I have two boxes that I Cary around with me when I am doing tech

One filled with essentials
e.g
gaffer tape
LX tape
Paper
pens
pencils
scissors
USB Flash Drives

And a big one filled with
Two mics
led clip on lights
desk lamp with purple fell
copy of script
Headphones
Jack converters
more tape
Chalk
Monitor
USB fan
Batteries
Soldering iron
solder
Wrenches
nut/bolts
probably more

What do you bring?
 
Hey guys I am in high school, and I have been doing stage crew for about 3-4 years. So basically in junior high you were called a squeak in stage crew, and I worked my way up to finally doing spotlight. I originally wanted to do battens and such, but we never use it :(. So this year we got a new lighting guy and a new director. Basically the director put me on the stage again :naughty:. If you want to hear the story It's pretty funny, but I was wondering if you guys recommended me to have any tools or whatever during the show Thanks!!!

p.s. we have a very nice theater, but it's poorly designed and unorganized hopefully the new lighting guy and I can fix that lol
 
My "go-pouch" is a tool holster with a 6" c-wrench tethered to it, a #2 Phillips screwdriver, a precision screwdriver, a pen, a matte knife, a sharpie, and my tactical LED flashlight.

It's also good to have things like band-aids, safety pins, pens, pencils, post-its, rubber bands, straight pins, binder clips, needles, a few spools of thread in different colors, and the like in a separate bag somewhere close to the stage. Doesn't have to be on you all the time but you never know when a cast member's going to come running off stage with a wardrobe malfunction and only have a minute or two available before they have to walk right back out on stage.

Contrary to popular belief, more tools does not make you more useful. Resist the temptation to go out and buy all kinds of gak under the sun unless you see a clear, immediate need for it. The only thing worse than the guy who doesn't have the tools he needs is the guy who has every tool under the sun but he doesn't have the one he needs in the bag he brought with him that day or the guy who needs 5 minutes every time he goes for a tool because he needs to dig around through 50 tools in his bag to find the one he needs.

You also want don't want to be "Guy who bumps into everything or keeps dropping tools behind him everywhere he goes" because you're trying to fit 15 tools into a 5-tool bag hanging on your hip.

Also don't be "Let me just find a pen" guy. Always have a writing utensil on you. My preference is a fine-tip sharpie in addition to a chisel tip sharpie because I can use any of them to write on paper or on spike/gaff/console tape. Gel pens are okay and I keep them on me, but they absolutely suck for writing on tape.
 
I carry my bag of tricks with me. I usually have:

-a few crescent wrenches
-a couple of combo wrenches I've accumulated
-Several screw drivers
-Hammers
-Mallet
-Quick Clamp
-Drill bits
-Pliers & Wire Cutters
-Gloves
-Pens galore
-Small first aid kit.

That covers most things pretty quickly for me and my kids. Then again, I'm the only one with the tools...
 
I've been building mine up over the past week or so, it's all been a "darn, I'll bring that next time" kinda deal.

What I pack:
-Measuring tape and reel
-Sonic measuring tape
-Assorted hex keys
-My favorite phillips head screwdriver
-My iFixit bit kit
-Beefy multimeter (with a heat probe!)
-Pipe/Channel lock wrench (god some yokes are in bad shape)
-Work gloves
-Scissors
-High-Visibility vest (for some reason I decided to pack that, I had it laying around)
-Pen + Notebook
-Walkie-talkies (so I don't have to yell, I typically work with my friend and the staging director)
-Black and Silver Sharpie
-Harbor Freight flash-light (so cheap I don't care what happens to it, just buy a new measuring tape when I lose it)
-And a few odds and ends, like a 9v battery, earbuds, and a 3.5 to RCA cable (you never know when you can blast your mixtape over the auditorium sound system)

If I ever need a specialty tool (soldering iron, ratchet set, those things), I'll wait until I need to do several things with that tool before I bother bringing it.

I also typically have my laptop on me, since I use it all day for school work.
 
BUMP! I've bought a peli 1510 as an events engineer I need alsorts of gear for hanging displays, lights,rigging. Doing the electrician woork Anyone have a tool box like this?
 
Interesting list. Good to introduce you to a variety of tools, but not useful as to building a kit.
 
Interesting list. Good to introduce you to a variety of tools, but not useful as to building a kit.

It’s all stuff well suited for life on the road or if you bread & butter is load ins/outs.
 
What I mean is that it is far incomplete for a general kit. Plus, who wants to carry the mongo wrench, the Altman star wrench, and the Apollo wrench? It would have been nicer if they did this as a monthly series per discipline.
 
Finally took a picture of my pelican for something else so I figured I might as well add it here since they're still handy. This is geared most heavily towards sound and then a smattering of all the other stuff I'm doing these days on a gig.

1) cliff bar 2) deodorant 3) flat focus tool 4) sm58 5) sm57x2 6) super 55 7) xlr jumpers 8) gerber 9) tweaker 10) bag of adapters (xlr turnarounds, nl4/nl8 connectors, terminators) 11) DI 12) LTI block and a stereo laptop block 13) earplugs 14) knife 15) charger with various charging cables 16) battery charger for my phone 17) USB gooseneck light for use with the battery from 16 18) gaff tape 19) E-tape. 20) superglue 21) gloves 22) tascam dr-40 recorder 23) headphones 24) ground lift plugs 24) aux cords 25) fold up table top mic stand (for micing amps) 26) flashlight 27) headlamp 28) sharpies, pens, pencils 29) a handful of my cards 30) bubble level 31) 1/4" cables 32) VGA-> hdmi converter 33) thumb drives 34) Pyle 12 plug cable tester 35) trackball mouse 36) Rated Carabiners 37) Rated Locking Carabiners 38) Climbing Runners 39) Rated quicklinks 40) rated shackles. 41) 4 xlr jumpers 42) 4 1/4" and then 2 more longer xlr and an xlr-> 1/4 that I dont need.

Also forgot an mxl 990 and 991 mics, a swatch book, power strip, HDMI->vga and vga->hdmi adapters, vga couplers, mac adapters, sdi couplers, a moleskin, a bandana, lighter, and a few other odds and ends.
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Here's a very comprehensive list, compiled by ship in 2002-03, primarily for electrical tools (with pictures!).

Here's a list from IATSE local 33.

Anyone else have any lists to share?


EDIT: Since the IA list is member only now, here's an internet archive of that list.
Usually ive got TTI ratchet for truss, a phillips, small flathead, leatherman, eletrical tape, small crecent wrench, and of course, water bottle in the back pocket
 
I'll add my voice to this thread. I like lists and such.

I'm going to focus my list to the basics I feel like someone starting out in this line of work should show up with.

8" Crescent wrench
11 in 1 screwdriver
Multi tool
Sniffer
Flashlight
Headlamp
Knife
Sharpie

I might be forgetting something, but I feel like this list is a great start for people.
 

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