Small Kit Multitool

[Raymond1000]

I’ve carried the Leatherman brand since I bought my first Pocket Survival Tool. I never fiddled with other makers. These days I carry a Charge TI in a custom sheath containing bit cards, bit extender, things like a small flashlight and ferro rod.

That’s fine for normal carry. It’s bad for an emergency kit. Why? In an emergency someone may not be at his best. Shock, injury, hypothermia, panic, are hard on concentration and fine motor control. All those little bits are easy to lose and hard to find. A whole tool is easier to spot in the leaves. That essential screwdriver bit? Consider it gone. For any survival kit I want a unitary tool, nothing removable. Big kits get the Super Tool.

I designed kits for the daughters of a friend, as each headed off to college. The idea was something they could have in their pockets and book bags. The weight limit was five pounds. The goal was to let them do as much as possible with as little as possible. You can read about it here. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1200695-An-Educated-BOB

I had previously given them each a Leatherman Juice. Why the Juice? It’s a small Leatherman, and Costco had a good price on them. That’s the multitool specified for their kits. The Juice offers a lot of utility in a light package. Plus, each girl already owned one.

Are there better options? Perhaps even from (gasp) other brands than Leatherman? I know little about other makers, and have less experience. It has to be reliable, with maximum utility, no removable parts, weighing eight ounces or less. I’ll consider any brand. What would you experts suggest?

 

[znapschatz]

Swisstool Spirit, and this from a hardcore Leatherman guy, but I can't think of a better one for your requirements. It's a step up from the Juice in capability. Rebar is good too, but has no scissors. If it were me, I'd add a Micra.
My "emergency kit" would consist of a Super Tool 300 plus Micra, but that's two pieces and heavier than what you want. However, it suits me and can take on a bit more than the smaller tools. Depends on the tolerance of the user and, of course, the nature of the "emergency." I've had a few and always did better with the larger multi-tools. The marginal performance of my Juice in one such incident caused me to put mine aside in favor of something more substantial. I like small and light as much as the next guy, but there is really no substitute for mass.

 

[Gima Nord]

The Vicorinox Spirit series?
Small to medium size, no bits, all locking, all implements can be accessed without opening the pliers. Great tool selection. Superb quality with the caracteristic snap from the SAK. A bit pricey though.

 

[Raymond1000]

Thanks. A five pound weight limit may seem arbitrary. But the heavier the kit, the more often it is left at home.

Five pounds max means a lot of tough choices. And a lot of making do when using the kit.

The Vic Spirit is where my own research was pointing. It looked like a big increase in capacity for a small increase in weight.

I won’t recommend anything for that kit that I haven’t tested. I wanted advice before buying and testing something that expensive.

The Spirit seems to come in three varieties. Spirit Plus comes with extra tools, and isn’t in consideration.

The other versions are Spirit and Spirit X. As near as I can tell, the difference is that Spirit has a serrated knife and Spirit X has plain edge. Is that the only difference?

I love the awl on the Farmer. The awl on most Vic knives, not so much. What is that reamer like?

What on earth is an isolation length cutter?

Is that crate opener a better pry bar than the standard cap lifter?

 

[collim1]

The Victorinox Spirit has a great reputation as a solid tool. I am a Leatherman guy myself when it comes to plier based tools.

I carry a Farmer daily and the awl on it is very capable, more so than the Leatherman and standard Victorinox awl on the backside slots in my opinion.

It drills holes in wood quickly and neatly.

 

[pinnah]

That’s fine for normal carry. It’s bad for an emergency kit. Why? In an emergency someone may not be at his best. Shock, injury, hypothermia, panic, are hard on concentration and fine motor control. All those little bits are easy to lose and hard to find. A whole tool is easier to spot in the leaves. That essential screwdriver bit? Consider it gone. For any survival kit I want a unitary tool, nothing removable. Big kits get the Super Tool.

Hypothermia?!? I dig hypothermia!!

Soon, I will be up north and doing some snow camping on skis like this.
Lunch spot by Pinnah, on Flickr

Hypothermia is a constant threat. Screw ups can have consequences. River crossings are particularly problematic....


My problem with any thread on BF that involves "emergency" or "survival" is to first get clarification on the actual scenario in question. I find these words are something like a Rorschach test - everybody looks at the words and "sees" something different in them and those differences mean we end up talking past each other.

If you could better describe what *you* mean by emergency or survival, give more details on the actual or imagined scenarios where you would use your small kit, I (and I think others) would be able to give better guidance.

