Gerber ‘Bear Grylls’ (BG) Ultimate Survivor Range

Bear Grylls is as an explorer and adventurer, he has served in the SAS, and after breaking his back in a parachuting accident, he fought his way back to fitness and embarked on countless expeditions including climbing Mount Everest at just 23 years old (the youngest Briton to achieve this). However, he is probably best known for his television series ‘Born Survivor’ and his books on outdoor survival and day-to-day motivation.  In July 2009 The Scout Association appointed Bear Grylls as Chief Scout, making him the youngest Chief Scout since the role was created in 1920. This deserved honour also reflects on his tie-in with Gerber, as two of the three folding knives in the Ultimate Survivor range are the Scout folder and the Compact Scout.

Be Prepared…

The BG Scout well suits the needs of Boy Scouts and other young outdoor enthusiasts as it is a slim and lightweight pocket folding knife. It has a locking half serrated high carbon stainless steel drop point blade and a dual-sided thumb stud for easy single-hand opening. Some might say it would have been better to make the Scout a non-locking pocket knife considering the age group it is made for, but this really is a ‘UK-PC’ attitude, as the rest of the world seem to trust their own children…  In actual fact, way back when I was a Scout, we always carried an old jack-knife when in uniform and usually ‘up-graded’ to sheath knives when camping… I can’t remember any of my troop ever going on the rampage as youngsters or in later life – in fact one went on to become a decorated policeman.

Enough reminiscing, back to the Scout. This knife is big enough for most camping, cooking and everyday scouting chores with an open length of 18.5cm (7.25”), a closed length of 10.2cm (4”), and a blade length of 8.4cm (3.25”) – yet still weighing just 68g (2.4oz). The handle has an ergonomic textured grey rubber panels to maximize grip, while a clothing clip gives a convenient pocket carry. The bolster and pommel ends are bright orange, to make it easy to spot if you drop it, and a lanyard hole is included to make sure that you don’t! The price of the Scout is around £30.

The Compact Scout, as the name suggests, is a smaller and much lighter version of the Bear Grylls Scout. As such it might not be capable of the same tasks as the Scout, but is a nice lightweight choice for inclusion in a small survival/emergency pack. The half serrated high carbon stainless steel drop point blade is also similar to that on the Scout but shorter. There is a nail nick in the blade, rather than a stud, to assist opening. The blade uses a lock-back mechanism. The handle is well contoured with a deep finger notch to help grip. An orange ‘BG’ logo highlights the all grey handle scales. Open length of the Compact Scout is 14.7cm (5.75”), closed length is 8.4cm (3.3”), blade length is 6.4cm (2.55”) and weight is a minimal 25g (under an ounce). Price of the Compact Scout is around £20.

The Big BG Folder

Third and largest of the folding knives in the Bear Grylls series is the Folding Sheath knife. This is considerably bigger than the Scout, but once again has a similar locking serrated high carbon stainless steel drop point blade with a dual-sided thumb stud for easy single-hand opening.

This is a serious knife for heavier duty work, and is definitely designed for the adult outdoorsman. For those that prefer a folding knife, you could easily use this as your main hunting knife or an outdoor ‘all-rounder’, providing you didn’t use it for hammering, prying or any heavy impact use. The textured rubber handle is suitable for the adult hand and is shaped for maximum grip and comfort in. Once folded down it can be stowed away in its black high grade nylon closed sheath. Provision is made for horizontal or vertical carry on belt or pack strap.

Open length of the BG Folding Sheath Knife is 21.6cm (8.5”), closed length is 12.4cm (4.9”), blade length is 9.1cm (7.5”) and weight with the sheath is 151g (5.3oz), and without the sheath is 122g (4.3oz). Price of the BG Folding Sheath knife is approx. £35

Bear Survival

Included with each of these knives comes with Gerber’s limited lifetime guarantee plus a waterproof copy of Bear Grylls’ “Priorities Of Survival Guide”, which will give you all the information that you will need in case of a survival emergency – although obviously you should read it before exposing yourself to the possibility of trouble!

Bear Grylls demonstrates how to use each of the Gerber Bear Grylls Survival Series knives on promotional videos which can be found on www.gerbergear.com.

For your local stockists of Gerber products, contact Silva, the UK distributor on 01506 406277 or visit www.gerbergear.com