When traveling overland and living out of a relatively small-sized rig, compactness is a key factor when purchasing any indoor item, especially when it comes to kitchenware. Pots and pans are bound to take up a large amount of space unless you opt for collapsible items. Personally, I struggle to trust collapsible cookware. I am naturally clumsy, so I already endure daily scalds; the last thing I want to risk is a pot collapsing, sending a stream of hot water across my kitchen counter—or worse, my legs. The Gerber cookware set is my idea of the perfect combo kit for overlanding or camping, as it is compact and versatile.
As South Africans, we like to BBQ a fair bit. Back home, most South Africans would have the traditional braai bakkie, which is a traditional aluminum oval roaster that can be used to cook on most surfaces. We, however, use it to store our cooked braai meat and keep it warm over the fire until everyone is ready to eat. Every household in South Africa has one, just as almost every American household has a food waste disposal unit.
For years, we carried our trusted braai bakkie in our Land Rover Defender 130 before we converted it into a camper. By the time we finally parted ways with it—a decision I now regret—it was dented and battered but still had plenty of life left in it. Unfortunately, we haven’t replaced it since, but I recently discovered the Compleat Cutting Board set that comes close. While it can’t be placed directly on heat, it keeps both uncooked and cooked meat safely contained. It also comes with a few handy accessories that make food preparation easier while minimizing dishes and saving precious space.
Compleat Cutting Board Set
The Compleat Cutting Board Set is a versatile six-piece cutting board and knife set with far more functionality than its name suggests. It features a 9.6 x 15.6-inch double-sided bamboo cutting board with juice grooves to catch liquids and reduce mess when slicing juicy fruits or vegetables. The second board is an 8.9 x 14.3-inch double-sided polypropylene cutting board with juice grooves and nonslip silicone feet, making it perfect for cutting proteins separately to avoid cross-contamination.
The set includes a 3.25-inch paring knife and a 6-inch chef knife—and both are exceptionally sharp, trust me. The textured rubber handles ensure that my hands never slip, even when cutting into okra. Accidents have been minimal, thankfully, as the knives fit securely into a designated knife storage compartment. Next to the knife slots, there’s a handy storage area for additional cutlery or prepped ingredients.
The base tray can serve multiple purposes, from marinating meats to keeping snacks protected from uninvited guests, storing cooked BBQ meat, or simply having a spot for your crisps while waiting for your meat to grill. One of the cutting boards can be used as a lid for the base tray, and when you’re finished, everything packs away neatly with heavy-duty locking clasps on either side.
I found the set extremely robust and have prepared numerous meals on it without any signs of excessive wear.
$110 | Compleat Cutting Board Set
Compleat Knife Set
We love to carry a range of knives when overlanding. Graeme has his favorites, and I have mine, so we end up with far too many options than necessary. When we overland, we sacrifice many of the comforts of home, but for us, cooking a meal is not one of them. It plays an important role in our daily lives—a shared family moment, even in a confined space.
Gerber knives, made in the USA, have earned a solid reputation among knife enthusiasts, and it’s easy to see why. The Compleat knife set includes three essential knives: a 3.25-inch paring knife, a 6-inch serrated knife, and an 8-inch Santoku-inspired chef knife. The set comes neatly packaged in a sturdy polyester case, with each knife protected by a glass-filled polypropylene sheath. The polypropylene handles, featuring lanyard holes, are durable, comfortable to hold, and paired with 4116 German stainless steel blades.
When prepping fatty meats, after washing the blade, I utilize the sheath to safely hold the blade in place, making it easier to clean the handle properly. The paring knife handles quick prep tasks like slicing fruits and vegetables, the chef knife is perfect for proteins, and the serrated knife makes cutting through loaves of bread and baked goods a breeze. It’s a truly “Compleat” set for the everyday chef.
$85 | Compleat Knife Set
Compleat Cookware Set
The Compleat cookware set is a versatile and durable 16-piece camping cookware set, ideal for overlanders and weekend warriors. The set features a 5-liter stainless steel pot, a 2.5-liter sauté/frying pan, and a 3-ply stainless steel base for better heat distribution. It also includes a detachable handle with a silicone hot pad, a stainless steel basting dome lid, and a slim lid that doubles as a strainer. The set also features a polypropylene mixing bowl, four smaller bowls, and four plates with raised edges to prevent your food from sliding around when eating outdoors. We love that everything nests together neatly inside the pot and can be stored in a carry bag with reassembly instructions on the bottom of the bag. We use the Gerber Compleat cookware set in our Land Rover, and it is a game-changer—no more clanging pots and pans or dinnerware while on the trails.
The pot and pan can be used on an induction stove, electric and gas stoves, as well as open flames, making it ideal for slow-cooking stew over coals or whipping up pasta on our gas stove. The slim lid strains liquids and the basting lid is great for steaming vegetables. The modern touch of color-coded plates and bowls adds a little pizzazz.
$200 | Compleat Cookware Set
Compleat Griddle
We also travel with the Gerber Compleat Griddle to grill steak and breakfast pancakes. The Griddle is an 11-inch square griddle with raised sidewalls and a detachable handle, perfect for our two-burner stove, as it maximizes the cooking surface area. The griddle has a non-stick carbon steel surface, which makes it lightweight and less cumbersome than a cast-iron skillet.
$65 | Compleat Griddle
Read More: Gerber Overland Bundle :: Field Tested
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