Small dorm room tool kit for my niece.

[mreisner]

I'm putting together a little tool kit for my niece who will be going to college next fall. I'm going to have an adjustable wrench in small pair of vise grips a pair of wire cutters, some zip ties and a roll of duct tape and a small bottle of wd 40, tearmender adhesive in a sewing kit. Any other recommendations for guys who have done this before? Basically it's going to be in a smaller plastic ammo box. Needless to say I'm not going to be putting great stuff in there as stuff tends to develop feet in a dorm room, but like at Harbor Freight I got a Precision screwdriver kit with replaceable bits and a few other odds and ends so far.

 

[Shiftless]

I‘m sitting here drinking coffee and trying to think of what an 18 year old girl (or boy) living in a college dorm would need to repair. Maybe a Swiss Army knife would do the trick. Way back in 1970 when I lived in a dorm, we had a resident assistant who would take care of problems.

 

[mreisner]

I thought about that but most universities now have a no knife policy!

 

[PCustoms]

a small bottle of diabetes, tearmender adhesive in a sewing kit.

Huh?

Unless she's there to tinker, I don't see the average college student needing a tool kit.

I'm pretty sure I had a PC tool kit in the dorm and a 100 piece mechanic set in the car. There was one time we had to borrow some tools for an alternator swap in my roommates Acura.

 

[Shiftless]

I thought about that but most universities now have a no knife policy!

I just looked up the knife rules for my old dorm. They now prohibit knives with blades over 2 1/2 inches long. To me, that’s not unreasonable.

 

[Wrench97]

I would add a tape ruler and a 4 bit flip screwdriver.

Husky 6-in-1 Screwdriver 132660011 - The Home Depot

The Husky 6-in-1 Reversible Screwdriver Set includes a handle, a reversible shaft and 2 double-sided bits. The high-grade durable acetate handle resists damage by solvents and chemicals and ball-and-spring

www.homedepot.com

 

[Shiftless]

100 piece mechanic set in the car.

Yes. If she has a car, she might need some tools, depending of course, on her degree of DIY skills.

 

[iron block]

Spare charging cable for her phone...

 

[crasher98]

Here are the tools I sent my niece to college with -- it was a little different situation from your niece tho because mine was already a junior, was going to be living in an apartment, and had a ****** car that she had paid $5000 for (and may have overpaid lol). It gave us a few chances to do a little tinkering on it together so the tools were mainly for that:



Not shown: the harbor freight breaker bar and lug nut socket I had her put in the trunk. The Kobalt pliers are nice because they're relatively small, so they're good for smaller hands.

 

[Hakeem]

Measuring tape, multi bit screwdriver, utility knife. Even the screwdriver is arguably pushing it. The 6-in-1 fastback with the screwdriver on the back can probably do the job of both

Measuring tape is useful, mostly for “will this fit in my car/dorm/etc”

 

[f121]

Nice thought, but probably a spare usb charger would be a more useful gift.

 

[Squez]

AAA card

 

[LOW1]

Lots of stuff young people put together need Allen Wrenches.
A needle nose pliers
a hammer and an assortment of nails, screws etc

 

[Junkdrawer Dog]

Leatherman bladeless Rebar and a set of Allen wrenches.

 

[tamaraw]

I just looked up the knife rules for my old dorm. They now prohibit knives with blades over 2 1/2 inches long. To me, that’s not unreasonable.

Surely this doesn't apply to kitchenware?

 

[tool_scrounge]

I'm putting together a little tool kit for my niece who will be going to college next fall. I'm going to have an adjustable wrench in small pair of vise grips a pair of wire cutters, some zip ties and a roll of duct tape and a small bottle of diabetes, tearmender adhesive in a sewing kit. Any other recommendations for guys who have done this before? Basically it's going to be in a smaller plastic ammo box. Needless to say I'm not going to be putting great stuff in there as stuff tends to develop feet in a dorm room, but like at Harbor Freight I got a Precision screwdriver kit with replaceable bits and a few other odds and ends so far.

