Anyone here ever go to the junkyard? (Tool backpack Q)

Ha ha -- of course you do.

So...I was surfing the web and found what looks like a really slick backpack for tools:

(More info here...)

Made by a company called ToolPak, their website says they sell these things to pro repairmen of various kinds and the military.

Anyone have any experience with these? I'd love to free up both hands for hauling my pull-a-part treasures back to the checkout line, and I'm digging the organization stuff. But, like you, I don't like to own crap, so, whatya know?

I like to bring a bucket boss. Tool organization around the rim, and dirty parts carrying capacity with a convenient handle...

my local junkyard won't allow you to wear a back pack due to theivery...

pimpm3 wrote: my local junkyard won't allow you to wear a back pack due to theivery...

Every junkyard I have been to mitigates this by checking toolboxes and bags before you leave. Most of the employees don't give a crap about thievery anyway.

those do look pretty sweet, but think back to the last time you went and how many tools you actually used.

I have this exact duffel bag, gotten free somewhere. I specifically take it because I think it appeals to the crazy workers at my local "pick-your-own" and the dont give me too much grief when I look for those "four-en" car parts.
Inside is a socket set, a deep socket set, some basic screw drivers and anything else that may be critical to the job at hand. Shoulder strap for easy carry and enough room for some light part toting.
Always offer a quick bag search on the way in and out.

Maybe I'm a dumbus but what's the price on this bad boy? It'd be awesome for the trunk!

I use an old duffle with a shoulder strap.

The theory's good but I don't think it works in practice. As was said, how many tools do you really need, probably not a lot. The tools are going to get really dirty, you probably need a cart to haul the parts you find, so in the end, an ordinary metal tool box in a wagon or dolly is most practical.

I always load up an old normal backpack with tools, the lack of organization doesn't really bother me because I don't bring an entire tool set to a junkyard.

1slowcrx wrote: Maybe I'm a dumbus but what's the price on this bad boy? It'd be awesome for the trunk!

this.

I don't take many tools to the JY, but would love something small, soft, and compact for the trunk of the car to stash all my tools in an organized manner. It beats the current craftsman toolbox where a hard corner I can hear clinking around from the rear end, no matter how well I pack it with shop rags and such, lol....

I have a craftsman box with the regulars - sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers. Then on top of that I have a milk crate with a sawzall, impact driver, hammer, etc. All of it goes on a dolly which is pretty handy for toting around transmissions, small engines, fenders, bumpers, and other heavy E36 M3 that is a pain to carry.

Tool box + sturdy folding luggage cart for me.

I usually buy heavy stuff.

i always bring help

I just toss this in the truck and a bunch of tools. Never had a problem. Nice to sit on / in as well. and a good place to toss nuts bolts rubber bits etc.

+1 on a small tool kit, For me all I need on neons is 8, 10, 13, 15, 18mm sockets/wrenches, tire removal, screw drivers, and a small cutting tool.

All that I keep in a kit in my trunk.

i take the bladder out of my CamelBak Mule and carry my JY tools in that.

I have a rolling tool bag that I use. I see other fellows at the yard with old ratty roller luggage with organizers inside, or with hand trucks with 5 gallon pails bungee corded to them.

Bottom line, I'm a believer in wheels for junkyard tools.

In reply to procainestart:

I'm with all of the people who take wheels to the junkyard. I use a wagon and a lot of bungee cords, myself. It comes in handy when you're pulling off parts and find that you need to pull more than you expected due to rust or other factors. I don't mind carrying an aluminum head a 1/2 mile, but if I have to haul the head plus the rusty manifold and 4 feet of exhaust, I'm a sad camper.

My local yard is more expensive than buying stuff at autozone :(

I don't think the pull-a-parts I go to would let me bring a wagon, though it's a good idea!

I've got a bit more tools than in Woody's picture (I have the same little DeWalt impact ). I find that when I bring fewer tools than what I've got now, I make more return trips to my bigger box left in the car.

1slowcrx wrote: Maybe I'm a dumbus but what's the price on this bad boy? It'd be awesome for the trunk!

I called the company that makes the packs. They're $65 for the 4-pocket version. I'm going to check one out at a electronics/electrical wholesaler today.

I normally walk into the junk yard with a pair of vise grips and a hammer. Sometimes a swiss army knife if I remember. I normally keep those in my car as part of my road side repair kit. These work great for those random junk yard visits. For some reason those tools will do the trick without destroying anything. Now if I plan a trip to the yard with a part in mind then I’ll bring in my small tool bag.

Bumping this from the dead as I created this over the weekend. 

Overkill, likely, but capable of big jobs while at the yard, absolutely. Metric impact sockets in 3/8" and 1/2" down to 8mm, a 3/8" and 1/2" subcompact cordless impact. Ratchets and extensions, pry bars, ratcheting crescent wrenches, a punch, some screw drivers, wire strippers, a few mirco tool sets, pliers, wire strippers. And a bucket with an organizer (not shown) for what using utilizing on a particular task. It's heavy, probably about 65lb. But with integrated back bracing, a waist strap and an upper front strap, it's supportive. Honestly sweat after a job is the biggest issue. 

This might be a record for the moldiest of threads bumped without the help of a canoe.