I'll bite on this one.
That Carhart's tool apron is on the right track. Currently, I use a $5 canvas tool apron. I must credit one of my instructors, Feorge Stout, with this revelation. Most electricians seem to have been brainwashed with the idea that they must carry all of their tools on their hips constantly.
Maybe it fits the image. Watch Norm Abram on New Yankee Workshop. He always wears a tool belt. But when he needs a tool such as a plane, he picks it up off the workbench. He never seems to retrieve a tool from his toolbelt. It is strictly part of the costume.
George's point was that, no matter what you are doing, you only need two or three tools for the task at hand. For instance, if you are making up boxes, you just need wire strippers, a Phillips screwdriver and an Electrician's hammer ["Klein's"] for pre-twisting the wires. You don't need a Roto-Split nor a hammer nor a nut-driver So why carry all that up and down a ladder all day?
An overflowing toolbag represents ALL the tools the owner has. I'm beyond that. Now I have a nice, three tray red cart to carry all the ancilliary stuff. Must weigh 200 lbs. Can't carry all that in a tool pouch!
My apron is loaded as follows:
Left is slot for utility knife.
Then is big pocket for wire nuts and some LRTs.
Middle pocket happens to be berift of it's intended Tek screws. But that's what it's used for.
Right big canvas pocket is for junk like Caddy clips [Batwings]. Upper berth hase some spare 8-32 box screws. And a small pair of ViceGrip needle nose pliers and a long 1/4" hex extension bit, quick change. The last little pocket contains two small ChannelLock type grippers and a 6" half round file.
My rear hip pocket carries the current selection of tools of the task which rotates between my electrians hammer, electrian's chisel [AKA "screwdriver"], and wire strippers.
Also I carry a 3/8" cold chisel and open ended 3/8"/7/16" and 1/2"/9/16" wrenches in two other slots. These will handle most everything. The 1/2" wide X 12' tape measure ends up clipped to the middle pouch. Don't laugh -- conduit is only 10' long.
~PeterA
