Almost any multi-tool will be useful to have along with you at the camping site. But there are some multi-tools that are going to be more useful than others because they have tools or features that make them more suitable for the types of tasks you’ll encounter while camping.
After comparing and owning a lot of different multi-tools from the big 4 multi-tool brands, I wrote a full review of the best ones for camping and chose a couple I can easily recommend. The reason I chose 2 is they both have the tools most useful for camping but it depends on how you usually go camping. If you carry all your equipment to the campsite by foot, you’re probably going to want to keep things as light as possible. In this case, Leatherman’s newly upgraded Wave, the Wave+ is my recommendation. If you arrive at your campsite in your SUV, the weight of your equipment isn’t an issue so my recommendation is the bigger, similarly tooled, more sturdy multi-tool – the Leatherman Surge. First, let’s look at the lighter multi-tool.
Leatherman Wave+
There’s a good reason that Leatherman is the most popular brand and there’s a reason why Leatherman’s most popular multi-tool is the Wave. Leatherman generally produces great multi-tools and the Wave is a fantastic general purpose multi-tool. I believe there are some cave drawings showing early man using the original Wave model to go hunting! Maybe not but the Wave has been around for a long time and there’s been a couple of versions. Now there’s the Wave+, pronounced Wave plus. The upgrade from the previous model is that now the pliers have replaceable wire cutting blades. I’m a big fan of this upgrade because one day you’re going to damage the wire cutting blades and want new ones.
Take your choice of a good sized straight edge knife or a serrated one – both one hand opening. Serrated is particularly good for cutting rope you often have around when you’re camping. You also have wooden things around so the saw will come in useful. There’s a 3 sided file here as well that will take the rough edges off. All these tools are outside accessible and lock into position held by an easy to release liner lock. Butterfly open the pliers and you have the previously mentioned wire cutters in the needle nose plier head as well as a nut/bolt gripper section.
Inside the plier handles, it’s easy to get to the large flathead screwdriver and jewelry driver (think very small flathead screwdriver (very useful for fiddly jobs)) and a pair of compact scissors. There’s a can opener/compulsory bottle opener and a bit driver which comes standard with a double ended Philips/medium flathead screwdriver bit. Use the Wave+ sheath with its extra pocket and slide in the optional 21 double-ended bit kit to add a whole lot of additional functionality. Nice.
What’s makes the Leatherman Wave+ such a great camping multi-tool is its toolset. Of course, you need pliers and a knife – that’s common for most multi-tools. It’s the other tools like the awl, bit driver, saw and the scissors that make the Wave+ so suited to camping. And all the tools are well made and easy to deploy and use. That’s why I give it the Best Camping multi-tool crown. But if you can handle a beefier multi-tool with an equally good toolset, take a look at the Leatherman Surge.
Check out the current price of the Leatherman Wave+ on Amazon. Available in Black, Black and Silver and Stainless Steel.
Leatherman Surge
I think of the Surge as the Wave’s bigger brother. It’s definitely a full size larger and it’s Leatherman’s heaviest multi-tool at 12.5 oz (335 gms). Compare that to the Wave+ at 8.5 oz (245 gms) – that’s a 50% weight penalty for the Surge. But the Surge uses it’s weight well to give you a multi-tool were all the Wave+ tools and functions have been super-sized for the Surge. Like the pliers, knives, scissors, flathead screwdrivers and can opener/bottle opener. There are 4 outside accessible tools that lock with a liner lock and the inside accessible tools are accessible by nail nick and released by pushing down on a tab. All the same as the Wave+ just bigger.
Besides the bigger sizes, the Surge has an interchangeable tool. You can change out the 3 sided file for a saw. That’s a positive feature if you carry your Surge in a sheath because then you can take the other tool with you. It’s a good idea to have a sheath anyway because there’s no pocket clip and you will probably want to buy the optional bit kit and carry that in the sheath as well. Another difference from the Wave+ is the Surge has one of my favorite tools – the super useful awl with thread hole. Don’t know what you can use an awl for? When I was new to multi-tools, I wasn’t sure either so I did some research and wrote this.
I can highly recommend the Leatherman Surge for camping if you don’t have to carry it for long distances. Or maybe you like carrying heavy things. It has already taken out my Heavy Weight Multi-Tool crown so I’m obviously a fan of its toolset, quality and ease of use. It will be a great companion around the campfire.
Check out the current price of the Leatherman Surge on Amazon. Available in Black and Stainless Steel
Multi-Tools – Don’t leave home without one (especially if you’re going camping)