A good pocket tool gets you out of more than one jam, and over the years I’ve had my share of duds. The Leatherman Charge AL has locking blades, the saw rips through most woods with ease and it’s perfect for cutting branches. No need to hack away for hours like with my previous knives.

The easy access thumb holes for the saw and knife allows one-hand blade opening – I generally have very short nails that make life hell when I want to open a pocket knife. Should I feel the need to trim my nails (fat chance) these small but shameless blades have cut through plastic and other materials that reduce lesser quality scissors to mangled scraps of metal.

The Leatherman Charge AL also has a ruler that allows me to measure distances on my map and draw scaled diagrams in my travel journals.

For some reason the screws in my glasses always come loose when I’m miles away from civilization. Finally after searching for the perfect all-in-one tool, I found one that comes pre-loaded with a glasses screw driver.

Now, with my Leatherman Charge AL strapped to my belt, I never have to worry about having a loose screw – at least where my sunglasses are concerned.

James W. Coates,
National Park Expert