There’s nothing better than spending time in nature. For me, the more time the better and that means I want to stay overnight and do some camping. But to get the most out of it you need to have some things with you. Just the essentials – everything you need and nothing you don’t. That’s where a great multi-tool can be your best friend.
Or choose wrong and at the very least you’ve wasted your time and money or at the very worst, you get stuck in a sticky situation. But everyone’s needs are different so let’s look at some of the best multi-tools for camping and what they have to offer. Then I’ll make the tough decision about which one I recommend for the camping multi-tool crown.
The Simple Answer
Multi-tools best suited for camping need to have a few essential functions that not all multi-tools have. Besides the usual knife, pliers, screwdrivers and bottle opener you should consider multi-tools with a sharp awl, a pair of scissors, a bit driver to dramatically improve functionality and a way to carry it attached to your clothing or gear.
There are a few multi-tools that are worthy of consideration and my top pick for best camping multi-tool is the improved version of the Leatherman Wave, the Wave+. It’s almost a cliche to choose the Wave but for camping, it really does tick more boxes than any other multi-tool currently available.
However, if you drive to your camping spot rather than hike there, you will do yourself a big favor by taking the heavyweight Leatherman Surge with you. It has everything you need and will be able to handle any heavy-duty task you throw at it.
You already know this. There are hundreds of different multi-tools on the market. They come in all shapes and sizes and that’s great but also confusing. We all have different needs and ideas of what’s going to be important to us with our multi-tools. It all depends how we think or know what we want to do with our multi-tool.
That’s why I don’t believe there’s just one “best” multi-tool for everyone. We need to narrow down our multi-tool options based on what’s important to us. Have a look at the checklist below to help you make decisions about what sort of multi-tool you think is going to be your best camping sidekick. All of them are worthy of being on the list but only one will be the best for you.
CAMPING MULTI-TOOL CHECKLIST
- Is this multi-tool just for camping or more general use?
- What price are you prepared to pay?
- How do you arrive at the campsite? In a vehicle or on your feet?
- Are you are glamper or are a doomsday survivor?
- Are there any tools that your multi-tool MUST have?
1. Is this multi-tool just for camping or more general use?
Maybe you have a collection of every multi-tool known to man or even just a few different ones you have stashed or carried ready for specific purposes. Or maybe you’re not a Multi-Tool MacGyver like me and you only think you’re going to use this multi-tool when you’re camping. In this case, the multi-tool that’s going to be best for you has tools that are most useful for camping. Less chance your camping multi-tool needs a glass breaker than a can opener.
2. What’s your price?
If you have money to spend on camping and camping equipment, I could assume you have enough money to pay the price and buy a quality multi-tool – even if you only want to use it for camping. It’s not just that if you pay the price for any of the multi-tools we’re talking about here you’re getting a quality tool with a good warranty backup, it’s more that if you go to the trouble of carrying a multi-tool with you camping, you want it to do the job when you need it to. You brought a multi-tool with you to help you out so you want to have full confidence it’s not going to break down when you’re trying to fix a break down. So if you can afford it, don’t go cheap!
3. How do you get to the campsite?
The way you go camping can change the type of multi-tool that best works for you. If your mode of transport to the campsite is a Jeep, you probably aren’t as worried if your multi-tool of choice carries a couple of extra ounces of weight or doesn’t have a pocket clip option. But if your transport to the campsite is your Merrell hiking boots, then anything you consider is surplus to your needs will rub you up the wrong way.
If you have room in your Jeep, you can also carry some dedicated full-sized tools. You’re not going to need to use your multi-tool saw to cut through some small branches for firewood when you can easily throw a full-size axe in the cargo space.
4. Glamper or Doomsday Survivalist?
Full blown glampers (definition: a glamper is someone who enjoys luxury or glamorous camping) like to enjoy the great outdoors with all the comforts of home. If they can power their coffee bean grinder and foot massager, they will bring it camping with them. While the doomsday survivor will shave bark off a dead tree for kindling and light it with a ferrocium rod to cook a one-course feast of bugs and leaves.
And what they want from their multi-tools will be different. The survivalist will probably want to travel light and lean with just the bare essentials for survival at the campsite while the glamper will be happy to carry a multi-tool with every tool possible just in case it might come in handy.
5. What tools are essential?
Depending on the answers to the questions above, you should be able to identify at least a few tools that you consider are essential for inclusion on your camping multi-tool of choice.
