Realized I was overloading my tool pouch for years

I got stuck up on a ladder last week painting trim on a 12 foot ceiling in this old house in St. Paul. Reached for my 10-in-1 screwdriver and my whole pouch tipped over, sending a 4 pound chunk of scrapers and bits down onto the homeowner's rose bushes. That's when it clicked. I had been carrying around three hammers, two tape measures, and a bunch of random junk I never used for the last 6 years. My crew lead just looked at me and said "you know that's why your belt sags on the right side, right?" Now I'm trying to pare it down to just like 8 essentials instead of 20. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you were hauling around dead weight for no reason?

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2 Comments

jamiew834mo ago

Had the exact same wake-up call after dropping a speed square off a ladder last summer. Swapped out my big leather rig for a small nylon one that only holds my most-used five tools and it made a world of difference.

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ninah104mo ago

Seriously though, a speed square? You got that lucky it missed you and just hit the ground? I had a tape measure fall off my belt once and it still makes me cringe thinking about how close it came to my helper's head. Can't imagine a metal square coming down from up high. You must have felt your whole life flash before your eyes. That's the kind of scare that sticks with you and changes how you work for good.

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