Pliers in the wilderness??

Another great reason to have either vice-grips or some other sort of locking pliers (with cutter), is the ability to "harvest" wire. Suppose you forgot to add a coat hanger, but found an old pile of barbed wire. With 5 inch vice-grips it's an easy matter to cut off enough wire, and then bend it, to make a nice cooking grill. Or, untwisted and with the barbs removed, you have 2 pieces of wire that are even tougher than a coat hanger.

I guess the above is dependent on where you did your "surviving". Up here it's cow country, and anywhere you have cows there's always LOTS of barbed wire around, even way back in the sticks. A second pair of pliers, to help hold and make the bends, would also be handy, which is where the Sebertool would come in handy. While the handles are short, it's still a pretty robust tool.
 
I have a couple leatherman's and have used them in the field but more in the office. About a hundred years ago I was on a SAR team, I carried a 4.5" pair of channel lock pliers for loosening locking carabiners. (if you tighten the biner under load you know what I mean). I still have them, strong as heck and much lighter than a leatherman. If weight is a factor I carry the pliers and may SAK.
 
After reading all the post and alot of them talk about locking pliers or channel locks, as Nic said what about the Crunch tool. After this thread I will never go into the woods without my crunch or my wave or my super tool 200.
 
Because of this thread I am now carrying two Multi Tools on me, The Wave and the Crunch along with my tactical folder. I think if I carried a pair of channel locks I would replace them with the Crunch. This little sucker really works and its not to heavy.
 
I was backpacking in the Blue Range Primitive Area (on the border between Arizona and New Mexico) last weekend. I'm the curious sort when in the wilderness. I frequently used my LM Wave as a probe and mechanical hand when investigating plants and insects that I don't want to touch with my hand. I used it to crack open seed pods and for plucking a caterpillar with "poisonous" hairs off of a fellow hiker. It seems a contradiction, but I enjoy being cyborg-like in the wilderness. I carried the LM Wave, a large Sebenza, a Surefire C3 with the red flip up filter and an Inova X5T all of which are arrayed to be deployed immediately yet carried comfortably while hiking with a backpack all day. The Inova was great for navigating around camp and down trails. The C3 with the red filter was great for night safari hikes, flip up the cap and the unfiltered blast would light up great distances.

-- Jeff
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top