I made my own custom for the tools I carry. One thing that worked well was making it out of white material so If I put hardware on it I can easily see it. I could also label the slots with a felt pen.
I'd like to find one made of a thinner, lighter material, like Ultra-Sil or Sil-Nylon. I have limited space inside a manual canister, aka Tool Tube. Most tool rolls are made of thick Cordura, canvas, PVC or similar things, and so much space is taken up by the material of the roll itself, space that could be better used by carrying more tools. In my opinion, if the roll is stored inside something like a Tool Tube the roll is not exposed to much abuse and doesn't need to be so robustly constructed. It just needs to hold the tools together in an orderly fashion. I've used some Ultra-Sil products (stuff sacks and small packs) and they are surprisingly strong considering their extremely light weight. You could reinforce the bottoms of the tool slots - where, for instance, screwdriver tips might eventually punch through Ultra-Sil - but the majority of the tool roll could be very lightweight and still work fine. If I could find a traditional 10 or 12 slot tool roll made of Ultra-Sil I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I don't know anyone who does much sewing (and certainly not custom work) or I'd consider having one made to see if I'm right about this or completely full of shit. Derek
I use a Cruz Tools Metric tool roll. I put it in a Wolfman enduro tool bag that mounts on the rear fender. Works well.
I like the DIrt Bike Gear. It's pretty small compared to some other options, which encourages minimalism and creative tool selection and packing. All of these are good things in my book.
Anyone ever use a Dickey's Tool Roll? Here's one at Amazon. They look like a nice size, and if they truly are 15.5" long, they would probably squeeze right into the bottom of my 1550 Pelican. What about the Arsenal? This Arsenal gets great reviews and, once again, looks like it would fit nicely in the bottom of a Pelican 1550. Many of the tool rolls ont he market are quite small. I want the luxury of a tool roll with all the things I need to go around the world. Until I fabricate a nice tool tube, my tools are going in the bottom of a 1550, so I want a roll that can take advantage of that space.
The two above are HUGE. I use an MSR tool roll. It has a few features I personally prefer. 1, the slots are stretchy, you can hold it up the wrong way and the tools are nice and snug. 2, the zippered pouch has a clear window and is a good size. In there I have an altoids tin with all my sockets and bits. I don't like the strap it uses but it holds and if I needed to store the roll loose and not in another bag or pouch I could always put something around it. Keeps 99% of my tools nicely, the ones I use not just for a road trip but for 99% of all my repairs. Only thing that's not in there are tire tools, I keep tire patch and change tools separately anyway.
If had h Arsenal and it fit every tool I needed to service my GS. it fit fine in the bottom of my panniers, but I sold it and now put all my tools in a tube that's mounted to my pannier frame so they're always with me. I'm planning on buying the Kreiga tool roll next. Looks like it'll hold a lot.
I used one from Windzone, but have moved to the pouches that fit in the molding of the bottom of my Harley's saddlebags from storagepouches.com. Got back tons of space. Before the Windzone, I used one from Wolfman.
I've made several of my own similar to GSWayne's over the years. Stupid easy to do on SWMBO's sewing machine. I used an old pair of Levi's for material once. Worked well.
i think tool rolls are a great idea for keeping things together, but they take up so much space, i simply roll my tools in a large shop rag and keep it tight with a couple rubber bands
Everyone's tool requirements are different. Make yer own, to suit your bike and what you like to have with you when you are far from the Big Toolbox. This is one I made for my BMW airhead years ago.
Rodgear tool roll..made in USA and comes in colors...black never shows dirt but light colors make things easy to find...great price $25...clipped corner makes it easier to roll up...well thought out....friend from Canada liked it so much he had me order 2 more...guess not available in Cannukistan.
+1 but it's called Roadgear Here's a review: http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-tools/motorcycle-tool-roll/roadgear-tool-pouch.htm
Right you are ...Roadgear....and it was the article in Webbikeworld that prompted me to buy it over Kriega and Touratech etc.
That Roadgear is cool! I especially like the yellow color for visibility. 1000D cordura is probably overkill and adds bulk, which tool rolls need less of though. Also, it looks larger than what I'd prefer or need to carry. Tool rolls are less space-efficient than other means of tool carrying, as others have pointed out. I like the idea of the "two cut-off oil jugs jammed together" tool holder too; I think I saw that idea for the first time on this site in the big tool thread. All that being said, having a little "work mat" trail-side can be a real time- and sanity-saver when doing repairs in less-than-ideal conditions. I broke my clutch cable on the longest stretch between gas stops on the TAT last year. I was tired and stressed out and it was about 100 degrees out, and, at 3.5 weeks into the motorcycle trip, I was absolutely OVER moto maintenance and spinning wrenches for any reason. And this was on my DR which only needed a single oil and tire change and basic bolt tightening over the trip's 6000 mi. As could be expected, that cable swap, in spite of having my back-up cable ziptied alongside the one that broke, took a lot longer than it would have in the garage. There was quite a bit of swearing, tool dropping and double and triple checking. I was glad to have my tools more or less organized and spread out in the dirt and rocks in the tool roll.
Chamois leather is fairly thin and very pliable. Mine is an extremely basic tool roll, just the piece you buy at the autoparts...line up thetools in the middle, fold the corners in diagonally, flip the north and south points to the middle and roll 'er up. I use 2 HD rubber straps to keep it together and it stores under the seat of my 990 adv. And as rpet said, it makes for a mat to keep the little bits from disappearing. The thing I like most is when you open it, you see everything. Tool roll pockets sometimes hide tools causing you to forget it's there.
Wife made these last year for me. Bought several yards of canvas at the fabric store when it was on sale. The nice thing about homemade ones is she set the tools down in the order I wanted and the slots for the smaller wrenches are skinnier so they fit better.
