Why You Should Be Carrying a Folding Utility Knife (If You Aren’t)

You know the EDC junkies? You know, the people that carry stuff just because it’s cool? These are the guys that carry ballistic nylon bug-out bags with MOLLE webbing and carry $350 pry tools.

They also inevitably carry a folding utility knife (perhaps more than one, in accordance with the old adage). But they aren’t the only people that do, and you don’t need to fall into the commercial trap of “EDC” essentials just because you do.

In fact, there are many, many good arguments in favor of carrying a folding utility knife. Here are just a few of the reasons that you should be – if you aren’t yet.

For one, it’s just about preparedness. With a quality folding utility knife (especially one with a lock) there’s so much you can do.

Packages will stand no chance. Need to perform some basic camp food prep? Trim something in the field? Got some annoying, loose threads? Need to cut a shooting lane? Pry a staple out of a 2×4?

A folding utility knife can do all of these things and hundreds others in the mix. Perhaps more – and that is no exaggeration. Only once you carry a knife every day will you realize how many times you instinctively reach for it when you need to cut or remove something.

But there are other things you can do with a folding utility knife that are much more consequential. For instance, with a knife with a square spine you can strike a fire. You can carve basic camp tools with a good one. You can prepare bait, filet fish, and clean small game. You can even use a good folding utility knife as an extraction tool – God forbid, though.

It all comes down to basic emergency (and general) preparedness. There’s a reason that “knife” has topped more lists of “most essential tools” than any other. It’s because they’re – wait for it – most essential.

But there are other reasons to carry a folding utility knife, say, over a big fixed camp knife. Not that a camp knife isn’t versatile and capable. There are just advantages to the former.

For one, they’re discreet. For better or for worse, fixed blades are intimidating and can attract unwanted attention. Small, folding utility knives rarely if ever do.

They are also less regulated. Most folding utility knives can be carried in public without fear of violating some lesser, draconian code. And there are models without locks that can be carried in areas where there are restrictions on locking knives.

And then, there is the accessibility. Folding knives don’t need a sheath and most feature pocket clips so they can be carried in a pocket, on a pack, or anywhere in between.

That, in a nutshell, is why you should be carrying a folding utility knife – if you aren’t yet.

Where to Get a Folding Utility Knife

In the market for a new folding utility knife? Check out White Mountain Knives. They carry a wide range of folding knives (and other tools) and the best brands, such as CIVIVI, ZT, Artisan Cutlery, Buck, Cold Steel, Spyderco, Benchmade, Gerber, Schrade, Kershaw (and countless others) are well-represented. Check out their online catalog today to find one that’s right for you.