It’s probably a knife and pliers as a starter but you might have a particular need for something like a pair of scissors or a saw or even a bit driver. Not all multi-tools have these tools so deciding on some non-negotiatables can help you to narrow down the choices that will suit.
Most multi-tools have a knife. You can buy a multi-tool without one if for whatever reason you don’t want to carry one. A good straight edge knife is going to have a hundred uses around the campsite. Particularly if it’s sharp. And it’s not that hard to keep your multi-tool knife sharp so there’s no excuse not to. By the way, there are some good no knife multi-tools, and my absolute favorite is the Gerber MP600 Bladeless which got the crown on the Recommended Multi-Tools page.
It doesn’t hurt to have a serrated blade as well as a straight blade for cutting stuff like tent ropes. I’m not a huge fan of serrated knives because I can’t sharpen them myself and because I know a sharp straight edge will pretty much do as a good a job as a serrated edge.
Besides the knife you’re going to get a pair of pliers. Good pliers will have a thousand uses such as grabbing a hot pot off the fire when you’ve left your favorite oven mitts at home. Ideally, the pliers will have replaceable wire cutting blades. My fellow MacGyvers know I like replaceable cutters because I would be really mad if I permanently damaged my non-replaceable cutting blades – which is easy to do.
These are the easy choices. Now for my recommendations for other tools you want to consider for your hike to the camping ground and when you’re at the camping ground.
Awl
I’m a huge fan of a good awl. The sharp point on an awl and the small blade edge are just plain handy for doing things you don’t or shouldn’t want to do with your main knife. The strong tip will get into tight spots and you’ll be able to lever out lodged debris or gorge a channel in a rod. Use the small blade surface to shave off rough surfaces and finish to taste with your multi-tool file. Most awls also have a thread hole. Use it to repair a tear in a pack, tent, jacket or hammock. Or if you’re as tough as me, stitch up a long wound in your leg. Just kidding, I’d go to the hospital.
Scissors
A reasonable pair of scissors will come in super handy. Maybe the weather is warmer than you thought and you forgot to pack your hiking t-shirt, just long sleeves. Grab the scissors and do some basic tailoring to shorten up the sleeves and cool you down. Or maybe you need some emergency manscaping before you make a trip into the local town. A sharp knife can do a lot of jobs a pair of scissors can but will be much slower and more difficult to use.
Drivers
Most multi-tools have at least one size of flat head screwdriver and one size of Philips head but not all of them have a bit driver. Even if you’re a light packer or a survivalist, you will be carrying equipment. Check what sort of fasteners your equipment has and make sure your multi-tool has a driver to fit. That’s where a bit driver comes in so handy. Being able to carry a few different bits for the driver can dramatically increase the available functions for your multi-tool. Shove a bit kit into the other pocket in your multi-tool sheath and you’re good to go with your favorite selection of hex bit, Allen, Torx and other bits.
For the survivalist or the glamper who gets caught short
A survivalist will assume the worst and have carry the equipment to match. The glamper will plan to be well prepared but as Mike Tyson said “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”. That punch could be a storm or accident that means you have to fend for yourself. This is where a few other tools will be useful. What about a ferrocerium rod to get a spark for starting a fire or a whistle to draw attention to the rescue crew? There are multi-tools that include these types of tools that you might want to consider.
Pocket Clip
While not technically a tool, a pocket clip could be an essential addition to your camping multi-tool. It depends on how you want to carry your multi-tool. Maybe it’s not essential to have a pocket clip if you get to your campsite by vehicle but even then you still might want to clip it onto your belt or pocket when you’re around the campsite rather than have it loose in your pocket. If you hike to your site then having a pocket clip gives you different carry options that can mean you have your multi-tool close to hand at all times. Some multi-tools have a carabiner built in and that can be even more useful than a pocket clip for attaching to your clothing or a backpack.
So let’s use the list of tools we ideally want in our camping multi-tool to look at what multi-tools should be on your shortlist.
Full-Size Camping Multi-Tool
Leatherman Charge+ TTi
The Charge+ TTi is the upgraded version of the Charge TTi. The only part that’s been upgraded is the wire cutters are now replaceable. But on what is undeniably an expensive multi-tool, it’s about time Leatherman made the cutters replaceable.
The extra cost of the TTi is in the premium materials Leatherman use like the titanium handles which are very corrosion resistant so a good metal if you’re going to have the Charge TTi anywhere around water. Even though titanium is lighter than steel, the Charge TTi still weighs in at a slightly above average 8.9 oz (252 gms).
