Tools to Carry

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Occupation
Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
I have long advocated that we buy the tools we need as soon as we can afford them & have them nearby when needed. I gave had to rethink some of that in recent years.
I now work maintenance with my tools provided. But my last few construction jobs were such that we had a 15-20 minute walk from parking area to meeting place, then another long walk to work site or lots of stair climbing. Rough terrain also, not doable to roll a stacker unit or hand truck. No secure storage either. I now advocate a shorter tool list in many cases, to where a person carries what he can fit into one bag or backpack. No one should have to carry multiple bags or boxes long distance, plus a lunch cooler. I used to keep a large overflow of tools in my truck too, a short walk if needed. But we had one site where vehicles were robbed too. Crackheads can easily watch a place & see that the vehicle is unattended for several hours.
Other opinions?
 
For me, nothing sucks worse than going 8 floors up an elevator to a condo, and find out I forgot something. The go get it and go up, only to find I forgot something else.

I worked one remodel job in a 15th story condo, and had to park in a basement garage on the far end. They provided shopping carts for us to use for tools and materials. That was considerate.

On most stuff, I'm parked right outside the house.
I bring materials, my saddle bags in and a 4-ft ladder or 2-ft step stool, and that's it until I need something.
 
Some of the sites I work at are inaccessible at certain times of the year due to snow or mud, requiring hikes of up to half a mile. When I have to backpack into a site, I'll carry a meter, Klein 10-in-1 screwdriver, a precision screwdriver set, side cutters, adjustable end-wrench, 7/16 and 9/16 box-end wrenches, a Milwaukee cordless soldering iron, and any specialty tools or parts I need.

This past winter, I towed parts and my main tool bag to a drifted-in site on my daughter's plastic snow sled. Didn't need snowshoes, but I had them in the car.
 
My Milwaukee packout does a decent job on rough terrain and stairs. Everything locks together and can be padlocked. They also have a GPS tracker if you need it (if theft a real problem).
 
You can certainly buy certain tools that handle multiple sizes of hardware or multiple slot designs. There are also compact hammers, saws, and others. If you need to minimize weight, this is the way to go. When I was a union worker bee, we were not allowed to bring in piles of tools by contract. You either made do with what was allowed plus what the contractor provided, or you violated the rules and snuck in a few extra tools which you found very useful.

Now that I do my own jobs, I find I like to have lots of specialized tools. I also like having separate screwdrivers for each size and type. No 12-in-ones. I keep two tool bags. One with my basic tools, and one with all the special tools I use once in a while. Usually requires a walk back to the truck when you realize you need a special one.
 
Last edited:
Fred B said:
My Milwaukee packout does a decent job on rough terrain and stairs. Everything locks together and can be padlocked. They also have a GPS tracker if you need it (if theft a real problem).
Click to expand...

My wife bought me a Packout rollaround for Christmas. I already had a Packout organizer tray I won in a drawing, and I got a six-pack-sized tool tote for my birthday. Still trying to move stuff into these. 😁

Most days my main tool bag is almost too heavy to carry, and when it is, I have a folding hand truck for it. It has my screwdriver and nutdriver sets, other assorted hand tools, labelmaker, meters, toner, coax and RJ45 tools, etc. A second bag carries bigger wrenches, hammers, files, chisels, and speed square. I have migrated hardware kits and larger power tools into the Packouts, but there's more to come.
 
grich said:
My wife bought me a Packout rollaround for Christmas. I already had a Packout organizer tray I won in a drawing, and I got a six-pack-sized tool tote for my birthday. Still trying to move stuff into these. 😁

Most days my main tool bag is almost too heavy to carry, and when it is, I have a folding hand truck for it. It has my screwdriver and nutdriver sets, other assorted hand tools, labelmaker, meters, toner, coax and RJ45 tools, etc. A second bag carries bigger wrenches, hammers, files, chisels, and speed square. I have migrated hardware kits and larger power tools into the Packouts, but there's more to come.
Click to expand...
I knew a few guys with Packouts. Good sets. I have the similar Ridgid stackers. But I wouldn’t care to roll either one the distances I last walked. Ok if you can get a ride back & forth, another whole issue in itself. A stacker is rough getting up several flights of stairs too.
I like the portable hand trucks too. I’ve seen them around. Very good & easy to store.
 
I got a set of stacking tool boxes and discovered a problem I hadn't thought about: when I roll it into a residence, the dirty wheels track dirt into the house.
 
Coppersmith said:
....Now that I do my own jobs, I find I like to have lots of specialized tools.
Click to expand...
I do too. I have a collection of specialty tools I have purchased and a fair number of custom made or modified tools.
I also like having separate screwdrivers for each size and type. No 12-in-ones.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. I hate those inspector gadget screwdrivers
I keep two tool bags. One with my basic tools, and one with all the special tools I use once in a while. Usually requires a walk back to the truck when you realize you need a special one.
Click to expand...
I use a similar set up, one open top tool bag with my daily tools and a veto pro pac with the specialty tools. After the third trip back to the truck for another specialty tool the whole pac comes out.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top