A "tool caddy" idea - please help me design one for us ALL to be able to do

Sproles

Sproles

Joined
Jan 11, 1999
Messages
700
Hey guys-

I know that we all have these strange quirks about us...if not we would not spend countless hours playing with, reading about or dreaming about our gadgets. :rolleyes: With that being said, let me describe a situation and maybe you can help me design the perfect solution for it.

First off - I am alittle OCD and neurotic about some things...aren't we all? I LOVE kydex and metal - together they are beautiful! I am searching for a way I can store my most beloved gear in kydex while traveling.

I do quite a bit of car travelling for business. When I am on business I am in suits/business attire and don't have the 5.11 pants on to carry all my favorite things, but you had BETTER belive it goes with me. Most of the time it is in the car in my Max Pygmy Falcon, but I don't ALWAYS carry that on all my trips. One thing that I would like to have is a storage station/dock for all of my stuf while I am away from it (told you I was OCD.) When I am in meetings and away from the room, I would love to have all the stuff in one, quick access platform that could be by my bed at night and tucked away in a drawer by day. I have layed out the thinkgs that I would liek to have in this thing and it is not too bad. Here is what I would like:

Leatherman WAVE (or XTi - still debating about getting the XTi)
Small Classic Sebbie (carry the Mnandi in suits)
Simonch Bitterroot
Fisher bullet/telescoping pen (carry the Mont Blanc in suits)
Leatherman Squirt S4
Streamligh TL3 (carry the Nuwai Qiii in suits)
and possible add (when I get them) some things from Atwood and maybe a pill fob/spy capsule type thing.

So, what are your thoughts? Like the idea? Have suggestions? Want one for your self? Help me out. I will try to take some pics of the approx. layout. The overall length is about 6" (the light would run underneath the tools horizontally) It might be alitte longer if I added the Atwood things,etc.

Thanks for yoru help-
David
 
Here are a few pictures of my idea. I hope that you will be able to read what I wrote on the paper to help explain my thoughts. If not, I will go through and add some comments.



Hope this helps undestand my crazy idea.

Please note:
The horizonatl line midway up the tools is the aprox (desired) height of the kydex.
The flashlight would ride in a horizontal tube under the tools
The length is marked at the bottom of the paper with hash marks.
 
David,

Have you looked into the Spec-Ops Pack Rat or Dry-Cell Organizer??

They both hold a nice amount of stuff, and can be readily stashed.
 
I hate pre-formed tool trays. Eventually, I upgrade or change out my gear, and now the tray has a useless slot. Leaving that slot empty would drive me crazier than being organized in the first place. If you want my opinion, use something that has changeable partitions or better yet multi-use slots. Making something in Kydex for your exact tools is a recipe for disaster if you should choose to upgrade or worse, lose one of your items.
 
Sounds like something I used to carry in college, and for a period afterwords.
http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=28&product_id=63&PHPSESSID=67489bfc4ab12a1fb96d85a470228f55
This would be able to carry most if not all of your items. It is very thin and rides securely close to the body. It didnt interfere with seatbelts at all. It has a pocket in back that you can slip long, thin items through down into. Very well built. You could easily sew (or have sewn if not within your skillset/equipment) some loops onto one of the edges for your flashlight.
I have seen it in stores for around $15-20

If that isnt big enough, this should do:
http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=28&product_id=100&PHPSESSID=67489bfc4ab12a1fb96d85a470228f55
I do not have any experience with this item, but it I can say without a doubt that would fit all of the items on your list.

Keep in mind however, that one disadvantage for single container of this size for all these items is that it can be bulky and heavy.

I have the same model pill fob. I keep it on my keychain as the only non key item.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
The Spec-Ops Brand Mini Cargo Pocket Organizer should cover exactly what you've listed, and in line with what BobHWD said, it's a lot more flexible in terms of future needs. Inside both sides are pockets for 3 or 4 SAK-size tools.
Click to expand...

I actually just bought two of these from 1sks (excellent service!) a couple weeks ago. I really like them, but I'm still debating how I want to stock them. Actually, I'm also thinking of upgrading to a Pack Rat.

Esav, could you post a picture of how you load your Mini-Cargo-Pocket-Organizer with gear?

Thanks.
 
I've got no way to take pictures.

It's far from heavily loaded right now. On the left inner pocket, I have an Inova X1, a harmonica, and a Victorinox Ranger. In the slots I have a ballpoint, a mechanical pencil, a tungsten carbide scriber, a titanium spork (!), and a small steel. On the right, I have a 3x5 notepad, a 6" metal ruler, coupons, bus schedules, and a few small notes.

The whole set-up fits easily into a cargo pocket with room to spare, but it is a bit on the heavy side.

I also have the original larger pocket which I filled with a small med kit and keep in my backpack.
 
I bought a Spec-Ops Mini Cargo Pocket Organizer a earlier this year and was quite frustrated to discover that it will not actually fit in the cargo pockets of my 5.11 pants. Their advertising implied otherwise, but the thing is either too tall or too wide. It will fit just fine in a back pocket, but that isn't where I need it. sigh

--Bob Q
 
Sorry Sproles, I didn't mean to hijack this thread into a Spec-Ops Mini-Cargo-Pocket-Organizer discussion. However, I have found that I overload mine and end up throwing it in my briefcase. I'm thinking since I do that I might as well upgrade to the original organizer or the Pack Rat.
 
David Brown has some pics on his website of things he made from kydex to carry like EMT gear? Flashlight, sissors other assorted stuff, he hangs around the busse forums.
 
If you want to go the kydex route, make an individual sheath for each item. Use two eyelets at the top hold them with the same spacing on each sheath.

Then, make a kydex strip drilled with the same spacing. Attach tools to the strip with Chicago screws through the eyelets.

Now you can mix and match tools and order as you want while still having a useful sheath for each item even if it's not in the rotation.

Phil
 
Phatch-

GREAT idea - I was thinking along similar lines. I have a great relationship with Eric (Normark) of On/Scene Tactical and I am waiting to hear back from him on his thoughts.

I know that he has been very busy lately, so maybe he will give me his thoughts on it soon.


Keep the comments coming.

David
 
You could still hang the flashlight horizontally below and load another sheath up from the same holes if you had longish screws.

Phil
 
I like the idea of the modular carry approach. You take what you need and it can be changed. The kydex strip concept is very interesting.

I wish Spec Ops stuff wasn't so wide. What the hell are they thinking? The best thing about their wallet is the closure, other than that I am not terribly impressed as I don't see that much difference to other wallets on the market......I carry a jr and like it well enough, but it's just not very inspiring. I have an idea for a different kind of wallet that I'm kicking around.....it's in keeping with the discussion on this thread. We'll see if it can go anywhere. Anybody know a good sewer?
 
Well, I have finally come up with the ultimate answer - it is not small - but it does what I need it to and it is OCD - just like me.

I will post pics on Monday afternoon after I get my last item in for this project.

Here is what I have in it:
Leatherman WAVE (about to be replaced by a new Charge XTi)
Small Sebenza
Simonich Bitterroot and sheath
Fisher Space Pen - telescoping bullet
Inova T3
Leatherman Squirt S4
Atwood micro BugOutBar
Spycapsule
2 extra CR123s

It is in an indestructible carrier and will never be damaged, small enough to pack in a suitcase easily and will be able to be locked while I am away from the room (as per my earlier posts - my desire to store things while on business trips.) It is neat, safe, not TOO expensive (cheaper than a custom kydex rig and almost cheaper than most of the other suggestions you guys gave to me) and looks AWESOME.

Pics to see later...

David
 
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