At the heart of everything done at the DofE lies the health and welfare of young people.  They have a responsibility to ensure that young people remain safe at all times and are equipped to deal confidently with all circumstances.

The need for this is most apparent in the Expedition section, and it is because of this that the DofE has been recommending a penknife or similar as an essential part of expedition kits for decades.

The rise in knife crime, especially amongst young people, is an issue that concerns us all.  It is an offence to carry, in a public place without justification and authority, any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed except for a folding pocket knife with a cutting edge to its blade of less than 3” in length.  However, even a folding pocket knife of less than 3” (76mm) may still be considered an offensive weapon if carried or used for that purpose.

It is for these reasons that the DofE has been working with Victorinox to develop a Pocket Tool that, whilst still retaining the functionality essential for expeditions, is as safe as possible for young people.

The two main developments are:

- A blade with a specially rounded, blunt end.
- A bespoke selection of tools.

The Multi-purpose Pocket Tool can be used for all sorts of tasks, from opening a torch or camera battery compartment, preparing food, or simply sharpening a pencil.  However, the main use of the Pocket Tool is to enable young people to undertake basic running repairs to their equipment and clothing in the field.  For example, if bootlaces become knotted it may be necessary to cut them in order to get boots off, or to cut away vegetation that has become entangled in hair or clothing.  It can be used to cut lengths of heavy-duty tape to repair a damaged tent or rucksack or to make a new hole for a guy line.

The multi-purpose hook can help to remove small stones stuck in the bottom of boots, pull things like twine and makes an excellent tent peg extractor.  The blade, scissors and tweezers may also be used in first aid or when dealing with an emergency such as, for example, to remove a splinter, thorn or sheep tick; cut a dressing or to cut away clothing to enable a dressing to be applied.

Large blade
Can/Bottle opener with large screwdriver and wire stripper
Keyring  
Tweezers
Toothpick
Phillips screwdriver
Scissors
Hook
Size     91mm, 3 ½", 3 Layers