My Camping Knife Setup: a Cheap Gerber and a Leatherman Surge
You don’t need an expensive camping knife. A cheap folder like my Gerber Scout handles the camp basics, but the tool I use 90% of the time is the Leatherman Surge. It does everything the knife does and 20 other jobs.
I carry two tools. A $30 Gerber Bear Grylls Scout that lives in my truck as a beater, and a Leatherman Surge that goes with me pretty much everywhere. I’ve had the Gerber for close to two years (found it, never paid for it), and the Surge is my daily carry. Here’s what each one is for.
Camping knife setup at a glance
| Gerber Bear Grylls Scout | Leatherman Surge | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Folding knife, lock-back | Multitool, 21 tools |
| Blade | 3.63“ half-serrated, high-carbon stainless | Plain + serrated, 3.1“ |
| Weight | 2.54 oz | 12.5 oz |
| Price | About $30 | About $110 to $130 |
| Warranty | Limited | 25-year guarantee |
| I use it for | Camp basics: opening things, cutting cord, scraping tinder | Everything: cutting, sawing, pliers, scissors, screws |
Gerber Bear Grylls Scout
The Gerber is a beater, and I mean that as a compliment. I found it a couple of years ago, it lives in my truck, and it comes out when I forget the Leatherman or need a blade somewhere. At camp I use it to open packages, cut cord, and scrape a stick down into tinder. For that, a cheap folding knife is all you need.
It’s a 3.63 inch half-serrated blade, 2.54 ounces, with a textured rubber grip and a lock-back. The steel is nothing special. Mine’s getting dull and I’ve never once sharpened it. I’ll use it until it breaks.
Would I buy this exact knife again? Probably not, and you can’t anyway. Gerber ended the Bear Grylls line, so the Scout is out of production and the only listings left are resellers. It does its job fine, but any cheap folding knife would do the same. If you want a current version, a Gerber Ripstop runs about $22 and handles the same camp chores. If you’ve already got a cheap knife in a drawer, that’s your camp knife. Don’t overthink it.
Leatherman Surge
This is the one worth spending money on. The Surge is what I carry day to day, at camp and everywhere else, and the blades are sharper than the Gerber’s.
On a normal trip I use it to fix broken gear, cut cord, and saw a small log down to size. I’ve used the pliers to help pull out tent stakes that are stuck. It opens bottles and drives a loose screw. It’s 21 tools in one, including two blades that lock, a saw, spring-action scissors, and a file.
The downside is weight. At 12.5 ounces, it’s heavy. That’s fine for the car and truck camping I mostly do, but I wouldn’t bring it on an ultralight backpacking trip. It’s also a folding multitool, not a fixed blade, so don’t pry or baton with it. I tried to split firewood once by banging a log down onto the spine, and the tool bent a little. That was completely my fault, because you’re not supposed to do that with this tool. Use a fixed blade or a hatchet for that.
One last pro is it actually has a 25-year guarantee. I’ve used mine hard, and I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.
Which one you actually need
If you camp out of a car or truck and want one tool that does the most, get the Leatherman Surge. If you just want a blade for camp chores and don’t want to spend much, any cheap folding knife works. Mine happens to be the Gerber Scout. I keep the Surge on me and leave the Gerber in the truck as a backup.
The two I’m eyeing next are a Leatherman Micra for a lighter keychain option and a Leatherman Skeletool for a slimmer everyday carry. I don’t own either yet, so I can’t vouch for them, but they’re on my list.
A knife or a multitool is one of the ten hiking essentials for a reason. It’s the tool you ignore until a cord needs cutting, a package needs opening, or something breaks.
Camping Knife FAQ
Do you need an expensive camping knife? No. A cheap folding knife handles the basic camp chores. If you want one tool that does more, spend on a good multitool instead.
Knife or multitool for camping? A multitool does everything a camp knife does and a lot more, so it’s the more useful single tool for most campers. A plain knife is the pick if you want to keep it light and simple.
Is the Leatherman Surge worth it? Yes. A full-size multitool like the Surge replaces a handful of separate tools and holds up for years, so it’s worth paying up for if you’ll use it. Occasional campers can get by with something cheaper.
What’s a good cheap camping knife? Almost any folding knife will do. You don’t need anything fancy for camp chores, so if you’ve already got a cheap knife in a drawer, that’s your camp knife.