Tramping Equipment: What knife do I need for New Zealand conditions?

My history of outdoor knives....

You do see some strange and curious sights when you are out tramping.

I was up in the Abel Tasman National Park a couple of weekends ago and was people watching while I was there. If you have been there you know that apart from the Inland Track it is the most gentle front country experience you could wish for...comfortable huts and campsites, wide accommodating track...filtered water and flushing toilets...certainly not a wilderness experience. 

Typical track conditions on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track...

While there I stopped to talk to a British couple I passed on the track to Whariwharangi Hut...they were very pleasant and seemed like they knew their stuff BUT the guy had a massive survival knife attached to his pack strap. I'm talking a ten inch full tang blade...serious steel if you like and it got me thinking.

How much knife do you need for New Zealand conditions?

Using the criteria of need to select gear

I think the best way to decide what knife you need is by applying a criteria of need: What will I use it for? What conditions will it need to endure? Is weight a factor and if so how much is to much? Do I need one knife or several? What is your tramping style?

You alone can decide your criteria....

Your tramping style...are you a 'Great Walker', Milford Track....

...an in betweener...Travers Valley track, Nelson Lakes NP...

...or a hard core bush pig...Lake Christabel (non)-Track, Victoria FP

You really need to answer these questions before acquiring any equipment. The answers must reflect your own personal tramping style, your perceived needs and requirements. 

What will I use my knife for?

You are going to need a heavier blade if your knife will be used for survival type jobs (cutting wood, splitting wood, skinning animals, shelter construction etc.). If it is going to be used for cutting tomato, cheese and salami you can go with a lighter blade.  What other functions will it serve...screwdriver....can opener....wood saw? 

Some people split wood with their knife...

Obviously choose a knife with the functions you require. What you don't need it for is fighting off wild animals like bears, wolves and crocodiles because we live in perhaps the most benign country in the world. Except for the weather....

What conditions will it need to endure?

Cold, wet, hot or humid...which weather will you use it in....stainless steel is good in wet or humid conditions but forged steel is easier to sharpen. Plastic handles work better that rubber or wood in a lot of wet New Zealand bush. Keeping your knife clean and lightly oiled also protects against hard wear. 

...it is often a little damp in New Zealand....

Choose a hard wearing knife regardless of the conditions for added longevity and one that can easily be sharpened.

The weight calculation...

Weight matters when you have to haul gear for umpteen miles...the lighter the better should be every trampers go to mantra. Why carry a heavy survival knife just because you might need it one day...NO...go for as light a blade as possible but one that does what you need it to do.

One knife or multiple knives?

Ideally the knife should work for all conditions you are going to find yourself in but this is asking a lot of any piece of equipment. Sometimes you might need a different knife for a particular trip you are undertaking so this must be taken into account. Going off track into tiger country...you might need a machete...hunting for Thar in the Southern Alps...you might need a knife optimised for skinning game. 

Try to only carry one knife if humanly possible.

Jon's individual criteria of need

So...what is my particular criteria of need?

I am primarily a tramper of the front country...moderate to easy tracks, Great Walks and civilized walkways with the odd trip into real wilderness. I am not a hard core bush pig living off the land and making natural shelters every night. I stay in huts for 90% of the time and camp 10% of the time.

Awapoto Hut...the kind of place I like to stay outdoors....

 I do equal numbers of short day trips and longer overnight trips. I am an occasional Te Araroa long trail trekker so I am weight conscious when it comes to gear. I have a moderate/high degree of bush skill which negates the need for excessive equipment and provides insight into the gear that best suits my tramping style. 

Day tramping in the Bealey Valley, Arthur's Pass

All of these factors influence the knife I carry...what I am looking for is a light weight, limited function, hard wearing, practical knife that is suitable for food preparation, easy cutting and easy repair work. This points me to a lite multi function, folding knife with a short blade and some tools added to it as my ideal candidate....

What my knife mostly does..lunch prep!!!

Need more guidance settling on a knife...here is a great article about choosing the perfect knife for your own trips...

Jon's cornucopia of cutlery.....

Here is a selection of the various knives I have used in both the past and present while outdoors...

Knives I have used in the past

I have used a variety of different knives over the years for climbing, camping, tramping and when I served in the New Zealand Army.

I sometimes carry my knife on a lanyard around my shoulders...

Here is a selection of different knives I have utilised and the purposes to which I put them.

Steyr AUG rifle bayonet

We used both SLR rifles and M16A1's rifles in the New Zealand Army but the weapon I used for most of my military service was the Steyr AUG assault rifle. With the rifle you got a rather nifty bayonet which as well as being used to stick people with had a number of general functions.

A bayonet for the Steyr AUG assault rifle

Obviously it was supposed to be a fighting knife and the bayonet and scabbard could be used as a set of wire cutters. Additionally the knife was designed as a more general purpose outdoor knife so it was used as a cutting, sawing, scraping and trimming tool. I never used mine in combat but it sure chopped up a lot of wood and opened many a can of food. As a outdoor knife I give it a 2/5. 

The Gurka style Kukri knife

The mother of one of my Army colleagues had a business importing military surplus gear into New Zealand, as well as clothing and camping gear she also imported knives. Almost everyone I knew brought a cheap version of the Gurka Kukri knife from her business and carried them on our web gear. Obviously these are fighting knives but they are also excellent general purpose field knives.

Nepalese Kukri knife similar to the one I carried in the Army

 They were heavy...about 700 gms but if you are willing to carry the weight these make awesome survival knives. They can be used for cutting & they are also great for chopping wood and shaping it...many is the time I cut down a small tree with a half dozen swings of the blade.

