REVIEW – There’s an old joke about what to get the person who has everything: “Something to keep it in.” Many EDC folks have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to multitools, flashlights, and knives. Having a place to store or at least collect these items together for easy access is right in the purview of the Roaring Fire Pioneer New Mini Tool Roll Bag.
What is it?
The Roaring Fire Pioneer New Mini Tool Roll Bag is a sturdy canvas tool roll with pockets sized for multi-tools and pocket knives.
Hardware specs
From the manufacturer’s website
- Product size: 17.7” (45cm) L x 7.87” (20cm) W
- Weight: 9.2 oz (261 grams)
- Features: Mesh pockets with a flap closure to secure items.
- Rolls up for easy storage.
- Quick-release buckles keep it secured when rolled up.
- Interior compartments for small items.
- Made from waxed canvas which is wear-resistant, and very durable.
- Easy to lay out and see all your items while the interior pocket has a YKK zipper to keep small items secure.
- Organization: Four large pockets, four mesh pockets, one YKK zippered pocket, and eight elastic pockets provide plenty of storage options.
Design and features
The Roaring Fire Pioneer New Mini Tool Roll Bag is made from heavy-duty waxed canvas. Like most tool rolls, it consists of a good-sized piece of base fabric with silos sewn into one side. On the opposite side, there is a flap that folds over the tips of the tools placed in those silos. In the case of the Mini Tool Roll, the base is made from a heavy yet flexible waxed canvas, two layers thick. The silos are sewn into the inside layer, so the stitching doesn’t show through on the other side (and thus is protected from wear and tear.) The pockets created are 4.25” deep and vary in width.
Sewn into this top layer also is a 3.5” wide strip of elastic. This is also segmented into pockets, of different sizes than the canvas ones, so the tools are not stacked up, but rather fit between each other.
The flap is another piece of double-layer canvas, 4.5” wide. This is topped with a 3.5” wide piece of stretchy mesh which is divided into four equal-sized pockets. The stretch mesh is bound with heavy-duty bias tape on the top. The canvas flap and pockets are all sewn internally, reversed, and the seams top-stitched.
On one end is a flat pocket 3.5” wide that runs across the 8″ end of the roll. There is no gusset or provision for a lot of give, so this will be for small or flat items. This is the end that is rolled into the core of the unit.
Once rolled, the tools are secured with the 12″ long doubled strip of 1″ webbing and a metal cinching buckle. There is a single piece of branding, a leather 1″ x 1.75″ patch sewn into the top layer of the cover near that cinching buckle and stamped with the company logo and name.
The Roaring Fire Pioneer New Mini Tool Roll Bag is easy to fill, easy to roll up, and easy to cinch closed to carry. When needed, you can get to your tools randomly, without having to look under something or empty the whole thing out. That’s the beauty of a tool roll, rather than a caddy or toolbox.
What I like
- Waxed Canvas! (Underrated as a material, IMHO)
- Heavy-duty construction in all areas
- Good-sized silos for items
What I’d change
- Can’t think of a thing.
Final thoughts
Tool rollups are an old category. I’ve seen them for everything from fountain pens to colored pencils to sets of jeweler’s screwdrivers. We’ve reviewed many different kinds here on The Gadgeteer. The Roaring Fire Pioneer New Mini Tool Roll Bag is designed for multitools and smaller tools, rather than full-sized tools. You could probably use it for smaller items like colored pencils or such, but it’s clearly designed more for metal or heavy-duty tools, not daintier or more fragile items. It’s not going to hold the tire-changing kit in your car trunk or your fountain pen collection, but for smaller, more rigid items like EDC knives and multi-tools, it’s a great way to store or transport them in one easy-to-access place.
Price: $39.99
Where to buy: Company Webstore
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Roaring Fire.
