The benchmark packable axe: hand-forged in Sweden, shaving-sharp out of the box, and sized for a rucksack – a true buy-it-for-life tool for carving, limbing, and kindling.

A US-made 1095 survival knife with a no-questions lifetime warranty — the buy-it-for-life fixed blade. Our field review of the ESEE-4.

Leatherman’s biggest tool: 21 functions, oversized pliers, full-size lockable blades, replaceable cutters, made in USA. Our field review of the heavy-duty Leatherman Surge.

A genuine 21-inch (53 cm) bow saw that folds flat and rips through logs – the packable bucksaw for winter camps and firewood-heavy trips, the saw that makes an axe optional.

A folding high-carbon-steel shovel that digs fire pits, trenches runoff, and clears snow, then packs to hand size. Our field review of the SOG entrenching tool, the best-value camp e-tool.