Being prepared… it’s not just for Boy Scouts, but for everyone who ventures into the outdoors. If you ever find yourself in a survival situation, having the right tools can make all the difference. Leatherman has long been a top player in the world of multi-tools, but their new Signal takes the multi-tool to a whole ‘nother outdoor level.
The Leatherman Signal is packed full with the following tools:
- Needlenose Pliers
- Regular Pliers
- 154CM Replaceable Wire Cutters
- 154CM Replaceable Hard-wire Cutters
- Wire Stripper
- 420HC Combo Knife
- Saw
- Hammer
- Awl w/ Thread Loop
- Can Opener
- Bottle Opener
- 1/4” Hex Bit Driver
- Bit Driver
- 1/4″ Box Wrench
- Carabiner
- 3/16″ Box Wrench
- Safety Whistle
- Ferrocerium Rod
- Diamond-coated Sharpener
Now, do you REALLY need to bring along all these tools on, say, a backpacking trip? No. But if you could, then why wouldn’t you? That’s what is so great about the Leatherman Signal – you get 19 tools packed into a small, knife-handle size that weighs only 7.5 ounces.
I’ve been fooling around with the Signal for a few months now, taking it on hiking trips and even backcountry skiing. And while I never got into a “situation” where the Signal saved my life, it did come in handy on a few occasions. Right off the bat during my testing time, I had to cut climbing skins to match older skis in the field, but didn’t have a skin-cutting tool. But the blade was plenty sharp enough for me to trim the skins to size, and the awl did a great job of punching holes into the skins for relocating the tip and tail hardware.
I really, really wanted to get into a situation where I had to use the ferro rod to start a fire, but did not. However, since being able to start a fire is key to getting through a survival scenario, it’s really nice to know that tool is there. I did have fun making sparks with it though.
Other survival tools include a rescue whistle, can opener, and most important of all, bottle opener, because I would literally die if I could not pop the top off my beer.
Outdoors aside, it’s good to just have a Leatherman around the house or garage. Tools like the saw, hammer, knife, wrenches and bit drivers, and even the blade sharpener can get small jobs done.
The Good: An impressive array of outdoor and survival-oriented tools in one small package.
The Bad: Some tools are hard to extract if you don’t have much in the way of fingernails.
Final Word: The Leatherman Signal is the ideal multi-tool for anyone who ventures into the outdoors. Survival-oriented stuff is good insurance to have in your pack, and in such a compact handle, it doesn’t cost you much weight or space. If you’re looking for something that can do it all in camp, you can’t go wrong with the Signal.