It is hard to beat the Harbor Freight general 130 piece tool kits. For $29 it is a lot of tools. I like the blow molded cakes as it is easy to see what is missing and get it replaced. But I can see the benefits of a smaller kit.

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-set-with-case-130-piece-64263.html

 

[Shiftless]

Surely this doesn't apply to kitchenware?

Central dining. The rooms don’t have kitchens.

 

[kyrbz]

Don't laugh, but these Ikea tools are well made, thought out, and reasonably priced for the average apartment/dorm dweller. A couple things I like about the 15pc. set is the soft blow cover for the hammer and the awl tip for the screw driver handle. I put the 15pc. set and tape measure in my wife's car for those unexpected situations she might need it. I keep an Ikea tape measure in the glovebox of all my vehicles.

 

[mreisner]

Huh?

Unless she's there to tinker, I don't see the average college student needing a tool kit.

I'm pretty sure I had a PC tool kit in the dorm and a 100 piece mechanic set in the car. There was one time we had to borrow some tools for an alternator swap in my roommates Acura.

Damn phone, that was supposed to be WD-40!

 

[NoahG]

A good tape measure, an adjustable wrench, a 6 in 1 driver, and a set of hex keys (I recommend a folding set, harder to lose).

I used tools in my dorm but mainly because I was studying Stagecraft and my roomie was studying electrical engineering. It was required on the syllabus for any student taking Stagecraft 101 to buy safety goggles, a tape measure, and an 8" crescent wrench.

 

[Vvmvbb]

I’ll admit this is not in the spirit of the thread (or any GJ thread really…) but my daughters, now graduated and on their own, viewed any tools I wanted to send with them as a pointless bother. So maybe keep it small.
Pepper spray might not be a bad idea unfortunately.

 

[GaryM909]

When my daughter moved out I bought a small tool bag from HD. I then put whatever tools she might need.
¼" socket set
Claw hammer
Multi driver
6" & 10" Adjustable wrenches
Tape measure
Side cutters
Needle nose pliers
Small vise grips
9" level
A couple rolls of electricians tape
A pack of zip ties

After she moved away again her boyfriend was assembling some furniture. He was actually impressed with her little bag of tools and thats coming from a journeyman electrician who has more tools than he knows what to do with.
Now that she has moved back to our city she can come over and pretty much help herself to tools any time she wants.
I just gave her a heat gun last week. I have no idea what she wanted for but I told her I didn't want it back.

 

[mike93lx]

A hammer? For someone living in a dorm?

 

[niget2002]

It is hard to beat the Harbor Freight general 130 piece tool kits. For $29 it is a lot of tools. I like the blow molded cakes as it is easy to see what is missing and get it replaced. But I can see the benefits of a smaller kit.

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-set-with-case-130-piece-64263.html

This. I have a similar one in the travel trailer for doing stuff. It's had everything I've needed so far.

 

[Firebrick43]

I'm putting together a little tool kit for my niece who will be going to college next fall. I'm going to have an adjustable wrench in small pair of vise grips a pair of wire cutters, some zip ties and a roll of duct tape and a small bottle of wd 40, tearmender adhesive in a sewing kit. Any other recommendations for guys who have done this before? Basically it's going to be in a smaller plastic ammo box. Needless to say I'm not going to be putting great stuff in there as stuff tends to develop feet in a dorm room, but like at Harbor Freight I got a Precision screwdriver kit with replaceable bits and a few other odds and ends so far.

You got the duct tape, make sure the zip ties are the big ones that function as cuffs.

Then just need

 

[mike93lx]

You got the duct tape, make sure the zip ties are the big ones that function as cuffs.

Then just need

 

[four.cycle]

Nelson Bowers will give you one of these cute pink-and-white "multi-bit" "Amigo" drivers with a $75.00 purchase (click on the "free tools" hyperlink at top for details.)
So far, recipients of that tool have been happy with them.
(And it's really easy to blow $75 bucks on Bowers website - he'll have some of that other stuff too.)

