After a disaster strikes, having the right tools in your toolbox will be critical to handle the challenges you may face. In this article, I’ll share with you what I keep in my toolbox. Everybody’s toolbox might be slightly different based on your skills and needs and I encourage feedback in the comment section if there’s tools you keep in your toolbox I didn’t cover you think are critical to have. So let’s jump in.
- Gloves
- Always good to have a solid pair of leather work gloves.
- Tape measure
- Hammer
- You’ll want to pick up 2 in the event a couple of people need to work on something. Go for a basic, mid-weight hammer. The one thing to look for is a head that is made from deep-forged steel and a handle that feels comfortable when you swing the hammer.
- And oh yeh, don’t pick up cheap tools. I’ve made that mistake in the past and you end up with tools that inevitably break.
- Allen wrenches
- Standard and Metric
- Vise grips
- I use these all the time and have 3 different options as they come in handy in so many situations.
- Telescoping magnetic tool
- Had to use this on many occasions to dig something out of the motor I dropped while working on it.
- Double Drive Screwdriver
- I enjoy this tool a lot as you have multiple bits which gives you a lot of options.
- Plain old fashion screwdrivers
- I’ve picked up a number of these over the years and lost quite a few as well. Having a lot of different options of Phillips and flat head screw drivers, long, medium and short with different size heads all come in hand. I don’t think you can have enough of these with various options.
- Crescent wrench
- Metal file
- Graphite powder
- Freeing up locks
- Drill bits
- Safety Goggles
- Respirator mask
- Duct tape
- I use the heck out of Gorilla tape and I keep plenty of additional duct tape around in my office.
- WD-40
- What problem can’t be fixed with a little WD-40? Am I right?
- Bungee cords
- You never know when you’ll need these to secure something.
- Rags
- Great to clean up a spill or just clean off your hands.
- Channel lock pliers
- Having a couple of these comes in handy as well.
- Dinosaur noise (see downloads)
- Gas wrench
- Very handy to have in an emergency to shut off your gas line to your house.
- Zip ties
- Small socket wrench kit
- I do carry a very small socket wrench kit in my main toolbox.
- Hand saw
- Wrenches
- It’s a good investment to make as you’ll find yourself needing deep socket wrenches, box end wrenches and open ended wrenches as you work on vehicles and other miscellaneous items.
- Box end wrenches
- Open end wrenches
- SAE and Metric
- Socket wrenches
- Crescent wrench
- Hand drill
- Now ideally I’d recommend a cordless drill, but for now I still have a variable corded drill which works just fine. There are hand drills you can still pick up online that don’t require electricity that might want to consider picking up if there’s an EMP or you can’t generate electricity.
- Assortment of screws, nails, nuts and bolts
- You just never know what you’ll need to work on or secure requiring these items in your inventory.
So there you have it. That’s my basic setup. What tools and items would you recommend to have in a toolbox if you knew there was a SHTF situation that hit tomorrow? Post your comments in the comment section below as I learn so much from your feedback. If you enjoyed the article, please feel free to like or share on social media.
As always, be safe out there.