Why bring a multitool on long treks?

Question

I have been trekking for years now, mostly in Scandinavia, Canada and Peru. For most of treks we had to be sustainable and carry food for 10-14 days at a time - so weight is always a big issue.

Obviously this requires very optimized equipment, and for this reason I never considered bringing a multitool (like a swisstool or leatherman): personally I just never saw the benefit of such a tool, as out in the wild I essentially never encountered situations that would call for pliers, screwdrivers, or any of the other sophisticated tools.

However, over the years I have seen plenty of people who absolutely swear by their multitools and bring them on every occasion, including long hikes or trekking trips.

I'd like to know of you:

• Why do you bring your multitool on long trips?
• What kinds of purposes does it serve, which a normal knife can't?

Answer 1

There's always a difference between required and excessive. A lot of these multi tools have specific purposes. Do I require a screwdriver on a trek? Mostly no. Will I use a knife, a pair of scissors or even a pair of tweezers? Mostly Yes.

So do I recommend carrying a multi tool to a trek? Yes. But having said that, there are multitude of these tools out there. What one needs to look at is the one which makes sense for a trek. I have multitools which have the basic knife-scissor-tweezer-pin combination and also another one with a screwdriver-plier combination. I do not carry the screwdriver ones on treks. They are heavy and pretty much useless.

What all have I used my multi tools for?

• Cutting fruits, opening cans, opening up packed food.
• Removing thorns from my fingers using tweezers.
• Sewing up my shoes with reamer (a temporary but useful solution).

On a lighter note, once when I was on a forest survey, I met a fellow who felt his swiss multi tool knife could provide him sufficient protection against wild animals. So yeah, for some, it might give some mental strength as well :D ;)

EDIT:

What a normal knife can't? That would be a very selective list. And probably one could argue that pretty much everything could be achieved using a normal knife with sufficient skill. Personally I do not use a bigger knife for delicate stuff like removing a splinter ;). Also, I've met folks who do not carry a knife (mostly those going for guided treks) and prefer multi tool instead. I also believe that the human tendency to feel more comfortable with more options has to do with this somehow.

Answer 2

I carry a compact Victorinox Swiss Army Knife (Huntsman) which I find perfectly adequate for all of the situations I have encountered in the wilderness.

If you consider that too heavy to carry (3.5 inches and 28grams) then you need to reevaluate your fitness (joke!) and what kind of trade-offs you are making between weight and functionality.

As an ex-soldier I know plenty of guys who swear by huge industrial leatherman tools but I have never felt they were particularly more efficient.

Here are my primary reasons;

• The UK has very stringent laws regarding knives; it's not worth owning a larger variant
• I will always need to cut paracord or tape or bandages so a small blade is fine
• I often strip sticks for the kids into items/poles
• I have sawn down small foliage for various reasons
• I have used the bottle opener several times ;-)
• I have whittled poles to slot into the eyeholes of the tarp
• I have used the tweezers quite a few times

But ultimately it is really the idea that I would rather have a small, useful utility tool in my packing list and not need than the other way about.

If I was trekking the Appalachian Trail or the Rockies I would probably invest in a large, suitable knife because you are correct; 90% of the actions involve cutting, sawing, stripping or the blade portion in some way but for the UK and most of Europe a Swiss Army Knife is perfectly adequate.

The limitation of a multi-tool versus a knife is the force you can bring to bare through the handle of a knife as a hammer-like strike (tent pegs, stakes, general all-round man smashing of stuff).