Hot take: A chat with a young tech made me rethink how I carry my tools

I was working on a fridge at a house in Overland Park last Tuesday and this kid, maybe 25 years old, was helping me out. He pulls out this little backpack with all his meters and bits in it, organized neat as a pin. I've been hauling a beat-up metal toolbox for like 15 years, and he just looked at me and said, "You know that thing weighs more than half my load, right?" It hit me weird... I've always thought a hard case meant I was serious about the trade, but after that day I tried switching to a nylon bag. My shoulder feels way better after a full day of calls, and I can actually fit through tight crawl spaces without banging my stuff. Has anyone else made a big change in how they carry gear after a random comment like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

fionarodriguez17d ago

Switched from a leather tool belt to a mesh vest like two years ago after some old timer told me I was gonna mess up my back by 40. He was right, my hips and shoulders thanked me big time. Now I can carry way more stuff cause the weight is spread out and I don't have to keep hitching up my pants every five minutes. It's funny how we get stuck in certain ways just cause that's what we saw other guys using when we started.

wade_young8617d ago

Man, @fionarodriguez nailed it with that vest switch. Hard cases are overrated once you feel the difference. Took me way too long to stop caring what looks "serious" on the job.