IT bag/briefcase/toolkit?

[scottay]

Hi all,

I'm just curious what you all use to hold all of your day-to-day "stuff." Credit card swiper, notepad, couple screwdrivers, laptop, USB drives etc, etc. Not a huge toolbag, as I already have all that organized. I'm really wondering what you carry into your customers house/business that contains your most used items.

Currently I usually just carry my USB drives and CC swiper in my pocket, but I'm looking for something a bit more professional that won't be too big and cumbersome.

Anyone found an awesome bag they'd like to share?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Used to carry a whole "shop" worth of supplies/tools in the trunk of my Jeep....spare routers/switches/cables of all types/HDD/power supplies/optical drives/CDs/surge strips/NICs/etc etc etc and more etc.


Got tired of hauling it all.

What do I carry now? Laptop bag....which has my laptop, a few thumb drives, and a universal screw/torx driver.

I do business support, not residential. At our shop we have all the parts/stock needed. On the rare occasion we need something we'll bring it out next trip, or before you leave you may have a sense you need something, or another tech heading to that area can rush one over.

 

[frederick]

I keep a 64-bit electronic/computer toolkit in the truck with a ratcheting handle. Not a cheapo either. Cat6 patch cable, a few 3', some 5' and a couple of 8's. I also keep a cable tester in the truck, a cheap one. And a flashlight. These all sit in the door of my truck, so as Istep out of it I grab what I need.

Then I have my notebook, tablet pc, phone, pen, and a usb drive.

We don't carry parts, other than patch cable. If I need a part, I typically already knew I needed it before heading out, or someone runs one over to me real quick. Residential or not, I'm not the cable company. Rarely is it their router that goes out before the cheap modem they install these days. And with dsl customers, they need to call their provider.

Anything else, I know before hand before grabbing it. No need to risk lugging all the stuff for it to get stolen or damaged.

 

[Markverhyden]

When I started I had a big zippered bag, but got tired of that really quick. So I've changed things around. Have a small tool bag similar to this that holds most of the hand tools. An old soft sided laptop bag which holds all of the networking stuff. Also a Home Depot plastic bucket. A large plastic bin with all of my power tools. A couple more with spare/rarely used hand tools, cables, switch, router, etc, etc. My laptop bag holds two laptops.

 

[glennd]

i keep a camera road case which is about the size of a brief case but solid with aluminium edging and corners. it contains tools, testers, thumb drives, cables, plugs, electrical tape, notepads etc. every time i open it, it's a mess of stuff falling all over the place. i'm looking for something that will keep things in their place. i also take a regular toolbox. when customers start complaining about how stupid computers are i pull out a big-ass hammer and say i can fix that. i also keep coveralls in the boot because occasionally i find myself climbing roofs, crawling through ceilings or under the house.

 

[Markverhyden]

Spare set of clothes is a must. Customers aren't very impressed with a huge coffee spill down the front of my shirt because some bozo cut me off as I was pulling into the parking lot.

 

[colonydata]

Ogio Fugitive backpack. From logoup.com with my logo on it.

I can carry my laptop or Tablet( I alternate between a Surface Pro 2 and a Macbook Air depending on what my day is like.) A case with my utility flash drives and spare flash drives. A small cd case for Boot discs, windows disks etc. A basic screw driver set. a pocket hard drive, a couple usb cables, ethernet cables. A legal pad, a couple pens, and a sharpie.

Spare set of clothes is a must. Customers aren't very impressed with a huge coffee spill down the front of my shirt because some bozo cut me off as I was pulling into the parking lot.

I always keep a fresh polo shirt, fresh undershirt and a tasteful t-shirt in my car. During the summer I put a moist wash cloth in a ziplock bag and keep that in my car along with spray on deodorant. This past week was hot and that fresh shirt was a lifesaver.

 

[marley1]

I stock a bit more.

I have a Paladin smaller bag that holds screw drivers, crimper for coax and cat, stripers for both, lunch tool, some ends and some cutters. Also has cable tester and probe.

Then I have the drill bag that has both impact and standard and a few loose bits.

I have two rubber maids. One is filled with patch cords. All new and bagged individually. 1', 3', 7', 25'. Other bin has USB, HDMI, VGA,dvi,display port, two small switches, Wi-Fi adapter, nic, surge protectors.

I have a smaller bin with keystones and wall plays.
One other bin that has drill bits zip ties and stuff like that.

Also have two small tackle box with mounting equipment.

Then got a 4ft ladder, a small shop vac, spool of cat6.

All in my mini van. Still room for two back passengers and computers.

 

[tf76]

This is what I take with me.



Regards,

 

[frederick]

Ogio Fugitive backpack. From logoup.com with my logo on it.

