Tools Reviews
All tools gear reviews.
Cascade Mountain Tech Aluminum Quick Lock Trekking Pole Review
Cascade Mountain Tech's $30 aluminum quick-lock poles weigh about 298 g each and tolerate abuse well, but lever locks need tuning and carbon poles run lighter.
Forclaz MT500 Hiking Pole Review
Decathlon's 240 g three-section aluminium pole is a cheap, sturdy, single-pole-pricing option for casual hikers, but not for weight-focused thru-hikers.
Opinel N°8 Carbon Review
The Opinel N°8 Carbon is a 45 g French folder with a razor-sharp XC90 blade and a Virobloc lock. It needs oiling and two hands, and it costs about $25.
Black Diamond Pursuit Shock Review
Black Diamond's Pursuit Shock adds a spring-damped grip to a proven three-section aluminum pole, trading weight and pack size for easier-on-the-knees descents.
Opinel No.08 Carbone Review
The 45 g Opinel No.08 Carbone is a French carbon-steel folder that sharpens in minutes and costs little, but it rusts and swells if neglected.
Victorinox Huntsman Review
The 97 g Victorinox Huntsman packs 15 tools, including scissors and a wood saw, into a 91 mm Swiss Army frame. It's a camp-kitchen and repair kit, not a gram-counter's knife.
Black Diamond Distance FLZ Review
Black Diamond's aluminum Distance FLZ pairs Z-fold packability with a FlickLock adjustable top section: about 448 g a pair, tougher than carbon, and heavier.
Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber Quick Lock Trekking Poles Review
Cascade Mountain Tech's sub-$50 carbon trekking poles trade ultralight weight and durability for cork grips, flick locks and a pile of accessories.
Fiskars X13 Ultralight Hiking Axe Review
The Fiskars X13 is a 480 g, 13-inch forged-steel camp axe with a locking sheath: a real chopping tool for backpackers who want fire and kindling, not a gram-shaving gimmick.
Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel BIO Scout 2in1 Review
Light My Fire's 38 g Scout FireSteel pairs a 3,000-strike ferrocerium rod with a stainless striker and 120 dB whistle, a durable backup to a lighter.
Opinel No. 8 INOX Review
The Opinel No. 8 INOX is a 45 g French folder with a thin stainless blade and a twist-ring lock. It's a cheap, sharp camp-kitchen knife, but not a tough one.
Therm-a-Rest Permanent Home Repair Kit Review
Therm-a-Rest's wet-adhesive and fabric-patch kit makes the company's most durable pad repairs, but it needs a night to cure and belongs at home, not in your pack.
Voile Strap Review
Voile's 12-inch aluminum-buckle strap is a 54 g pair of Utah-made polyurethane straps that bundle, lash, and patch gear. Cheap, tough, easy to use with cold hands.
Durston Iceline Review
Durston's Komperdell-built Iceline carbon poles weigh 289 g a pair and ride stiffer than most, but they skip baskets and extras.
Gorilla Tape Handy Roll Review
Gorilla's 1-inch, 10-yard Handy Roll is cheap, tough repair tape that works on the trail. Ultralighters should peel off a few feet and leave the roll at home.
Voile Straps Review
The 12-inch Voile Strap with a nylon buckle is a 26 g, made-in-Utah stretch strap that bundles, lashes and field-repairs gear better than duct tape or a bungee.
Benchmade Mini Bugout (533) Review
A 1.5 oz AXIS-lock EDC folder with S30V steel — is the Mini Bugout the ultralight pocket knife thru-hikers keep talking about?
Morakniv Companion Spark Review
A budget bushcraft knife with a built-in ferro rod — is the Companion Spark worth carrying over a standard Mora and a separate fire steel?
Leatherman Signal Review
A hands-on look at Leatherman's 19-in-1 survival multitool and whether its fire-starting and signaling extras earn a spot in an ultralight kit.
Gear Aid Heroclip Mini Review
A 0.7 oz carabiner-hook hybrid that clips gear to just about anything — here's how it holds up for ultralight backpacking and travel.
Tactica K.120 Flipper Review
A budget-friendly D2 steel flipper knife with premium looks, but at 133g it's a tough sell for anyone counting ounces on trail.
Leatherman Rev Multi-Tool Review
A budget-friendly 14-in-1 Leatherman with a lockable 420HC blade and pocket clip — solid for car camping and EDC, but the 5.9 oz weight makes it a tough sell for ultralight backpacking.
Tioneer Ultralight Backpacking Trowel Review
A budget TA2 titanium cathole trowel with a rope lanyard and clip — but the listed weight raises questions about whether it's truly ultralight.
