Question for those who have made up a kit?...

4

49 Pan

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Feb 6, 2007
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I am in the process of building my personal survival / wilderness survival kit. I have seen photos of kits posted here and I have notice there are no pliers included other than what may be on a multitool. I think they could prove an invaluable asset in prolonged survival conditions. I am going to include a small pair of Needle Nose Vise Grip locking pliers in mine. Some come with the anvil type wire cutter at the back of the jaw.

I just can't bring myself to carry a multi-tool. I have tried with two different varieties but just could not find happiness. Has anyone included standard pliers of any type in their kit?

Thanks,
PanMan
 
I think you've hit the nail on the head. If you don't want or need the extra blades, a small NN Vise Grips is a good choice. Check the wire-cutting ability, some are better than others (bevels machined in to cut cleanly).

In fact, I wish I knew of a multi that had locking pliers built-in, because I do find uses for the sawblade and screwdrivers on mine. That may be asking too much. As it is, I carry a Leatherman Blast on my person and a small regular vise-grips stays in the car or camp. Being able to clamp something tight can be real handy.
 
GibsonFan said:
I think you've hit the nail on the head. If you don't want or need the extra blades, a small NN Vise Grips is a good choice. Check the wire-cutting ability, some are better than others (bevels machined in to cut cleanly).

In fact, I wish I knew of a multi that had locking pliers built-in, because I do find uses for the sawblade and screwdrivers on mine. That may be asking too much. As it is, I carry a Leatherman Blast on my person and a small regular vise-grips stays in the car or camp. Being able to clamp something tight can be real handy.
Click to expand...

Leatherman makes a multi-tool with a locking plier like a vice grip. It's called the Leatherman Crunch. I have one it does a good job. It has a serated blade, phillips head, two stright screwdriver blades, a file, wire cutter and a special wire stripper. Throw it in with the Leatherman Wave and you have a lot of options. I think the Crunch would be great for veichle repair. The plier is not needle nose but is not as wide as a regular plier either. The case is more like the original Leatherman. It is a nice tool.

BB
 
I just posted on the nalgene based psk thread on the second page I have some pics that have a leatherman squirt I also carry a leatherman wave ti on my belt every day too. In my daily adventures I use my wave at least once a day. Some people do not use a pair of pliers very often but I do.
I think most people do not include pliers in there kit because they already have them on there belt.
any other thoughts,

Bryan
 
Thanks for the info. GibsonFan. I see by your moniker you must be a guitar player. I also love the guitar, I am fairly knew at it and wish I had picked it up years ago. I play Carvin guitars, in the used market, they are an excellent guitar for the money.

PanMan
 
Thanks to all for your input. I am just getting started on my kit and I want to be logical and methodical about what to include. I do not want to include too much nor do I want to under equip.

PanMan
 
BigBelly, thanks for the heads-up on the Crunch. I'm glad I asked! Thing is I love the saw blade on my Blast and don't like serrated blades much at all... I'll look into it though. Where's the option where I pick a frame style and tell 'em which blades I want in it? ;)

Carvin makes very fine guitars, they really do give a lot of quality for the money. If you like the neck profiles and body styles, you can't go wrong.
 
GibsonFan said:
BigBelly, thanks for the heads-up on the Crunch. I'm glad I asked! Thing is I love the saw blade on my Blast and don't like serrated blades much at all... I'll look into it though. Where's the option where I pick a frame style and tell 'em which blades I want in it? ;)

Carvin makes very fine guitars, they really do give a lot of quality for the money. If you like the neck profiles and body styles, you can't go wrong.
Click to expand...

Picking the frame style and blade options? That makes to much sence. I would think of the tools on the Crunch as back up to your Blast. They are smaller in size than the tools on my Wave. If you get a chance go look at a Crunch. It's design is worth seeing. I wouldn't think of it as a primary carry multitool because it is slower to configure than the others. But it is nice to have the locking plier in the pouch.
 
We're on the same track, BigBelly... I looked at the Crunch on the Leatherman website. I think it would be great to replace the small vise-grips that stays at camp, and the Blast will stay on my belt or in my jacket.
 
I have a bare bones leatherman that works for me, but I rarely if ever carry it anymore. It lives in my camera case, but have been considering carrying it again.

I think that the NN visegrips, would be a good replacement, if all you wanted was the plus of pliers. I like having the additional tools though.
 
The small vise-grips don't carry as small, by far. That may be a big factor to a lot of folks. I know I don't really want mine on my belt, like I said before, it stays in the car or at the campsite. Naturally, we're getting into why multi-tools were designed in the first place!
 
Kershaw also makes a locking-plier multi-tool, the A100.

Multi-tools tend to be heavy. If you are hiking, what are you going to use pliers and screwdrivers for-- that is the question. The minute you have an ATV or anything mechanical, I can see the real value. On foot, an SAK is about all you need for "tools". IMHO, something like a Leatherman Micra and a 3"-4" knife is plenty.
 
I keep heavy duty Dykes in my car and in my Oh Sh*T bag that i keep on EMS Duty( ask me about the time I had to cut a nail stuck in a womans Croch).

But for wilderness survival I tryst my leathermans plyers since its mainly just for gear repair or handling a hot pot. If I was on an ATV or other vehicle I would use standard tools
 
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