Our EDC knife is a convenient tool that we rely on in our day-to-day lives, but when it comes to adventures in the wilderness our knife is more than a convenience, it's a lifeline! When we spend time in the great outdoors, knives serve as a means of processing wood to help start fires or craft things, help prepare wild harvested or prepacked food, and can assist in a number of potential emergency situations. Though heavy use during all these processes even knives made from the most premium steel options can show signs of wear that can ultimately damage your knife or reduce functionality.

Exposure to corrosive materials such as salt water and acidic components of plants and animals knife blades can quickly develop rust. The blade edge is also live to see a good bit of wear while constantly processing wood and may even become chipped if you hit a hard knot in the wood or a bone while processing an animal. Having the right tools with you in the field will ensure that, even if you encounter these situations, your knife will be ready to perform when you need it! While it's not practical to carry an entire guided sharpening system in your backpack, it is easy to create a compact kit to get your knife maintenance done anywhere!

When it comes to creating your compact maintenance kit, size and weight are your biggest considerations. Are you an ultralight enthusiast and want to carry as little as possible? Or are you comfortable carrying a small pouch in your pack to give you more functionality? This article will show off two of my personal kits. One is ultralight and minimalist and the other is a little more robust and functional.

Ultralight Maintenance Kit

When you want to be able to move as fast as possible in the wilderness, weight matters! The less weight you are carrying the faster you can move and you can cover more distance with less fatigue! To keep things simple I have created an ultralight maintenance kit that also holds a small fixed blade knife! This compact kit weighs in at only 5.61 ounces over all and can easily be slipped into my pocket or a small compartment in my pack.

PNWBUSHCRAFT EDC Travel Tray: This is the component that holds it all together, and it also doubles as a clean dry surface I can do any of my maintenance on. When in travel mode it neatly houses all the other components, and when I'm ready to do maintenance it unsnaps to create a flat surface or can be snapped into a tray so you don’t have to worry about losing anything!

Sagewood Gear Pocket Strop: This super compact micarta strop weighs next to nothing, but is the perfect size for honing the edge of your small fixed blade or folding knife. Despite its lightweight the micarta base is robust and will not break during carry and use!

KPL Original Lube: Original KPL is the perfect solution to keeping your outdoor folding knife pivot from jamming up with dirt and grime! A few drops is all you need to keep your pivot operating at peak performance, plus it can also double as honing oil in a pinch. 

Wazoo Viking Whetstone: The Wazoo Viking Whetstone is made out of a naturally occurring stone called Novaculite. This is a stone that has been traditionally used to sharpen knives and Wazoo has brought it to market as a stylish necklace that will sharpen your knives, fish hooks, and more! I have modified mine to remove the leather cord and used a ranger band to secure it to my Knives By Nuge Wicket sheath.

Robust Field Maintenance Kit 

For longer outdoor adventures and camping trips you may have the room and weight carrying capacity to have a more robust kit and adding more functional items is never a bad idea for longer trips! This set up incorporates all the elements from my ultralight kit while adding a few more tools. This allows me to leave the main kit at my base camp and just grab the ultralight kit if needed and allows the maintenance of larger knives, especially those used in food or game prep!

Larger Pouch: Any pouch large enough to hold both your Ultralight kit as well as your additional items will do. I am using a large PNWBUSHCRAFT Zipper Pouch as I appreciate the robust durability and water resistance of waxed canvas.

Worksharp Guided Field Sharpener: This is one of my favorite portable sharpening systems. It had both fine and coarse stones, a ceramic rod, and a small strop. The Guided Field Sharpener provides 20 degree guides so you can ensure that you are getting an even functional edge every time!

KPL Knife Shield: Your one stop shop for cleaning and rust protection! A few sprays and a cloth is all you need to clean any pine sap, fish guts, and food residue off your outdoor knives. Not only does Knife Shield clean your knives it leaves an invisible barrier of rust prevention on your blade so you can confidently carry and use your knife in the harshest environments.

Final Thought

I have used both these kits for sometime now and they have always served me well! As is they will cover most of your outdoor maintenance needs, but you can add or subtract things to suit your individual needs! As a thank you to our readers we would like to extend you a special discount code "Black Flag" for KPL pivot lubes, Knife Shield, or anything else on the website!