Choosing the Best Outdoor Multitool
Choosing an outdoor multitool sounds easy until you stare at a wall of pliers, blades, and price tags that vary from twenty to well over two hundred dollars. Which one is right depends on how you camp, how far you hike, and what tends to break when you’re miles from the car.
This guide explains the purchasing factors that matter most outdoors, and each of these factors has a single tool that shows how good it looks. Every choice here is a Leatherman, as one brand covers the entire gamut from a $50 budget tool to a $250 flagship and backs each device with a 25-year warranty, so you’re comparing features rather than logos. Work through the list and decide which factors are important to you. You get a tool that you can wear for years.
Customize the Toolset for the Way You Camp: Leatherman Wave+
The Wave+ is the tool most people should start with, and there’s a reason it stays on almost every recommendation list. You get 18 tools, including two knife blades, spring-loaded scissors, saw, file, and interchangeable wire cutters, so you can cover camp repairs and everyday repairs without feeling scattered. At 8.5 ounces, it’s not light, but each tool can be locked and the outer blades opened with one hand. Think of it as the baseline against which you measure everything else.
Price: $129.95
Sources of supply: Amazon
Buy it if you want a tool that will perform field repairs for decades, because the 25-year warranty means a cracked pliers or dull blade will be replaced free of charge. Skip it if you’re counting grams on the trail, because that weight weighs down a minimalist device and its 420HC blades don’t hold sharpness as long as the MagnaCut tools further down this list.
Pay Attention to Weight When Hiking Long Distances: Leatherman Skeletool
The Skeletool takes the opposite approach and strips things down to what you achieve most. It weighs 5 ounces, holds 7 tools, and still gives you pliers, wire cutters, locking blade and bit screwdriver, as well as a bottle opener built into the carabiner. If you pay attention to every gram on long trips, this is the tool that will disappear in your bag until you need it. You’re trading in the saw and scissors for something lighter to carry, which is a fair trade for many hikers.
Price: $89.95
Sources of supply: Amazon
Grab this one if the tool spends more time strapped to a backpack than in your hand, as it’s light enough to forget about until a job comes along. The trade-off is range, without scissors, saws or files and with a single blade that fails for heavier cuts.
Look for Survival Extras When Going Off-Grid: Leatherman Signal
Once you’re deep in the backcountry, a basic tool kit starts to feel paltry. The signal responds with a ferro rod for starting fires, an emergency whistle, a hammer surface and a diamond sharpener to keep your blade working. It carries 19 tools at 7.5 ounces and folds down to 4.5 inches so it can fit in a backpack without weighing you down. Some campers feel that you should have specialized fire and signaling equipment anyway, and that’s valid, but when the weather turns, it’s reassuring to have backups in one unit.
Price: $139.95
Sources of supply: Amazon
Reach for Signal when fire, signal and blade maintenance need to be in one housing for off-grid travel where a backup counts. The downside is cost and redundancy, as it’s more expensive than a basic 19-tool setup, and these survival extras seem frugal if you’re already packing a standalone fire and pipe kit.
Check the Blade Steel for Wet and Salty Marks: Leatherman Arc
When you’re fishing, paddling, or hiking coastal trails, rust becomes the enemy, and blade steel is where that battle is won. The Arc comes with a CPM MagnaCut blade, which has better edge retention and repels moisture far better than the steels of cheaper tools. It carries 20 tools, opens completely with one hand thanks to magnetic assistance, and feels like a flagship because it is one. This is the tool to choose if you need a datasheet that you don’t want to remember in a year.
Price: $249.95
Sources of supply: Leatherman
Choose the Arc if corrosion is your biggest concern, as the MagnaCut edge wards off the salt and sweat that are less likely to damage steel. The price is around $250, which means a level of refinement that most casual campers will never rely on.
