Digital Nomad Travel Tool Sets

[lasagna]

I fly all the time and live out of a backpack and carry-on suitcase. Space is at a premium for me. I can't have a hammer or a blade of any kind. The travel tool kit I've put together is almost always sufficient for my needs. It's easy to pick up razors from hardware stores if I'm in a pinch and need one.

I've attached pictures of the kit I've put together and the pencil case I keep them in. If anyone has a similar travel tool kit, I'd love to see. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

 

[Odd-job]

Thanks for sharing. What do you do for a living?

My desk jockey travel kit is pretty much just a Thrunite T1s which sometimes doubles as a small hammer . Have been thinking of modding a Swiss Army knife by removing the blades. A bottle opener may be the tool I miss the most when business traveling although the small cobras might get the job done.

 

[will335i]

Depending on what you are measuring, you might be able to swap that traditional tape for a laser measure and gain some more space.

 

[ecotec]

Thanks for sharing. What do you do for a living?

My desk jockey travel kit is pretty much just a Thrunite T1s which sometimes doubles as a small hammer . Have been thinking of modding a Swiss Army knife by removing the blades. A bottle opener may be the tool I miss the most when business traveling although the small cobras might get the job done.

A BIC lighter is the perfect bottle opener. Are lighters allowed in carry-ons?

 

[Odd-job]

A BIC lighter is the perfect bottle opener. Are lighters allowed in carry-ons?

good idea. Internet says bic lighters are allowed. TSA website suggests no.

 

[ecotec]

good idea. Internet says bic lighters are allowed. TSA website suggests no.

Then, I would skip it until they agree.

 

[CS454]

Victorinox Jetsetter might be a handy pickup, TSA approved. Otherwise neat little micro setup.

 

[Odd-job]

Victorinox Jetsetter might be a handy pickup, TSA approved. Otherwise neat little micro setup.

That looks almost perfect. Was looking for something that has a flathead/prybar built in it.

 

[lasagna]

Thanks for sharing. What do you do for a living?

I have a little bit of an update based on some of the replies. To answer Odd-job, I work remotely for a b2b software company. I usually go to Latin America where the cost of living is super low, but I'll be heading to Portugal pretty soon.

As far as ecotec's question goes-- yes, you can fly with a lighter. I have a Bic mini that I keep in a separate pouch (along with a few SIM tools and some cheap precision screwdrivers that came with sunglasses). I do that because if something catches the push button, all the butane can get released. What I'm thinking about doing now is just getting some kind of lighter with a cap (like a Zippo).

I do have a bottle opener. Two, actually. I have a Wichard shackle key attached to a CW&T key wrangler that both sit in an easily-reachable backpack pocket. The key wrangler itself can be used as a bottle opener, or at least it should be able to. I ordered the copper kind because I thought it looked cooler, not realizing I was giving up the bottle opener functionality because the metal is too soft. It doesn't really matter though because, again, the shackle key can take care of it. I didn't put the bottle opener in the tool kit because I don't really think of it as a tool in the same way that I think of pliers as being a tool.



Also, despite the fact that you can't fly with a knife or razor blade, you can fly with scissors. The TSA rule is that the blades can't be longer than 4" past the pivot. The KAI 7170 scissors I have pass that test.

I just added the shackle key and scissors to the pencil case and both fit comfortably. I'm looking for a lighter with a cap right now. If anyone has one they'd recommend, the suggestion box is wide open.

New images are attached below.

 

[ecotec]

A BIC mini is not a good bottle opener.

 

[pizza]

i bet the cobras work fine as a bottle opener

nice kit, btw. that's mostly the best example of each kind of tool.

 

[bwringer]

Huh, I did not know that screwdrivers, wrenches, and pliers would "fly" with TSA. They just have to be shorter than 7 inches...

What Can I Bring? Household & Tools | Transportation Security Administration

www.tsa.gov

One item they mention that's OK is "multi-tool without blades" (which would also need to be shorter than 7 inches). There are some special bladeless versions out there, and even a "Jetsetter" Swiss Army Knife with assorted tools but no blade.


Have you ever run into any trouble getting the tools through security?

 

[pizza]

7" is the general rule, but you should search the tsa website for each specific tool for more insight.

i think it's also hilarious that scissors are allowed: "If packed in carry-on, they must be less than 4 inches from the pivot point."
but not a 4" knife?

you can snap them at the pivot and have two 4" blades, lol.

also, keep in mind that the rules could be different when you go through security in another country.

 

[lasagna]

Have you ever run into any trouble getting the tools through security?

Yes. I used to fly with two pairs of scissors. I kept both of them in pen loops in my laptop case. When I was returning to the US from Costa Rica in December, Costa Rican security made me throw out one pair of scissors. I have no idea how they didn't spot the other pair that was like 5" away. Luckily, the pair they made me toss were $40 less expensive than the nicer pair I still have.