Benchmade 535 Bugout Review
A hands-on look at the Benchmade 535 Bugout, the 1.85 oz S30V folder that's become a go-to ultralight EDC/backpacking knife.
Cricket Original Lighter Review
A budget disposable lighter that's cheap, tiny, and easy to find—but is it durable enough to trust on trail? Here's the honest breakdown.
Victorinox SwissTool Review
A hands-on look at the 26-function Victorinox SwissTool, and why its 290 g heft makes it a base-camp or overland tool rather than an ultralight backpacking staple.
Helinox DirtSaw Deuce Review
A 17-gram aluminum cathole trowel from DAC and TheTentLab — tiny, tough, and double-ended, but its thin edge isn't kind to soft hands.
Montem Ultra Light 100% Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles Review
A budget-friendly, sub-14 oz carbon pole with flip locks and EVA grips — solid value, with a few quality-control caveats.
Odenwolf W Flat Review
A budget-friendly full-tang D2 bushcraft knife that punches well above its price — here's how it holds up on the trail.
Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener Review
A compact, angle-guided 5-stage sharpening kit that puts a genuinely sharp edge on trail knives — reviewed for weight, usability, and thru-hike practicality.
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Ascend Acadia Quick Lock Trekking Poles Review
A budget-friendly aluminum trekking pole from Bass Pro's in-house brand — solid basics, but the plastic lock lever is worth knowing about before you buy.
Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Patches Review
Gear Aid's pre-cut Tenacious Tape patches bring the brand's long-proven peel-and-stick bond to puffies, tents and packs, with a few fabric limits.
LEKI Legacy Lite Trekking Poles Review
A budget-friendly, durable aluminum trekking pole with a comfortable grip — heavier than ultralight carbon options but built to last.
Widesea Camping Gas Tank Bracket Review
A 30g ABS tripod stand that stabilizes wobbly gas canisters—cheap insurance against tipped stoves, with a few caveats on rocky terrain.
Therm-a-Rest Instant Field Repair Kit Review
A pocket-sized insurance policy for your sleeping pad — here's how well the glue dots and patches actually hold up on trail.
Lixada Titanium Shovel Review
A budget titanium cathole trowel that's light and packable, but lacks the digging-specific design of dedicated trowels like the Deuce or QiWiz.
REI Co-op Snow Stake Review
A cheap, wide aluminum stake that works great as a snow deadman anchor but only shines when used correctly.
Hilleberg Y-Peg Review
An honest look at Hilleberg's standard Black Label tent stake — 16g of hardened aluminum, built to handle anything from alpine tundra to compacted Scottish hillside.
Victorinox Compact Review
The Victorinox Compact packs 15 functions — including scissors and a ballpoint pen — into a slim 2-layer, 64g Swiss Army Knife ideal for everyday carry and backcountry use.
Zpacks Carbon Fiber Trekking Pole Review
A balanced review of the Zpacks Carbon Fiber Trekking Pole — a lightweight, adjustable telescoping pole for on-trail backpackers and Zpacks shelter users at a competitive $60/pole price point.
Leatherman Bit Kit Review
The Leatherman Bit Kit packs 42 driver tips into two slim plastic sleeves at 113.4g — a logical companion for any Leatherman-toting backpacker who actually needs to fix things on trail.
DutchWare DAC 32 Inch Spreader Bar Pole Review
A lightweight 98g DAC aluminum spreader bar for hanging two hammocks side-by-side or as a bridge hammock foot-end pole. Compatible with DutchWare's Beetle Buckle and Double Whoopie Hook systems.
Primus PowerLighter Review
The Primus PowerLighter is a refillable butane jet lighter for backpacking and camping — a clever concept let down by recurring reliability concerns.
LEKI Makalu Trekking Poles Review
The LEKI Makalu is a burly, 3-segment aluminum telescoping pole built for durability and all-day trekking comfort — not ultralight speed records.
Zpacks 6" Sonic Stake Review
The Zpacks 6" Sonic Stake is a 9g aluminum Y-beam tent stake that delivers solid holding power for ultralight shelters — with one firm rule: don't hammer it.
Bahco Laplander 396-LAP Folding Saw Review
The Bahco Laplander is a 200g folding saw with bi-directional XT hardpoint teeth that punches well above its price class for camping, bushcraft, and trail work.
DAC J-Stake Review
A deep dive into the DAC J-Stake — the ultralight TH72M aluminum tent stake that ships with some of the best lightweight tents on the market.
Black Diamond Trail Trekking Poles Review
The Black Diamond Trail Trekking Poles deliver durable, no-frills performance at an accessible price, making them a dependable choice for hikers and backpackers who don't need ultralight bragging rights.
