Best open-top tool bag?????

The canvas Riggers Bag is made by a company called "Bucket Boss." They have a decent collection of tool bags - more expensive than Husky, less expensive than Veto. The Veto seems to have a lot more pockets which is what I'm looking for. They seem to have a variety of bags, but not the 10-inch cube one favored for electricians bags which is closer to what I'm thinking.


For me, this all started almost 40-years ago when I first saw a tool organizer for a 5-gal pail. I had one for years. Didn't help that my 3-lb mini-sledge always seemed to be hiding in the bottom.

Peter

mvweebles said:

The canvas Riggers Bag is made by a company called "Bucket Boss." They have a decent collection of tool bags - more expensive than Husky, less expensive than Veto. The Veto seems to have a lot more pockets which is what I'm looking for. They seem to have a variety of bags, but not the 10-inch cube one favored for electricians bags which is closer to what I'm thinking.

TOOL BAGS | Bucket Boss

Bucket Boss®: Goes Where You Go® Tool Belts | Tool Bags | Jobsite Apparel | Work Gear

bucketboss.com

For me, this all started almost 40-years ago when I first saw a tool organizer for a 5-gal pail. I had one for years. Didn't help that my 3-lb mini-sledge always seemed to be hiding in the bottom.

Peter

Click to expand...

I use a bucket boss to this day at home.

mvweebles said:

The canvas Riggers Bag is made by a company called "Bucket Boss." They have a decent collection of tool bags - more expensive than Husky, less expensive than Veto. The Veto seems to have a lot more pockets which is what I'm looking for. They seem to have a variety of bags, but not the 10-inch cube one favored for electricians bags which is closer to what I'm thinking.

TOOL BAGS | Bucket Boss

Bucket Boss®: Goes Where You Go® Tool Belts | Tool Bags | Jobsite Apparel | Work Gear

bucketboss.com

For me, this all started almost 40-years ago when I first saw a tool organizer for a 5-gal pail. I had one for years. Didn't help that my 3-lb mini-sledge always seemed to be hiding in the bottom.

Peter

Click to expand...

I have one of those for a bucket and have found it to not be terribly useful for me. Too prone to tipping over and takes up a lot of room. Good for some oddly shapes items however.

My two 10" Husky's arrived today (next day free delivery from HD) and they are perfect for my needs. I'm glad they are not larger, seem to be just about perfect. Plenty of pockets and also plenty of room in the middle to drop in a cordless drill or a hydraulic crimper, saber saw...

Also like the folding steel padded carry handle, much easier than straps.

Going to spend some quality time reloading my tools next visit -

2 questions - how do you all feel about the hard plastic bottom on some of those bags. Do they scuff anything? Do they slide around at all?

The other comment is I like to use smaller bags so I can bring a small bag containing the likely things I'll need, and make a second tool run if I need to. If I carry everything I own to every project then I'm carrying a lot of hard to handle weight to every job. Plus, I like to stow smaller bags than 1 really big bag.

RLKramer said:

2 questions - how do you all feel about the hard plastic bottom on some of those bags. Do they scuff anything? Do they slide around at all?

The other comment is I like to use smaller bags so I can bring a small bag containing the likely things I'll need, and make a second tool run if I need to. If I carry everything I own to every project then I'm carrying a lot of hard to handle weight to every job. Plus, I like to stow smaller bags than 1 really big bag.

Click to expand...

I am looking for an "80% bag." The grab-bag that has tools needed for 80% of the oddball stuff that needs doing. The 10" x 10" Seems to be a good size, but many don't have many pockets. I do keep a pair of crimpers and some crimp fittings in it, but have a separate bag for electrical stuff. Especially on a boat, electrical seems to be part of the 80%. But that's me.

The Veto "Marine" bags claim to have a rubberized bottom that will not mar/scuff yacht finishes. I own a boat, not a yacht so not a big deal to me, but I understand the concern. Presumably they don't slide around much either.

Peter

So the cheap bag that I got from Amazon to use for my electrical gear has worked out well. So well that I decided to splurge on the Veto Pro bag.

