Bear Grylls Survival Gear Alternatives

Originally comparing Bear Grylls Survival Gear Alternatives back in 2017, we’ve updated to reconsider his newest gear now that his previous partnership with Gerber is over.

Bear Grylls no longer hangs his hat on Gerber Gear- but struck out on his own with his own brand new survival gear brand simply named “Bear Grylls”. All of the gear falls into the ‘budget’ category still, and it covers more ground with multitools, sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, and other outdoor gear that is broader than just survival.

I don’t necessarily have issues with the gear, since it isn’t that bad of quality for the price. That doesn’t mean it is the best value on the market, however; so we’ll compare a few of the more popular Bear Grylls survival tools with other options. Prices may change after we do our comparison, so adjust your own decisions accordingly. Also, keep in mind that Bear Grylls survival gear is priced to make survival and bushcraft accessible, so we are comparing for value and not necessarily the best piece of equipment.

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Contents (Jump to a Section)

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Bear Grylls Fixed Knife Alternative

The ultimate knife is pretty similar to the previous Gerber offering. The blade measures 4.75” and the knife still comes with a wrist lanyard whistle. The new entry is a pretty good option for the price, with no frills on a solid-sized knife with only the steel type holding it back.

Unfortunately for Grylls, there are better alternatives close to the same price. The Cold Steel SRK is a robust piece of quality steel that most people will prefer after getting to know the knives. After all, it is the budget pick from our fixed-blade survival knife review.

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Bear Grylls Folding Knife Alternative

Folding knives and survival are usually at odds with each other, since fixed blade and full tang are much better for the abuse you could put a knife through. Still, you can’t deny the convenience and portability of folding knives which make them a mainstay in most EDC loadouts.

In an attempt to broaden the product catalog, Bear is now offering folders with his signature logo and iconic colors. Unfortunately, they use some lower-grade steel to hit the critical $20 and $30 price points.

Here are our thoughts on the Bear Grylls folding knives and a possible alternative:

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‘Survival’ Sleep Systems

Bear has expanded into several sleep system accessories advertised for ‘survival’ purposes:

• Bear Grylls 15-Degree Sleeping Bag – $79*
• Bear Grylls Inflatable Pillow – $19*
• Bear Grylls Inflatable Sleeping Pad – $39*
• Bear Grylls Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad – $59*

*at time of reviewing

But, besides the sleeping bag (where a better seasonal rating would be preferred for survival), you might notice a long-term survival issue with the rest of the sleep offerings.

‘Inflatable’ and ‘survival’ are rarely compatible, unless you are looking at a life raft. Even if you manage to have a patch kit, inflatable gear will be rendered useless over time and creates an extra failure point that just isn’t worth it.

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Bear Grylls Tents

These affordable tents can get the job done with two new options, including a 1-person ultralight and a 2-person easy pop.

The Bear Grylls 1-Person Ultralight Tent weighs just 3 pounds, 4 ounces so it’s not the lightest by any means but it is a contender for a tent less than $100.

The pull rope on the Bear Grylls 2-Person Pop-Up Tent makes for a fast and easy setup with plenty of room inside. It measures a 60″ x 110″ floor with a 46″ dome height. It weighs 9 pounds and 4 ounces, so it won’t fit in any mobile backpacking setup.

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Bear Grylls Backpack Alternatives

The new backpack line hangs its hat on hiking and the included 2L hydration bladder (for each size except the 65L). Unfortunately for Bear, the Teton series backpacks have the budget area wrapped up. As the starter pick from our hands-on survival backpack review where we tear apart bags for science, they would be hard to beat.

They are less expensive, higher quality, and have the lone drawback in the comparison in that they don’t include a hydration bladder.

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Remaining Survival Gear

As Bear continues to try to rebrand himself as an ‘adventurer’ rather than a survivalist, we’ve seen him move his products away from survival- but not completely.

Unfortunately, all of the remaining survival-specific gear is underwhelming:

• Bear Grylls Micro Sparker – $12* – a decent ferro rod is much better than this flint/handle gimmick.
• Bear Grylls Waterproof Matches – $13* – likely made by UCO, since it’s the same holder- you can get these without Bear’s name on them cheaper. Check out our waterproof match review where we tested dozens of types head-to-head.
• Bear Grylls Plasma Lighter – $17* – literally the same as our top survival lighter pick but at twice the cost.
• Bear Grylls Paracord Hatchet – $20* – A 9-ounce hatchet is interesting, but it still gets outclassed pretty quickly by other options in our survival axe review.
• Bear Grylls Emergency Bivy Sack – $20* – this bivy sack is one of the few options on this list that is comparable in price and quality to other survival bivvies we’ve tested. If you insist on getting Bear Grylls branded gear, this is one of the few items that makes sense.
• Bear Grylls Axe Multitool Hammer – $39* – we’re simply not fans of this type of product, and amalgamation-type Frankenstein doesn’t do anything very well. Stick with a proven multitool so you don’t end up with heavy, cumbersome junk.
• Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Shovel – $39* – the shovel is overpriced and has way too much going on. We’ll stick with our top picks in our survival shovel review.

Bear’s team (now that ties with Gerber are done), has sourced a wide range of products from China based on popular specs. We see good ideas in many of his products, but inferior quality to hit affordable prices.

Before, Bear would just license his name to other brands to slap on products, but this approach is much more vertical. Like most people sourcing a wide variety of inexpensive products, they are importing from China. This is why most of the survival gear looks similar to drop-shipped gear you can already find on Amazon.

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Other Stuff Bear Sells

While he’s not out running a lemonade stand, Bear isn’t afraid to lend his popular name to some products. We’ve seen the Gerber and Luminox collaborations over the years, but he also has a lengthy partnership going with Range Rover.

He uses Range Rovers in a lot of their shows and does events for them from time to time. Both are known for their ‘adventurous spirit’, so it’s not a bad match as far as brand ambassadors go.

Bear also promotes Be Military Fit (BMF) personal training, and is working on an animated movie “Bear Grylls Young Adventurer.”

Plus, I’m sure he’s getting residuals from his many, many survival TV shows.

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The Final Word

Bear Grylls has been trying to swap ‘survival’ for ‘adventure’ for a while now, so all of these gear additions and expanded focus make sense for his personal brand. Most of his gear will work fine in your survival kits in a pinch, even if they aren’t the most cost-effective.

Slapping a famous survivalist’s name on a product doesn’t make it instantly a great product or a good deal. You can stretch your dollars just with a little comparison shopping. Still, some of the Bear Grylls Survival Kit gear is legit and merits consideration.

Here are some other reads our subscribers have found helpful:

• 50 Survival Movies Preppers Should Watch
• Celebrity Preppers Ready for Anything
• Bug Out Bag List | 44 Essentials

Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.

See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.

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