How to Carry a Multitool

A full-size multitool solves problems all day, but only if you actually have it on you, and the reason people leave a Leatherman in a drawer is almost always comfort. A Wave Plus weighs around 8.5 ounces; that is half a pound of steel that will drag a pocket down and print through thin trousers if you carry it wrong. The fix is matching the tool to a carry method, belt, pocket, keychain, or pouch, that suits its weight and how fast you need it. Get that right and the tool disappears into your day.

The weight problem

Multitools punish sloppy carry more than most EDC items because they are dense. A pocketed full-size tool sags one side of your trousers, swings when you walk, and wears a bright patch into the pocket corner within months. It also prints, leaving an obvious rectangular outline that some people would rather not advertise. None of this is a reason to carry a smaller tool than you need; it is a reason to carry the tool where its weight is supported. The four methods below trade access speed against comfort, and the right one depends on your tool and your day.

Option 1: belt sheath or holster

For a full-size tool, the belt is where the weight belongs. A sheath hangs the half-pound off your hips instead of your pocket, so you stop noticing it, and it keeps the tool bone-dry and separate from your phone and keys. Nylon sheaths are light, cheap, and usually ride vertically; leather looks better and molds to the tool over time; MOLLE-compatible pouches let you mount horizontally on a belt for a lower profile. The tradeoff is visibility, since a belt sheath is not discreet, and some offices and social settings make it feel out of place. For a genuine work tool like the Leatherman Wave Plus, though, sheath carry is the comfortable default and the reason the Wave has ridden on tradesmen's belts for decades. Check the Leatherman Wave Plus price on Amazon. Our Leatherman Wave Plus review covers the tool itself.

Option 2: pocket clip

If you want the tool in your pocket but not swimming loose in it, a clip is the answer, and it works best with a lighter, slimmer tool. A minimalist multitool like the Leatherman Skeletool weighs around 5 ounces and carries on a clip like a folding knife, riding upright and accessible against the pocket seam. That is a very different experience from a full-size tool dropped into the pocket: the clip anchors the weight high, stops the swing, and lets you draw it one-handed. The lesson is to match the tool to the method, because a 5-ounce clipped tool is comfortable all day, while a full-size tool clipped into a pocket still drags. Check the Leatherman Skeletool price on Amazon.

Option 3: keychain

The smallest tools ride on your keys, and the appeal is that you never think about carrying them, since they are simply always there. A keychain multitool like the Leatherman Micra puts scissors, a blade, a file, and drivers on your keyring in well under 2 ounces, covering the small everyday jobs, trimming a thread, opening a package, tightening a screw, without any dedicated carry at all. It will not replace a full-size tool for real work, but it is the tool you actually have when a bigger one is at home. For many people a keychain tool plus a pocket knife covers most of what they reach for. Check the Leatherman Micra price on Amazon.

Option 4: pocket organizer or pouch

If you carry a small kit rather than a single tool, a pouch consolidates the weight and keeps the multitool from scratching everything else. Dropping the tool into a pocket organizer alongside a light, a pen, and cables turns a loose handful of gear into one grab-and-go unit that moves between a bag, a jacket, and a desk. This is the right method for travel and for anyone whose carry shifts between contexts during the week. We cover the approach in detail in how to set up a pocket organizer.

Matching tool to method

The through-line is that carry method should follow tool weight, not the other way around. A full-size tool wants a belt; a slim tool wants a clip; a tiny tool wants your keys; a kit wants a pouch. Decide how much tool you actually need first, using our best EDC multitools guide or the multitools hub, then pick the carry that supports it. A multitool covers the fix base of a balanced loadout, and you can see how its weight stacks up against the rest of your kit in the loadout builder.

A note on flying

If you travel, remember that any multitool with a blade cannot go through airport security in a carry-on; it has to be checked. Rules are set by the TSA and equivalent authorities and do change, so confirm before you fly rather than donating a good tool at the checkpoint. A bladeless keychain tool or a dedicated pen is the safer thing to keep on you in transit.