For me (and this may not apply to you in anyway), when the words hypothermia, emergency and survival are used at the same time, for me, I'm thinking about winter camping in New Hampshire and Vermont and specifically either ski camping or winter climbing to the high peaks. In that scenario, the multi-tool I carry is the Leatherman Squirt PS4.
Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

For ski camping, I also carry a ratcheting T-handle driver with several posidrive bits and a few drilling bits. The most common repair needed for skis is to remount or replace a binding (a party typically carries a spare set of bindings) and no multi-tool is going to provide the amount of downforce and turning power that a t-handled driver is. Binding screws norm is posidrive (which can be approximated by filing the tip off of a #3 Phillips but a real posidrive bit is better yet). I also carry a Sliky Pocket Boy saw along with a folding Emberlit stove for ski tours, as wood is plentiful down low.

For winter climbing with crampons, I carry a small hex key needed to tighten/adjust my ancient SMC 8 points. I assume my partners carry whatever they need to fix their own.

I used to carry a Leatherman Wave for ski touring but found that the weight was not really justified. The smaller Squirt can fix zippers and drive a needle through fabric and is enough for any baling wire repairs if you handle it with care. The saw on the Wave is a fine shop tool, but not enough for real wood processing.

The Squirt fits into a larger "10 Essentials" kit that weighs something on the order of 1.5 lbs give or take. This kit stays in my day pack which stays in the back of my car (doubling as an emergency kit for road side break downs in rural areas) and goes with me any time I'm in the woods, even on a light day hike.

Again, this is what works for me for backcountry travel, including winter camping.

None of it may have any bearing what-so-ever with your emergency planning. Again, the more you describe what exactly you're planning for, the more constructive stuff can be said.

Lastly, in terms of tools, I wish that Leatherman would produce a downsized version of the original PST, at about the size of the Juice at 3.25" closed with very robust folding zippers. I carry the Squirt but I don't love it. I find the Juice to be too heavy for what it provides. I want something in the sub 4 oz range and a downsized PST might just do that.

 

[TheMadIndian]

I guess it depends on what you mean by small kit or what you're looking for that kit to accomplish

I have two "small kits'

I have this one

it leaves with me if I don't want to take one of the bigger edc bags

Then I have my smallest edc which is the bare essentials

 

[gadgetgeek]

I think the juice is a good choice. Its small and gentle enough to get carried in a purse, and useful enough to get used once and a while.

Realistically any kit or gear that gets EDCd in a typical urban/campus environment is going to be a bit of a woobie. Thats not a bad thing, since a calm head is your most important asset. If something happens, the girls first thought should be "I can solve this" and if the easiest way for them to think that is to do a quick stock take and find a light and a tool, all the better.
My top four urban EDC items are, multi-tool of some sort (SAK or rebar, keychain tools, any or all), sunglasses (eye protection) backup cell charger battery pack (and a few spare cables for other phones) and a towel. I do carry far more than that, and I can improvise a bunch of things. Power in my phone is not one of those things.

If something happens, I probably won't need most of it. But, if I do, its all right there, and I can work on solving problems, rather than trying to sort out what I can use.

 

[sir_mike]

Another thought would be the Rebar or look at the Victorinox line!

I personally would have picked the Rebar, Fuse or even the Kick over any Juice! Leatherman.com had the Kick's for $20 a short time ago but not sure if they are still on sale!

 

[Raymond1000]

The Victorinox Spirit has a great reputation as a solid tool. I am a Leatherman guy myself when it comes to plier based tools.

I carry a Farmer daily and the awl on it is very capable, more so than the Leatherman and standard Victorinox awl on the backside slots in my opinion.

It drills holes in wood quickly and neatly.

I’m not a fan of the tools on the backside of the Vic knives. They don’t make for a comfortable grip—especially the corkscrew. Functionally, the corkscrew and the parcel hook belong back there. But the awl and any screwdrivers would be better deployed in line with the handle. A T grip gives you better torque. I seldom need extra torque for anything I’m working on with a Vic. In line deployment gives better reach. Which I often do want. The Farmer’s awl is in a class by itself.

 

[Raymond1000]

Hypothermia?!? I dig hypothermia!!

Soon, I will be up north and doing some snow camping on skis like this.
Lunch spot by Pinnah, on Flickr

Hypothermia is a constant threat. Screw ups can have consequences. River crossings are particularly problematic....


