Are Survival Knives Legal in the UK?

Yes, survival knives are legal to own in the UK, but carrying them in public without a valid reason is illegal. You can legally carry a non-locking folding knife with a blade under 3 inches without justification, but anything larger, fixed, or with a locking mechanism requires you to prove a legitimate purpose—such as camping, bushcraft, or work-related tasks.

The question of knife legality in the UK confuses many outdoor enthusiasts, campers, and preppers. The laws aren’t exactly straightforward, and there’s a significant gap between what you can own at home versus what you can carry when you step out your front door. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about survival knives and UK law.

Understanding the Core UK Knife Law

The foundation of UK knife law sits in Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, which makes it an offence to possess any knife or bladed article in a public place. That sounds harsh, and it is—but there are important exceptions that every outdoor enthusiast should understand.

The law operates on a simple principle: carrying a knife in public is presumed illegal unless you fall into specific exemptions. This might feel backwards compared to other countries, but understanding this presumption helps you navigate the system.

Possession of a bladed article carries serious penalties—up to six months in a Magistrates’ Court or up to four years in Crown Court, plus potential fines. Those aren’t just theoretical numbers either. In the year ending March 2023, there were almost 18,500 cautions and convictions for possession of a knife or offensive weapon in England and Wales.

What Makes a Knife Legal to Carry Without Justification?

There’s only one type of knife you can legally carry anywhere in the UK without needing to explain yourself: a folding knife with a non-locking blade of 3 inches (7.62 cm) or less.

The classic example everyone mentions is the Swiss Army knife—your grandfather’s trusty Victorinox probably falls into this category. These knives are considered low-risk because they fold away, don’t lock open, and have small blades that serve everyday practical purposes.

But here’s where people trip up: a lock knife is not considered a folding knife, regardless of blade length, because it’s secured in the open position by a locking mechanism and isn’t immediately foldable at all times. That means even if your folding knife has a 2-inch blade but locks open, it’s treated the same as a fixed-blade knife under the law.

This catches out plenty of people who carry multi-tools. That Leatherman you’ve had on your keychain for years? Locking knives are treated the same as fixed-blade knives, which means carrying them in public without a good reason is prohibited. The same goes for any folding knife with a locking mechanism, no matter how small or innocent it appears.

The “Good Reason” Defence Explained

This is where survival knives enter the picture. While you can’t freely carry a fixed-blade survival knife or locking folder in public, it’s a defence to prove you had the bladed article with good reason or lawful authority.

What counts as a “good reason”? The law deliberately doesn’t provide an exhaustive list, because circumstances vary. Courts decide on a case-by-case basis whether your explanation holds up. But certain situations are widely accepted:

Work purposes – If you’re a chef transporting your knife roll to the restaurant, a tradesperson with a Stanley knife heading to a job site, or a forester carrying tools to manage woodland, these are legitimate work reasons.

Religious or cultural reasons – Sikhs carrying a kirpan for religious reasons or wearing traditional items as part of national costume have statutory protection.

Outdoor activities – This is the category most relevant for survival knives. When teaching or practising bushcraft, a fixed-blade knife may be required for safely carving or processing wood. Camping, fishing, hunting (where legal), and similar outdoor pursuits can all constitute good reasons.

Here’s the critical part that trips people up: it’s your responsibility to explain why you have that knife in that location at that time. You can’t assume police officers or prosecutors will understand why you need a particular knife for your hobby. The burden of proof sits squarely on your shoulders.

What Qualifies as a Survival Knife?

Before diving deeper into legality, let’s define what we’re talking about. A survival or bushcraft knife typically has a fixed blade with serrated edges and is designed for use in extreme outdoor situations, usually ranging from 5-10 inches long and sometimes featuring additional tools like fire starters, compasses, or sharpeners.

These knives are built for rugged outdoor use—processing wood, preparing food, cutting rope, and handling various camping tasks. They’re tools, not weapons, though the law doesn’t always make that distinction clearly.