This is the bag I got from Amazon for my electrical gear. It has a plastic base, is 20" long, and is pretty basic. However, it has worked pretty well. It has a plastic bottom which is something I wanted.



This is the bag that I ordered and will arrive on Monday. It is not something that I anticipate carrying around a lot. My current 24" tool box is just too damn heavy and the tool bag won't be any lighter. It will be easier to carry with a shoulder strap. The advantage that I see with the bag is that I won't be having to dig around in the bottom of my tool box to to find what I need. Most of the time. I will be taking out the tools I need and putting them in a carry tray that I have.

It sill is too damn expensive, but I finally thought about the amount of time and frustration of digging through my tool box and decided the expense will be worth it. At least I hope so.

Veto Pro Pax XXL-F Tool Bag

ranger58sb said:

Ah. The reason I didn't find mine on the Milwaukee site.. is because it's actually from Husky.

Husky 20" Tote Bag with Removable Tool Wall.

Robot or human?

(Don't know why the Walmart links says "Robot or Human")

Decent organization. I have metric and SAE wrenches in individual roll-ups, ditto metric and SAE sockets on rails in zip bags... and all that lays nicely in the big Tote pocket.

I still need a smaller bag to schlepp temporary "job-site" tools, though.

-Chris

Click to expand...

Delta Riverat said:

My two 10" Husky's arrived today (next day free delivery from HD) and they are perfect for my needs. I'm glad they are not larger, seem to be just about perfect. Plenty of pockets and also plenty of room in the middle to drop in a cordless drill or a hydraulic crimper, saber saw...

Also like the folding steel padded carry handle, much easier than straps.

Going to spend some quality time reloading my tools next visit -

Click to expand...

The 10" version seems nifty, so far, so thanks for the tip.

Got one, and I'm in the process of reloading, too. My intent is to use the small bag to carry job-specific tools to a given project... partly with things almost always necessary (portable light, multi-bit screwdriver, 3/8" socket drive, etc.)...

But with the bag also already loaded with some of the various more generic tools (pliers, side cutters, etc.) I might not have thought to take for a given job... and might have likely found useful sometime during the work.

And besides, the 20' bag -- loaded -- is just too heavy.

FWIW, I actually also have an 18" (-ish) hard plastic tool box, currently the designated "I ran out of room" box, which now has the 1/2" drives, extensions, sockets... and the hammer... IOW, tools I don't use so often.

-Chris

Honestly I find what works for me is the white plastic bucket full of tools on the boat I have one for the engine room with every tool that is needed for that area, then I have one for the Salon for every tool that is needed in that area, and I have one on the bridge with the yellow lid for every tool that is needed for that area, and I have one on the foredeck in a locker for every tool that is needed in that area, and in my Tender I have one with the round yellow lid with every tool that is needed for the tender, I give the buckets contents a spray every now and then with some WD40 and all the buckets have a can of WD40 and a torch in them and a sheathed knife along with all tools needed for the zone, I also have white plastic buckets with lid for all my electrical tools meters crimpers ect and then another for all my plumbing tools, and also buckets with lids for sanding discs and electric sanders in each individual bucket for each individual sander and drills chargers etc, I also find the buckets with lids extremely handy for storing parts for individual items like main motor Gen set and aircon etc etc, last time I counted I had all up 32 white plastic buckets on my boat and most with lids and all clearly marked with contents and storage space to be kept Lazzarette or engine room or spaces all around our boat , and over the years it’s amazing how organised I’ve become tool wise by doing this I highly recommend the cheap white round bucket for tool storage
IMO it’s the go to tool box on a boat tbh

Carhartt tool bag

I am definitely on the cheap end of this discussion. I keep the most used tools in my bucket pouches. I have another for electrical equipment. Put foam on the bottom to make sure there is no scuffing.

Yeah, I like.

Bags I could tote when I 50-65 yrs old, I have to unload a few of heavy tool before I can lift it now that I am 80. I suggest you segregate like tools in smaller canvas bags, putting the the small bags in lager canvas bags. Need screw driver, grab the smaller bag labeled screw drivers. Works for me.
I do have a small plastic tool box too.
I do have a small canvas bag of unsegregated tools I commonly use.
Seldom do I have get into the large tool bag.