Never used in anger but as an impromptu axe it excelled, sadly gone now as I gave it to one of my buddies when I left the Army.  It scores 3/5.

The Rambo knife

You know what I'm talking about...back in the 1980's Rambo was the king of machismo and we all remember the ridiculously big knifes he carried. It was big, it was bad and it was defending 'merica....excessive as only the 1980's could be!!!

John Rambo wields his tiny paring knife...

My version of the Rambo knife was a Gerber...awesomely good knives but really..who needs a foot long knife. I carried this when I went outdoors for a number of years because I thought I need it, but really its not like I was going to have to "get me some commies". It was too much blade, too much weight and too damn much testosterone...so it had to go!

A Gerber 'John Rambo' style pig sticker....

Best you don't try breaking into my house as I have this bastid in the draw next to my bed...and it is sharp...real sharp...3/5


BTW.......

"It's a long road
When you're on your own
And it hurts when they tear your dreams apart
And every new town
Just seems to bring you down
Trying to find
Peace of mind
Can break your heart
It's a real war
Right outside your front door,
I tell ya...."

John finally makes it home...the proper end to the saga of Rambo....'merica....

Over time I found that I did not need to carry a large and heavy knife like the ones above as I was spending more time in huts and less time camping. It makes no sense to carry a 750gm full tang knife when all you use it for is cutting salami and cheese.

So I went for something less imposing and lighter.

The Victorinox Collection

I have been using Victorinox knifes in the outdoors for much of the past 20 odd years...they are now my go to knife manufacturer. Switzerland based Victorinox make good general purpose knives....they use quality components, they are strong and they also look stylish and chic as only the Europeans know how. I currently own five Victorinox knives. 

Victorinox Alox Swiss Army 1

I can't remember where I got this blade...I think someone gave it to me as a gift at some stage for my birthday or Christmas. I carried this knife as my main outdoor knife for nearly 10 years and never had a problem with it.

Victorinox Alox Swiss Army 1

I found that a basic knife like this fills all of the jobs I need it for....cutting cord, slicing salami and cheese, opening food packets. I can make a fire stick with this type of blade and it is good for filleting fish on the odd occasions I have one to cook. What else do you need a knife for? 4/5...

Victorinox Bantam

The only problem with the Alox knife is that it only has a blade and no other tools. Sometimes you need a can opener, or a hole punch or a screwdriver. I was researching a replacement when I found this beauty in my junk drawer. I was given this Bantam knife as a freebie when i worked a function back in my hospitality days so I though...why not!!!

This knife has 7 functions: knife, flat screwdriver, can opener, bottle opener, tweezers toothpick, key ring and wire strippers. That is all I am ever going to need when I am tramping or camping...I carried this from 2015-2019......4/5

What knife am I currently using...Victorinox Swiss Army soldiers knife

My current knife is the old reliable Swiss Army soldiers knife made by Victorinox. Swiss soldiers have been given an example of this fine knife on the first day of their military induction for the last 100 years. They have molded plastic handles now and more functions but they still have the blade, reamer and flat head screwdriver of the original. 

Victorinox Soldier, 2018 model

The modern version has nine functions: knife, saw, can opener, reamer, Phillips screwdriver, bottle opener, wire stripper and two flat head screwdriver blades. The blade is serrated and has a one handed opening action using the finger grip on the blade. The blade is much larger than that on the Bantam as I was finding that one too small for some cutting and slicing jobs. 

Victorinox Soldier, 2018 model...9 functions...larger blade...

I have had this knife for a couple of months now and have taken it on a couple of trips so far. I hope to get many years of service out of it and I'm sure it will continue to preform as these knives last for ever. No score yet, too soon...

Gerber Paraframe mini

I have a 60 mm long Gerber Paraframe mini knife in my individual survival kit..it is a blade into handle folder...super sharp!!!. Gerber knives are quality workmanship...nice easily sharpened blades and excellent as an emergency back up on day trips when I don't carry a larger knife in my kit. 

The Gerber Paraframe mini....

This beastie would only get used if I opened the emergency kit but it feels good knowing it is there. 

Other suitable alternates....

There are many, many other knives out there but here are a couple of other Victorinox products that would work just as well. I would be happy to carry any of these as my go to knife.



This is the Victorinox Adventurer which is of a similar size and function as the soldiers knife....it has a straight blade without serration.

Victorinox Adventurer...multi function knife

This is the Victorinox Ranger which is also of a similar size and function as the soldiers knife...this one has a corkscrew and a para cord attached which can be unravelled and used as a lanyard to prevent loss. 

Victorinox Ranger, 2018 model

Another option is the Trailmaster with a different shaped handle but the same functions as the Soldier knife. This one has the one handed opening serrated blade, tweezers and toothpick... 

Victoronix Trailmaster

If you like a wood finish how about the Forester Wood....same functions but with a non slip wooden handle.

Victoronix Forester Wood

Here is the knife we should probably all be carrying...the Victorinox Table. This is a simple paring knife...no fancy functions, one sharp as blade, plastic handle and no fuss. They cost about $25 at any good cutlery store and I have even seen them for sale at Hunting and Fishing, Macpac and Bivouac before.

Victorinox Table...cuts a good tomato slice!!!!

Whatever knife you decide to carry make sure it meets your criteria of need and be aware of carrying excessive weigh when it is not warranted. Above all be safe around those sharp blades....

Cheers!!!