Gerber is another favorite from the Pacific Northwest. Among their hunting and tactical knives, Gerber is also famous for their survival and camping knives.

Founded in 1939 and based in Portland, Oregon, USA, Gerber is an American brand whose products have global reach and relevance. Carried extensively by hunters, soldiers and tradesmen, Gerber’s heritage runs deep.

Top 10 Best Gerber Knives

The Gerber LMF II survival knife has a blade length of nearly 5 inches with an approximately 6 inch handle. Its stainless steel, drop point blade has a serrated edge and strap cutter, making it useful for most situations. Separation between the handle and the tang is a unique feature that makes this knife capable of absorbing shock from hard use. An added benefit of this knife is its enlarged, angular pommel that can be used to break glass.

The Gerber Prodigy is a great knife for any difficult situation. This knife was designed to be a smaller version of the LMF II Survival and as such, has the LMF II drop point and serrated edge blade for similar tasks despite its weight of 7.2 ounces. Unlike the LMF II, the Prodigy has a blade coated in ceramic to increase is resistance to corrosion and an ergonomic molded rubber handle for a more comfortable feel and better grip in slippery situations.

The Big Rock is an all-around camping knife that was originally designed for hunters. It has a 4.5 inch stainless steel, drop point blade and runs at an overall length of 9.4 inches. The handle is molded for a perfect fit to reduce blisters and increase grip. A lanyard hole can be found on the pommel, perfect for a leather strap. Big Rock has a serrated and plain edge model depending on your needs.

A mini blade with a lot of uses is the epitome of Gerber’s Epic. This is a small knife with a 3.45 inch blade and an overall length of 7.3 inches. Epic features wide serrations on the spine, a serrated edge, a bottle opener on the pommel, and even holes in the handle so the knife can be attached to a spear if needed. While geared more towards camping uses, this would make a great little sidekick survival knife.

Even smaller than the Epic, the Gerber Basic drop point blade runs 3.4 inches. With the comfortable TacHide ™ grip, this knife totals 6.6 inches. Its weight is a mere 3.77 ounces, partially due to its size and partially due to the small handle; the Basic’s handle does not cover the entire tang. Instead, what handle there is, is designed to be gripped by palm and fingers. It can be clipped to anything with the pommel and would make a great knife for camping and fishing.

Most of the knives on this list are fixed blades, but this one is folding. While not as capable of instant use, the Freescape Folding knife is safer and features a lock to keep the blade (and children) protected when not in use. The handle is made from texturized rubber for better grip in any condition while green accents and a lanyard hole make it easy to keep track of. This little folding knife is extremely easy to carry due to its small size and weight.

The Bear Grylls Ultimate Fixed Blade is a 10 inch knife with a 4.8 inch carbon stainless steel drop point blade, so it is a bit smaller than the Gerber LMF II. Its fine edge has a hollow grind, making it extremely sharp, great for cutting and slicing. However, it can also come with a ½ inch serrated edge if it will be for more hard-use applications. The pommel of this knife is flat and can be used to smash open shelled food items like nuts. The lanyard attached to the pommel comes with a whistle so not only is it hard to lose, it is easy to call for help if you get lost.

Designed as a smaller, bare-bones version of the Bear Grylls Ultimate Fixed Blade knife, the Bear Grylls Compact Fixed Blade is just that. Its blade length is 3.4 inches and 7.8 inches including the ergonomic rubber handle. The serrated edge comes standard with this knife and also included is a small rectangular metal pommel for light hammering or pounding tasks.

The smallest and stoutest of all the Bear Grylls Survival knives, the Ultra Compact Blade is specially designed for slicing and dicing and easy carrying. As with most other Gerber knives, it has an ergonomic handle that fits comfortably in your hand. This knife is also more bare bones than the previous and does not come with a serrated edge. Instead it is made for more utilitarian uses such as whittling firewood and filleting fish. The textured thumb rise on the spine adds an additional level of comfort and control for precise tasks.

Another folding knife on this list is the Survival AO, which features an easily deployable blade and both plunge and safety locks for keeping the blade open or closed exactly when needed. Its safety and size make it perfect for carrying in a pocket while being just as useful as an equal-sized fixed blade knife. Closed it is only 4.2 inches. The blade length is 3 inches with both plain and serrated edge.