Multitools... Convince me they are worth it


Dpinga

Dpinga

“A forest bird never wants a cage.”
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Hey everyone, I want to lean on the community for some thoughtful ideas around cost/benefit of a multiool. It seems that a lot of recommendations are made that one should carry a multitool. Now, if you work a job that requires you to pull out the multitool often I don't consider that as being worth it. In that case it's not a survival item or something that should be EDC or in your bushcraft pack as it's using a tool for your job. I'm talking about plain old office Joe who is told to have one for EDC or for the woods. Now, I don't see a lot of use for the additional items on a tool besides a can opener (why not just carry a P38 or P51 or another nice and lightweight option), knife (you should have one anyway), saw (again, you should have one) etc.. I see some redundancy, some items that won't likely be used, and some "nice to have but may never use it" items. So with that said, convince me that the extra weight and bulk of a nice multitool is worth keeping either on my person or in my pack.

And I apologize in advance if I come back with a reply that says well yes, you can use it for that but why not just use xyz tool or another item in your pack. On a daily basis, maybe a pliers might be nice, maybe screwdrivers. Though for a bushcraft pack, I find little to no use for those items. I'm trying to determine if I should buy one, although it would likely be in my vehicle and not in my pack based on what I said above.

Thanks!!
 
I like using the smaller saw on little projects, the awl is useful. If I'm out in the wild, I'm probably fishing, so pliers are nice to have, but I've used them to remove splinters before, and handle hot objects.

My biggest uses have been fixing a snowmobile and a broken propeller, neither of which would be a bushcraft use, so in that sense the philosophy is a bit more "meta" than strictly woodcraft. I got in the habit in an old job, though, so my view is tarnished
 
I'm assuming by multitool, you mean something like a Leatherman and not a SAK. If so, I don't think a multitool is that useful for purely a bushcraft or EDC perspective. I think they're useful for mechanical duties and so I keep them with vehicles/motorcycles. I stopped carrying a multitool a few years back and haven't missed it. I have several that are collecting dust at this point. With that said, I absolutely think a pocket knife is useful and hate being without one. I generally prefer a simple locking folder but given my current AOR, have transitioned to a SAK.

So, in summary, in my opinion, SAKs are useful. Multitools, like a Leatherman, not so much.
 
I always take one while camping, traveling or fishing.

They sure come in handy when you need pliers for in the field gear repair or unhooking fish.

I've used my multitools in the field to bend wire, clip off hooks, repair fishing reels, bend out tent stakes, repair glasses, open broken zippers, sharpen hooks, gut fish, cut cord, pick up hot objects Etc.
 
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I get a lot of use out of mine both in town and in the woods, cutting fish hooks and wire, handling hot objects, tightening screws, punching holes, etc etc. If you don't know what you'd use it for, you may not need one.

I consider a SAK a multitool ('cause there's multiple tools, lol) but I also carry a leatherman 'freestyle', just for the pliers.
 
Thanks for the replies so far everyone.. I definitely appreciate how people use them. It gives me ideas about some things I could see using one for, like a pliers for example.
 
For "Bushcraft" I feel a multitool has very limited usage. (Not none).
For survival it is more useful and for urban survival it is a must have tool.
For a blue collared working man it is a required item. In my book!
I carry a LM Surge daily and it is my go to tool for any quick repair or need out side of my folding knife.
 
In terms of pocket and belt space, I would much rather carry a SAK with a Firefly.

The only thing I miss on my Forester/Hiker is pliers, and any time I'm actually likely to need pliers I have a dedicated pair.

The most common use for my multitool is firearm stuff (and usually just for the pliers), so it just stays in my shooting toolkit.
 
I carry a Victornox Swiss X, pretty handy to have a pair of pliers that have some power behind them ... Easy to pull out and get a task done without looking for a tool. I also use the screwdrivers quite often for quick fixes or to take an item apart to look see what needs to be done before I go and gather the tools to make the repair. Sometimes the chisel gets used as a chisel and more often than not as a small pry-bar to quickly move or push a mechanical assembly. The scissors are always handy to have on hand as well, some times when doing yard work I will trim up a small broken branch as I mow the lawn.
 
I had pretty much given up multi tools in my woods kit due to the weight of my Leatherman tools versus how much I use them. I just felt like I was carrying something “just in case” that I never used. However I was out with @OMRebel the other day and he used his SAK to make a bow drill set utilizing the saw and I have decided reconsider my choice. I picked up SAK Farmer and am going to put it through the paces.

For EDC I have a SAK Vagabond attached to my truck keys. That thing has come in handy many times it’s crazy. Again, I don’t really carry a big multi tool as EDC because it’s just more weight than I want to carry for a just in case scenario. There is usually one in my truck so if needed I can always go get it.

This obviously plays into your portion about having a multi tool at work, but deployed and out for work I travel in a HMMWV and weight isn’t an issue so I almost always have a Leatherman. Having the pliers and other tools on hand in a compact package is invaluable when dealing with military equipment.

I think it really just depends on the individual. If you don’t think you will use it then there probably isn’t a need to talk yourself into getting one. Unless working I have never been in a situation where I was like “if only I had my Leatherman.” I think owning a good larger sized multi tool is a good idea, and that they are great kit. They just aren’t something I believe is an absolute essential EDC.

The only real way to know if you like the idea of a multi tool or not is to get one and try it out for a while. You could probably snag one by asking if anyone has one they wouldn’t mind parting with on the trade blanket. If you like it score...if not you could most likely pass it along for at or near what you paid for it.