There have been a number of times when someone from TSA will ask me to pull my scissors out so they can take a closer look. What they've told me every time is that they looked bigger through the X-ray machine. I've never had anything confiscated by TSA. I've been slowed down by maybe a minute or two. That's it.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Having traveled quite a bit for work while also being a tool nerd I’ll say my answer is quite boring but practical.

If the trip is specifically around me using tools for some purpose, I’m going somewhere and planning to use tools, then I’m checking my luggage and bringing real tools.

Otherwise I’m bringing nothing. I don’t want to deal with TSA hassling me. If you fly multiple times weekly, the utility of having a knife-less multi tool does not outweigh the hassle of ten minute delays as tsa checks it each time to make sure there’s no knife. And the 5% to 10% of the time they decide to confiscate it anyway because f-you.

I’ve gotten really good at improvising tools with metal butter knives in the hotel or plastic hotel keycards. And if the Trip is just a trip, not a professional job where I’m expected to fix things then how much stuff am I really expecting to repair while I’m traveling?

I do have a few utility items that count as “tools” but not in the traditional sense. I’ll bring an old hotel room key card wrapped with duct tape, a few small zip ties, a small headlamp, and a powerful CR123 flashlight. Also a small med kit with tourniquet and hemostatic gauze. Nothing that would pique the interest of TSA.

I take the flashlight with me and keep it in my hand while walking in bad neighborhoods while traveling. I used the headlamp once when the hotel and surrounding neighborhood had a power outage and I needed to pack all my stuff In pitch black and change hotels.

Never needed the med supplies. Zip ties repaired a broken luggage once, temporarily.

Yeah there’s tools TSA won’t care about like small screwdriver or small pliers but in doing around 400 flights In the last decade, I can say I never ever would have needed either. And carrying extra stuff gets heavy.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

i think it's also hilarious that scissors are allowed: "If packed in carry-on, they must be less than 4 inches from the pivot point."
but not a 4" knife?

you can snap them at the pivot and have two 4" blades, lol.

Good thing the ATF isn’t in charge of airport security or scissors would be constructive possession of TWO knives!

 

[lasagna]

I’ve gotten really good at improving tools with metal butter knives in the hotel or plastic hotel keycards. And if the Trip is just a trip, not a professional job where I’m expected to fix things then how much stuff am I really expecting to repair while I’m traveling?

Can you elaborate? I'd love to know what you mean by improving tools.

I’ll bring ... a small med kit with tourniquet and hemostatic gauze.

I carry first aid stuff and hand sanitizer in a different pencil case. It's always good to have bandages, gauze, antibiotic creams, peroxide, and so forth. I've never needed the bandages, (although I've had to visit a number of foreign clinics for azithromycin tablets and ceftriaxone injections) but sometimes I'll clean up my nostrils with some Neosporin after spells of especially indulgent merrymaking.

I take the flashlight with me and keep it in my hand while walking in bad neighborhoods while traveling.

I'd love some additional details. I assume you're talking about tactical flashlights that can be used as batons, although I did see one travel "expert" recommend carrying a 4k lumen flashlight to shine in the eyes of possible assailants to disorient them so you can run away and avoid legal trouble abroad.

Yeah there’s tools TSA won’t care about like small screwdriver or small pliers but in doing around 400 flights In the last decade, I can say I never ever would have needed either. And carrying extra stuff gets heavy.

I end up needing tools all the time. For one of many examples, I travel with a Roku so I don't have to worry about getting stuck with Spanish-language entertainment I can't follow or appreciate. I had to pull my TV off of a rack in Panama City to get it plugged in. That was before I traveled with pliers, so I had a ratchet and some bolts delivered via Rappi (a popular delivery app in Latin America that's similar to Uber Eats/DoorDash, except you can have them bring you things from hardware stores too [among other places]).

I don't know if you're still frequently traveling or what. If so, you may want to look into TSA preapproval and Clear. Those are some of the best purchases I've made. You won't attract nearly as much scrutiny if you're being escorted to the front of the lines by someone in a uniform. It's just a though.

 

[f121]

Having traveled quite a bit for work while also being a tool nerd I’ll say my answer is quite boring but practical.

If the trip is specifically around me using tools for some purpose, I’m going somewhere and planning to use tools, then I’m checking my luggage and bringing real tools.

Otherwise I’m bringing nothing. I don’t want to deal with TSA hassling me. If you fly multiple times weekly, the utility of having a knife-less multi tool does not outweigh the hassle of ten minute delays as tsa checks it each time to make sure there’s no knife. And the 5% to 10% of the time they decide to confiscate it anyway because f-you.

100% this. My goal has always been to have nothing that will cause TSA to pull my bag for a search. Who has time to repeatedly explain the rules to TSA agents or the myriad of European equivalents, all with slightly different rules.

I used to always carry a head torch for the lights out scenario, I’ve showered by head torch light in more than one hotel over the years, but these days cell phones have decent torches.

