A couple of nights ago I went hunting (hog and coyote) with a buddy that lives down the dirt road from me – turns out he’s an avid prepper. We had a great time and got to talking about our gear … and specifically some of our favorite items for our bug out – and general ‘oh shit’ – bags.
We talked knives, guns, MREs, and the likes and then he brought up that he keeps a tool in his bag that I hadn’t considered. Even though it’s a go-to tool for any farmer, rancher, homesteader, and experienced property owner …
In my neck of the woods just about everyone has a set – or multiples like me – of fencing pliers … and they’re super duper handy.
This was a true ‘duh’ moment personally. But sometimes the most obvious is right in front of our noses.
So why add fencing pliers to your gear?
Fencing pliers are a very ‘multi-use’ tool. Intended for wire fencing they can adapt to many uses. And the functions they can perform are great for any survivalist.
Here are the standard features of fencing pliers:
- Two shear cutter for cutting wire … even heavy duty stuff.
- Gripping jaws that can pinch and hold onto all sorts of things.
- Crimpers to crimp electrical connectors or wire.
- Milled hammer face for pounding nails and staples.
- A sharp pointed claw for pulling staples.
Fencing pliers are a great all-around tool to help you in a multitude of survival situations. And in a pinch they can serve as one hell of a self-defense weapon. The spike end is not an end of that tool that I’d ever want to be on the receiving end of. And it’s not an expensive tool! You can get one for under $20 bucks at your local hardware store.
There could be a survival situation where fencing pliers can come in handy to cut a wire – electric or fence, break a window, hammer a nail, crack some nuts, spike a bad guy, etc …
Do you have a tool or bug-out bag item that most people wouldn’t think of. Please share!