 

[JohnX14]

College today isn't what it was when "you" were there. We sent both of our kids there with nothing the first year (dorm life) and a car and AAA card after that. Neither one of them (girl and boy) can turn a screwdriver. ( that in and of itself is a different discussion - but I don't want a divorce)

 

[HalfTonTom]

As a former college student of the late 60's, the only tools I needed were a church key (pre pop-top days) and a screwdriver to take the plates off the junk car I would be abandoning if it broke down.

 

[Toolcrib]

I bought my daughter the Ikea tool kit shown above. She keeps it in her dorm room and has used it for minor things. The staffed RA. office has the same kit but that kit is missing some of the pieces, and is always loaned out. My daughter can't do to much, so this kit fits the skill set. If it comes up missing oh well!

 

[toolmiser]

I have a Freshman. I just put together a bunch of left over tools that would otherwise go into a garage sale. She didn't want the tool box to take up much space. I did spray bright orange spray paint on them so she would have a chance of getting them back. I told her after college she would get a much improved tool box with quality tools.

 

[mike93lx]

Lots of stuff young people put together need Allen Wrenches.

They all come with the necessary Allen wrenches

 

[LOW1]

They all come with the necessary Allen wrenches

Which tend to be ****

 

[wandrur]

The HF set looks like a good idea. I'd suggest something like that or a Gearwrench one, plus a few different sizes of screwdrivers (both flathead and Phillips) and the suggestions above of a hammer, measuring tape, etc.

Of note, at 20, I replaced a friend's starter in a Volkswagen Jetta in the residence hall parking lot.

I would suggest taking every opportunity (like school breaks and holidays) to make sure your niece knows how to use every single tool you provide to her. That will give a vital life skill set, plus she'll likely encourage others through her use of those tools to solve the simple and maybe even complex problems they'll encounter.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I just looked up the knife rules for my old dorm. They now prohibit knives with blades over 2 1/2 inches long. To me, that’s not unreasonable.

I guess we can. That's because you don't do things like cut large tomatoes..... Or watermelon...

You can get by with a smaller knife.... It just makes it more Difficult with a smaller knife.

I grew up on a farm. To me it is a tool. My co-workers could not understand why I carried a knife. But after it was known I had one, the number of people who asked to use it was large. I trust very free people to borrow my knife. In the 80's a coworker borrowed my knife and used it to scrape metal. That's when I stopped letting people borrow my EDC knife.

The only people who knew I had a chef knife wandered into my office when I was cutting did to eat.

 

[mike93lx]

Which tend to be ****

Yep. But completely adequate for the application.

Also kids aren't buying much furniture for dorm rooms. There is no space for it

 

[Ohio Andy]

Yep. But completely adequate for the application.

Also kids aren't buying much furniture for dorm rooms. There is no space for it

I have assembled numerous raised beds in dorm rooms because they are so small then they could be under the beds with a desk or something. Been a long time since I did that. And I always brought my own tools to do it.

 

[mike93lx]

I have assembled numerous raised beds in dorm rooms because they are so small then they could be under the beds with a desk or something. Been a long time since I did that. And I always brought my own tools to do it.

I generally use my own stuff when assembling flat pack too, but have done plenty with the included Allen keys and they work just fine, especially for one or two pieces of furniture.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around what a kid in a dorm room needs a hammer for... This thread is kind of wild. All these tool kits will just get in the way, and in an environment where free space doesn't exist

 

[engineer2]

Good plan, but as you suspect tools will get stolen or loaned out never to be seen again. This is why we have Harbor Freight.
Kids want to hang pictures. Small hammer and tiny nails or Command strips depending on dorm policy. Some prohibit command strips because they take a chunk of paint off if you don't remove them correctly. Get a cheap tape measure and a 6-way screwdriver too.
If they have a car, that is a whole other set of tools and responsibilities.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I generally use my own stuff when assembling flat pack too, but have done plenty with the included Allen keys and they work just fine, especially for one or two pieces of furniture.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around what a kid in a dorm room needs a hammer for... This thread is kind of wild. All these tool kits will just get in the way, and in an environment where free space doesn't exist

Depends on the kid. When I assembled beds I something's used a hammer to tap things into alignment. Then again while I was in college, I met a college kid who did not know how to use a screwdriver.

Would not send a framing hammer though.