 

[aggiegrads]

Those Kai scissors are great - amazing actually. I work three blocks from the Kershaw headquarters in Oregon, and I got a pair at the last factory sale. Those are by far my favorite kitchen shears and way too nice for me to take on a plane and risk losing to TSA. My favorites for travel are Klein electrician’s scissors, $15 trauma shears, or X-Shears. For me, 90% of the time that I use my EDC blade, I could be using scissors (more safely in most cases). Scissors are just more difficult to EDC in a pocket when I am not traveling. To me, they are absolutely worth taking when I cant bring a knife.

if you like the Kai kitchen shears, you should really try x-shears, they are less expensive than the Kai’s and are less intimidating looking so less likely to raise suspicion in an airport. I pack them with my first aid kit rather than my toolkit.

XShear Heavy Duty Trauma Shears

Completely redesigned trauma shears provide top quality performance for a reasonable price. Built to be the last you'll ever need!

xshear.com

 

[woody 73]

love all those little tool gadgets but...at the cost of $80.00 dollars for the Key wrangler, I just could not ever pull the plug on something that expensive; maybe if it was made out of gold or silver, Platinum., or some other rare metal. Ouch.

 

[qdvuu]

I can't have a hammer or a blade of any kind.

It seems that "taking a hammer on an airplane" isn't allowed, but maybe "taking a hammer head" is. Maybe you can find a hammer or multi-tool with an E-Z detachable head. I figure with all multi-tool users and EDC folks flying nowadays that there'd be some tool that's designed to work around the TSA and similar regs.

 

[Odd-job]

love all those little tool gadgets but...at the cost of $80.00 dollars for the Key wrangler, I just could not ever pull the plug on something that expensive; maybe if it was made out of gold or silver, Platinum., or some other rare metal. Ouch.

Titanium! Guess you didn't get in line for the carbon fiber ratchet?

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Can you elaborate? I'd love to know what you mean by improving tools.

typo, i I meant improvising. Using a metal butter knife from a hotel kitchenette As a pry bar or flathead screwdriver.

I've had to visit a number of foreign clinics for azithromycin tablets and ceftriaxone injections)

Sounds like you’re having fun while traveling Ask them for IM rocephin next time to get rid of some of the nastier cooties.

I'd love some additional details. I assume you're talking about tactical flashlights that can be used as batons, although I did see one travel "expert" recommend carrying a 4k lumen flashlight to shine in the eyes of possible assailants to disorient them so you can run away and avoid legal trouble abroad.

just a 2 cell cr123 flashlight of whatever high quality brand. 4k lumens doesn’t exist at the moment in a 2 cell, at least not with proper candela. It’s not just lumens it’s candela. Like how Amps and volts are needed to quantify electricity. You can have 10k volts but if it’s only one milliamp, then nothing will happen. Look into a decent 500 to 1.2k lumen light from surefire or streamlight or malkoff. Not a baton, that will get flagged by security.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

It seems that "taking a hammer on an airplane" isn't allowed, but maybe "taking a hammer head" is. Maybe you can find a hammer or multi-tool with an E-Z detachable head. I figure with all multi-tool users and EDC folks flying nowadays that there'd be some tool that's designed to work around the TSA and similar regs.

How about a linesman pliers under 7”?

 

[lasagna]

100% this. My goal has always been to have nothing that will cause TSA to pull my bag for a search. Who has time to repeatedly explain the rules to TSA agents or the myriad of European equivalents, all with slightly different rules.

I used to always carry a head torch for the lights out scenario, I’ve showered by head torch light in more than one hotel over the years, but these days cell phones have decent torches.

I had a flight out of SeaTac yesterday and my tools got flagged for manual inspection. It didn't bother me because I was like eight hours early for my flight. The agent who was going through my stuff complimented me on the Knipex pliers and pliers wrench. Anyway, it probably added a two-minute total delay. I can understand not wanting to run into a situation like that at all, but it wasn't a big deal.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

I had a flight out of SeaTac yesterday and my tools got flagged for manual inspection. It didn't bother me because I was like eight hours early for my flight. The agent who was going through my stuff complimented me on the Knipex pliers and pliers wrench. Anyway, it probably added a two-minute total delay. I can understand not wanting to run into a situation like that at all, but it wasn't a big deal.

It depends on how busy they are. I bring food often with me on work trips. And it gets flagged a lot. I might freeze some liquids like soup or a protein shake drink. Sometimes it takes 2 minutes. Sometimes it takes 20 minutes. If there’s a bunch of people with stuff flagged, and if they’re rookies who have no-nos buried deep in their bags, it takes TSA a while to get to me.

When you travel for work a lot, sometimes you get lazy and show up to the airport one hour before departure and you have 30 minutes to clear security, go take a whiz, fill up the water bottles from the fountain, and get to the gate before boarding.

I realized if I was doing 100 flights a year, if I got there 1 hour before takeoff as opposed to the recommended 2 hours, I would save 100 hours per year or 2.5 weeks of full time work. I got to the point with one client, I got so comfortable with the routine I’d show up to the airport 45 minutes before takeoff and with pre-check would clear security in 5 minutes at the days/times I flew. And have plenty of time.

Just like how you guys have four of the same ratchets each with different socket to save time, I realized I could show up much later to the airport and save weeks of my life each year.