The design matters. A Mora bushcraft knife with a simple wooden handle looks very different from a tactical combat knife with aggressive styling and a black finish. While both might be fixed-blade knives of similar length, one clearly serves outdoor utility purposes while the other resembles something designed for combat.

Camping and Bushcraft: Your Best Legal Ground

If you’re heading into the wilderness with a survival knife, you’re on relatively solid legal footing—provided you follow sensible guidelines.

When camping, you should ensure the knife is appropriate for camping activities such as food preparation or cutting ropes, avoid carrying knives with locking mechanisms or fixed blades unless absolutely necessary, and keep the knife stored securely when not in use rather than carrying it openly.

The key word there is “appropriate.” Taking a kitchen knife to prepare food at your campsite makes perfect sense. An average kitchen knife should suffice for food preparation, and as long as you have a tent, you can demonstrate it’s for camping and food prep.

But here’s where judgment comes in. Are you really going to need a 10-inch survival knife with a saw back for a weekend camping trip where you’re cooking pre-packed meals on a camping stove? Probably not. Could you explain that to a police officer if asked? That’s the test you should apply to yourself before you leave home.

For bushcraft and outdoor skills activities, fixed-blade knives may be required for safely carving or processing wood. If you’re attending a bushcraft course, building shelters, or practicing friction fire-lighting techniques, a proper fixed-blade knife becomes a necessary tool rather than an unnecessary risk.

What About Self-Defence?

Let’s address this immediately and clearly: self-defence is not considered a valid reason for carrying a knife in the UK.

This catches people off guard, especially visitors from countries with different laws. In the UK you have no right to carry any item, no matter how innocuous, in anticipation of using it in self-defence. Carrying a knife “just in case” something happens doesn’t fly legally.

Even if you’re hiking in remote areas where you might encounter aggressive dogs or other perceived threats, you cannot justify carrying a knife for protection. There is no reasonable justification for carrying a combat knife while camping in the UK, and the law does not permit carrying any offensive weapon, even for self-defence.

This doesn’t mean you can never use a knife in self-defence if you’re actually attacked. If an intruder enters your home and you grab a kitchen knife to defend yourself or a family member, this may be legal if the force used is considered reasonable in the circumstances as you honestly believed them to be. But there’s a world of difference between using a knife you already legally possess in an emergency situation versus carrying one specifically for potential self-defence.

Knives That Are Always Illegal

Some knives are banned outright in the UK—you cannot legally own them, let alone carry them. It’s illegal to sell, buy, hire, lend, or give someone certain types of knives.

The prohibited list includes:

• Flick knives (switchblades) – where the blade shoots out with a button press
• Butterfly knives – where the handle splits around a concealed blade
• Gravity knives – where the blade releases when you tilt the knife downward
• Disguised knives – hidden inside belt buckles, pens, lipstick tubes, or other everyday objects
• Push daggers – designed to be gripped in the fist with the blade protruding between fingers
• Zombie knives and ninja swords – added to the prohibited list in 2024 and 2025 respectively
• Throwing stars
• Kusari-gama (chain weapons)
• Knuckledusters
• Stealth knives – where the blade isn’t metal

If you own any of these, you’re committing an offence simply by possession, regardless of where you keep them or what you intend to do with them. There are some narrow exceptions for antique weapons over 100 years old, but those don’t apply to modern tactical or martial arts weapons.

Transporting Your Survival Knife Safely

One area where people get caught out is transportation. You might have a perfectly legitimate reason to own a survival knife, but carrying it from your house to your car, or driving with it in your vehicle when you’re not heading to use it, creates legal grey areas.

When transporting a new knife home from a shop, keep it in shop packaging with your receipt—this easily proves you’re transporting it home. That’s straightforward enough.

But what about when you’ve finished your camping trip and the knife is packed in your car? Technically, you could argue you’re returning from a legitimate use. However, you should remove all knives, camping axes, and similar items from your vehicle unless you’re travelling to a place where you have good reason to use them.

