Tools

[Joe A.]

What tools do you all carry when you travel? Not looking to bring a tool chest, but what have you found to be "must bring" while remaining conscious of weight?

[need-a-vacation]

Not sure what size "tool chest" you're referring to, but I have a Craftsmen 3 drawer plastic tool box in the bed of the truck. Was a "kit", can't recall the number of included pieces anymore, maybe 200ish.

1/4", 3/8", & 1/2" sockets, standard and metric.
Harbor Freight 1/2" deep well socket set in both also (11 or 12ish piece).
Allen wrenches- came in tool box kit.
4 pack to adjustable wrenches.
Ratcheting screwdriver with a multi bit pack.
Multi meter.
1/2" extendable ratchet.
Extra 1/2" extensions, different sizes.
Need to get a better set of pliers. Have the needle nose left, it the other two (Kobalt kit) didn't last.
Bike pedal wrench. Sometimes the pedals have been taken off for travel.
Electrical tape.

Probably missing something without looking, but think I got most of it.

[Dkarel11]

Joe, I carry a med. canvas tool bag specific to my TT, and a small canvas tool bag in the back of my truck I never leave home without. I recommend looking at your rig and set-up. Make sure you have any special tools. Example I had to add a square screwdriver tip for cabinets and interior panels. The rest of your tools should be based on normal use and if possible look for combinations or 5 in one type tools to save on weight.

I would break it down in the following based the nature of known issues. just some things to think about.

Wheel and Tires: Tire pressure gauge, lug wrench. How are you going to change a tire?

Battery and Electrical: Fuses, volt meter, electrical tape. Trouble shooting electrical issues based on your knowledge.

Plumbing Fill in based on your set-up. Right now all I have is plumbing Lub for o-rings and gaskets.

The list can go on and on. Good luck with your set-up

[Marcm157]

I carry an assortment of 1/4 and 3/8 drive ratchets / sockets - Open end wrenches - screwdrivers - hammer - multi meter - large wrenches to handle my Equalizer hitch. I also carry a spare bearing assembly and the tools necessary to swap roadside if needed. Spare pex, asst fittings and cutting and crimping tools.

[vcbice]

Not counting my hobby stuff....

I found a neat tool set at Costco years ago. Brand name was Crescent. Kind of a 'flat' tool set that had full socket sets, screwdrivers, pliers, etc all in one. Flat so it fits just about anywhere. I have a few other tools, such as a hacksaw, hammer, pipe pliers, etc.

I also have a 1/2" cordless drill (Makita), one of those small circular saws (4" blades?) and a dremel tool.

Yours will vary depending on how much work you want to do on the RV. If you are comfortable with it you might want some tools to repair PEX plumbing or electrical repair stuff. 90% of what I do on the trailer is handled with my little electric screwdriver and a good pair of pliers.

[northwindone]

I do all my own work on my vehicles and my home, so I have an extensive tool collection. However, I only take some fairly basic tools with me when traveling. If it's anything beyond the tools I have I will either get road side, or I'm usually no more than 3 or 4 hours from home and figure I can always go home to get tools in an emergency or just stop by a local store. All these tools "live" in the trailer (or the truck), so I always know where they are and don't have to worry about packing them.

1 - A "homeowner's" tool kit from a certain Home Store, they go for about $20 and contain screwdrivers, crescent wrench, pliers, etc... They aren't the highest quality tools, but they are in a case and easy to keep together. I use this quite often, both while camping and parked at home.

2 - An inexpensive but reliable 40 piece socket set, once again in a case for easy transport. Also used quite often, but only certain sockets, if one wanted to save weight and room they could probably get by with only a few pieces.

3 - In a small tool box I keep various types of tape, spare fuses, 18V cordless drill, vice grips, Fluke 77, electrical crimps, crimp tool, spare hose fittings and a few other little odds and ends that have come in handy. With my hitch stuff I also carried a breaker bar, sockets, and large wrenches to adjust my WDH setup, but now that I have it dialed in I have stopped carrying it.

4 - And behind the rear seat of the truck I carry an 8 ton bottle jack, 4-way lug wrench (made sure it fits the truck and TT), hi-lift jack and recovery kit (tow strap, chain, etc...), first aid kit, fire extinguisher (in addition to the one in the trailer), spare fluids, 12V air compressor, and Mag-lite.

There are probably a few others I'm forgetting but you get the idea, enough to handle most issues, but not so much that I'm carrying around 500 lbs. of tools that I can use to rebuild an engine on the side of the road.

