Tool Belt Opinions

[Michael in SC]

Are you guys using something like a contractors leather tool belt from Lowe's or the tool belts from Kellyco? I've seen the ones at Lowe's and they very heavyduty leather but the Kellyco ones look, shall I say, like cheap plastic. Also, the leather one has plenty of extra pouches for your finds to go into.

As far as I can see, the only thing the Kellyco toolbelts have going for them is that they are specifically designed for MD'ers so I guess that's a plus. If you can't tell I'm leaning towards one from Lowe's but all opinions are welcomed.

Michael

 

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[Crow NY]

Keep in mind, you should have one zippered pouch, to keep the good stuff from falling out. I use a Whites, had it for few years, still holding up.HH.

 

[KevGA]

I use a leather one from Wally world, about $12. My MD came with that god-awful sidekick thing (the big mesh sifter), so I stole the belt and tool pouch off that, added the leather and now have a few different size pouches, rings on either side to hang my sand scoop from and plenty of space for diggers, probes, cutters and whatnot. Works for me!

HH

 

[Monty]

I got what is called an electricians tool pouch from Builders Square. It is made of heavy leather. It has several pockets and I cut a hole in the bottom of one so my pinpointer would go through it and not be top heavy. Also got a heavy canvas belt and a pair of suspenders to go with it. I carry my Gator digging tool on the same belt with the pouch. This arrangement helps keep my pants up as well as holds the weight of the pouch and tools. The only problem is that there is not a big zippered pocket to hold "treasures" and you have to be careful or you will lose something. In the pouch I carry a chrome plated trowell (wider blade than gator for removing dirt under the plug), an ice pick probe, a screwdriver for any needed tightening of equipment, my electronic probe, a small pair of nippers for cutting roots, a folded towel and a small bottle of hand sanitizer, a plastic bag and spare batteries. After a couple of hours it begins to feel heavy but the suspenders help take the weight off my lower back and waist.

I have a smaller pouch I got from Kellyco with one of my detectors. It is heavy green canvas with a rubberized backing. It has a wide loop for a heavy belt and some velcro in case you have a velcro belt. It is smaller than my leather pouch but would work OK for carrying the minimum amount of equipment.

Kellyco also sent me a "beach hunting" outfit once. It had a belt for the waist, a large zippered compartment and a large net bag that attached to it. The belt was about a size 30" and I am a size 40 so it was useless to me. It would work for hauling your treasures and trash you pick up but no good at all for holding your digging equipment.

I am thinking about going to a nearby leather craft store and designing and building me a pouch just for metal detecting. If I do it will have a large zippered or velcroed pocket for my treasure and tool carrying pockets custom made and shaped for whatever tool I want to fit into it. I would design it to use a wide leather or canvas belt with heavy duty suspenders. I would use metal gromets and/or brads to reinforce the corners and sew the seams with some kind of rot resistant heavy thread. I thought about designing it in two pieces, one for either side to balance out the weight? Then I would oil and waterproof the entire rig. I am not much of a craftsman but draw well and I am a pretty good designer. I think the guy who runs the leathercraft store will build it for a fee if I design it. That may be my best bet. Just some thoughts....I'll work on it and see what come out of it? JIM

 

[Mi$$ouri Jim]

I tried using a leather pouch, but they were all to heavy & hard to clean after heavy use. So I eventually came to realize that this ...........

(thats a lesche inside the pouch to give you an idea of its measurements)

(top view)

was the best solution for me. It is made of heavy duty, tight-knit cotton canvas & has 2 pouches .... it looked like this ----------------------------------------------->

? ...? when i first got it, But i removed the flaps & hardware & added a leather strip on the lip of the big pouch. Clad goes in the small pouch & trash in the big one. Significant finds are wrapped in tissue & kept in a shirt pocket.
? ?Now... when it needs to be cleaned... I just toss it in the washer. It seems to work well for me.

edit/in addition:? I once had a small belt that I used with it ,but I replaced it a while back with 2 clips that clip to 2 beltloops on the side of? my jeans. Never had one break yet (the beltloops that is). Not sure what the clips are called but there are the same kind that are on the end of most dog leashes.? I like that it keeps the pouch firmly in place. Also I placed a thick commercial plastic-jacketed electrical wire inside the leather lip of the pouch... it keeps the pouch open.

HH

 

[Broncox Vernon BC]

I use a canvas pouch (apron) that I got from the local building supply store, 3 big pouches, plus one just big enough to conceal my knife sheath and one just big enough for my cell phone.
Five useable pockets, washable canvas all for under $5.00 Canadian!
Broncox

 

[dudes2112]

I went with a leather two pocket tool belt. Got this one at a garage sale for $1

Dudes

 

[dudes2112]

One thing to remember, with the open pouches of a tool belt there is the danger of squatting down and dumping your finds out. If I find anything of any value it goes in the pants pocket! I only dumped stuff out once before I wised up, luckily I realized at the time and was able to pick them up.

Dudes

 

[Monty]

I always put good finds in my pants pocket unless they are too big, then I go put 'em in my truck. I found what I thought was a silver Roosevelt dime, couldn't read the date as I found it. Put it in my shirt pocket and that's the last I saw it. Learned my lesson.

 

[rvbvetter]

I'm using the kellyco one but i use to use one very similiar to dudes but with smaller loops front and back. The kellyco is too deep to my liking and keeps working its way around to my lower posterier. The only problem i had with the leather one is the belt snap would eventually break.

 

[slow sweeper]

I stole the wifes garden apron. Not a full sized apron. A little bigger than fanny pack size. Has four pockets. One has a velcro closure. That's where the goodies go. One for trash, one for bullseye pinpointer, one to stuff the end of my towel into. The front of the pockets are mesh so dirt falls through.Trowel and probe just go into my back pockets. Don't know what it cost. She got it as a gift but never used it. It's not perfect but will do till I run across something better.