That might sound extreme, but consider it from a legal standpoint. If you get pulled over for a traffic violation three weeks after your last camping trip and police discover a fixed-blade knife in your boot, explaining why you still have it becomes trickier. “I forgot it was there” isn’t a robust legal defence.

The safest approach: keep the knife stored securely when not in use, such as in your backpack or camping gear, rather than carrying it openly. Don’t wear it on your belt when walking through a town to reach the wilderness. Keep it packed away and inaccessible during travel.

What About Large Knives, Machetes, and Axes?

The bigger the blade, the harder your justification needs to be. While machetes aren’t explicitly banned, you must have a clear and legitimate reason for carrying them, and machetes fall into a more tightly regulated category.

Machetes are designed for hacking through heavy undergrowth—a task there’s almost no reason to do in the UK—so it’s extremely unlikely most hikers could justify carrying one. They’re large, they look threatening, and they’ve been used in violent crimes. Police officers understandably take a dim view of people carrying machetes without rock-solid justification.

Could a professional land manager or forester carrying a machete for hedgelaying work justify it? Probably, especially if they have documentation proving their work. Would a casual camper heading out for a weekend have a good reason? Almost certainly not.

Axes and hatchets fall into a similar category. When using an axe for outdoor tasks on private land or within a structured course, this provides clear justification, though the axe should be stowed away securely when travelling to and from the activity.

Folding saws generally attract less scrutiny because they’re less likely to be perceived as weapons, but the same principles apply—have a clear purpose, keep them stored appropriately, and don’t carry them in urban environments without reason.

Age Restrictions You Should Know

Knife laws don’t just govern what you can carry—they also regulate who can buy them.

It’s an offence to sell a knife or bladed article to anyone under 18 years old. This applies to all knives, even small pocket knives that would be legal for an adult to carry without restriction.

For young people interested in bushcraft or outdoor activities, this creates a tricky situation. In the UK, individuals under 18 can use a knife for camping if supervised by an adult. So while a teenager can learn knife skills during a supervised bushcraft course or family camping trip, they cannot purchase knives themselves or carry them in public independently.

Practical Advice for Outdoor Enthusiasts

After wading through all the legal details, what should you actually do if you want to use survival knives responsibly in the UK?

Choose your knife thoughtfully. Generally, folding knives with a blade length of less than 3 inches are permitted, provided they do not lock into place. For most casual camping and hiking, a good quality Swiss Army knife or similar multi-tool without a locking blade serves you well and keeps you on the right side of the law everywhere you go.

If you need a fixed-blade knife for serious bushcraft work, make sure it looks like a tool rather than a weapon. A traditional Scandinavian-style bushcraft knife with a wooden handle and simple design is easier to justify than a black tactical knife with aggressive styling and “combat” in its name.

Be prepared to explain yourself. Always be prepared to explain why you are carrying a knife and demonstrate how it’s relevant to your task—you cannot take for granted that somebody else will know why you have a knife with you for your work or hobby.

Before you set off, ask yourself: “Could I clearly explain to a police officer why I need this specific knife for this specific trip?” If you’re heading out for a multi-day wild camping expedition where you’ll be processing firewood, preparing game, and building shelters, a fixed-blade knife makes perfect sense. If you’re car camping with a gas stove and pre-prepared meals, maybe it doesn’t.

Store and transport correctly. Keep knives secured in your backpack, not on your belt, when travelling through populated areas. Carrying your survival blade in a sheath is ideal to keep you and others safe while you travel to your camp location. When driving, keep knives packed away with your camping gear, not loose in the passenger compartment.

Don’t carry knives in inappropriate locations. Even if you have a legally carried pocket knife, taking it to football matches, pubs, nightclubs, schools, or airports is asking for trouble. There’s no reason to take a knife to a football match, a pub, nightclub, or school.

Know your local context. A private woodland where you’re practising bushcraft with permission from the landowner is different from a public park, though the legal definition of “public place” can be surprisingly broad. If you’re attending a ticketed bushcraft event on private land, that’s still considered a public place legally because the public can gain access.

What Happens If You’re Stopped?

