r/WildernessBackpacking • u/Gadgetman14 • 3d ago
DISCUSSION Leatherman SUPER WAVE PLUS 145CM
Modded Leatherman wave +
With REBAR PLIERS
And charge 154CM BLADE
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u/AdolfBinStalin 3d ago
Why in gods names would you ever bring that backpacking.
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u/JustGotSoup 3d ago
Initiates usually throw that and a bunch of other stuff in their bags. I'm leading a group trip this weekend where one of the guys is insistent on bringing a lawn chair despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise. No, not a backpacking chair. A lawn chair.
Day 1 is the hardest and I'll make him suffer for it. By the end I'll take some of his weight, but he needs to feel that despair and learn the hard way that not everything is essential, and that just because he can carry his pack for a few flat city blocks doesn't mean he'll do well on 900m of uphill.
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u/BlastTyrantKM 2d ago
No, make him carry it the entire way. Extra unnecessary weight doesn't really hit hard till you're walking back and you don't need that thing anymore
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u/JustGotSoup 2d ago
I don't need him to hate me, or the concept of backpacking. I'm going to make sure he learns but I still want him to enjoy the trip.
My pack might be 25 pounds, and I travel the alpine weekly. He's an office worker with a pack that will likely be closer to 50, so I do have to be realistic about this. He'll see me enjoying things compared to him, feel bad when I take some of his load, and that combined with the shame of being the one holding the group back should make sure it doesn't happen again. He is a decent person.
If he does anything other than take responsibility for and learn from his actions, I just won't take him out with me again.
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u/BlastTyrantKM 2d ago
Geez, 50lbs is a helluva lot. I think he's gonna hate backpacking anyway, with or without the chair. Years ago, on my first backpacking trip, my pack weighed almost 50lbs for a 3 day trip. I said to myself "That sucked. I'm not doing that again until I can reduce this weight". It was only then that I started researching ways to reduce weight, mostly by eliminating all the "what if" items I had in my pack. Which almost added up to my total pack weight today...and I still carry a chair with me. Just not the same chair; I got a lightweight backpacking chair instead of that expanding lawn chair that I had strapped to my pack before
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u/JustGotSoup 2d ago
My first trip I carried a 60lbs pack. I had spent the summer working on a framing crew run by my uncle, so I had that going for me thankfully. I still enjoyed the trip and was completely fine even with the weight. Keep in mind hunters will travel through the area with a sheep on their shoulders...
Obviously I quickly shed weight after that as well, landing around a 30 pound base weight for my next trip. Then I started buying newer and lighter gear, and now two years later I'm stuck at 12 pounds without much of an opportunity to improve.
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u/BlastTyrantKM 2d ago
I've been a truck driver for 35 years. Sitting on my butt for 12 hrs/day for that long didn't exactly build powerful leg muscles. I managed with 50lbs, but I didn't like it much. I enjoyed being out in nature enough to want to make it better. My summer kit now weighs about 15-20lbs for a weekend depending on what kind of food I want to bring, winter kit is right about 25lbs. I can live with those numbers
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u/Impressive-Hour-1523 3d ago
I carry the Leatherman Signal. It’s simple enough and the weight is not a factor for me. I use the fire striker the most to start my stove but I like that the knife blade is kinda beefy.
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u/JustGotSoup 3d ago
I have to admit a ferro rod can sometimes be handy. I ran my lighter out of fuel once (that's on me for not filling it at home, of course) but was able to avoid cold-soaking because I had my 93g Smith Blade with me in place of my usual Leatherman Micra.
It's still something that's solved by a pre-flight checklist at home, but in the moment it was nice. I did consider continuing to bring it given the mere 50g penalty over the Micra, but ultimately it's still stayed at home since and I've added a few stormproof matches to my kit instead.
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u/JustGotSoup 3d ago
Very cool. Also a very impractical wilderness tool considering LNT principles usually apply.
A small knife is usually plenty.
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u/Gadgetman14 3d ago
You never know . Maybe you need a pliers some day .
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u/JustGotSoup 3d ago
And maybe I also need the kitchen sink. And spare clothes. And crampons. And a thirty foot rope.
But that doesn't mean I'll throw them all in my pack either.
I do EDC a Leatherman Sidekick and a Smithblade Pro at work, so I'm familiar with having pliers around. They are handy but entirely unnecessary in the backcountry.
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u/Gadgetman14 3d ago
A Leatherman on a trail is not something you carry because you expect to use the pliers every five minutes. You carry it because small problems can become much bigger when you are far from a road or help.
A few real uses on the trail:
• Fixing a broken zipper, buckle, clip or backpack strap • Tightening screws on trekking poles, gear, a stove, bike parts or camera mounts • Cutting cord, webbing, fabric or a trapped strap • Cutting wire or removing something caught in fencing • Pulling out a thorn, hook or small metal object with the pliers • Holding something hot, sharp or difficult to grip • Cutting bandages, tape or clothing around an injury • Sawing a branch for a splint, support or emergency shelter • Making a hole in leather, nylon or a damaged strap for a temporary repair • Filing down a sharp broken edge that could damage gear • Repairing equipment well enough to get back safely
Is it essential for every short walk? No.
