While it might not seem like a huge development in the world of everyday carry (EDC) or pocket tools, as far as we can tell, Opinel, the venerable French knife manufacturer, has created the world’s first folding vegetable peeler. Part of the brand’s new Nomad Kit, created for trekkers and travelers to have easily accessibly on-the-go camp cooking essentials, the No. 6 Pocket Peeler allows campers and outdoorsman to make quick work of vegetables, apples, potatoes, and anything else that needs peeling.
The three stainless steel tools in the Nomad Kit — the four-and-three-quarters-inch No. 12 Serrated Folding Knife, the four-inch No. 10 Folding Corkscrew Knife, and the No. 6 Pocket Peeler— are all made at Opinel’s factories in France and come with a small beechwood cutting board and microfiber cloth that doubles as a dish towel.
The cloth also sports three loops in which to store the tools and an exterior string that allows you to wrap the whole thing up into one package via the Japanese Furoshiki method, making it both easy to locate in a crowded pack and light enough to carry on even the longest of multi-day hikes.
One of the added benefits of the Nomad Kit, aside from the amazing fold-out peeler, is that both of the set’s knives can be used for purposes outside of cooking, such as sawing through small branches to create kindling or splicing lines for tie-downs. Both knives are designed and crafted with the same strength, and durability of every other Opinel product.
At $85, some might pass off the Nomad Kit as being too costly for what it contains, but they would be wrong. Since Opinel’s knives are some of the sharpest, most long-lasting and functional pocket knives out there, the years of potential use a hiker or backpacker can get out the Nomad Kit will more than make up for the initial investment.
To complement the knives of your Nomad Kit, consider investing in a great multi-tool to carry alongside for those moments when scissors, a screwdriver, or a nail file are necessary.
