Hunters and outdoor folks are a hearty lot. As such, they appreciate preparedness. Being ready in the field means having the right tools to survive and thrive. Aside from a quality hunting knife, there’s one tool we seldom venture without – the Kershaw Camp 10. Here’s why. 
 

What is the Camp 10?

Kershaw’s Camp 10 is a hybrid tool that melds features of a camp chopper, machete, and heavy camp knife into one wicked piece. This fixed blade uses a recurve-style 10-inch blade with a plain edge of 65Mn carbon steel. The full-tang construction ensures the tool will be up to whatever rough task you need completed. The glass-filled nylon handle adds both heft and balance with a rubberized overmold grip for a secure hold in adverse conditions. 
 

The Camp 10 weighs in just over 1.2 pounds and has an overall length of 16 inches. It ships with a glass-filled nylon sheath that features both a belt loop attachment and multiple gear straps. The Camp can be had with either a tan-and-black or gray-and-black handle. This blade also doesn’t break the bank and follows Kershaw’s pattern of making rugged but affordable knives. In the grand scheme of do-all hunting camp tools, the Kershaw is a no-brainer. 

Kershaw Quality and Warranty

Kershaw has a reputation for building quality knives and tools. The Camp 10, like most of the company’s blades, is designed in the United States, manufactured in China, and backed by a limited lifetime warranty. That warranty applies to the lifetime of the original purchaser, though that excludes normal wear and tear or abuse. For what it’s worth, Kershaw maintains a high standard of customer service and, even during pandemic shortages, shows a two-week turnaround time on warranty and sharpening work. 

Field Work

Why are we so hot on the Camp 10? The answer is simple. The tool represents an ideal balance of quality and cost, making it a bargain buy for hunters and outdoors people. It’s much easier to list tasks the Camp 10 can – rather than cannot – do. 

Need to pound a tent stake? Dig a hole? Chop small kindling? Cut paracord? Build a shelter? Split bone on a game harvest? Clear shooting lanes? Grab the Camp 10. Where we previously carried a hatchet, machete, and pocket saw, we now strap on the Kershaw. Even after hard use and just a light resharpening, the Camp 10 remains ready for more. 

The blade is powder coated in black for added protection. While we used it heavily over the course of a few months hunting land and preparing stands, there was only minor finish wear and none missing. The edge held up surprisingly well to hardcore chopping of kindling, brush cutting, digging into stony dirt, and withstood repeated whacks on bone. Unlike many related tools, the Camp 10 is as comfortable in smaller hands as it is in large ones. Even lefties will like it because the sheath can be rigged ambidextrously. 

The included sheath is ready for duty as well. It hangs well from the belt loop and can be anchored to the leg, but we prefer the gear straps, which allow the tool to be strapped to a pack or clipped to an ATV. When sheathed, the rig weighs 24 ounces in total. Multiple lanyard holes are built into both the knife and the sheath body. For a heavy-built tool, the Camp 10 is well balanced, rests easily in the hand, and swings with authority. Even in wet conditions or with sweaty palms, the textured rubberized handle is grippy. 

The Bottom Line

The only potential issue we noted is a minor one and something that many users will likely not even notice. The sheath, though sturdy and tailored to the Camp 10’s recurve shape, is not a perfect locking fit. The chopper is retained in the sheath with a snap strap, allowing slight movement when the user is running or jostling around. 

This did not hinder our use of the tool in any way, but if absolute silence was required while doing jumping jacks on a hunt with the Camp 10 on the belt, this may not be the tool for the job – though, then we will wonder exactly what kind of job you’re doing. For our uses, however, and for the price and performance, there’s none better on the market than the Kershaw Camp 10.