In Part 2 of The Prepper Toolbox series we finally get to the cool stuff – gear. Storage for gear, in particular You can read Part 1, the Prepper Toolbox Library, by clicking HERE.
Before you start to buy a bunch of tools, you need to recognize that you will need to store them. Recommending a toolbox is a little like putting the cart before the horse. But, I don’t want you to think you have to buy some tool cabinet or worktable that costs many hundreds of dollars. I am trying to help you avoid costly mistakes, and get the best value for your bucks.
Gear Up!
I am going to recommend very specific products to help guide you. Feel free to make substitutions. I’ve done most of my shopping over the years at Home Depot because it was more convenient and I worked there when I was in high school, so most of what I have may be proprietary to Home Depot instead of Lowe’s. When I am partial to a particular brand, I will tell you. Otherwise, please consider my recommendations more about the balance of quality, features and price.
Toolboxes For Storage
First, you will need something to hold your tools. It can be a bucket, canvas bag or any number of tool organizers you will find at any big box store that sell from $10 to $100. Don’t spend a bunch of money until you know what you want the thing to do. The exception would be if you purchase something I highly recommend.
You are going to need one or more toolboxes. You may even want several of them. Personally, I have dedicated toolboxes / containers for electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting and power tools. The cool thing is what I recommend can be repurposed, so you don’t have to worry about wasting money.
The Limiting Factor – Weight
The limiting factor of a toolbox will be how heavy it is when you have your tools in it. With a very large toolbox, you can roll it around (a feature I highly recommend), but you may struggle significantly getting it in an out of a vehicle or up a flight of stairs.
The Most Cost-Effective Toolbox Ever Invented
The cheapest toolbox you can have is a 5-gallon bucket with a bucket organizer. It is also highly effective. You can probably find a bucket free, and the organizer will cost $10. This is also extremely practical. I have three of these.
This year I upgraded my toolbox to the Husky 18 in. Rolling Tool Tote Combo.
You can find it online HERE (Note: Not an affiliate link, we don’t have any affiliations)
Merman’s Personal Toolbox
For Christmas, I decided I needed a toolbox upgrade. My 27″ toolbox was no longer practical because of my learned dependence on drills and screwguns. Also, it started getting heavy. Knowing my parents always ask me what I want for Christmas, I purchased the new toolbox shown above, and my parents were more than happy to pay for it.
I used my last toolbox for 20+ years, and it is still perfectly functional. So, I didn’t mind spending $80 on a toolbox that I will likely have for another 20 years. I would not hesitate to recommend the Husky 18″ Rolling Tool Tote Bag Combo. It will hold everything you need except power tools. I consider it a wise investment because it is durable good.
Larger Tool Storage
My new favorite toolboxes are the Husky Mobile Job Box. They come in two sizes. The 37″ is deeper. I use it to carry most of my power tools and larger items such as drop clothes, extension cords, lights and so forth. It just won’t hold large power tools which, in my case, includes tile saw, compound miter saw, shop vac, airless paint sprayer and other such stuff. It costs about $65 at my local Home Depot.
The smaller 35″ Husky Mobile Job Box costs about $50. I use one exclusively for my painting supplies. In an SHTF situation I will dump the contents of my painting Job Box and repurpose it to probably hold bullets because it has a rated weight capacity of 100 lbs. (I was surprised to actually read that!) which I won’t hesitate to exceed. It’s tough.
A good toolbox will serve you for decades. Don’t be afraid to spend a little bit of money up-front on this item. You will never regret investing in any of the above tool storage recommendations (or something with similar functionality).
https://beansbulletsbandagesandyou.com/bullets/2019/02/27/prepper-toolbox-library/
Being electronics nature a bunch of my tool carrying is done with technicians cases. Medium sized suitcase type thing. My mechanic tools are in a long Craftsman plastic truck box originally designed to fit under the front seat of a pick-up truck. Bucket seats make that impractical but it sits nicely in the back of the truck. Power tools go in bags. My wood saws are too big to go anywhere. My machine tools are also too big to move. I’m thinking about the mini-lathe and mini-mill to solve that problem. I cannot imagine not being able to turn a new something or mull a new something, hence the small machine shop tools.
You give me tool envy, Funkengrooven. Machine tools, lathe, wood saws too big to go anywhere! I want to see your shop!
My dad has a shop so large I have contemplated building an apartment in it for me to stay on the weekends and play. He lives far enough away for me to consider that. My background was living in a condo, so I did not have the luxury of a garage. If I couldn’t push/lift/pull the tool through a door to store it, I couldn’t own it. I had to get creative.
I’ve used the bucket and organizer option for the last 10 years or so. Unfortunately, I discovered that the husky nylon organizer does not hold up to long term storage in bright light conditions. Mine has been sitting in the cab of my truck for the last year while the truck undergoes some much needed work. In that time, it has begun disintegrating very rapidly. So, beware of using anything made of nylon for long term storage. My suggestion would be a tiered system using the job box, and a smaller tote(s) to carry what’s needed for the task at hand.
Thanks for the comment!