Are Multi-Tools a waste?

E

elelbean

Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
19
Does anyone really make use of any of these things in wilderness situations? The good ones don't come cheap either. I can remember being close to dropping money on one, but I figure I'd never use any of the "tools" and would rather have a solid knife instead. What are your opinions or experiences?
 
If you mean the plier-type multitool, I don't have much use for them in the woods.
If you include Swiss Army Knives, I do think they are useful in the woods, but still carry at least one fixed blade knife or hatchet/kukri with it.
 
I like them both.

Since I fish, I find the Leatherman style tools very useful for hook removal. Other elements I use most frequently are saw, plain edge blade, bottle/can opener, and screwdrivers.

On the Vics, a commonly used tool in addition to the above is the scissors.
 
The only parts of a multi tool that I ever used in the woods are the blade, awl and saw.

Jeff
 
they can be quite useful. Imagine being on the far end of your property and you see that the fence needs some light fixing. instead of going back to the house to get the tool box, just grab a multi tool off your belt :D
 
On an overnight or longer camping trip, or such, I will have a multi-tool of some type. When at camp I love to fiddle with things, and pliers, files, saws, asst. blades, and tools are handy to have.
 
they are usefull i carry my vic super tinker and a vic spirit -r ,,,love em ,,,have gotten me out of a few problems ,,my hose on my truck came off one time and out came the spirits pliers,,,the scissors are always being used,,screws always come loose ,either on my kids toys,or on my car,
 
Never came to think of getting them.
Basically single tool for single purpose is my way of doing things.
Sometimes I love to improvise various usage of a simple tool though.
 
I like them. When I worked in restaurants I used mine daily. Now I work in retail and just carry a SAK.
 
A Leatherman is pretty handy when backpacking. Mainly, the pliers are handy for lifting hot pans off the stove, but also for fixing bent packframe components, grommets, etc.
 
I carry one in extended trips. A leatherman PST (the oldest model I guess). It isn't light but can help disasembling a stove (multifuel) if the provided tool is not enough. Helps lifting and handling hot cans (that can't be picked up with the pan handler tool). In a city enviroment it sees use once in a while but in the woods I don't usually need plyers (no wires to strip, no cables to bend, no metal to file) so a SAK is the multitool I choose.

Mikel
 
Do you guys prefer having scissors or pliers on the multitools?

I prefer having pliers since there is already usually a blade on it, plus me carrying a knife 99% of the time. I really can't think of many tasks that a scissor can do that a knife couldn't do, other than curl the little streamers or balloon strings!

I keep a Gerber Suspension in my backpack and just used it last night to tear open a can of spaghtti-o's!.
 
My Leatherman Wave sees as much or more action than my fixed blade on many trips. It resides in a sheath pouch for easy access.

Many of my outings combine fishing and canoeing with camping and hiking, which creates opportunities to use many of the components of my Wave. If I'm packing light, I don't bring a full tackle box, so the pliers come in handy when it comes to removing hooks. The blades are thin enough to be useful cleaning fish. The little scissors come in handy when rigging up a jig or cutting line. On a few occasions, I have found the file (particularly the toothed bottom edge) to be an excellent way to create shavings from my magnesium block, for starting a quick fire. I once used the little screwdriver to remove the blade play on a friend's folder while we were in the bush. Also, since I like to use my sheath knife primarily for cutting and chopping, my multi-tool sees use for a variety of miscellaneous and abusive scraping, gouging, and scratching purposes.

I could have accomplished all of these things with a SAK and a pair of pliers, of course. But why lug around two tools when my Wave does the job perfectly well on its own?

So no, I don't think multi-tools are necessarily a waste. But, your mileage may vary.

All the best,

- Mike
 
I love having my multitool on my in the woods, especially when I go fishing. Helps me do all the hook work. I have used almost every tool on my multitool for something in the woods, whether it was using the attachment thing to tighten the scaled on a knife or adjust the tension on a folder, used the diamond file to touch up blades, used the saw on sticks for traps, used the guthook for skinning, used the can opener, etc. I think they're an awesome piece of kit in the woods. They have a million and two uses. I won't got out anywhere without my Leatherman.
 
Mikel_24's post just reminded me of one of the best reasons to bring along a multitool with pliers: handling piping hot all-metal camp cookware around a stove or fire pit. The little folding handles on my cooking pot get hot fast, and, while I have in the past resorted to using gloves or a toque to handle them, this is no substitute for a sturdy pair of pliers.
 
I know this is a knife based forum, so what I'm about to say is pure heresy. I actually use my multi tool at least 5 times more than I ever have to draw my knife.

I have carried a SOG Powerlock for about two years now, I think that long? I use it just about everyday at least once or twice. When I'm out in the boonies, I use the saw for cutting stuff down, the awl for poking holes if I'm doing leatherwork, the screwdriver for knife maintenance, and the pliers to help pull out those tough tent stakes and fishing hooks like another memember said.

I think it's a good investment of money and weight when going out for either day-to-day, or for outdoor use.
 
for me they are a waste...

i often carry a small pair of needle nose pliers in my kit for the reasons stated above, and have never really wished for several sizes of drivers, a file, or a spare knife blade.

if i carried different gear i might need those things more, but i keep as simple as i possibly can, and then my repair gear is simple too.
 
I've owned several and never really had a need for one in a wilderness / camping / backpacking setting. Lord knows I've tried. The only real use I have for them is home repairs and projects and keeping one in each vehicle for emergencies.
I even got a Skeletool for backcountry use but with no real need for pliers I returned to packing a SAK.
 
Leatherman Supertool sees lots of use, urban and wilderness.:cool: Used to cut sheetrock, make holes, drive/remove screws, pry, crimp, elevator doorjamb, holding hot mteal parts (as above)... I'm sure there are a few uses I've forgotten.
 
my Swiss tools see use day in and day out at school,work, and outdoors. I love having them around and think they are quite handy on extended trips. Like guyon I carry mine fishing and the pliers are great for hook removal. Also touching up the fillet knife with the fine part of the file also is nice
 
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