Tim Leatherman, the founder of Leatherman, is coming to Australia as part of a world tour to mark the 35th anniversary of this iconic brand, and most necessary tool.

The story behind Leatherman multi-tool is interesting. Tim Leatherman and his wife Chau set off on a road trip throughout Europe. Along the way, the unreliable Fiat the newlyweds had purchased for $300 required multiple roadside fixes.

Tim had the right know-how, but not the right tools to fix it. He returned home with an idea for a multi-tool to tackle life’s unexpected challenges and asked his wife if she could support the family while he pursued his idea, thinking it would take him a month to develop a prototype.

After eight years of toiling in his garage and multiple rejections, the Pocket Survival Tool (PST) was born. In their first year of business, Tim and his co-founder hoped to sell 4,000 tools; instead, they sold 30,000. And over the next decade, they would sell over one million PST multi-tools.

If you are a Leatherman enthusiast, don’t miss Tim. Details will be posted on Leatherman’s Australian website here.

SUNDAY, 11TH NOVEMBER 2018

10 AM – 2 PM

Federation Square Melbourne Pop Up Event

Visit the custom-made Leatherman mobile trailer to interact with a range of DIY stations to make customised items to take home, view a gallery of the brand’s history including etchings, product prototypes and rejection letters, and meet Tim and have him engrave your tool.

TUESDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2018

7.30AM – 2 PM at Martin Place Sydney Pop Up Event

Sydneysiders will have the chance to visit the custom-made Leatherman mobile trailer to interact with a range of DIY stations to make customised items to take home, view a gallery of the brand’s history including etchings, product prototypes and rejection letters, and meet Tim and have him engrave your tool.

WEDNESDAY 14TH NOVEMBER 2018

Museum of Contemporary Art Australia Event

This event will be a private by invitation only event, attended by Leatherman super fans and select competition winners, hosted by Tim Leatherman and MC’ed by Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross. To further honour Tim Leatherman’s unwavering perseverance, the brand is partnering with Make A Wish Foundation to raise funds through a silent auction to bring hope, strength and joy to children who are battling life-threatening illnesses by granting wishes.

SATURDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2018

10 AM – 3 PM

Kent Saddlery Heritage Day Queensland Event

Tim Leatherman will be the guest of honour at the annual Kent Saddlery Heritage Day Event. Kent Saddlery is a leading Australian saddlery with experience on cattle stations, and a connection to the outback and country people, priding themselves on offering top quality products. As well as the Leatherman event activities, this stop will include a range of additional family-friendly options such as blacksmithing and sheep shearing demonstrations, whip plaiting, bell making, as well as leather moulding and stitching.

GadgetGuy’s take. Leatherman is a rite of passage.

Call me an old fart, but there are a few rites of passage every person should have. Your first watch, your first Swiss Army knife and your first Leatherman. My children (girl and boy now in their mid-30s) each received said items and will treasure them forever.

My Leatherman must be at least 20 years old. There would not be a week where I don’t use it to tighten a screw, hammer in a nail, cut some twine – you get the point.