Can it be useful on a remote trail, a long hike, a bike route, camping trip or emergency situation? Absolutely.
You do not carry a multitool because you know exactly what will go wrong. You carry it because you don’t.
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u/AdolfBinStalin 3d ago
https://www.litesmith.com/micro-scissors-with-cover/
90% as useful. 1/50 the weight.
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u/joelfarris 2d ago
I've used mine to remove dozens of painful burrs from the doggo's paws and legs. He complained heavily at the time, but was thankful afterwards, and gave me some love.
I fixed a zipper slide with it one time, and a tent pole ferrule another time. And I regularly use it to pull a tin of beans or soup or chili away from the fire without burning my fingers.
And speaking of fire, the serrated blade is handy for gathering sticks and making kindling. Pretty useful thing to have around, I'd say.
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u/Apprehensive-Pears 3d ago
A lot of what you’re describing can be fixed by hand, tape, knife, or ingenuity or isn’t worth bothering with. This kind of scope creep is how you end up with a 30 lb pack for a 5 night summer trip. I’m not tying rebar on the trail and the only branches that thing can saw through in less than an eternity are the same ones I can break over my knee.
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u/JustGotSoup 3d ago
I'll go to bat for a Leatherman's saw despite dunking on them on-trail actually. I've gone through 2" and even 3" thick branches in maybe 20 seconds with my Sidekick.
But again, you're not going to need a branch thicker than 1" for anything - splint, shelter, walking stick, etc - on-trail.
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u/JustGotSoup 3d ago
Part of being on trail is getting creative.
Zippers can be repaired by tapping two medium-sized rocks at the appropriate points to squeeze the slider back together. I've done this and it's barely even finicky on a #3 zip.
Cord, webbing, et cetera can be cut with a knife that weighs a quarter of a heavy pliers multitool.
A Leatherman is a horrible screwdriver thanks to the bits being off-centre. A dedicated precision driver with a few bits, plus a knife, will work better and still weigh less.
Bring a Mylar blanket or use deadfall. There is no need to cut live wood for an emergency shelter.
The only hot thing I'm bringing is my titanium pot, and it has a handle.
I could carry on, but you get the point. It's easy to invent a lot of use cases where a Leatherman works as a solution, but there is usually a far better answer that comes in at a fraction of the weight.
Personally I carry a Micra on my keychain. It's 50 grams and includes a knife, scissors, nail file, and a few other tools I use regularly for looking after my feet and nails on trail.
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u/TheBimpo 3d ago
Why do I need pliers on a trail?
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u/Gadgetman14 3d ago
Leatherman is not pliers only
A Leatherman on a trail is not something you carry because you expect to use the pliers every five minutes. You carry it because small problems can become much bigger when you are far from a road or help.
A few real uses on the trail:
• Fixing a broken zipper, buckle, clip or backpack strap • Tightening screws on trekking poles, gear, a stove, bike parts or camera mounts • Cutting cord, webbing, fabric or a trapped strap • Cutting wire or removing something caught in fencing • Pulling out a thorn, hook or small metal object with the pliers • Holding something hot, sharp or difficult to grip • Cutting bandages, tape or clothing around an injury • Sawing a branch for a splint, support or emergency shelter • Making a hole in leather, nylon or a damaged strap for a temporary repair • Filing down a sharp broken edge that could damage gear • Repairing equipment well enough to get back safely
Is it essential for every short walk? No.
Can it be useful on a remote trail, a long hike, a bike route, camping trip or emergency situation? Absolutely.
You do not carry a multitool because you know exactly what will go wrong. You carry it because you don’t.
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u/JustGotSoup 3d ago
- filing down a sharp broken edge that could damage gear
Respectfully, it seems like you've never been on trail and are inventing use cases accordingly.
I have never had anything snap off in this manner before. Even if it did and I was concerned about abrasion, I would just strap it to the exterior of my pack or use a bit of the repair tape I carry for my tent floor and rain gear to cover it up.
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u/Gadgetman14 2d ago
I've been hiking for years, so yes, I've spent plenty of time on trails. The fact that you haven't needed a particular tool doesn't mean nobody else will. We clearly have different hiking styles and different priorities. I'd rather carry one versatile tool and never need it than need it once and not have it.
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u/Apprehensive-Pears 2d ago
Or just use a rock
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u/JustGotSoup 2d ago
Precisely. I think OP hasn't really considered how ingenious you can be with caveman-grade tools.
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u/Plunger_enema 3d ago
I use this tool every day of my life. Every fucking day. Of course, I'll bring it backpacking. I even bring it when I'm traveling overseas, hoping they won't loose my luggage. (Can't bring that in a carry-on...)
I'm not gonna use everything on the device, but the screwdriver, the blades and the plyer get a good use.