Been looking at getting some of those as well to have as a go-bag. Also looking at getting their gym bags so people can carry extra shirts, spare pants, and underwear...and for me socks as well. It gets hot here in Phoenix. Some jobs I come walking out of covered in sweat, swimming in my shoes. But this way, no excuse. Everyone gets 12 shirts, I personally go through about 3 on a good day, 5 on those dirty days.

Spare set of clothes is a must. Customers aren't very impressed with a huge coffee spill down the front of my shirt because some bozo cut me off as I was pulling into the parking lot.

Mark, you couldn't say it any better. If it isn't a dirty, grimy computer from an auto shop, it's coffee.

 

[cypress]

Wow those logo bags look excellent.

I carry a small bag along with my laptop and iPad mini to take card payments. I also bring a small tool kit, CD software, Thumbdrives, spare router, and some network cables.

Can't say how many times the network cables have helped me. Time to stock up. Usually the client doesnt have a spare of doesn't have one that is long enough to run a wire that they need. I was looking for a new bag because lately I just been cramming things in and it has been a pain to go through the bag.

 

[glricht]

We're an onsite-only business (60% residential, 40% SMB) and cover a large geography -- our furthest customer is currently 40 miles away. Unless we're doing a N&P, our goal is to diagnose/fix a problem in only one trip. To do that, I carry a fair amount of items for diagnostic/repair. I also carry a number of items that I can sell outright.

I drive a Saturn (SUV-type) and have four Rubbermaid-type clear bins that fit in the back of the car:
-- Bin 1: Network-type items: routers, modems, switches, all types of adapters
-- Bin 2: Cables (Cat5, USB, video, gender benders, etc.) and memory (don't have much call for these anymore as we used to in the XP/Vista days)
-- Bin 3: Inside-the-case and misc stuff: DVD drive, a few graphics cards, sound card, power supplies, UPS, speakers
-- Finally, there's a bin with miscellaneous not-for-sale items I use for testing, such as: cable tester, USB/PS2 keyboards & mice, a small phone for testing for a dial tone (can't tell you how many fax problems are because the phone cord has no dial tone!), extension cords, label maker, compressed air and screen cleaner, IDE/SATA cables, etc.

It seems like quite a bit (and to a certain extent, it is), but the bins keep it pretty organized and there's still plenty of room for carrying my laptop and customer PCs and printers.

The biggest challenge for me? Balancing the need to have a part when I need it versus carrying stuff that was once used a lot, but not anymore (e.g. phone modems, DDR memory)

hth

 

[Micah Lahren]

Spare set of clothes is a must. Customers aren't very impressed with a huge coffee spill down the front of my shirt because some bozo cut me off as I was pulling into the parking lot.

I'm now adding that to my list of tools etc I carry with me now. I'm starting to see older machines being phased out as a general trend right now, because they can't handle Youtube, Netflix, and Pandora, for example, as more consumers are discovering newer and more flexible entertainment platforms than they were used to before. That means less use of my CD wallet, but there are exceptions, so I still carry it around to jobs with new clients.

 

[codegreen]

Spare set of clothes is a must. Customers aren't very impressed with a huge coffee spill down the front of my shirt because some bozo cut me off as I was pulling into the parking lot.

I'm adding this right away. Spilled coffee has ruined my day too many times.

 

[Cornerstone Technologies]

Spare set of clothes is a must. Customers aren't very impressed with a huge coffee spill down the front of my shirt because some bozo cut me off as I was pulling into the parking lot.

Ha! This reminded me of a trip I was taking a few weeks ago from one site to another halfway across PA. I came across two dogs on the side of I-80 that were bound to be hit and killed by a massive truck. I stopped and ended up capturing them and getting them back to their ungrateful owner. I smelled like wet stinky dog and had mud all over my pants. I had a spare shirt, but must have not replaced a spare pair of pants I kept in back.

So now, I keep two spare shirts, two pair of pants, and a pair of shoes in my car just in case! I constantly go through the spare shirts, so it does come in handy.

 

[TecPCPro]

today.. almost fully loaded for a network install.. most days just the black notebook rucksack with a zalman, ipad, laptop and leatherman.. plus a 2m cat6 cable.

 

[HFultzjr]

Ha! This reminded me of a trip I was taking a few weeks ago from one site to another halfway across PA. I came across two dogs on the side of I-80 that were bound to be hit and killed by a massive truck. I stopped and ended up capturing them and getting them back to their ungrateful owner. I smelled like wet stinky dog and had mud all over my pants. I had a spare shirt, but must have not replaced a spare pair of pants I kept in back.

So now, I keep two spare shirts, two pair of pants, and a pair of shoes in my car just in case! I constantly go through the spare shirts, so it does come in handy.

Don't forget clean underwear for after driving I80 with the trucks and all.

LOL