There’s a knife blade made of S30V stainless steel. On my scale of best steels for multi-tool knives, the S30V gets an ‘Excellent’ rating – knife steel doesn’t get any better than this in the multi-tool world. Add the spring-loaded scissors and the bit driver and you have a lot of useful tools to tackle a lot of tasks. What you don’t have is an awl though but you do have a very small bit driver, a file, and a saw. If you don’t want to stretch to this TTi version, Leatherman also has a steel version with the same tools that will cost you a bit less.
Gerber Truss
The Truss is one of the latest multi-tools from Gerber with 17 tools. I’ve had a good look at the Truss, and it has some of the tools that make it a contender for best camping multi-tool. Weight and closed length are average at 8.4 oz (238 gms) and 4.35 ins (11 cms).
There’s a small pair of scissors and an awl without a thread hole because it’s too narrow to put a hole in it. It’s got both a straight edge knife and a serrated edge knife for different uses and pliers that are spring loaded – a bonus if you like that sort of thing but non-replaceable wire cutters which are not my sort of thing. No bit driver here either or a pocket clip or option for a pocket clip but has a lanyard hole and comes standard with a nylon sheath. If you want to be the first at your campsite with a new model multi-tool, this one could be for you.
Leatherman Wave+
If you’ve been around multi-tools for more than a few days you would have heard of the Leatherman Wave. That’s because it’s the most popular multi-tool from the most popular multi-tool brand. The latest version of the Wave is the Wave+ (say Wave Plus). There’s a good reason the Wave is so popular, it’s just a great all-rounder. If I was going to recommend a multi-tool to a friend who didn’t know anything about multi-tools and had no particular use in mind, I would tell them to buy a Leatherman Wave.
I’d like to think that Leatherman has been listening to me say wire cutters should have replaceable blades for as long as I’ve been around multi-tools because the new Plus version has, yes you got it, replaceable wire cutters.
It’s not just the replaceable cutters though, it’s got a decent pair of spring-loaded scissors, a straight knife blade and a serrated knife blade and a small and large bit driver. You’ll need to buy the optional 22-bit kit to make the most of the large driver but do that and you’ll get yourself a lot of extra tool functionality. The only thing missing here is a pocket clip which you can also buy as an option for $5 (or if you want a black one, you’ll have to save up an extra $1). I can’t say it’s too heavy or long being that it’s 8.5 oz (241 gms) and 4 ins (10 cms) which puts it on par with the other full-size multi-tools here. You can see why the Wave is so popular and the new Plus is a step forward so it’s popularity isn’t going to change any time soon.
Victorinox SwissTool Spirit range
One reason the SwissTool Spirit range makes the list is that it’s such a high-quality multi-tool that’s compact and sturdy. Weighs in at 8.7 oz (247 gms) and is 4.1 ins (10.4 cms) closed which puts it right about average for a full-size sturdy multi-tool. There’s no pocket clip or option to add one but you get a nice quality nylon or leather sheath. It’s got a great pair of scissors which I’ve personally put to the test on my fingernails and toenails and it passed with flying colors. There’s a sharp awl but it doesn’t have a thread hole for sewing. The pliers are sturdy too but don’t have replaceable wire cutters which are a real preference of mine. No bit driver as standard but you can add a bit driver and some other tools by opting for the ‘Plus’ kit.
By the lack of some of the essential tools I said are useful for a camping multi-tool, the Spirit should not be on this list but owning one of these I know that it’s such a useful and reliable multi-tool. Even if it doesn’t have some of the tools we look for, it has a lot of other really excellent tools – Victorinox claim 26! – that will make it worth taking with you. Choose from the SwissTool Spirit X, XBS, XC and Plus versions. You can probably tell I like the Spirit and that’s why I gave it my Best Quality crown on the Recommended Multi-Tools page.
SOG PowerAccess Deluxe
The PowerAccess has been around for a while – and I have one. When I first got it, I wasn’t much of a fan but after living with it for a few weeks it became one of my “go-to” multi-tools. It’s a great general purpose multi-tool that has lots of my favorite functions. The Deluxe version has recently been released and it’s got all the same tools as the original and more. I’ve written about the Deluxe and the PowerLitre that was released at the same time and was impressed with both of these new offerings from SOG.
As a camping multi-tool, the PowerAccess Deluxe ticks a lot of boxes. It’s got both a straight edge and a serrated edge knife and an awl with a thread hole and a pocket clip. It’s also 2 bit drivers, yes 2 and it comes with a 12 piece bit kit to make use of the 2 drivers. What you miss out on is a pair of scissors so if you can live without them, the SOG PowerAccess Deluxe is a very worthy contender.
