"Upstairs Toolbox"

Our family moved around frequently while I served on active duty with the military. We had five kids which meant that we usually purchased two story houses to accommodate everyone. One of the things that frustrated me most about a two story house was the fact that when you needed a tool, and you were on the second floor, you had to make a journey downstairs to the toolbox. Then you would go back up stairs only to discover that you picked up the wrong size tool for the job. To remedy this situation, I put together an “upstairs toolbox” which was a smaller version of my main toolbox in the downstairs garage.

This was a happy compromise but now that I’m living full time in our 5th wheel I am stuck with the same problem. When I need tools, I have to go outside and open a storage compartment and drag out everything until I get to my tool box. I usually have to make several trips in and out until I have all the proper tools assembled.

At first I began leaving a few tools in the junk drawer but this left less room for all the junk and when I was using my tools outside, well you guessed it, I had to come inside and rummage through the junk drawer to find that Phillips screwdriver I left in there. We don’t have enough room for an “upstairs toolbox” in the 5th wheel, but we do have room for an all purpose-tool. This all-purpose tool has everything I need for simple jobs and saves me from having to go outside and dig through storage when I just need to tighten up a screw. I use the needle-nose pliers and the Philips head screwdriver frequently. So, if you are only going to have one handy tool inside the rig get yourself a good all-purpose tool. I’ve found that I fix the little things more quickly because this tool is so readily accessible. Jim