I was previously employed by a company that supplied all my personal equipment, which means I never had to purchase my own tools, belts, or pouches they were always provided to me and other crew members. The tool belts made for “surveyors” never impressed me because the equipment we would use on a daily basis never quite fit properly in the pouches or did provide easy access to the items. Nevertheless we continued to use and wear them, not matter how ineffective they proved. Once I started at a larger firm, reality set in that I needed my own personal equipment, so I ventured into the local Sears to check out gear.

I never thought I would purchase a product unintended for my line of work and find that it not only worked out perfectly, but the Craftsman 10 Pocket Nail Tool Bag proved to be exactly what I needed.


Pouch Description

Extra large Capacity main pocket with easy access design, 3 large Capacity flared front pockets, plus 6 smaller side pockets for pencil, pliers, knives, more. 2-3/4 in. belt loop.
The finest quality and selected top grain saddle leather. Extra thick for long, rugged wear. Oil-tanned for weather resistance. Reinforced with rivets for superior durability. No Tools included, you must purchase those yourself!


Specifications

Tool Pouch: Tool Carrier Sheath Holder Nail/Tool Bag
Weight 0.9 lbs.
Total Number of Pockets: 9
Grade: Professional
Material: Leather
Tool Carrier Type: Nail bag


Recommended Users

Carpenters
Home Enthusiasts
General Construction
Surveyors

This is my personal list of recommended users, it does not mean that it should limit or included these types of workers, but I feel with the design and pouches capabilities it should suffice for them as well.


Usage

The upper most pouch closest to my hip is easily accessible and perfectly fitted to hold my Field Book in a snug compartment along with my TI-30XA Calculator. The top leather pocket is riveted in such a way that it allows for stretching, while snugly securing my valuable items. The second pocket I use to hold 2 black markers and my cell phone, which clips to the outside for an added bonus of quick accessibility, while being protecting in a layer of leather.

The main pocket easily holds my 6 foot folding Engineering Ruler; a 6” lock blade knife, and other various tools like PK nails & rolls of ribbon. Perfectly set in front of the main pouch and the farthest point from my body is a holder for my 33’ or 25’ retractable measuring tape. The outsides are small tight, deeper pen sized holes, which tightly hold… you guessed it pens/pencils or a marking tool known as a scribe. Finally attached to the outside are two hammer holders riveted into the side of the bag.

I am however unimpressed with the hammer holders, the design and location prove quite unreachable, and the weight of the hammer makes for an uncomfortable carry. While trying to carry a hammer in these loops it tends to flip upside down, fall out, or smack my legs as I try to walk. Typically I use a separate hammer holder that sits on the right side of my hip, because the hammer holder with the pouch was indeed for small claw hammers not my Estwing 4 lb. Hammer.

Surveyors Field books are about 7.5 X 4.75 inches typically in a bright orange or yellow, and consist of a graph paper on the right hand side & a table on the left. The field book is a legal document I carry to record the measurements obtained in the field. Field Books show the bearings and distances between each survey mark involved in a survey.

*PK stands for Parker-Kalon, and PK nails are used by surveyors to mark points in their work.

I always smile when I pick up my tool belt and look at my Craftsman Bag because once it’s on; there is no telling what I can accomplish.


Durability

I have used the pouch on my utility belt for over 3 years working in the field. The quality of the leather has not deteriorated; no part of the bag has ripped or sagged, and the thick leather remains in good condition. Maintenance of the pouch is nearly non-existence as I have never applied any kind of treatment to the leather, even with the terrible weather conditions and harsh climates it still looks great. When I take a hard spill or fall, the pouch does a good job of keeping the equipment from flying all over the place because of all the different size pouches & compartments. I would say the bag holds up to the Craftsman Name.


Final Thoughts

The bag sits comfortably on the left side of my hip when attached to my leather belt. This makes access to my equipment an easy task, while protecting it in well designed compartments that prevent me from dropping or loosing equipment. The product lives up to its name in durability while providing me with a pouch that gets the job done. Even though the product was intended for usage as a nail bag or carpentry piece of equipment, I could never give it up or use another type of pouch.

Ironically when I purchased the bag just before I started in the field, I found out that my boss has used this same pouch for over 10 years, and I purchased it just because I thought it might get the job done… Apparently my thoughts were not alone.


Other Surveying Equipment

HP 33s Calculator

Keson 100' Steel Tape

Keson 200' Steel Tape

Craftsman 100’ Steel Tape

Keson 300' Fiberglass Tape

Olympia 8 Pound Fiberglass Sledge Hammer

TechPower Premium Battery for Trimble 5700 GPS Receiver Surveying Equipment


Recommended: Yes