection in anticipation for the 2024 camping season.

Where are you planning on going this year, and which trusty blade will you carry with you? 

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