Fanny Pack Tool Pouch - How To

[TheGDog]

Cool... Dig-it! 

A valid legitimate reason to finally experiment with the ARC Welder I picked-up at the nearby Harbor-Freight store!  Franken-Wrench here I come!

Out of curiousity... Don't the sockets become softer from the welding?  I know they are case-hardened. 

So... for the welding a socket onto another wrench business... is it more like you're just placing several tack-on welds about the perimeter of the socket?  Or are you laying a serious, normal bead of weld in there?

[TheGDog]

P.S.  the tip about painting your tools flourescent orange.  I totally felt a "why didn't I think of that!" on that one.

ALSO... something I do when working on bikes in my garage is that whenever I take-off nuts and bolts and have to actually remove them completely off the bike... I immediately put them into zip-lock sandwich bags right there on the spot.

You would not BELIEVE how much this helps to prevent you from accidentally kicking/losing items about the garage floor.  And I HAVE to imagine it's even easier to lose a rinky-dink 8mm bolt out in the middle of TimBukThree (even farther away than TimBukTu! haHA)


AND... in the garage setting... get in the habit of putting into one zip-lock bag all the nuts+bolts from a particular removal job... and then rip a piece of duct tape to tape THAT zip-lock bag holding those related nuts/bolts right onto the removed part which they are directly used for.  Sooo helpful.  Sometimes there are bolts which look very very similar to your eye.... but then like the one you decide to use is slightly longer then the REAL one that should be used in that spot... ya feel me?

[ID KX500]

I use a MSR fanny pack with a lot of what you pack. We are doing longer all day rides 60-80 miles of mostly single track high mountain riding. So I attached my fanny pack to a back pack for rain gear food and usually a 12 pack. Sometimes grab a motel ride back the next day. Heavy Duty tubes usually avoid the flats. I joined our local "LifeFlight". Had to use it once. Buddy of mine called it in. It was nice to not have to ride on the ground in pain. I strongly recommend it if available. Also I pack baby wipes in a sandwich bag. Saves you some monkey butt.

What a great website this is. Glad I found it.

ID KX500

[BDI]

The one thing I carry that I never see anyone else carry is a spare set of levers. I can't recall ever putting them on my bike but I can't tell you how many rides they have saved.

[KXcam22]

Since I got bark busters I have never managed to break a lever so I don't carry one.  I sold my 14 year old K5 with the original clutch lever on it.   

One thing I learned this weekend is that it is important to occaisionally use ONLY your fanny pack tools to fix your bike.  This weeked I was doing just that and found a couple of routine things that I didn't quite have the right tool for.  It also helps to refamilliarize yourself to what you have in there. I only had to make a couple minor changes to make it all good again. Cam.

[KXcam22]

Oh yeah and put new matches in every year. My 5 year old ones didn't work so well today. Took about 80 matches to light a fire. Whew. Cam.


ps better yet get a lighter.

[azdirtrider75]

Great topic,
I think more riders need to consider this list. Over the years I've helped many on the trails with my tool pack (BTW mine's near identical to the original post list).
Once I came upon a group of retards on quads, none with helmets, or tools; I'm surprised they were carrying water. Anyway, one crashed and broke off the thumb throttle and they couldn't get the bike back to camp (10+ miles). My mini vise grip attached and worked perfect, so I sold it to them ($20). My buddy was a bit disappointed that I didn't just give it to them; here's the deal: I go prepared, what would happen if down the trail I or my friend break down and need that very tool? What then? The $20 was cheap compared to them pushing the bike, trying to idle it back to camp, or ruin an entire day by sending someone back to camp for a strap. Besides, I needed the money so I could buy a new tool. Always go prepared. Hip packs (fanny pack) work great, they keep the weight off your back and on your legs. www.rockmountainmc.com has a great assortment of packs and tools, including their own brand (Tusk). I just bought a great axle wrench that works for my front and rear axle AND my spark plug (only $12). I've used it and it works great.

Go prepared, ride all day, be safe, and have fun!

[KXcam22]

AZ,
 I run into those retards almost every ride.  I give lots of plugs aways to stranded guys.  The one thing I am adding to my fanny pack tool kit this week is a 15' tow rope. I will probalbly use some 1/8" kevlar high strength stuff. Cam.

[BDI]

Even when I was a little kid my dad had me riding with tools. Because we always rode with the same people we all tried to carry something different so no one was laden down with to much crap.

[KXcam22]

BDI,
 Thats a good practise.  I was with 3 other guys that I don't normally ride with but I was the only one carrying anything resembling tools. Cam.

[FYRBUG]

I keep an old smaller sized motrin bottle filled with odd sized nuts, bolts, master links, fuel line clamps and cotter pins, I wrap duct tape around the bottle 12 to 20 times so I always have 4' or more of duct tape with me w/o having to carry a heavy roll around. I also have a spare fuel filter, a pack of Gator gum: it keeps you from getting cotton mouthed and a small pack of peanuts.

Back in the day I had a tool box number plate on my 78 YZ 250 that had foam that could be cut to fit the shape of plugs, tools ect. and nothing rattled or moved a bit, it kept the weight out of the fanny pack and on the bike

[kx666]

A simmalar idea is to fasten a small tool kit on the bike (like under the seat and behind the number plate) and have the wrench zip tyed to an easaly assessable place.  I only have to have my leatherman on me to get to the tools.