Gerber Suspension-NXT

Buying a full-featured multitool typically means shelling out about $100. Not the Suspension-NXT: At $37, this is the most affordable one we’ve used that also has a robust toolset and a secure locking mechanism. Our tester carried the Suspension-NXT for a week on the Appalachian Trail and says it never failed him, even when he pushed it beyond normal use. “I attached my bear hang rope to the lanyard hole in the tool to throw it up and over a branch, and after hitting the ground with some force, I was surprised it was in one piece,” he says. He also praised the coarseness of the file for paring down a piece of plastic that was sticking out of his boot, and the beefy spring-loaded pliers and scissors that came in handy for restringing a tent pole. Ding: The tools are a bit difficult to open one-handed.