Mechanical Engineering Student's Every Day Carry

Overview

A tool roll built from a repurposed camera filter pouch. The original pouch had mesh pockets that couldn’t hold small tools securely, so I removed four of them, sewed waistband elastic down the interior spine to retain drivers and hex keys, and added two Tyvek flaps cut from a USPS mailer to keep everything contained when the roll is closed and bouncing around in a bag.

It’s a small project, but I use it nearly every day. Every tool in it has been picked because it solves a problem I’ve actually run into. 3d printer fixes, slide rule assembly, climbing hold tightening, pulling out nails from the walls in my role as asistant art curator, epoxying together the cracked base of my camera. It carries enough to handle most field problems without turning into a full toolbox.

The whole thing, pouch plus caliper case, fits in one bottle pocket of my backpack, right next to my slide rule.

What it carries

Adhesives and fasteners

• 2× 3.5 g two-part epoxy packets
• 3 g super glue
• 1 g blue Loctite
• Half stick of hot glue

Consumables

• Heat shrink tubing — 7 pieces across 1/8”, 3/16”, 5/16”, and 1/2”
• 3 ft solder
• 12 ft thread + needle
• Polyamide, electrical, and climbing tape
• 16× 2” driver bits in most-used sizes
• 15× 5” zip ties
• 30 ft of 2mm kernmantle dyneema throw line (400kg MBS)

Tools

• Wera hex keys, sizes 5, 4, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5 mm
• My most used hex bits
• Wiha ESD Centrofix bit holder
• Tweezerman mini tweezers
• Scalpel holder + 3× #10 blades
• Fiskars heavy duty serrated scissors
• 3/16” quick link
• 2” square of 0.01” stainless steel shim stock

Also in the car (paired kit)

• Impact driver and socket set
• Microfiber cloths, glass cleaner
• WD-40 and gun oil

Pocket carry

• Pocket knife
• Pocket notebook

Together, this kit plus my pocket and car carry covers almost any small mechanical problem I run into on the go.

Demo