Leatherman Wave+ Review
The Leatherman Wave+ packs 18 tools into 241g — an honest look at whether it earns its weight in your pack.
Locus Gear Carbon Fiber Trekking Pole CP3 Review
The Locus Gear CP3 is a 155g/pole full-carbon telescoping trekking pole from Japan, prized by ultralight thru-hikers for its flip-lock reliability and impressive durability-to-weight ratio.
Opinel No. 06 Stainless Steel Folding Knife Review
A 28g ultralight French folding knife with a 70mm Sandvik 12C27 blade — hard to beat for trail food prep at any price.
Sea to Summit Nylon 66 Pocket Trowel Review
A balanced review of the Sea to Summit Nylon 66 Pocket Trowel — a 87g collapsible cathole trowel with hollow handle storage and LNT depth gauge markings.
Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Review
Black Diamond's fixed-length carbon Z-fold pole weighs 264–280 g a pair and folds to 37–40 cm, but it demands you pick one length and stick with it.
GEAR AID Tenacious Tape Repair Tape Review
An honest look at GEAR AID Tenacious Tape — the go-to field repair tape for backpackers — covering real-world performance, key limitations, and who should carry it.
FLEXTAIL Tiny Pump Review
The FLEXTAIL Tiny Pump line (Tiny Pump, Tiny Pump X, 2X) trades 80–99 g for USB-C pad inflation in under a minute, with a loud motor.
Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles Review
A durable, comfortable all-season trekking pole with carbon shafts and cork grips — built for serious backpackers who want longevity over minimal weight.
Durston Z-Flick Tent Pole Review
The Durston Z-Flick is the world's lightest adjustable folding tent pole at 88g, designed for bikepackers and non-trekking-pole users who need a dedicated, compact pole for trekking-pole shelters.
Gerber Dime Review
The Gerber Dime is a 62g keychain multi-tool packing 12 functions into a 7cm frame — a solid budget-friendly EDC and trail companion for light-duty tasks.
Victorinox Classic SD Review
The 21 g Victorinox Classic SD packs scissors, tweezers, a small blade and more into a 58 mm Swiss Army knife that has earned its place in ultralight kits.
Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork Trekking Poles Review
A durable, comfortable aluminum pole with a unique 15° ergonomic grip angle — but at 510g/pair, ultralight hikers should look elsewhere.
FLEXTAIL ZERO PUMP Review
The FLEXTAIL ZERO PUMP is a 33g cylindrical electric pad inflator that genuinely earns its place in an ultralight kit — with a few real-world caveats worth knowing.
Vargo Titanium Dig Dig Tool Review
The Vargo Titanium Dig Dig Tool is a 36g dual-purpose trowel and tent stake that excels in hard, rooted soil — a smart upgrade from flimsy plastic trowels.
BIC Classic Lighter Review
The BIC Classic is a supremely reliable, affordable pocket lighter—but at 20.5g it carries a real weight penalty over the Mini BIC that most backpackers will struggle to justify.
Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Poles Review
The Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Poles offer a rare blend of ultralight carbon construction and semi-adjustable length in a remarkably packable Z-fold design.
Leatherman Squirt PS4 Review
A discontinued but beloved keychain multi-tool at just 56.4g, the Squirt PS4 packs spring-action pliers, scissors, and 7 more tools into a trail-ready package.
Opinel No.08 Stainless Steel Folding Knife Review
The Opinel No.08 Stainless weighs 43–45 g, slices like a much pricier knife, and costs about $23. It opens with two hands and dislikes soaking.
BoglerCo Ultralight Trowel Review
A 13.5g aircraft-grade aluminum cathole trowel from a US cottage maker, with a standout ergonomic end cap that sets it apart from the flat-handled competition.
Fizan Compact Review
Fizan's Italian-made Compact 3 aluminum trekking poles weigh 158 g each and cost about $70 a pair. The twist-lock needs upkeep, and the grip runs small.
BIC Mini Lighter Review
The BIC Mini Lighter is the ultralight backpacker's default fire tool — 11.5g, ~2,200 lights, and available at virtually every gas station on earth.
MSR Mini-Groundhog Stakes Review
MSR's 6-inch, 9.4 g Y-beam aluminum stakes hold well in firm soil and sit well under the full-size Groundhog's weight, but soft ground is their limit.
TheTentLab Deuce #2 Review
TheTentLab's 17 g Deuce #2 is a 7075-T6 aluminum cathole trowel with a serrated DirtSaw edge: tough and nearly weightless, but it rewards technique.