For the longest time, my camp kitchen kit didn’t have a cutting board. Instead, I had a terrible knife from a thrift store. I used the lid of a tote to chop all of our things. When Gerber introduced their Freescape Camp Kitchen Kit, it was the (more sanitary) upgrade that I needed.
The Gerber Freescape Camp Kitchen specs
The Gerber Freescape Camp Kitchen Kit is an integrated cutting board and knife set. Overall dimensions are 11.2” x 10.1” x 1.3”, with a cutting surface of 10.1” x 8.2”. You might be saying, “This seems really thick for a cutting board?!” The thickness comes from the Freescape Camp Kitchen Kit containing a locking drawer.
The locking drawer stores two knives. It also has a ceramic sharpener and an area for you to store other things, like maybe different knives. Or candy. I’ve never actually used the free-for-all storage area.
The cutting board contains an integrated drip channel to catch liquids if you’re chopping wetter items (like tomatoes). The bottom of the cutting board features non-slip rubber footing so your board stays put.
The Freescape Camp Kitchen Kit comes with two knives, a camp kitchen knife and a paring knife. The camp kitchen knife is 9.1” with a 3.8″ blade. The paring knife is 7″ with a 3.0″ blade. The knives feature a full tang construction, meaning the blade (or knife) runs the length of the whole knife. A black rubberized grip ensconces the handle.
The knives are dishwasher-safe. Gerber doesn’t say if the plastic cutting board is, but I’ve thrown it in the dishwasher more often than not. After 2 years of use, it’s still chugging along.
What I like about the Gerber Freescape Camp Kitchen Kit
I never forget my cutting board or my knives. Ever. The green makes it easy to spot in my camp box. It makes for a nifty “magic trick”. The Gerber Freescape Camp Kitchen kit impresses my friends with its nifty two-in-one contraption.
The knives are high quality and incredibly sharp.
What I don’t like
My biggest gripe with the Gerber Freescape is the locking mechanism. You have to hold it just perfectly to get it to unlock. I’ve used this for years now, so I’m intimately familiar with how it works. If I hand the cutting board to someone to chop with, they struggle with opening the drawer to retrieve the knives. If you’re wearing gloves and trying to open it, 90% of the time, those gloves need to come off to have the right dexterity and pressure. That being said, I understand this is a safety feature so small kiddos don’t accidentally unleash sharp things on themselves. It’s still very frustrating.
Unfortunately Gerber discontinued the Freescape Camp Kitchen Kit, which is really a bummer. It’s one of the most space efficient pieces of gear. However, it’s still available on a few discount websites.
Buy the Freescape Camp Kitchen Kit through Discount Cutlery and Knife Country for about $26 (previously $88). The next best comparable thing is probably the Snow Peak Cutting Board Set, available starting at $39.95, or the more affordable GSI Santoku Knife set at $34.95.
The Gerber Freescape Camp Kitchen Kit pairs nicely above with the Primus Tupike Stove.
This was sent to me for review. This post contains affiliate links.
