You want to bring all you need for a good trip, but you don’t want to pack so much that your legs give out before you even pitch the tent.
A good multi-tool can help reduce your load while still allowing you to get things done.
Campfire Cooking
That campfire bacon still needs to be flipped to get the perfect crisp throughout, but don’t waste space in your pack by bringing along tongs. Most multi-tools come equipped with pliers that can double as pincers to help grab ahold of the meat. They’re great for flipping sausages too, or just moving around piping hot pans or foil to help distribute the heat.
Set Up Tents
Tent stakes don’t need a hammer to be driven into the ground. A good multi-tool will have enough surface area to allow for a good whack. To pull them back out just hook them under a stake and put a little muscle into it. That hammer weighs too much to carry on the trail. You could also use the knife and saw to fashion your own stakes out of wood you find lying around.
Can Opener
Baked beans are a campfire staple, but you can’t exactly open them with your fingernail. Rather than bring along a can opener just use the one found in your multi-tool. Most of them come with an opener attached, while some even have bottle openers you’ll need for your beer. That’s one less thing you have to worry about remembering to pack.
First Aid
You should always have a well-stocked first aid kit on any camping trip, but lugging one around on short jaunts away from the campsite is a little cumbersome. Instead pocket a multi-tool so you can use it in emergencies to pull splinters and other objects from your skin, or even your dog’s. It can also be used to cut through a sleeve in case you need to fasten a quick bandage in a pinch.
Notch Your Belt (or any other leather)
Maybe you’ve been on a new program at the gym and find yourself a little loose in the waist. If you’re on the trail and your belt doesn’t have a notch that’ll keep your drawers from falling down you can make one yourself. Leather can make a blade go dull before its time, so use the awl on your multi-tool instead. It can also be used to drill holes through wood, clothes, tents and shoes if need be.
Cracking Ice
If you’re the adventurous type who enjoys camping in the frigid cold a multi-tool is a must. One of the best uses during winter is for cracking ice. If you wake up to find your gear frozen over you can whip out the awl to chisel away at it until it breaks. You can also use the blades as scrapers if you’re in a tough spot, though we recommend doing so with caution; you’ll dull the blade or cut yourself with one wrong move.
Measure Your Catch
Planning on doing a little fishing on your camping trip? You better make sure that trout you caught is legal. Multi-tools come decked out with a ruler you can use to measure just about anything, from food caught in the wild to rope you want to hang from a tree.
Hang a Bear Bag
Speaking of hanging things from a tree, a multi-tool is great to have on hand if you want to keep our food from bears and left your carabineers at home. Simply close the tool and tie your rope around the center, then attach your bag and toss it over a branch. It weighs just enough to keep your food from falling back to the ground as long as you tied the other end down tightly to the ground or root.
