A Surprising Leatherman Secretly Co-Stars in America’s No. 1 Movie

While real astronauts rely on the brand’s versatile multi-tools, the one deployed in ‘Project Hail Mary’ is not the most obvious choice.

Hand wearing a black wrist strap gripping a red climbing rope attached to a metal carabiner in low light.

Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published March 26, 2026

·

Updated March 27, 2026

If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

With a five-day box office haul of over $155 million worldwide (nearly $97 million domestic) and rave Rotten Tomatoes reviews (95 percent with critics and 96 percent with audiences), Project Hail Mary is already a smash hit.

Based on a 2021 novel by Andy Weir (who also wrote The Martian), it stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a molecular biologist turned middle school science teacher turned astronaut who is light-years from home and humanity’s last hope in the cold shadow of a dimming sun.

Close-up of a gloved hand holding a sheathed knife with a patterned handle against a red fabric background. — Though the film is fictional, real-life astronauts rely on Leatherman multi-tools similar to the Surge.

There are so many compelling elements in that single sentence, it’s no surprise the movie is a big success.

However, there’s one more secret ingredient for EDC enthusiasts: Grace’s trusty multi-tool, a Leatherman Surge.

The urge to Surge

No huge spoilers, but beyond appearing in trailers (see the 1:43 and 2:18 marks here), the Surge plays a key role, with Grace deploying it to get out of a jam outside the ship.

Hand wearing a glove holding a partially opened folding knife with a curved blade in warm lighting. — The Surge’s 3.1-inch blade can tackle a variety of everyday tasks, intergalactic or otherwise.

As journalist Wes Siler notes on his Substack, Weir’s book references a multi-tool but does not name a make or model, and Leatherman sent a number of models to the movie’s props department.

It’s unclear why they chose to spotlight the Surge, but I dare say it’s a pretty cool, IYKYK kind of selection.

Stainless steel Leatherman multi-tool pliers resting on a pair of worn beige work gloves on rocky ground. — Like so many Leatherman multi-tools, the Surge boasts a sturdy set of pliers as an integral feature.

Essentially a burlier version of the super-popular Wave Plus, it is not as light or EDC-friendly, but it offers better grip when you are wearing gloves (as Grace does outside the ship), plus a few more functions and implements that are simply bigger and better.

For example, the 420HC stainless steel blade Grace depends on is 3.1 inches long, as opposed to 2.92 inches for the Wave Plus. That blade, as well as a serrated option, can be deployed with one hand thanks to slotted thumb holes.

Two side-by-side images of a hand holding a silver Leatherman Surge multitool with a partially serrated blade extended on the right and a plain edge blade extended on the left. — Both the plain-edge and serrated blades can be deployed with one hand using the slotted thumb holes.

Even so, it’s not the most obvious choice, which would be the newer, pricier and more robust Leatherman Arc, which boasts a thumb-stud-deployed MagnaCut blade and cracked the GP100 in 2023.

After all, real-life astronaut Jonny Kim totes essentially a custom version of that multi-tool, plus Leatherman Ratchet Driver accessory, aboard the International Space Station.

Will we be saved by Grace? You’ll have to watch the flick to find out.

However, as the trailer alone makes humorously clear, Gosling’s Grace is the most unwilling and unlikely of astronauts, so it is rather fitting that his choice of multi-tool is a bit unconventional, while still getting the job done, of course.

Availability and pricing

The Leatherman Surge is available now for $160.

Leatherman Surge

$160 at Leatherman

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.