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A4 checklist with all illustrated steps. Tick the boxes on paper as you go.

FeatherSticks · Tools

Pocket Knives & Multitools: Choosing, Carrying and Using Them Safely

Folder, multitool or fixed blade? Pick in one minute.

Quick facts

Time
10 minutes to choose, 2 minutes of care after a trip
Difficulty
Easy; the law is the tricky part
Best for
Food, cord, tape, repairs, light carving
You need
A folder or multitool, a cloth, a drop of oil

What you need

  • Small folder (slip-joint or locking) with a blade of about 6–9 cm
  • Pliers multitool for repairs, if you carry a stove, tent or bike
  • Pouch or small case for packing the knife away
  • Small pocket stone or strop for touch-ups
  • Old toothbrush, cloth and a small bottle of oil
  • Fixed-blade bushcraft knife for wood work

Step by step

  1. Folder or fixed blade?

    1 Folder or fixed blade?

    A folder or multitool is enough for food, cord and repairs. For batoning and serious carving a fixed blade is stronger and safer.

  2. Pick the type

    2 Pick the type

    Slip-joint, locking folder, multi-blade penknife or pliers multitool: choose by the jobs you do and the rules where you carry it.

  3. Check opening and lock

    3 Check opening and lock

    Does it open with one hand, and does it lock? Both together can make it a restricted knife, for example in Germany.

  4. Handle it safely

    4 Handle it safely

    Open it with care, test the lock, cut away from the body inside your safety circle and close it with your fingers out of the blade path.

  5. Carry it packed

    5 Carry it packed

    On trains, in towns and at events keep it closed and deep in the pack. Check the current rules for your route.

  6. Clean, dry, oil

    6 Clean, dry, oil

    Brush out the pivot, dry the knife completely and add one drop of oil. Check that the lock still engages fully.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a folder like a fixed blade: batoning, prying or pushing a non-locking blade.
  • Assuming a short blade is always legal: one-hand locking knives are restricted in Germany whatever the length.
  • Carrying the knife on a clip or belt into a train, a market or an event instead of packing it away.
  • Never cleaning the pivot, so lint and sand stop the lock from seating.
  • Testing the lock by whacking the spine on a table.
  • Closing the blade with a finger in its path, or against a leg.
  • Buying a multitool for logs: the small saw is for thumb-thick sticks only.