My grandfather kept his tools in the shed behind our carport. It was bare metal and felt like a furnace in the midday heat of a Tucson summer. My grandfather bookended his days in the shed, surrounded by the tools he used to repair everything from trucks to TVs and radios. My father had his own setup. He kept his tools in the garage, on a set of shallow shelves interspersed with peg board. It had heavy wooden doors to keep out the salty Southern Californian air.
Tools must be cared for. Their enemies are heat, moisture, salt, dirt, oil, sand, grime, and carelessness. Sheds and garages are ideal storage places and have served generations well, but what do you do when you don’t have either? I live in a vintage RV, and many of you likely live in apartments, condos, cabins, boats, and other homes without garages or shops.
For years I relied on plastic bins from whatever big box store was nearby when I needed one. There’s even a photo of my tools in these boxes in WIRED. They did an OK job of keeping my tools mostly dry and dirt-free. They also fit in the limited storage areas I have. They worked, but they weren’t ideal.
Plastic bins are terrible for organization. I’ve spent at least as much time looking for my 9/16 socket as I have using it. They’re also made of plastic. Fill them with heavy tools and start tossing them under your vehicle and in just a few months cracks start forming.
Tool Roll-Up
The Tool Roll by Radius Outfitters has completely changed the life of my tools. Radius Outfitters makes overlanding gear that’s designed to hold up to the abuse of living (and repairing) on the road.
Thanks to the Tool Roll, I always know exactly where my 9/16 socket is—I can skip the searching and get to work actually turning wrenches.
Tool Rolls are nothing new, of course. Your local hardware store is full of them. I inherited one from my grandfather that dated from when quality goods were still common. Unfortunately, tool rolls at the big box stores are mostly garbage these days—made of cheap nylon with poor stitching, weak threads, and thin zippers.
This is where the Radius Tool Roll sets itself apart. It’s of the old, well-built school. Made of 1680D Cordura, with heavy stitching (bartack stitching to reinforce seams), the Radius is virtually bombproof. I’ve been using it for months, tossing it around under the bus and my Jeep, working on gravel, sand, occasionally concrete, and, unfortunately, in the mud. The tool roll isn’t very clean anymore, but otherwise it’s held up perfectly to all the abuse I’ve dished out.
