A good pair of thin 6″ to 8″ pliers are a very useful item in a bug out bag. Whether they are part of a multi-tool, or high-end knipex cobra pliers, you should have something in your bug-out-bag that gives you better leverage than just your fingers, and improves your dexterity for fine or tight fitting work (think nuts and bolts).
Most needle-nose pliers have wire cutters built into them, which is a bonus of you need to cut through a chain link fence.
I recommend needle-nose as you won’t be frequently using them to unscrew nuts/bolts like a pair of lineman or regular pliers, but rather you want to reach areas where your fingers cannot fit, or apply a flattening leverage.
A multi-tool has pliers built-in too, although a dedicated tool will always out-perform a multi-tool, especially in terms of comfort, due to the insulated handles and larger form-factor, which allow you to apply more gripping pressure.
Also, you can handle live electrical wires with the insulated handles if you need to deal with electrical panels or live fencing situations.
I prefer to carry a 6″ bent-nose version of needle-nose pliers as I find they have more usefulness than the straight style of needle-nose pliers.
I’ve also started carrying a pair of knipex wire cutters.