My problem with any thread on BF that involves "emergency" or "survival" is to first get clarification on the actual scenario in question. I find these words are something like a Rorschach test - everybody looks at the words and "sees" something different in them and those differences mean we end up talking past each other.

If you could better describe what *you* mean by emergency or survival, give more details on the actual or imagined scenarios where you would use your small kit, I (and I think others) would be able to give better guidance.

For me (and this may not apply to you in anyway), when the words hypothermia, emergency and survival are used at the same time, for me, I'm thinking about winter camping in New Hampshire and Vermont and specifically either ski camping or winter climbing to the high peaks. In that scenario, the multi-tool I carry is the Leatherman Squirt PS4.
Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

For ski camping, I also carry a ratcheting T-handle driver with several posidrive bits and a few drilling bits. The most common repair needed for skis is to remount or replace a binding (a party typically carries a spare set of bindings) and no multi-tool is going to provide the amount of downforce and turning power that a t-handled driver is. Binding screws norm is posidrive (which can be approximated by filing the tip off of a #3 Phillips but a real posidrive bit is better yet). I also carry a Sliky Pocket Boy saw along with a folding Emberlit stove for ski tours, as wood is plentiful down low.

For winter climbing with crampons, I carry a small hex key needed to tighten/adjust my ancient SMC 8 points. I assume my partners carry whatever they need to fix their own.

I used to carry a Leatherman Wave for ski touring but found that the weight was not really justified. The smaller Squirt can fix zippers and drive a needle through fabric and is enough for any baling wire repairs if you handle it with care. The saw on the Wave is a fine shop tool, but not enough for real wood processing.

The Squirt fits into a larger "10 Essentials" kit that weighs something on the order of 1.5 lbs give or take. This kit stays in my day pack which stays in the back of my car (doubling as an emergency kit for road side break downs in rural areas) and goes with me any time I'm in the woods, even on a light day hike.

Again, this is what works for me for backcountry travel, including winter camping.

None of it may have any bearing what-so-ever with your emergency planning. Again, the more you describe what exactly you're planning for, the more constructive stuff can be said.

Lastly, in terms of tools, I wish that Leatherman would produce a downsized version of the original PST, at about the size of the Juice at 3.25" closed with very robust folding zippers. I carry the Squirt but I don't love it. I find the Juice to be too heavy for what it provides. I want something in the sub 4 oz range and a downsized PST might just do that.

I’m not sure how much a kit’s purpose speaks to evaluating a particular tool. The link is right there of anyone wants to look. Anyway it’s not a specialist kit. Not about climbing or snowshoeing or hotel room survival. It’s a kit for a college kid newly away from home. A “you never can tell” kit.

If you love to play in the snow—camping, skiing, climbing—dealing with the cold is one order of risk. You carry enough skill and experience; you quickly evaluate the situation and do what’s necessary. “Please, don’t throw me in the briar patch!”

Someone who’s notion of too cold is waiting at a bus stop with ice on the ground, is at much greater risk if stranded in the White Mountains in winter.

 

[Raymond1000]

I guess it depends on what you mean by small kit or what you're looking for that kit to accomplish

I have two "small kits'

I have this one

it leaves with me if I don't want to take one of the bigger edc bags

Then I have my smallest edc which is the bare essentials

I like that little kit, TMI. The kit I liked to includes things like ponchos and Guyot bottles, so it can’t be that compact. A little kit like yours is a different challenge.

 

[Raymond1000]

I think the juice is a good choice. Its small and gentle enough to get carried in a purse, and useful enough to get used once and a while.

Realistically any kit or gear that gets EDCd in a typical urban/campus environment is going to be a bit of a woobie. Thats not a bad thing, since a calm head is your most important asset. If something happens, the girls first thought should be "I can solve this" and if the easiest way for them to think that is to do a quick stock take and find a light and a tool, all the better.
My top four urban EDC items are, multi-tool of some sort (SAK or rebar, keychain tools, any or all), sunglasses (eye protection) backup cell charger battery pack (and a few spare cables for other phones) and a towel. I do carry far more than that, and I can improvise a bunch of things. Power in my phone is not one of those things.

If something happens, I probably won't need most of it. But, if I do, its all right there, and I can work on solving problems, rather than trying to sort out what I can use.

For pocket or purse, the Juice is pretty good. That’s one reason I chose it for the girls. Which happened well before I was designing this “off to college” kit for the eldest.

The kit has change a lot since I posted it here. With the thing on line, I kept thinking about it and tweaking it. One of those tweaks has me wondering if I can find a better multitool than the light capacity juice. Thus this post.

