Gerber River Shorty

[SouthernKevlar]

How many of you had a Gerber River Shorty knife in the past? I used one back in the 90's and early 2000's before I did a hiatus in my whitewater paddling and gave it to a friend. I haven't had a dedicated "PFD knife" since then, but had sort of missed having a handy fixed blade rig instead of my folding knife after I got back onto whitewater . Years ago Gerber discontinued the River Shorty and I thought that that I would have to find something else. I've looked at several "off-brand" and some higher-end knives, but did not find one that was just right.

A couple days ago I was kicking around on the internet and ended up on the Confluence Outdoor website. Low and behold in their Sale section was a listing for the Gerber River Shorty, but with the Dagger Kayak logo etched on the blade. They must have had a run made before Gerber discontinued them around a decade ago (or perhaps longer, according to my memory). Did they get lost in a warehouse? Stuck behind a file cabinet? Whatever the reason, they are on sale for only $24.00, not bad for a made in USA knife with decent steel. I ordered a couple and got them today. The clip fits nicely through the MOLLE loops on my PFD, and I still remember the old trick of using an elastic loop so they don't fall out of the sheath and get lost.

If anyone else misses their old River Shorty, here is one more chance to find one.

 

[ppine]

I had one and carried it but never used it much.

 

[Chip]

I had one. It fell out of the sheath, which was on my vest, and got lost. Then, I found the exact same knife laying on the ground at a port around a beaver dam. I was back in business. That one got lost, too. Counting the one I found, that is three lost out of the sheath. Conclusion: they don’t stay in the sheath very firmly. Also, they rust. Not a fan of the river shorty.

 

[jdeerfoot]

I picked up one of these recently, always wanted one but missed out the first time around. Works well for spreading peanut butter, my only use of it thus far.

 

[eckilson]

I’ve had an NRS Pilot on my PFD for years.


Like others, I’ve never been in a situation where I needed to use it for anything other than spreading peanut butter. The blade definitely rusts over time. When it gets too rusty I buy a new knife (cheap, so maybe you get what you pay for).

I’m not big on influencer video’s, but this one got posted on P-net a couple of years ago.

It inspired me to try to cut rope with the NRS Pilot. Just like in the video, it took 5-6 swipes to get through an old safety rope. Just for kicks, I dug out my father’s old river knife – a Gerber Blackie Collins River Master.



With better steel, a longer blade and better serrations it usually cut through the rope on the first swipe. I’ve never used it on my PFD. The clip is a little cheesy so I’m afraid I’d lose it. It’s been in my kitchen kit for years. It still has a sharp factory edge, so I guess I’ll keep it there.

Back to the video, I am beginning to think that he is probably right that a longer knife with the folding blade is better at cutting rope than the shorter external river knives that can be attached to the PDF. Trouble is with my camera and other stuff, I don’t have a good pocket in my PFD to put one.

 

[DougK]

mine is from the 90s, still have it, though it's worn out several lifejackets ;-)
glad to say I've never needed it on the river except to scrape the last stubborn bits out of the bottom of the PB jar..
no rust issues at all, maybe that's from living in the mountain West where things are dry.

thank you for the heads up, as an oldtime Dagger paddler, I'd like to have a Dagger Dagger.. bought two, one for a friend.

 

[SouthernKevlar]

mine is from the 90s, still have it, though it's worn out several lifejackets ;-)
glad to say I've never needed it on the river except to scrape the last stubborn bits out of the bottom of the PB jar..
no rust issues at all, maybe that's from living in the mountain West where things are dry.

thank you for the heads up, as an oldtime Dagger paddler, I'd like to have a Dagger Dagger.. bought two, one for a friend.

Glad to have been of help. I had never expected to find a River Shorty after Gerber discontinued them years ago.

 

[RedSquirrel]

Big fan of the CRK Bear Claw knife, and of in-vest knives in general, where they dont get caught. The serrations curve into what you are cutting and limit the need to saw at lines. Also you can put your finger through the hole in the center so you dont lose it when your being pushed around in the water. But its not real good for spreading peanut butter...

 

[DougK]

Big fan of the CRK Bear Claw knife

yes, hadn't thought about rescue/river knives in years. When I went looking after this thread, those Bear Claws look the best bet to me also.
But, now I'm old and cautious and don't paddle over class III and that seldom, hoping my old tech Gerber will suffice..

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Big fan of the CRK Bear Claw knife, and of in-vest knives in general, where they dont get caught. The serrations curve into what you are cutting and limit the need to saw at lines. Also you can put your finger through the hole in the center so you dont lose it when your being pushed around in the water. But its not real good for spreading peanut butter...

Same here. Mine does get used though when cutting rope in the shop. I don't do much with peanut butter, but that River Shorty is a cool find at that price.

Edit: my Bearclaw has been used on the river several times when removing pinned and abandoned pool toy grade rafts. Usually by the time I get to them, they're partially filled with water, so I have to gut them before hauling them into the canoe. Once I jam the blunt tip through the thin skin, it opens them up like a zipper.

 

[ScottS]

Mine is on the bottom of the Rogue River. Crappiest river knife sheath ever, it wasn't the first time it popped off.