But if you really want scissors and like the SOG Power line of multi-tools, have a look at the recently announced PowerLitre which ticks all my essential camping tools including scissors. As a bonus for wine drinkers, it also has a corkscrew. The only downside is that as at July 2018, it’s not yet available to buy! Keep an eye out for its release.
Lightweight contenders
If you want to keep the weight of the stuff you carry to an absolute minimum and you’re willing to forego a tool or two, here’s a few multi-tools that are worth throwing into your pocket, pack or glove box.
Gerber Dime
You’re hardly going to notice you’re carrying the Dime because it only weighs 2.2 oz (62 gms) and about half the length of a full-sized multi-tool at 2.3 ins (5.8 ins). That’s because it’s a keychain multi-tool with a lanyard ring so you can hook it to your keys.
What it also has is a good sized pair of spring-loaded pliers, a straight edge blade and a reasonably sized pair of scissors. It’s missing a couple of essential tools though – there’s no awl and no bit driver but you get some screwdrivers and a bottle opener. A good backup?
Leatherman Juice CS4
There are a few different models in the Juice range but the one that’s good for camping duties is the CS4. That’s because it’s got a few of the essential tools I look for in a camping multi-tool. There’s a straight edge knife, pliers but not with replaceable wire cutters, a pair of spring-loaded scissors with a good size opening and an awl that’s too skinny to have apace for a thread hole.
It’s also got a saw and a corkscrew for that bottle of wine you carried all that way to the campsite. The weight and length of the Juice CS4 put it in the category between keyring and full-size. It’s 4.6 oz (159 gms) and has a 3.3 in (8.3 cm) closed length. You have to do without a bit driver and a pocket clip but you do get a slide out lanyard ring to hook the Juice onto something.
Camping/Survival Multi-Tool
Leatherman Signal
Maybe you’re more of a survivalist or a prepper than a camper. You’re not going to be carrying around a tent and a camp stove when you head out into the wilderness. You want to hike light and survive on your wits and your bushcraft. So a multi-tool with tools that will light a fire, sharpen a blunt knife, repair a ripped backpack, hammer in a stake and if everything goes to hell – a whistle to attract attention is going to appeal. If this is you, the Leatherman Signal is worth a good hard look.
The Signal has a ferro rod to strike onto kindling and start a fire. The diamond coated sharpener will get the straight edge of your combo blade or the blades on your replaceable wire cutters sharp in an emergency. Leatherman has given the Signal a good awl with a thread hole for sewing. Where the Signal scores more points is with its bit driver and carabiner for attaching to your pack or nearly anything else. Or use the pocket clip. There are no scissors here but if you can do without them, the Signal could easily be at the top of your best camping and survival multi-tool list whether you’re a survivalist or not.
Heavyweight contender
Leatherman Surge
As a multi-tool for camping, the Surge has all the essential tools and more. Maybe that why it weighs so much! There’s no hiding from this, the Surge is one heavy M.T. at 12.5 oz (335 gms). The weight is at least used to good effect with all the tools being sturdy and well made.
There are two knives – a straight edge and a serrated edge, a good set of pliers with my preferred replaceable wire cutter blades and excellent spring-loaded scissors. Add the awl with a thread hole and a bit driver. The only thing it doesn’t come with is a pocket clip but you can buy one from Leatherman for about $5. The Surge is probably better carried in its sheath or in a pack rather than on your pocket given the weight of it. This isn’t a multi-tool you want to carry on your hike unless you like a heavy load. But if you can bear the weight, the Surge is not going to let you down. It’s why I gave it the Best Heavyweight Multi-Tool crown on the Recommended Multi-Tools page.
The overall winner
All of these multi-tools are worthy contenders for best camping multi-tool. It’s up to you to decide what you need for your camping expeditions. Do you value lightweight over the total number of tools, must you have a bit driver because the equipment you carry needs it or if the pliers don’t have replaceable wire cutters, is that a deal breaker?
If I have to choose one that you can’t go wrong with, it’s the new Leatherman Wave+. I know, it’s a bit of predictable and obvious choice but the for a general camping multi-tool it’s hard to beat. It still might be the best for your camping needs so have a look at the others here and enjoy making your choice!
Multi-Tools – Don’t leave home without one (especially if you’re going camping)
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