 

[Raymond1000]

Another thought would be the Rebar or look at the Victorinox line!

I personally would have picked the Rebar, Fuse or even the Kick over any Juice! Leatherman.com had the Kick's for $20 a short time ago but not sure if they are still on sale!

The pocketknife I recommend in the kit is the Farmer. I trust the Juice to provide the ever-so-useful scissors. Anything I chose to replace the juice has to have decent scissors. The rebar doesn’t. So it’s not in the running.

That’s not your fault; I wasn’t clear on my original specs.

Why do they call it the rebar anyway? I’ve never used anything but linesman pliers, twisting tie wire around rebar.

 

[stvpourciau]

Swiss army knife

 

[stvpourciau]

Ps, sak scissors are great.

There's so many models man, there's one for you.

 

[GIRLYmann]

nothing's ever complete when it comes to tools.
often times it calls for a bit of improvised magic
with what ever is at hand to get the job done.
I like the challenges a minimalist package brings.
It no wonder that it's a thinking man's joy to do with less.
making more with less, really means
having a complete confidence in overcoming the impossible.
even though it's gonna add to some weight
it would be helpful to add a small pocket book on survival.

[video=youtube;kzdEdvcct5Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzdEdvcct5Q[/video]
and if there's more space
a "wallet ninja" makes an ideal urban survival addition.

[video=youtube;oTwnnC5IudU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTwnnC5IudU[/video]

 

[pinnah]

Raymond,

You might take a look at the recently discontinued Blast, which is still available online if you hunt a bit.

Other 4" (closed) tools with scissors include the Wingman (fewer tools, clunky), (retired) Pulse (weird lock), (retired) Fuse (fewer tools), and the (retired) PST II (light).

I have a very, very hard tracking your needs due to the dramatic descriptions I can't relate to - burning dorms, exploding chemical plants, hypothermic hands... We can set that aside.

From what I'm gathering, you're looking for a tool a) that you can carry in pack, b) has a bit more size than a Juice, c) is relatively light weight and d) has as much functionality as you can get, including scissors.

My very mundane, pedestrian "hotel survival" EDC kit gets carried in my fannypack/daypack/man purse on a daily basis. It includes boring things like spare reading glasses, head lamp, mini 1st aid kit, lighter and a Leatherman Blast. Weight of that kit is a scant 1.5 lbs, not 5lbs.

The Blast is about 1.5 ozs heavier than the Juice and for me and big hands, makes the tools a lot more functional in the hand. It gives up any pretense of pocket carry, but if you're putting together a kit for pack or bag carry, I think it packs the most functionality per ounce. Hope this helps.

 

[Raymond1000]

Raymond,

You might take a look at the recently discontinued Blast, which is still available online if you hunt a bit.

Other 4" (closed) tools with scissors include the Wingman (fewer tools, clunky), (retired) Pulse (weird lock), (retired) Fuse (fewer tools), and the (retired) PST II (light).

I have a very, very hard tracking your needs due to the dramatic descriptions I can't relate to - burning dorms, exploding chemical plants, hypothermic hands... We can set that aside.

From what I'm gathering, you're looking for a tool a) that you can carry in pack, b) has a bit more size than a Juice, c) is relatively light weight and d) has as much functionality as you can get, including scissors.

My very mundane, pedestrian "hotel survival" EDC kit gets carried in my fannypack/daypack/man purse on a daily basis. It includes boring things like spare reading glasses, head lamp, mini 1st aid kit, lighter and a Leatherman Blast. Weight of that kit is a scant 1.5 lbs, not 5lbs.

The Blast is about 1.5 ozs heavier than the Juice and for me and big hands, makes the tools a lot more functional in the hand. It gives up any pretense of pocket carry, but if you're putting together a kit for pack or bag carry, I think it packs the most functionality per ounce. Hope this helps.

Thanks, pinnah. That does look promising.

 

[sir_mike]

The pocketknife I recommend in the kit is the Farmer. I trust the Juice to provide the ever-so-useful scissors. Anything I chose to replace the juice has to have decent scissors. The rebar doesn’t. So it’s not in the running.

That’s not your fault; I wasn’t clear on my original specs.

Why do they call it the rebar anyway? I’ve never used anything but linesman pliers, twisting tie wire around rebar.

Okay so I didnt pay enough attention about the scissors! The Fuse I listed has scissors and to me is far better built than the Juice's. The Kick doesnt have them though!