In everyday life, I've got a multitool on my belt (a Leatherman Wave) anytime I leave the house and often at home as well. It's super useful, but there's a few drawbacks for hiking. 1) It's relatively heavy at 8.5 oz. 2) The handle has sharp edges and is a bit uncomfortable when using the blade. 3) Some people highly recommend a fixed blade for outdoor use, especially in an emergency situation, though I've never had any "survival" experience so I don't know if that's good advice or not. I was thinking about getting a Mora Craftline Allround and carrying that instead. It's less than half the weight, including the sheath, but I'm afraid I'd miss the Wave, especially the pliers (for bending, quickly snapping sticks to length, picking up hot stuff, etc.) and maybe the saw and the scissors too, or even the flat head screwdriver for prying stuff.

Does anyone carry a multitool with pliers while backpacking? If so, how often do you use the pliers on the trail? Do you also carry a fixed blade knife, and how often do you pick it over the multitool? If the Wave was about half the weight, it'd make the decision easy; I'd live with it's drawbacks and just carry it. There probably are ultralight multitools with similar functionality, but I'm sure they're out of my budget. The Mora is inexpensive.

On a related note, has anyone used one of those camping saws that's just two small handles on either end of an abrasive wire? How well did it work for you?