Gearing Up

HOT DIGGITY MULTITOOL:

The popular Swiss Army Knife, with its foldout blades, scissors and screwdrivers, has inspired a burgeoning batch of compact multitools equipped for specific needs. There are multitools for cyclists, equestrians, fishermen and skiers. The Adventure Mate is a brawny five-in-one multitool for campers, backcountry Rvers and others who might want a razor-sharp hatchet, tough-toothed saw, pointed spade/ shovel, heavy duty hammer and a hook/puller for yanking out tent stakes, lifting hot pots off a fire or hauling a canoe. Made of rust-resistant carbon-rolled steel, all five tools lock onto a hollow solid metal handle and are interchangeable. The hatchet, saw and hammer are one integrated piece. Slide the saw blade into the hollow handle, firmly secure via the quick-release spring-loaded ball locking pin, and the hatchet remains exposed, ready for splitting wood, bushwhacking through branches blocking a trail, breaking up rocks for a fire pit or some other muscular task. The non-blade end of the hatchet forms a sturdy hammer with a 1-inchdiameter flat-topped head. Release the locked-in saw from the hollow handle, slide it through a slot in the hatchet tool, then lock it in place in the handle with the nearly 7 inches of teeth exposed and you’re ready to saw. You also can attach the spade tool to the metal handle all by itself, ready to dig a fire pit, latrine or whatever. All this oomph obviously is not pocket-size, but it’s small enough for camping. The parts stash neatly into a nylon canvass holster with a belt loop. Disassembled and stashed, the whole kit and caboodle is 13 inches by 7 inches by 1½ inches thick, and weighs about 4 pounds.