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The Back Story: How Leatherman Was Started

Tim Leatherman's backpacking trip to Europe, and eight years of failure, eventually yielded the mighty multi-tool company

By Rain Noe - July 23, 2018

in Tools & Craft

Imagine coming up with an idea for a tool, and you become so obsessed with creating it that you spend years in your brother-in-law's garage doing it. It sucks up so much of your time that you quit working and your wife agrees to support you.

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After three years you've got a workable prototype--and then you spend the next five years trying to sell it and getting over 500 rejection letters.

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Most folks would give up by then. Thankfully Tim Leatherman didn't. Here's the fascinating back story of how a backpacking trip to Europe, and an unreliable Fiat, sparked an entire generation of multi-tools:

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Brandon Burnham

6 years ago

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I loved seeing the iterations of the tool just before the 11 minute mark.

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Santiago Maggioli

6 years ago

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What a story!

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