A 5-in-1 multitool for the zombie apocalypse – and perhaps firewood

Whether you're preparing for zombiegeddon or just preparing your campsite, the Omniblade from the duo at Teryx is sure to come in handy – and make you look pretty badass in the process. Described by Teryx as a heavy-duty, large-scale 5-in-1 multitool, the 23-in-long (58-cm), 6.5-in-wide (16-cm) Omniblade is a little reminiscent of those wallet-sized, laser-cut, flat multitools we've all seen in gadget shops – except big, and mean, and pointy.

Currently the subject of a crowdfunding campaign, the 29-oz (822-g), 1/8-in-thick (6-mm) beast is a machete, a hatchet, a hammer, a saw and a knife (and we might add, a conversation piece). Handles at each end are created with replaceable paracord, and the tool ships with a sheath and a back-strap. The Omniblade is cut from 420J2 steel, but a Premium Omniblade has also recently been announced, made from kitchen-knife quality (420HC) steel.

The Teryx ethos is expressed on its website with a quote from physicist William Pollard, "Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable." Teryx is committed to quality and durability, and to this end, has partnered with a leading US manufacturer of edged tools to develop the prototype and produce the release version. The Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund the initial commercial quantity of Omniblades.

That Kickstarter campaign launch in mid-April and has already exceeded its funding goal of US$10,000. Pledges begin at US$55 with deliveries slated to begin in August, if all goes according to plan. There's no indication of retail pricing as yet, though an update on the Kickstarter page suggested a RRP of $89 for the Premium version. If the funding tops $12,500, Teryx has promised to upgrade all backers to the 420HC steel Premium Omniblade, with additional paracord color options as an added bonus.

A quirky addition to the Kickstarter campaign is the inclusion of votes (one vote for every $20 pledged) which backers can use to select challenges for the Teryx founders (brothers, Ryan and Thomas Nielsen) on their "Survival Experience 2019" YouTube adventure, planned for the back woods of South Carolina in Summer this year. Backers vote on ways to make the trip for the brothers longer and harder, from making bows and arrows to hunt for food, to building their shelter from found materials. Voters can even decided to exclude items from the packing list in order to make the trip more difficult. One thing they certainly won't be leaving behind is the Omniblade.

The pitch video can be viewed below.

Sources: Teryx , Kickstarter