Review: Duluth Trading Riggers Bag

So what do I think about the Duluth Trading Riggers Bag? We’ve field-tested the bag, and here’s what we’ve learned.

I have a phrase I use a lot. More than I want to, really. It’s not because I can’t think of any new one-liners. I’ve got enough of those. It’s that this one has about 30,000 miles of runway when it comes to DIY and plenty of pros on the jobsite.

It goes something like this: searching for tools is not working, it’s getting ready to work.

Or more to the point: wasting time.

Having your tools in your hands or wherever they need to be, whether that be paint brushes or power tools, is about having a place for everything to live that’s in what I call a non-pile format, or NPF.

By ‘non-pile,’ I mean that you can see and reach most of what you need in any given location. For this reason I’m not a giant fan of basic toolboxes. Sure, you can put some stuff in the top tray and mostly get to it. But once you lift it up to expose the bottom. Well, that’s usually a pile in a box.

I can go on with pile examples but I trust you’re getting the point.

What I have found successful for better organizing many of the smaller items of my contracting business and personal DIY are tool bags.

But not just any tool bag. Rather, a very old design called a “rigger’s bag.” These canvas bags, the story goes, were what sailors have been bringing on board ships for centuries. I don’t know if that’s true, but I know the ones I have work great. And that something so simple has proven useful, versatile and damn durable.

Mine is an older, cotton Duluth Trading Company version of this bag called the Duluth Trading Riggers Bag, and I can think of a lot worse ways to burn 30-bucks.

As I mentioned, I have several, and the exact same bag serves several different functions. I keep a 3×21 belt sander in one. My angle grinder and the zillion wheels and the hyper-easy-to-lose wrench in another. In a third, I keep many of my painting supplies and I think this particular application is a great way to be a little specific about why I generally enjoy it.

Have you tried out the Duluth Trading Riggers Bag? We’d love to know what you think.

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Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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