[pawpaw]

All good suggestions above. You might also add a roll of Gorilla Tape - it's come in handy for me on more than one occasion.
Happy camping!

[vcbice]

One note.

Screwdriver. Get one that has a square head, or combo phillips/square. The RV industry uses square head screws for just about everything. You can get by with a phillips, but, it is just as likely to strip out.

[pawpaw]

Originally Posted by vcbice

One note.

Screwdriver. Get one that has a square head, or combo phillips/square. The RV industry uses square head screws for just about everything. You can get by with a phillips, but, it is just as likely to strip out.

Good point! It's actually a #2 square bit.

[need-a-vacation]

Originally Posted by vcbice

One note.

Screwdriver. Get one that has a square head, or combo phillips/square. The RV industry uses square head screws for just about everything. You can get by with a phillips, but, it is just as likely to strip out.

That's why I went with the ratcheting (screw)driver and bought a 20-25 pics bit set. Should have me covered!!!

And if the driver is to long use a 1/4" wrench on the bit.

[JFlightRisk]

A hammer.....don't forget a hammer.

[PonyExpress]

and a roll of duct tape!

[jcoyle]

Originally Posted by pawpaw

Good point! It's actually a #2 square bit.

Actually it's a #2 Robertson bit! Very common in Canada as it was invented here. They are nice because the screw will stay on the bit so no need to get 2 hands into tight spaces to start the screw, and are less prone to stripping as long as you make sure to keep the bit straight. If its not straight it will be a round bit very quickly. lol.

[RVhiker]

You'll need tire changing tools. A suggestion is to try out your tire changing tools, to make sure they will really work along side a road in the mud in rainy conditions on a slanted roadside.

I also carry an assortment of wrenches, sockets, screw drivers, and vice grips. Add a hammer, tape, and wire as insurance. And a very small assortment of nuts, bolts, screws, and fuses. And six feet of 4" wide Eternabond.

[vcbice]

Screwdriver. My main one is a Klein 8in1. It has phillips and flat in two sizes each, torx and square two sizes each. Quality tool.

And, yes, I have a ton of bit drivers. Phillips, flat, hex (metric and std), torx, square, sockets, drills, extensions. I have too many tools, mostly for my hobbies.

[Camper_bob]

+1 to hammer, duct tape, electrical tape, roof repair tape, screw drivers, square bits, extra fuses (both TV and TT), wire ties, extra screws...

I carry 2 tool kits. One is a basic kit with some extra screws, screw drivers, a 1/4" socket set, tape, a few wiring parts, some cutters, some pliers (lineman and slip), etc. The stuff you'd find in any small basic tool box, plus some stuff I added specifically for my wants/needs. It all fits in a small canvas bag and lives inside the trailer.

The other is my "primary" tool box from home. It began life as a Craftsman 225 pc (?) mechanic's tool set that came in a blow-molded plastic box. I emptied it into a standard Craftsman steel tool box (the fliptop one with the red tray in top). Over the years I have added and subtracted substantially to that kit. Some significant things I've added have been additional 1/2" sockets to service my hitch, breaker bar, torque wrench, screw drivers, tapes, electrical accessories, and a bunch of other stuff I can't think of right now. I am continuously adding and subtracting to that box. It's my "go to" box at home. It's pretty nice to have almost everything I need in one easy to move box. When I go to work on one of my vehicles, I just grab it and haul it over and I have almost everything I need right at my fingertips.

The little kit's weight is negligible, my "main" kit is pretty heavy. I'd say about 40-50 lbs? But I don't care about the weight. I'd carry 3x that in tools if it meant I had the tool I needed at hand when I needed it.

I guess my main piece of advice is not to think of your tool kit as a static item. It should be constantly evolving to contain what you need. If you're doing a repair and a specific tool would make the job easier, then consider making yourself a note to acquire that tool at your earliest convenience.

ETA: Gloves. Don't forget gloves. I carry a couple sets of "work" gloves, some in the truck too. I also carry a little "Glad" container full of Nitrile gloves for the "messy" stuff.

[Danno]

Originally Posted by pawpaw

Good point! It's actually a #2 square bit.

It's actually called "Robertson" !!Another great Canadian invention.

Vise-Grips. Probably the best tool to carry in an emergency.

[need-a-vacation]

This Craftsman Tool Kit is similar to what I carry in the truck. I don't recall the exact number of tools included, but it came with a plastic tool box w/ 3 metal drawers.

[Joe A.]

Thanks for the responses, there are a few things I would not have thought of / wasn't aware of. roof repair tape for example, or bringing a breaker bar.