When I graduated high school in the diminutive Wyoming town in which I grew up, my parents gave me a Leatherman multitool. That was back in 1999, and so that tool was the original Leatherman tool, the PST.

A silver multitool with the words Leatherman tool and Portland, Oregon engraved on it, with needle nose pliers extended

While it isn’t all that difficult to find a used PST to buy, and Leatherman now sells a “Heritage” version of the tool, the nostalgia alone makes this particular tool a rare and precious item in my kit. I think a lot of people have similar feelings about Leatherman tools, given how the recent production line of the first Leatherman design (“Mr. Crunch”) sold out in all of 10 minutes. It seems difficult to explain that kind of demand based on utility alone.

I’ve owned several Leatherman tools over the years, and a former neighbor worked for Leatherman. Through that latter connection, I was able to get the broken file on my original tool repaired, although I suspect that service is available to anyone.

I currently carry the Wingman on search and rescue missions, and have a version of the Juice in my truck.

A black leather sheath with the gold embossed Leatherman on it, beside it the tool with knife, screw drivers, file extended, all on a wooden surface

But my original PST is my favorite tool I own, based on history alone. I’ve now lived in Oregon near Leatherman’s headquarters for longer than I lived in the Rockies, but my most memorable experiences with my PST are from my time in Wyoming and Montana. Like the time my Golden Retriever, Sam, then just a puppy, found the tool’s leather sheath and…customized it. He was just a year old then; he died in 2019 at the age of 15.

Black leather sheath with the gold embossed Leatherman on it with a noticeable tear in the bottom

It’s a classic tool, and I’m grateful it’s still serving me after all these years.