At its core, a field knife can be best described as a robust fixed blade built for general outdoor tasks. To serve its duty in the field – whether it’s camping, gearing up for a hunt, backpacking, or general survival – a field knife must be a reliable, all-purpose tool.
Because it will be expected to stand up to hard use like potentially harvesting and splitting small kindling, setting camp, chopping, and slicing, the field knife is usually built with a full tang and sturdy construction. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, and some sturdy folders or replaceable blade knives can serve as reliable field knives, too.
Though there are other variables, the most common blade lengths for a field knife fall in the realm of 5 to 7 inches. Field knives are small enough to be carried on a belt or stowed in a pack, yet of sufficient size to be a workhorse. Field knives come in many different types of blade designs, though some of the most common include clip or drop points. A field knife, in general, uses a hulkier, wider blade than a tactical or fighting knife. Whether right or wrong, field knives are often called upon to fulfill tasks many consider outside the realm of a knife.