Item Specifics & Specs
• Brand: Gerber Legendary Blades
• Origin: Made in Portland, Oregon, USA
• Era: Circa late 1970s to early 1980s (Al Mar design era)
• Configuration: Factory dual "Piggyback" tandem hunting & dressing set
• Sheath: Original Gerber Portland, Ore. 97223 twin-pocket saddle leather sheath
• Knife 1 (Main Hunter): Gerber A450
• A450 Overall Length: Approx. 8 7/8 inches (22.5 cm)
• A450 Blade Length: Approx. 4 1/2 inches (11.5 cm)
• A450 Blade Steel: M2 High-Speed Tool Steel (Rockwell C60–62) with industrial hard-chrome plating
• A450 Blade Style: Straight-back hunter with utility clip point
• A450 Handle: Cast aluminum with rugged dark olive Armorhide textured coating and lanyard hole
• Knife 2 (Detail Knife): Gerber Trout & Bird
• Trout & Bird Overall Length: Approx. 7 7/8 inches (20 cm)
• Trout & Bird Blade Length: Approx. 3-inch cutting edge (3 1/4 inches to handle)
• Trout & Bird Blade Steel: 440C surgical stainless steel / hard-chrome tool steel
• Trout & Bird Blade Style: Slender caping / boning profile with fine top clip swedge
• Trout & Bird Handle Feature: Cast aluminum Armorhide handle featuring an integrated field gutting spoon / scaler scoop built directly into the pommel butt
• Sheath Rope Wrap Purpose: Classic period field modification. Hunters neatly wrapped nylon/cord rope around the upper sheath throat for two reasons: providing 8 to 10 feet of instant emergency cordage in the backcountry, and locking down the twin leather throats to squeeze both handles firmly in place so neither knife worked loose while hiking through brush.
• Overall Condition: Field-used vintage. Both blades maintain original factory profiles, clean bevels, and sharp tips with visible horizontal sharpening scratches. Handles show light edge rubbing on high spots. Original leather sheath is weathered with period rope wrap, honest age patina, and loose stitching along the edge.
Description
If you know vintage American steel, your jaw just dropped. This isn't modern blister-pack hardware—this is the legendary late-70s Gerber Portland Piggyback combo, engineered back when Al Mar was shaping Gerber's golden era.
You get the powerhouse: the Gerber A450 packing 4.5 inches of rock-hard M2 High-Speed steel that laughs at dulling, paired seamlessly with the ultra-nimble Gerber Trout & Bird caper. Flip that little knife around and look at the pommel—yes, that’s Gerber’s genius integral spoon scoop, built specifically for field-cleaning trout and small game birds in seconds flat.
Both ride shotgun inside the original Portland 97223 twin-pocket leather sheath. The rope wrap around the neck? Pure vintage woodsman craft. It gives you immediate emergency cordage in the field while clamping the dual leather mouths tight around both handles so neither knife bounces loose when you're bushwhacking.
At Sick Retro Vibes, we hunt down real tools with honest history, character, and soul. We take real care of our people—no junk, fast secure shipping, and gear you’ll be proud to strap to your hip.