With holiday season fast approaching, we’re forced to consider the perennial conundrum of gifting: what to give a loved one that you haven’t given them before. Whether your goal is to impress, delight, or just practically equip your recipient, it’s a task that only gets harder as the years go by.
When considering presents for the men in your life — fathers, brothers, husbands, friends, yourself — it’s natural to take a cue from gifts that have made a splash in past years. But of course, you can only give so many insulated tumblers, cashmere sweaters or beard care packages before it gets a little silly.
That’s why we were so delighted to get word of the Gerber’s latest Explore collection. This family of Gerber products is designed with the outdoorsman in mind, and the newest additions are sure to delight the camper/backpacker/hiker in your life, as well as the dude who fancies himself as such.
ComplEAT
Leading the way on the new Explore lineup is the ComplEAT, a multi-tool that takes you from prep to feast to clean-up on the trail. This four-piece nesting utensil kit improves upon other brands’ models with thoughtful functional features, such as extra-long tines on the fork and a deep basin on the spoon. (When you’re on the trail, the last thing you want is to eat your chili mac one noodle at a time.) Along with fork, spoon and serrated-edge silicone spatula, the ComplEAT includes a 4-function multi-tool offering a bottle opener, veggie peeler, serrated package opener and can opener. The best part? The whole kit snaps together into a set of tongs. Just under 8 inches long and weighing a mere 2.3 ounces, it’s a no-brainer inclusion for any day pack, camp box, or backpack.
The Pack Hatchet
Then there’s the Pack Hatchet, a trail-breaking essential with extra details that make it eminently portable and versatile. We especially love the exaggerated finger grooves in the handle — you could carve an ice sculpture with the precision and edge control this hatchet offers. The tall blade grind ensures optimal sharpness, while the integrated lanyard hole and nylon belt sheath provide versatile carry options vital for the backcountry explorer.
Spine
Naturally, a new Gerber collection has to include a badass knife or two. Gerber has debuted two new knives in the Explore collection—the Spine, a sturdy utility knife with full tang blade, rubberized grip, and rugged nylon storage sheath. The collection also features two other knives: the Vertebrae, a more compact and weight-conscious version of the Spine with an oversized lanyard hole that can accommodate multiple sizes of rope, twine, or carabiner. There’s also the redoubtable Versafix, a compact fixed blade/machete hybrid designed to swing heavy and swift, with a high comfort handle to minimize “hot spots” and a paddle release on the sheath for seamless deployment.
Whether you stuff your loved one’s stocking with one item from the Gerber Explore collection, or blow their socks off with the whole lineup, you’re pretty much guaranteed a mention when anyone asks them, “Get any good gifts this year?”
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