Weigh High-Quality Materials When You Wear it Daily: Leatherman Wave Alpha
The Wave Alpha is Leatherman’s latest premium redesign of the best-selling Wave and is designed for someone who wants an upgrade they’ll feel every day. The main change is the handle with grippy G10 scales that provide grip even when your palms are sweaty or cold, paired with the largest spring scissors of all Leatherman pliers. It carries 16 tools and interchangeable wire cutters at 8.26 ounces, also features a MagnaCut blade for edge retention, and opens one-handed with a new thumb button. Imagine the Wave+ has reached a higher level without the price of the flagship Arc.
Price: $199.95
Sources of supply: Amazon
Choose the Wave Alpha if you love the Wave format but want a grippier, sharper everyday driver. Find out how these large scissors hold up in our Wave Alpha test. The catch is the sticker, because for $200 a weekend camper can skip polish, and the G10 construction barely reduces the weight of the classic Wave+.
Set a Budget That Still Allows You to Buy Real Quality: Leatherman Wingman
You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a long-lasting tool. The Wingman costs about $50 and still features spring-loaded pliers, scissors, a locking blade, and 14 tools in a stainless case, with the same warranty as the expensive models. The main advantage is that the internal tools don’t lock, so it’s better for light work around the warehouse rather than heavy snooping. For a first multitool or a replacement tool for transport in a truck, the price is hard to beat.
Price: $49.95
Sources of supply: Amazon
Start here if this is your first multi-tool or truck spare as it offers Leatherman quality for around fifty bucks. The downside is weight, as the 7-ounce stainless steel body feels heavier than a $50 tool. As such, it earns its keep as a knockaround rather than a trail pick.
Confirm It Is Flight and TSA Friendly: Leatherman Style PS
When you fly for your travels, a blade can result in your favorite tool ending up in checked luggage or the trash can. The Leatherman Style PS is specifically designed as a bladeless, TSA-compliant travel tool that combines spring-loaded pliers, wire cutters, scissors, nail file, flathead and Phillips screwdrivers, tweezers, and carabiner bottle opener in a 1.58-ounce keychain case. The integrated carabiner attaches to a keychain or backpack strap so it can be carried without adding bulk. Leatherman has decommissioned it, so inventory comes and goes and airport rules can change. So confirm this before you fly.
Price: about $30 (in stock and out of stock)
Sources of supply: Amazon
Only choose this option if hand luggage is important, as nothing else passes through such a clean security check here. The real limitations are practical, as the screwdrivers only work on tiny screws, and finding a decommissioned tool means paying whatever a reseller charges.
This Is How You End Up with Your Choice
Start with weight and travel length as these alone will split the field. Hikers who care about every gram should check out the Skeletool or bladeless Style PS, while campers who repair their gear at base camp might prefer the Wave+ or Signal. From there, let blade steel and budget draw the line and rely on Leatherman’s 25-year warranty as a safety net, no matter which route you take. For more tips, check out our roundups of the multitools still worth carrying in 2026 and the best pocket multitools.
Another filter is the location where the tool is located. A bag or keychain rewards the Skeletool or Style PS, a belt sheath fits the Wave+ or Signal, and a backpack pouch forgives the extra ounces of the Arc or Wave Alpha. Adapt the tote bag to your trip and the right choice will be obvious.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best outdoor multitool for most people?
The Leatherman Wave+ is the safest choice for most campers and hikers. It comes with an 18-piece tool kit, a fair price of around $130, and a 25-year warranty, so it’ll cover a wide variety of rides.
Can I take a multi-tool on the plane?
Not in your carry-on bag if it has a blade, as the TSA prohibits knife blades regardless of length. Pack a bladed tool in your checked luggage or take a bladeless tool like the Leatherman Style PS with you. The rules change. Please check with your airline before you travel.
How many tools do I need?
Most people reach for a knife, pliers, screwdriver, and scissors more than anything else. A 7-tool Skeletool covers the essentials, while an 18-tool Wave+ adds a saw, file and backups for longer tours.
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