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Alan
 
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I generally only carry one when I'm fishing, and for that, I carry one of the Gerber models that let you flick open the pliers one handed. Though my Leatherman Wave does have the ability to be stored in its pouch with the pliers open. Need pliers for removing fishhooks anyways, and having the knife and file are handy.

Other than that a multitool has best served me in my vehicles or at home.
 
For multitools, I carry a leatherman rebar in the winter and a small folder all other times.

Thanks for starting this topic. I've been thinking about this recently and you helped me sort out when and why I want my multitool with me in the woods. I was debating adding it to my summer outings, but I'm with you...I just don't see the utility unless I'm concerned about some sort of mechanical gear failure.

I don't need multitool for bushcraft reasons, but there are some woods-outings when I think it is a responsible tool to have on hand. If I'm using essential gear with a possibility of breaking, then I carry a multitool along with a few supplies needed for any repairs (for my winter outings, I also carry a couple of screws and a few feet of wire to makeshift repairs on my backcountry gear). In the past year, I used the pliers to fix a snapped microspike and driver/wirecutters/pliers to fix my son's backcountry ski binding. I also carry the multitool river rowing outings since I need drivers to adjust my oarlocks.
 
Dpinga said:
Hey everyone, I want to lean on the community for some thoughtful ideas around cost/benefit of a multiool. It seems that a lot of recommendations are made that one should carry a multitool. Now, if you work a job that requires you to pull out the multitool often I don't consider that as being worth it. In that case it's not a survival item or something that should be EDC or in your bushcraft pack as it's using a tool for your job. I'm talking about plain old office Joe who is told to have one for EDC or for the woods. Now, I don't see a lot of use for the additional items on a tool besides a can opener (why not just carry a P38 or P51 or another nice and lightweight option), knife (you should have one anyway), saw (again, you should have one) etc.. I see some redundancy, some items that won't likely be used, and some "nice to have but may never use it" items. So with that said, convince me that the extra weight and bulk of a nice multitool is worth keeping either on my person or in my pack.

And I apologize in advance if I come back with a reply that says well yes, you can use it for that but why not just use xyz tool or another item in your pack. On a daily basis, maybe a pliers might be nice, maybe screwdrivers. Though for a bushcraft pack, I find little to no use for those items. I'm trying to determine if I should buy one, although it would likely be in my vehicle and not in my pack based on what I said above.

Thanks!!
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Mine gets used from everything from my sons toys to working on my car. If youre not a handy guy you probably wont find it useful. If you are its a must have.
 
Never had a use for them. In many ways, I still don't need the ones I have now. I have used my Mossy Oak a few times in the woods for things my knife or hands wouldn't. Slight bend in a lip on my UST stove to make the pot sit better on it, the little files have come in handy to put a quick edge on my hatchet, and the awl makes a nice little tool to get the stubborn ashes out of my pipes. No, I haven't use mine to build a cabin, but they have come in handy. So I continue to carry one. I have a couple mini's that fit in the pouch on a couple knife sheaths I have and that leaves room on my pants belt to carry my pouch with a flashlight and small fire/FAK when I am not carrying a pack.

Just like all things like this, it's all personal preference.
 
I carry a Leatherman skeletool at work. One, its easier to justify a multitool in my very liberal PC work environment over a dedicated knife. Two, while not required, it comes in handy while at work. For daily carry i don't need it most days. But I'd gladly carry it around in my pocket for those off chances that I do need it. I've found that the times I've needed it, I've really needed it. Even if those times are few and far between, I'll still carry it around just in case and for my own piece of mind.
 
Red Wing said:
Mine gets used from everything from my sons toys to working on my car. If youre not a handy guy you probably wont find it useful. If you are its a must have.
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I don’t think its about being handy or not, it’s about does a multi-tool have extra tools you dont need and with those extra tools does it weigh more than the ones you do use individually. If I’m in my home or car, where I keep tools, there would be overlap. Hence why I asked about a survival pack or bushcraft, places where I don’t have other tools readily available.

I will add I’m starting to see some uses for tools, not necessarily a multi-tool yet, in the woods or at work. At work, a multi-tool may be the only option.
 
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Can’t imagine repairing stuff in the field without a pliers-type multitool. SAKs are nice for EDC, but I’d not go camping without proper multitool with pliers. Additional SAK makes it even more useful as you can use pliers and screwdriver working together, sometimes it’s a must.

I believe that today Nessmuk would choose LM Wave instead of a double blade slipjoint ;)

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Personally I don't care what someone else carries and see no reason to convince them either way :6:

Carry something if you have a use for it, if not then don't. Multitools can definitely be useful, but they are not for everyone. I carried a Leatherman Wave for over 15 years and it saved my backside a few times. I've since stopped carrying it and haven't missed it.

These days I'm all about minimalism, but my car is never far away and so neither are proper tools. As far as weight and bulk goes, well, you get used to it. I'm a 200+ pound guy so I don't notice an extra few ounces riding on my hip. ;)
 
The only multi tool I carry in the woods is a little Leatherman Squirt. Pliers, screwdrivers and scissors, all in a small, lightweight package.
I do have a full size Gerber tool in my truck pack, as a "just in case" item.
Since I normally carry tools all day at work, and have full sets of tools at multiple locations (home, vehicles, work, etc) a multi tool on my belt never made sense for me.
I will say that many guys in the trades swear by them, and carry them religiously; I'm just not one of them.
That doesn't mean I don't still want a Charge+ tti... because I really do. They finally used a premium knife steel which is something I've been wanting to see forever.
 
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