Despite following all the rules, you might still encounter police while carrying a legal knife for a legitimate purpose. How you handle this situation matters enormously.

Be polite and cooperative. Explain clearly and calmly what you’re doing, where you’re going, and why you have the knife. Show any evidence you have—camping reservations, course bookings, land owner permission letters, or equipment that demonstrates your outdoor activity.

Don’t get defensive or argumentative. The way the law is applied has a certain amount of discretion on the part of both police and courts—you may receive a police caution and have a bushcraft knife confiscated, but if you’re found with a combat knife or other offensive weapon you may well be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

Police officers aren’t mind readers, and most don’t have detailed knowledge of bushcraft or outdoor pursuits. Your job is to help them understand that you’re a responsible person engaged in a legitimate activity, not someone carrying a weapon with ill intent.

The Bigger Picture: Why These Laws Exist

It’s easy to feel frustrated by UK knife laws, especially if you’re passionate about bushcraft, survival skills, or outdoor activities. Many people in the community believe the laws are too restrictive and treat responsible users the same as criminals.

Both carrying a knife in a public place and having an offensive weapon in public carry maximum penalties of up to four years’ imprisonment. These aren’t trivial laws—they reflect genuine concerns about knife crime and public safety.

The laws aim to strike a balance: allowing legitimate uses while reducing the carrying of knives in circumstances where they serve no practical purpose. Whether you agree with where that balance sits is a personal judgment, but understanding the legal reality helps you make informed decisions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Looking at real cases and forum discussions, certain mistakes come up repeatedly:

Forgetting the knife is there. Forgetfulness alone cannot amount to a good reason, though it may if combined with other factors like having the knife for legitimate work purposes. The law expects you to know what you’re carrying.

Assuming camping automatically justifies any knife. Campers and hikers do not have special dispensation to carry camping knives—they must adhere to UK knife laws, ensuring the knife is appropriate, legal, and its use justifiable. Being a camper doesn’t give you blanket permission to carry whatever you want.

Carrying “just in case”. Having a survival knife in your bug-out bag that lives in your car “just in case” doesn’t qualify as a good reason. It’s very easy to think that if you’d use a bug-out bag, normal laws wouldn’t apply and taking serious knives for survival would be acceptable, but this isn’t the case.

Buying knives abroad and bringing them home. Be very cautious when purchasing knives abroad—even mainland Europe has very different laws, and you can buy things there that would be illegal to bring back to the UK.

Leaving knives in vehicles permanently. Your car isn’t a safe storage locker for knives. If you’re not actively travelling to or from an activity where you need the knife, remove it from your vehicle.

Regional Differences Within the UK

This article focuses primarily on English and Welsh law, but it’s worth noting that there’s no such thing as overall UK law—Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own versions, especially regarding weapons and weapon ownership, which can differ substantially.

If you’re camping or hiking in Scotland or Northern Ireland, check the specific laws for those jurisdictions. The principles are broadly similar, but details vary.

Final Thoughts

So, are survival knives legal in the UK? Yes—but with significant caveats and responsibilities attached.

You can legally own survival knives. You can use them for legitimate outdoor pursuits. You can transport them to and from appropriate locations. What you cannot do is carry them in public without a clear, justifiable reason that you can explain and defend if questioned.

The law places the burden on you to be thoughtful, responsible, and prepared to justify your decisions. For genuine outdoor enthusiasts engaged in camping, bushcraft, fishing, or similar activities, this shouldn’t be an insurmountable challenge. Choose appropriate knives, store them sensibly, carry them only when necessary, and be ready to explain your purposes clearly.

Many people successfully use fixed-blade survival knives for years in the UK without any legal issues because they follow these common-sense principles. The key is treating knives as the serious tools they are, understanding your legal responsibilities, and acting with consideration for both the law and the wider public.

When in doubt, stick to a non-locking folding knife under 3 inches for everyday carry, and save your larger survival knives for genuine outdoor adventures where they serve a real purpose. That approach keeps you legal, safe, and able to enjoy the outdoors without worry.